IDIOMS FOR SSC ENGLISH - ALL SSC PYQS UPTO 2025 - PART 4 (100 Idioms)

ALL SSC IDIOMS (PYQ BASED)

Sr. No.	Idiom	Meaning	Actual Place or Situation of Usage	Example
251	Pull yourself together	To calm down after an upsetting incident	To tell someone to regain control of their emotions after being upset or panicked	After receiving the unexpected news, he had to pull himself together to face the challenges ahead
252	Bite your tongue	To avoid saying something	When you stop yourself from saying something you want to, often to avoid an argument	I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but I had to bite my tongue to avoid an argument
253	Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret	When a secret is revealed, usually by accident	John accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party when he mentioned the cake
254	Talking through one's hat	Talking nonsense	To describe someone talking about a subject they don't understand, often making foolish statements	I did not even listen to him; he was only talking through his hat
255	Loaves and fishes	Material benefits	To refer to personal, often material or financial, gain as a motive for doing something	Most of the ministers are concerned with the loaves and fishes of office than the service of man
256	The crux of the matter	The critical point of the issue	To refer to the most important or central part of a problem or issue	This is the crux of the matter. One should always be focused on it
257	A left-handed compliment	An insult disguised as praise	When a remark sounds like a compliment but has a hidden insult	She said she liked my hair, but it turned out to be a left handed compliment
258	To put a brave face on	To remain positive or optimistic in a difficult situation	To pretend to be happy or confident when you are actually sad or worried	The team leader tried to put a brave face on the situation, even though they were facing tough competition
259	Carried off his feet	Was wild with excitement	To describe being overwhelmed with excitement or enthusiasm	He was carried off his feet when he was declared to have won the prize
260	To a T	Exactly	Used to say that something is perfectly suited or correct in every detail	The new routine will suit you to a T
261	Call the shots	To be in a position to make decisions that influence a situation	To describe who has the power or authority to make decisions	Since it's your project, you get to call the shots and decide how it's done
262	Cup of tea	Something one likes or excels in	To describe a personal preference or something one is good at (often used in the negative)	Cooking isn't my cup of tea. I would rather order takeout
263	Play devil's advocate	To argue, just for the sake of it	To present a counter-argument to test the validity of a position, not necessarily because you believe it	The council president is known to play devil's advocate often
264	Running around in circles	Putting efforts into something that does not give a worthwhile result	To describe being busy but not making any real progress	The executives were running around in circles, without any success
265	Barking up the wrong tree	To be mistaken; to be looking for solutions in the wrong place	When someone is pursuing a mistaken course of action or blaming the wrong person	John thought I knew where his lost phone was, but he was barking up the wrong tree
266	Go for a song	Being sold at a cheap rate	To describe something being sold for a very low price	Shweta organises the sale of handmade pottery at a cheap rate. (goes for a song)
267	Stab you in the back	To betray or harm someone who trusts you	To describe an act of treachery by someone you thought was a friend	He will be friendly to your face but likes to stab you in the back
268	Smash hit	Something overwhelmingly successful or popular	To describe a very successful song, play, or movie	The play I saw last night was a smash hit
269	To cut someone some slack	To not manage someone very strictly or critically	To be less critical of someone or give them more freedom	Cut John some slack. He is new and learning
270	All eyes and ears	Listening and watching eagerly and carefully	To describe being very attentive and focused on what is being said or shown	Our trainer asked for all eyes and ears on her for the next informative session
271	In the fast lane	A life filled with excitement	To describe a busy, exciting, and often risky lifestyle	The actor decided to live life in the fast lane
272	Fight fire with fire	To respond to a problem with a similar or equally strong counter-measure	To use the same methods as your opponent to fight against them	I asked my friend to fight fire with fire against her employers who are doing wrong to her
273	In a nutshell	In brief	To summarize something concisely	Jane, please don't tell me fairy tales; I just want to know the real matter in a nutshell
274	Sly as a fox	Smart and clever	To describe someone who is cunning and deceptive	The shopkeeper was sly as a fox and tried to sell off the old stock
275	Raining cats and dogs	Raining heavily	An expression used to describe very heavy rain	I don't think you should go out in the rain, it's raining cats and dogs
276	To keep one's temper	To remain calm	To control your anger and not get upset, especially in a frustrating situation	Even though he was frustrated, he managed to keep his temper during the meeting
277	Get your act together	Get organised and do things better	To tell someone to start behaving more responsibly and effectively	Before the important meeting, he realized he needed to get his act together...
278	Be like chalk and cheese	To be completely different from each other	To describe two people or things that are total opposites	The twins may look alike, but their personalities are like chalk and cheese
279	Keep your ear to the ground	To pay attention to everything that is happening	To stay well-informed about current events and trends	Being a journalist, your first duty is to keep your ear to the ground
280	As phony as a three-dollar bill	Something that is fake	To describe something that is clearly not genuine or real	His excuses for missing the meeting were as phony as a three-dollar bill
281	From scratch	From the beginning	To start something from the very beginning, without any prior work done	She decided to bake a cake from scratch, starting with basic ingredients...
282	The whole nine yards	Everything, all the way	To do something completely or to the fullest extent	The detective went the whole nine yards in his investigation
283	Turn a blind eye	To pretend not to notice	To intentionally ignore something that you know is wrong	"Do not turn a blind eye to all the mischief your child is up to"...
284	Have egg on your face	To be made to look foolish or embarrassed	To be embarrassed because something you did or said turned out to be wrong	John... predicted that his team would win... but they lost... leaving him with egg on his face
285	On the same page	To be in agreement	When everyone in a group understands and agrees on a situation or plan	Our team is all on the same page when it comes to our goals...
286	Bite the dust	To suffer a defeat	To fail, be defeated, or die	After a long and fierce battle, the opposing army had to bite the dust...
287	Wearing her heart on her sleeve	To openly and freely express one's emotions	To describe someone who does not hide their feelings	Riddhi believes in wearing her heart on her sleeve. That is why she has so many friends
288	To cross swords	To fight	To have an argument or dispute with someone	The two rival companies crossed swords in the courtroom over a patent dispute
289	Put on ice	To postpone or temporarily delay something	To delay a plan or project for a period of time	The deal was put on ice for three months
290	The world is your oyster	Having many opportunities and possibilities available	Used to tell someone that they are in a position to do whatever they want in life	You are an intellectual with a professional degree; ...the world is your oyster
291	Putting all your eggs in one basket	To put all the effort or resources into doing one thing	To risk everything on the success of one venture or plan	It's risky to invest all your savings in one company; it's like putting all your eggs in one basket
292	Cool as a cucumber	Stays calm and composed	To describe someone who remains calm and untroubled, especially in a stressful situation	Irrespective of the chaos in the classroom, our class teacher stays cool as a cucumber
293	Get mixed up	To become confused in distinguishing or remembering things	When you confuse one person or thing with another	Naina has six children, and I always get mixed up with their names
294	Out of the blue	Suddenly and unexpectedly	To describe something that happens completely without warning	She told me, out of the blue, that she was going to live in New York
295	Bone to pick	To be angry about something and want to discuss it	When you have a grievance or complaint that you want to talk about with someone	I have a bone to pick with you because you promised to help me with my project...
296	Ill at ease	Uncomfortable or embarrassed	To feel awkward and not relaxed in a situation	Rahul speaks easily in front of a small group, but he seems ill at ease before a large audience
297	Where there is a will, there is a way	Where there is determination, there is a path to success	An encouraging proverb suggesting that determination can overcome any obstacle	He made the business profitable from unprofitable in about a year... Where there is a will, there is a way
298	The apple of one's eye	Very dear	To refer to a person who is cherished more than any other	My granddaughter is the apple of my eye
299	By the skin of your teeth	By a very narrow margin	To describe a situation where you just barely manage to succeed or escape	I almost missed my flight, but I made it by the skin of my teeth
300	Run-of-the-mill	Average; ordinary	To describe something that is not special or outstanding	His research on the migratory patterns of the birds is run-of-the-mill
301	Keep someone at arm's length	To avoid becoming too close or friendly with someone	To maintain a distance in a relationship, either emotionally or physically	She decided to keep her nosy neighbor at arm's length by politely avoiding personal questions
302	All's fair in love and war	Any kind of behaviour is acceptable in love and war	A saying used to justify actions that would normally be considered unfair	I know it was wrong to distract his friends, but all's fair in love and war
303	By the sweat of his brow	By hard work	Refers to achieving something through one's own hard labor	He managed to save his father's business by the sweat of his brow
304	Cry over spilt milk	To be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed	To advise someone not to waste time worrying about past mistakes that cannot be undone	After all it is true that one should not cry over spilt milk
305	Quaking in his boots	To tremble with fear	To be very frightened or nervous	He was quaking in his boots when he had to give a speech on the stage
306	Throw caution to the wind	To take a risk	To act in a completely reckless manner, without worrying about the consequences	The entrepreneur decided to throw caution to the wind
307	Child's play	Something very easy	To describe a task or activity that is extremely easy to do	For the experienced chef, preparing a gourmet meal is child's play
308	Free and easy	Casual and informal	To describe a relaxed and informal atmosphere or manner	I found my teacher's points free and easy in the group discussion
309	The beauty of it	The good points	Used to highlight the clever, attractive, or advantageous feature of something	The beauty of it is that you can create art in your own unique way...
310	All of a sudden	Quickly and unexpectedly	A phrase meaning "suddenly"	All of a sudden, the lights went out during the storm
311	Hard to swallow	Difficult to believe	When a story or explanation is so unlikely that it is difficult to accept as true	These things are very hard to swallow
312	Icing on the cake	Something extra that makes a good thing even better	An additional benefit or positive feature to an already good situation	The decision to go on a trip after my vacations was the icing on the cake
313	Easier said than done	Easy to talk about but hard to put into practice	When a suggested solution sounds simple but is actually difficult to implement	It's easy to say that you'll start exercising every day, but it is easier said than done
314	Keeps his word	To do what one promised	To be reliable and trustworthy by fulfilling one's promises	If Peter said he would get that book for you, he will do it. He always keeps his word
315	Added insult to injury	To make a bad situation even worse	When an action makes an already bad or humiliating situation even more so	With the harsh words of the boss, Srujan felt sad, but his colleague's words added insult to injury
316	When the crunch comes	At the moment of decision; a critical moment	Refers to a decisive moment when pressure is high and a difficult decision must be made	Brave people never hide when the crunch comes
317	Half a loaf is better than none	It's better to get less than what you want than get nothing	A proverb advising that it is better to accept a part of what you want than to end up with nothing at all	Even though I only got a small raise, I know that half a loaf is better than none
318	Play it by ear	To perform without any rehearsals or prior planning	To decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than following a plan	Anjali had not heard the song before. She was playing it by ear at the annual function
319	Memory like a sieve	Poor memory	To describe someone who is very forgetful	She has a memory like a sieve. She forgot what I told her just five minutes ago
320	Gave the benefit of the doubt	To believe someone's statement, but not be convinced entirely	To decide to believe someone, even though you are not certain that what they are saying is true	The interviewer gave the benefit of doubt to the candidate
321	To end in smoke	To come to nothing or to have no positive result	When a plan or effort fails completely	Geetika spoke a lot about her new movie. However, it came to nothing (ended in smoke) in the theatres
322	Be all ears	To listen very attentively	To indicate that you are ready and eager to listen to what someone has to say	Raima is all ears when taking her classes
323	A milestone	An important event	A significant stage or event in the development of something	Getting the long-awaited promotion is a milestone in her career
324	The early bird catches the worm	One who hurries up always gets the best	A proverb stating that the person who starts early or acts first has the best chance of success	John arrived at the store before it opened, and he got the best deals. The early bird catches the worm
325	Worth his weight in gold	Something that is extremely valuable or useful	To describe a person who is very helpful, skilled, or valuable	The tourist guide provided by Azim was worth his weight in gold
326	Chapter and verse	To provide full, specific and authoritative information to support your statement	To give the exact source or authority for a statement	Shayam was accused of bribery, but he submitted proofs (chapter and verse) for his innocence
327	Sweating bullets	Extremely nervous or anxious	To be very worried or frightened about something	I was so nervous for the job interview that I was sweating bullets the whole time
328	Like a cat on a hot tin roof	Being in a state of agitation	To be very nervous, restless, and unable to stay still	The pitcher was so nervous that he was sweating like a cat on a hot tin roof
329	Pay only lip service	To not support something genuinely, only in words	To express approval or support for something publicly but not take any real action	Most of the people say that some people fight for the cause but most of them pay only lip service
330	Green-eyed	Jealous	A term used to describe someone who is feeling envious or jealous	We should protect ourselves from green-eyed people
331	On the straight and narrow	The straightforward and ethically acceptable way of life	To live an honest and moral life, abiding by laws and rules	After a troubled past, he's now on the straight and narrow
332	Few and far between	Very rare or not happening frequently	To describe things that are scarce or occur infrequently	Her visits to her family are few and far between because she lives out of the country
333	Ins and outs	The secrets and detailed or complicated facts of something	The detailed and often complex workings of a system or situation	The servants know the ins and outs of the family they are working for
334	Queer fish	A strange person	An old-fashioned term for a person whose behavior is odd or peculiar	Shruti is a queer fish because of her attitude
335	Going with his tail between his legs	Feeling ashamed or embarrassed about something	To leave a situation in a defeated and ashamed manner	Mayank... behaved cowardly and left the place (going with his tail between his legs)
336	Have a bash	To make an attempt	To try doing something, especially when you are not sure if you will succeed	I've never played chess before, but I'll have a bash at it
337	Rub in the wrong way	To irritate or annoy someone	To do something that irritates or offends someone	Don't rub Raghav in the wrong way, otherwise he will oppose our proposal
338	Haste is waste	Doing things in a hurry does not give fruitful results	A proverb warning that rushing a task can lead to mistakes and poor outcomes	Doing things in a hurry does not give fruitful results. Haste is waste
339	Making a quick buck	An easy way to make money quickly	To earn money with little effort, sometimes dishonestly	Playing fantasy games on internet is an easy way of making a quick buck but it's risky
340	United we stand, divided we fall	Together we are strong, when divided we fail	A motto that emphasizes the importance of unity and cooperation for success	We should be together to fight any danger... United we stand, divided we fall
341	Gets in his teacher's hair	To annoy	To persistently annoy or bother someone	Rohit is very mischievous and always gets in his teacher's hair
342	To his heart's content	As much as he wanted to	To do something for as long as you want and to the fullest extent	The child played the video game to his heart's content
343	High and mighty	Proud people	To describe people who act in an arrogant and superior manner	The high and mighty forget the fact that the world is tangible
344	Queer pitch	To spoil somebody's chance of doing something	To ruin a plan or opportunity for someone	The unexpected rain queered our pitch for the outdoor picnic
345	Egging on	To encourage or provoke someone to do something	To urge someone to do something, especially something foolish or wrong	Richa was egging on her neighbours against her maid Shanta...
346	Far and wide	All around the world	Over a large area; everywhere	Tourists from far and wide visit Agra to see the Taj mahal
347	Makes hay while the sun shines	To take advantage of a favourable situation	To make the most of an opportunity while it lasts	He always makes hay while the sun shines
348	Having a chip on one's shoulder	Having an irritated and unfriendly attitude	To hold a grudge or feel resentful about past injustices, leading to an aggressive attitude	After the argument, Sarah had a chip on her shoulder, making it hard for her to smile
349	The die was cast	The course of action began, and it could not be blocked	A decision has been made and is irreversible	I told Benny that the die was cast, and there was no further escape
350	Turn his hand to	To try new things	To be able to do something well, even if you have not done it before	John is a valuable team member. He is always willing to turn his hand to new challenges

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