Above board - Honest and open.
At arm’s length - To keep at a distance.
At the eleventh hour - At the last moment.
At sixes and sevens - In a disordered manner.
An apple of discord - A cause of quarrel.
Alpha and omega - The beginning and the end.
At sea - Confused and lost.
At one’s beck and call - At one’s service.
An acid test - A critical test.
Add fuel to the fire - To aggravate the situation.
At a snail’s pace - Very slowly.
To beat about the bush - Talk irrelevantly.
A bone of contention - A source of quarrel.
To burn one’s boats - Go back on a decision.
To burn candle at both ends - To waste lavishly.
To build castles in the air - Make imaginary schemes.
A bolt from the blue - Something unexpected.
By leaps and bounds – Rapidly.
A burning question - An important topic.
To bell the cat - To face the risk.
A big gun - An important person.
To blow one’s own - To praise one’s own trumpet achievement.
A bosom friend - A very close friend.
A brown study – Dreaming.
A close shave - Narrow escape.
To cut a sorry figure - To make a poor show.
Take one to task – Rebuke.
Turn a deaf ear - Disregard / ignore what one says.
By hook or by crook - By fair or foul means.
Gain ground - Become popular.
Pay off old scores - Take revenge.
Put a spoke in one’s wheel - To upset one’s plans.
Turn over a new leaf - Change for the better.
Make up one’s mind – Decide.
In the long run - Eventually; ultimately.
In the nick of time - Just at the last moment.
Through thick and thin - Under all conditions.
With a high hand – Oppressively.
Sitting on the fence - Hesitate between two decisions.
Bring to light – Disclose.
Burn one’s fingers - Get into trouble by interfering in
other’s affairs.
Laugh one’s head off - Laugh heartily.
Chew the cud - Ponder over something.
Hard and fast rules - Strict rules.
Play second fiddle - Take an unimportant part.
Rank and file - Ordinary persons.
By fits and starts - In short periods, not regularly.
A wee bit - A little.
Out of the wood - Free from difficulties and dangers.
Under his thumb - Under his control.
At one’s wits end - In a state where one does not know what
to do.
Between the devil and the - Between two dangers deep sea.
Burn the midnight oil - Work or study hard.
Call a spade a spade - Speak frankly and directly.
Come off with flying colours - Be highly successful.
Hoping against hope - Without hope.
Hit the nail on the head - Do or say the exact thing.
An axe to grind - A personal interest in the matter.
Spread like wild fire - Spread quickly.
The gift of the gab - Talent for speaking.
Throw out of gear - Disturb the work.
Tooth and nail - With all one’s power.
Take to one’s heels - Run away.
Die in harness - Die while in service.
Out of the way – Strange.
Read between the lines - Understand the hidden meaning.
In cold blood - Deliberately; without emotion.
Show a clean pair of heals - Run away.
A thorn in the flesh - A constant source of annoyance.
Smell a rat - Suspect something foul.
Nip in the bud - Destroy in the early stage.
Out of the question – Impossible.
Stick to one’s guns - Remain faithful to the cause.
A man of straw - A man of no substance.
Leave no stone unturned - Use all available means.
Harp on the same string - Dwell on the same subject.
Take a leaf out of one’s book - Imitate one.
Like a fish out of water - In a strange situation.
At one’s beck and call - Under his control.
Bury the hatchet - End the quarrel and make peace.
Feather one’s own nest - Make money unfairly.
Leave one in the lurch - Desert one in difficulties; leave
one in a helpless condition.
To eat humble pie - To apologize humbly; to yield under
humiliating circumstances.
To eat your words - To take back what you have said.
To make both ends meet - To live within one’s income.
In high spirits - Very happy.
Kill two birds with one stone - To achieve two results with
one effort.
Let the cat out of the bag - Reveal a secret.
Put the cart before the horse - Put or do things in the
wrong order.
A hard nut to crack - A difficult problem.
In hot water - In trouble.
Wash one’s dirty linen - Discuss unpleasant in public
private matters before strangers.
On tenterhooks - In a state of suspense and anxiety.
To all names - To abuse.
To get rid of - Dispose of.
At daggers drawn - Bitterly hostile.
To play ducks and drakes - To act foolishly or
inconsistently.
To take the bull by the horns - To tackle a problem in a
bold and direct fashion.
Rain cats and dogs - Rain heavily.
To move heaven and earth - To make a supreme effort.
No avail - Without any result.
Bark up the wrong tree - Accuse or denounce the wrong
person.
Keep one at bay - Keep one at a distance.
Make a clean breast of it - Confess – especially when a
person has done a wrong thing.
Have a card up one’s sleeve - Have a secret plan in reserve.
Like a cat on hot bricks - Very nervous.
Cat and dog life - Life full of quarrels.
Cock and bull story - Made up story that one should not
believe.
Cry for the moon - Ask for the impossible.
The pros and cons - The various aspects of a matter in
detail.
Be in a tight corner - In a very difficult situation.
