Notes - Idioms and Phrases - FAA English

Idioms and Phrases

An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words.

Important Idioms (A-E)

A Blessing in Disguise
Meaning: A good thing that seemed bad at first.
Ex: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because I found a better one.

A Piece of Cake
Meaning: Something very easy to do.
Ex: The exam was a piece of cake.

Apple of discord
Meaning: Cause of quarrel.
Ex: The ancestral property became an apple of discord between the brothers.

Apple of one's eye
Meaning: Very dear / Favorite.
Ex: She is the apple of her father's eye.

At the eleventh hour
Meaning: At the very last moment.
Ex: He submitted the application at the eleventh hour.

Beat around the bush
Meaning: Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable.
Ex: Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.

Bed of roses
Meaning: An easy and comfortable situation.
Ex: Life is not a bed of roses.

Bite the bullet
Meaning: To get something over with because it is inevitable.
Ex: I have to bite the bullet and go to the dentist.

Break the ice
Meaning: To start a conversation in a social setting.
Ex: He told a joke to break the ice.

Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: To work late into the night.
Ex: Students burn the midnight oil during exams.

By hook or by crook
Meaning: By any means possible (fair or unfair).
Ex: He wants to win the election by hook or by crook.

Call it a day
Meaning: Stop working on something.
Ex: I'm tired. Let's call it a day.

Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be unhappy about what cannot be undone.
Ex: It's no use crying over spilled milk.

Cut corners
Meaning: To do something badly or cheaply.
Ex: They cut corners when building the bridge, and it collapsed.

Eye wash
Meaning: Deception / Pretence.
Ex: The inquiry committee was just an eye wash.

Practice - Idioms and Phrases - FAA English

Practice Exercise

Select the correct meaning of the idiom/phrase.

1. Once in a blue moon

(a) Every month (b) Very rarely (c) Frequently (d) Never

Answer: (b) Very rarely

2. To spill the beans

(a) To be clumsy (b) To reveal a secret (c) To cook beans (d) To plant seeds

Answer: (b) To reveal a secret

3. A white elephant

(a) A rare animal (b) Costly but useless possession (c) A symbol of peace (d) Ivory

Answer: (b) Costly but useless possession

4. To turn a deaf ear

(a) To become deaf (b) To listen carefully (c) To disregard/ignore (d) To be silent

Answer: (c) To disregard/ignore

5. To read between the lines

(a) To read slowly (b) To understand the hidden meaning (c) To read allowed (d) To skip words

Answer: (b) To understand the hidden meaning

6. A bolt from the blue

(a) A thunderstorm (b) Unexpected shock/surprise (c) A blue light (d) A fast runner

Answer: (b) Unexpected shock/surprise

7. To burn the candle at both ends

(a) To be extravagant (b) To work very hard without rest (c) To save light (d) To be foolish

Answer: (b) To work very hard without rest

8. To hit the nail on the head

(a) To hurt someone (b) To do/say the exact correct thing (c) To use a hammer (d) To be angry

Answer: (b) To do/say the exact correct thing

9. Through thick and thin

(a) In good and bad times (b) Through a forest (c) Being fat and thin (d) With great difficulty

Answer: (a) In good and bad times

10. To face the music

(a) To listen to music (b) To face consequences/criticism (c) To sing a song (d) To conduct an orchestra

Answer: (b) To face consequences/criticism

11. A fair weather friend

(a) A good friend (b) A friend who leaves in difficult times (c) A friend who likes rain (d) An enemy

Answer: (b) A friend who leaves in difficult times

12. To smells a rat

(a) To smell something bad (b) To see a rat (c) To suspect something wrong (d) To be sick

Answer: (c) To suspect something wrong

13. In a nutshell

(a) In a shell (b) Briefly / In short (c) In detail (d) Confusingly

Answer: (b) Briefly / In short

14. To leave no stone unturned

(a) To work in a quarry (b) To make every possible effort (c) To be lazy (d) To clean up

Answer: (b) To make every possible effort

15. At sixes and sevens

(a) In perfect order (b) Confusion / Disorder (c) Mathematical problem (d) Counting

Answer: (b) Confusion / Disorder

Formulas - Idioms and Phrases - FAA English

Additional Important Idioms

F - J

Face the music: Accept consequences.
Fair and square: Honest.
Feather one’s nest: Make money unfairly.
Fish out of water: Uncomfortable situation.
French leave: Leaving without permission.
Get the sack: Be dismissed from a job.
Gift of the gab: Talent for speaking.
Hard nut to crack: Difficult problem/person.
Hit the sack: Go to sleep.
In black and white: In writing.
Jack of all trades: Good at many things, master of none.

K - O

Keep at arm’s length: Avoid friendship.
Kick the bucket: To die.
Kill two birds with one stone: Achieve two aims at once.
Lion’s share: Major part.
Make ends meet: Warn enough to live.
Man of letters: Scholar/Writer.
Miss the boat: Miss an opportunity.
Null and void: Invalid.
Once in a blue moon: Very rarely.
Out of the blue: Unexpectedly.

P - Z

Part and parcel: Essential element.
Pros and cons: Advantages and disadvantages.
Rain cats and dogs: Rain heavily.
Red letter day: Important/Happy day.
Red tape: Official formalities/delay.
Sit on the fence: Avoid making a decision.
Spill the beans: Reveal a secret.
Take with a grain of salt: Don’t believe completely.
Turn a deaf ear: Refuse to listen.
Under the weather: Sick.
White elephant: Useless possession.
Wild goose chase: Futile search.

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