Idioms

 

1.    Break the ice- s'/f ;'? ug{'

He told a joke to break the ice at the party.

2.    Hit the nail on the head-7\ofSs} ;xL s'/f ug{'_

She hit the nail on the head with her answer.

3.    Spill the beans-uf]Ko s'/f vf]Ng'_

He spilled the beans about the surprise party.

4.    Under the weather-la/fdL x'g'÷c:j:y dx;'; ug{'_

I didn't go to school today because I was under the weather.

5.    Once in a blue moon-lgs} sd÷la/n}_

We go out for dinner once in a blue moon.

6.    Let the cat out of the bag-uNtLn] em'SsLP/ /x:o vf]Ng'_

He let the cat out of the bag about the exam questions.

7.    Bite the bullet-cK7of/f] s'/f ;x]/ ug{'_

I finally bit the bullet and went to the dentist.

8.    Piece of cake-w]/} ;lhnf] sfd_

The exam was a piece of cake.

9.    Burn the midnight oil-ca]/ ;Dd k9\g'÷sfd ug{'_

She burned the midnight oil before her final exams.

10.        Cost an arm and a leg-w]/} dxFuf] kg{'_

That new phone cost me an arm and a leg.

11.        Kick the bucket-dg{'_
The old man kicked the bucket peacefully in his sleep.

12.        Cry over spilt milk-lat]sf] s'/fdf b'vL x'g'_

There's no use crying over spilt milk after losing the match.

13.        Bend over backwards-w]/} d]xgt u/]/ ;xof]u ug{'_

She bent over backwards to make her guests comfortable.

14.        Hit the books-k9\g yfNg'÷s8f cWoog ug{'_

 I need to hit the books this weekend for my test.

15.        Let sleeping dogs lie-k'/fgf] ljjfb p7fP/ ;d:of glemSg'_

Don’t ask him about that mistake, let sleeping dogs lie.

16.        Throw in the towel-xf/ dfGg'÷5f8\g'_

After failing twice, he finally threw in the towel.

17.        Actions speak louder than words-zJbeGbf sfd alnof] x'g'_

He never promises much, but actions speak louder than words.

18.        Add fuel to the fire-emg laufg{'÷l:ylt v/fa agfpg'÷ cfuf]df l3p yKg'_

Shouting at her only added fuel to the fire.

19.        The ball is in your court-ca lg0f{o ltdLdfly e/ k5{_

I’ve done my part, the ball is in your court now.

20.        In hot water-;:ofdf kg{'÷;+s6df x'g'_

He is in hot water after losing the job.

21.        Hit the sack-;'Tg hfg'_

 I'm tired. It's time to hit the sack.

22.        Pull someone's leg-/dfOnf]df em'6 af]Ng'÷7§f ug{'_

Don't worry. I am just pulling your leg.

23.        It's not a rocket science-of] ufx|f] s'/f xf]Og_

Making tea is not a rocket science.

24.        Miss the boat-cj;/ u'dfpg'_

He got the scholarship to study in the USA but he missed the boat due to his carelessness.

25.        Kill two birds with one stone-Pp6} sfdn] b'O{ kmfObf lng'_

By visiting my grandparents on the way to the market, I killed two birds with one stone.

26.        Read between the lines-n's]sf] cy{ a'‰g'_

You need to read between the lines of that message.

27.        Cold feet-8/ nfUg'÷c;xh dx;'; x'g'_

He got cold feet before the wedding.

28.        Burn bridges-:yfoL ¿kdf ;DaGw laufg{'_

I don’t want to burn bridges with my old friends.

29.        On cloud nine-cToGt} v'zL x'g'_
She was on cloud nine after passing the exam.

30.        Rome wasn’t built in a day-7"nf]÷dxfg sfddf ;do nfU5_

He felt frustrated when his business didn’t grow quickly, but I reminded him that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Exercise:

1.   ‘I was nervous about my English exam, but I passed with flying colours.’ Which of the following refers to the idiom underlined in this sentence? (NEB 2081 Set-A)

i. scored mixed grades                       ii. scored low grades      

iii. scored high grades                        iv. scored average grades

2.   The girl will certainly 'spill the beans' in front of the police. which of the following has similar meaning to 'spill the beans' in this sentence? (2081-GI-A)

i. arrive at wrong time                                       ii. reveal the secret

iii. to make unkind remarks about someone      iv. to praise one's own achievement

3.   We only go camping ‘once in a blue moon’. Which of the following has similar meaning to ‘once in a blue moon’ in this sentence?

i) every weekend       ii) once a month      iii) annually    iv) rarely

4.   What does the sentence “He burnt his fingers by interfering in his neighbour’s affair.” Mean?

i. He got himself into trouble.           ii. He burnt himself.

iii. He got himself insulted.               Iv. He got rebuked.

5.   The final exam will be "a piece of cake" for her. What does "a piece of cake" mean in this sentence?
i. Very easy                        ii. Extremely difficult            

6.   iii. Quite confusing            iv. Boring

7.   She was "over the moon" when she heard the good news. What does "over the moon" mean in this sentence?
i. Very sad                          ii. Extremely happy          

iii. Feeling confused          iv. Slightly worried

8.   ‘After losing his job, he really had to tighten his belt.’ Which of the following refers to the idiom “tighten his belt” in this sentence?
i. Start saving money                 ii. Eat healthy food
iii. Buy new clothes                   iv. Relax and enjoy

9.   ‘He was barking up the wrong tree by blaming me for the mistake.’ Which of the following refers to the idiom “barking up the wrong tree” in this sentence?
i. Blaming the right person                        ii. Looking for a lost item
iii. Blaming the wrong person           iv. Getting angry for no reason

10.       ‘She decided to let sleeping dogs lie and didn’t bring up the old argument.’ Which of the following refers to the idiom “let sleeping dogs lie” in this sentence?
i. Solve the old conflict                             ii. Wake up the neighbours
iii. Avoid restarting an old conflict           iv. Talk about past mistakes

11.        ‘After months of trying, he finally threw in the towel.’ Which of the following refers to the idiom “threw in the towel” in this sentence?
i. Started again           ii. Took a break      iii. Gave up     iv. Became angry

12.       ‘She hit the nail on the head with her explanation.’ Which of the following refers to the idiom “hit the nail on the head” in this sentence?
i. Made a wrong guess.              ii. Gave the perfect answer.
iii. Complained unnecessarily   .iv. Said something silly.