Idioms & Phrases Part-1 ( Useful for CGL Tier-1 & Tier-2, CPO Pre and Mains, CHSL, etc )

Idioms & Phrases
Part-1

Asked in various SSC exams (Updated till 2018)

Useful for CGL T-1 & T-2, CPO Pre and Mains, CHSL, etc.

1	Sweeping Statement	Thoughtless statement (SO(Audit), 1997)
2	All at sea	Puzzled (SO(Audit), 1997)
3	Enough rope	Enough freedom for action (SO(Audit), 1997)
4	By fits and start	Irregularly (SO(Audit), 1997)
5	Fell foul of	Got into trouble with (SO(Audit), 1997)
6	Token strike	Short strike held as warning (SO(Audit), 1997)
7	Face the music	Get reprimanded (SO(Audit), 1997)
8	Look down upon	Hate intensely (SO(Audit), 1997)
9	Flogging a dead horse	Wasting time in useless effort (SO(Audit), 1997)
10	Under a cloud	Under suspicion (SO(Audit), 1997)
11	Green thumb	To have a natural interest (SO(Audit), 2001)
12	Played havoc	Caused destruction (SO(Audit), 2001)
13	No love lost between	Not on good terms (SO(Audit), 2001)
14	Fair and square	Honest (SO(Audit), 2001)
15	A white elephant	Costly or troublesome possession (SO(Audit), 2001)
16	Out and out	Totally (SO(Audit), 2001)
17	On the cuff	On credit (SO(Audit), 2001)
18	Does not hold water	Cannot be believed (SO(Audit), 2001)
19	A wild goose chase	Futile search (SO(Audit), 2001)
20	In a tight corner	In a difficult situation (SO(Audit), 2001)
21	Going places	Talented and successful (SO(Audit), 2003)
22	In cold blood	A murder done without intention (SO(Audit), 2003)
23	Off and on	Occasionally (SO(Audit), 2003)
24	Hard and fast	Strict (SO(Audit), 2003)
25	Took to heels	Run away in fear (SO(Audit), 2003)
26	To keep up	To keep in touch (SO(Audit), 2003)
27	Make a clean breast	Confess without reserve (SO(Audit), 2003)
28	Heads will roll	Transfers will take place (SO(Audit), 2003)
29	Make no bones about	Do not have any hesitation in anything (SO(Audit), 2003)
30	Take after	Resembles (SO(Audit), 2003)
31	To starve off	Postpone (SO(Audit), 2003)
32	To give a piece of mind	To reprimand (SO(Audit), 2003)
33	Rest on laurels	To be complacent (SO(Audit), 2003)
34	Pay through nose	Pay an extremely high price (SO(Audit), 2003)
35	Draw on fancy	Use imagination (SO(Audit), 2003)
36	Turn an honest living	Make an legitimate living (SO(Audit), 2005)
37	Give the game away	Give out the secret (SO(Audit), 2005)
38	Cheek by jowl	Very near (SO(Audit), 2005)
39	Give in	Yield (SO(Audit), 2005)
40	Run riot	Act without restraint (SO(Audit), 2005)
41	Go through fire and water	Undergo any risk (SO(Audit), 2005)
42	Talking through hat	Talking nonsense (SO(Audit), 2005)
43	Put up with	Tolerate (SO(Audit), 2005)
44	By fits and starts	Irregularly (SO(Audit), 2005)
45	Reading between the lines	Understanding the hidden meaning (SO(Audit), 2005)
46	Get the sack	dismissed from (SO(Audit), 2006)
47	Pros and cons	Considering all the facts (SO(Audit), 2006)
48	By leaps and bounds	Very Quickly (SO(Audit), 2006)
49	In the good books	In favour with boss (SO(Audit), 2006)
50	In the long run	Ultimately (SO(Audit), 2006)
51	To be always one’s beck and call	At one’s disposal (ready to serve one’s master) (SO(Audit), 2006)

52	Turn a deaf year	Disregard/ignore/refuse (SO(Audit), 2006)
53	At one’s wit’s end	Puzzled/confused/perplexed (SO(Audit), 2006)
54	To fight tooth and nail	To fight in a determined way for what you want (SO(Audit), 2006)
55	The green-eyed monster	Used as a way of talking about jealousy (SO(Audit), 2006)
56	Set the record straight	Give a correct account (SO(Audit), 2007)
57	Good Samaritan	Helpful person (SO(Audit), 2007)
58	Bad blood	Angry feeling (SO(Audit), 2007)
59	To go to the whole hog	To do it completely (SO(Audit), 2007)
60	Lay out	Spend (SO(Audit), 2007)
61	Laying off	Dismissal from jobs (SO(Audit), 2007)
62	Leaps and bounds	At rapid pace (SO(Audit), 2007)
63	Spilling the beans	Revealing the information indiscreetly (SO(Audit), 2007)
64	Carry out	Execute (SO(Audit), 2007)
65	Went to the winds	Dissipated/ To be utterly lost (SO(Audit), 2008)
66	Ins and outs	Full details (SO(Audit), 2008)
67	A white elephant	A costly but useless possession (SO(Audit), 2008)
68	Fed up	Annoyed (SO(Audit), 2008)
69	In the good books	In favour with (SO(Audit), 2008)
70	Sharp practices	Dishonest means (SO(Audit), 2008)
71	In high spirits	Full of hope and enthusiasm (SO(Audit), 2008)
72	Shake in shoes	Tremble with fear (SO(Audit), 2008)
73	Fits and starts	Not regularly (SO(Audit), 2008)
74	Close shave	Narrow shave (SO(Audit), 2008)
75	Take with a grain of salt	To listen to something with considerable doubt (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
76	Hobson’s choice	No real choice at all (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
77	To eat a humble pie	To apologize (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
78	To give the devil his due	to give encouragement even to the enemy (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
79	Reading between the lines	looking for meanings that are not actually expressed (TA(IT & CE),
2004)
80	An open book	One that hold no secrets (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
81	An axe to grind	A private interest to serve (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
82	To blow one’s own trumpet	Praise one’s own abilities and achievements (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
83	Stand-offish	Indifferent (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
84	Sowing wild oats	Irresponsible pleasure seeking in young age (TA(IT & CE), 2004)
85	A bolt from the blue	Something unexpected and unpleasant (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
86	By leaps and bounds	Rapidly (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
87	Of no avail	Useless (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
88	On the verge of	On the brink of (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
89	A sore point	Something which hurts (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
90	Like a phoenix	With a new life/rebirth/reincarnation (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
91	To keep under wraps	Secret (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
92	Die in harness	To die at one’s work (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
93	Fair- weather friend	A friend that deserts in difficulties (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
94	Emerge out of thin air	Appear Suddenly (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
95	Cut no ice	Had no influence (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
96	Brought up	Introduce for discussion (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
97	Cannot hold a candle to	Cannot be compared to (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
98	Burn one’s boat	Leave no means of return (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
99	Make one’s flesh creep	Horrify (TA(IT & CE), 2006)
100	Pros and cons	For and against/ analysis of all the given facts (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
101	To take into account	To consider (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
102	Blow over	Pass off (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
103	Run into	Incurred/to experience difficulties (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
104	Blue-eyed boys	Favorites (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
105	Dropping names	Hinting at high connections/To mention famous people you know or have met in order to impress others (TA(IT & CE), 2007)

106	A Red letter day	An important day (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
107	Bone to pick	Cause of quarrel/ Bone of contention (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
108	At stone’s throw	Very near (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
109	Struck a chill to the heart	Arouse fear/to make somebody afraid (TA(IT & CE), 2007)
110	End in a fiasco	A Total/Utter failure (TA(IT & CE), 2007)