IDIOMS AND PHRASES
Every language has its own idioms and they are an integral part of the language. They add beauty and charm to the language.
English is rich in idioms. A few of them are listed here with their meaning and usage.
A. IDIOMATIC NOUN AND ADJECTIVE PHRASES
1. An apple of discord: Cause of contention or quarrel
Ex: Amina is an apple of discord in our college.
2. The apple of one's eye: Very dear
Ex: Khadija is an apple of her father's eye.
3. Animal spirits: Having vigour and health
Ex: Tajo is in animal spirits, so he can do anything.
4. Apple pie order: Neat and clean
Ex: You must arrange the books in apple pie order.
5. A beast of prey: A beast that lives by killing and eating other animals.
Ex: The tiger is a beast of prey.
6. A bed of roses: A very comfortable and pleasant condition
Ex: journalism is not a bed of roses.
7. A bird of passage: A person who travels widely
Ex: My uncle is a bird of passage.
8. A black sheep: An evil person
Ex: We should be aware of black sheep in society.
9. A blue stocking: A lady who pretends to have literary taste.
Ex: Amina is a blue stocking.
10. A big gun: A person of great importance
Ex: Tafawa Balewa is a big gun in Nigeria.
11. A bull in a China shop: An unnecessary person or evil
Ex: Amina Is a bull in a China shop because she create tension among us with her arguments.
12. A cock band bull story: A false story
Ex: Zainab tried to convince me by telling me a cock and bull story.
13. A chicken hearted fellow: A cowardly person
Ex: My friend is a chicken hearted fellow.
14. A close fisted man: Miser
Ex: My father is a close fisted man. He dislikes spending even for my education.
15. A cry in the wilderness: A useless attempt
Ex: His protest against injustice proved to be a cry in the wilderness.
16. A fool's paradise: An imaginary happiness
Ex: It is no use living in a fool's paradise.
17. A man of letters: A great literary artists
Ex: Adam is a man of letters.
18. A cold blooded murder: A deliberate and cruel murder.
Ex: Victoria's death is a cold blooded murder.
She was murdered in cold blood.
19. A broken reed: A weak point or support
Ex: My friend proved to be a broken reed when I was in trouble.
20. Crocodile tears: False tears
Ex: When Victoria died, her husband shed crocodile tears.
21. A clean slate: A fresh beginning
Ex: She started with in dutch courage.
22. Dutch courage: Courage excited by wine
Ex: He killed his wife in dutch courage.
23. Evil genius: An able person who is keen at doing harm or mischief.
Ex: A terrorist is an evil genius because he is interested in destruction.
24. Fair play: Honest method
Ex: If you want to succeed in life, you must follow only fair play.
25 A fair weather friend: A false friend
Ex: It is a foolish thing to depend on a fair weather friend.
26. The fag end: The close
Ex: We are at the fag end of poverty.
27. A gala day: An important day
Ex: 1st October is a gala day in Nigeria history.
28. A Herculean task: A hard or difficult job
Ex: The eradication of poverty in developing countries is a Herculean task for any government.
29. A henpecked husband: A husband who is under the control of his wife
Ex: My uncle is a henpecked husband, he obeys his wife in everything.
30. Hush money: Bribe
Ex: He got a job by paying hush money.
31. An iron will: A strong will
Ex: My mother is a woman of iron will.
32. A jail bird: A person who has been to jail on several occasions.
Ex: It is very hard to reform a jail bird because he does not give up his criminal attitude.
33. A language stock: A funny person
Ex: Dayo is a laughing stock.
34. A man of strew: An unimportant person
Ex: No one respects my cousin because he is a man of strew.
35. A mealy mouthed fellow: A timid person who is afraid of speaking plainly (truth)
Ex: Aminal is a mealy mouthed girl (fellow) so I cannot believe her words.
36. The olive branch: An offer of peace
Ex: Nigeria is always willing to offer the olive branch to her neighbors.
37. Pointblank: Directly
Ex: He rejected my proposal point blank.
38. A past master: An expert
Ex: Dayo is a past master in teaching English.
39. A red letter day: A very important day
Ex: 29th May is a red letter day in the history of Nigeria.
40. A rainy day: A time of adversity
Ex: It is wise to save some money for a rainy day.
41. Red Tapism: Excessive official formality
Ex: Red-tapism: Excessive official formality
Ex: Red-tapism is found everywhere in developing countries.
42. Scot free: Free from punishment
Ex: The criminal escaped scot free with help of the jailer.
43. A moot point: A topic open for discussion
Ex: The security issue is still a moot point between citizens and governments all over the world.
44. A nine-day wonder: Short lived or a temporary thing
Ex: Life is a nine-day wonder.
45. A swan song: An achievement before death
Ex: The award proved to be a swan song in my uncle's life.
46. A utopian scheme: An ideal or prefect (imaginary) scheme (dream)
Ex: Classless society is a utopian scheme of our politicians.
47. An uphill task: A very difficult task
Ex: The eradication of poverty is an uphill task in developing countries.
48. A tell talk: A boastful talk
Ex: I am not convinced of his tall talk because there is no truth in it.
49. A thankless task: A self less work
Ex: The social worker is always performing a thankless task.
50. A wet blanket: A person who discourages
Ex: My father is a wet blanket, he discourages me in everything.
51. A white elephant: A very expensive thing which proves to be a burden
Ex: A journey by air is a white elephant for a poor man.
52. A wild goose chase: A foolish attempt
Ex: Her desire to settle down in America is a wild goose chase for Funmi.
53. A slow coach: A dull person
Ex: Betty is a slow coach, she cannot pass the exam.
54. Abe of something: Elementary knowledge
Ex: My friend does not know even the A.B.c of classical music.
55. Alpha and omege: The beginning and the end
Ex: He studied the alpha and omega of English literature.
He known the alpha and omega of highlife dance.
56. A snake in the grass: A hidden enemy
Ex: We cannot believe everyone, because there may be a snake in the grass among our friends.
57. Birds of the same feather: Persons of identical taste and liking.
Ex: All of them are birds of the same feather because they are noted journalists working in different newspapers.
58. Child's play: An easy thing.
Ex: Teaching is a child's play to me.
59. Cog in the machine: An impediment
Ex: My brothers is a cog in the machine and so nobody cares for him.
60. Bag and baggage: With all belongings
Ex: My uncle left Abuja bag and baggage because he was transferred to Ibadan.
61. A belt from the blue: An unexpected misfortune
Ex: Victoria's death was a bolt from the blue to me.
62. Castles in the air: Imaginary dreams or plans
Ex: She benefited nothing from building castles in the air.
63. A cat and dog life: A quarrelsome life
Ex: Am in a and her husband are leading a cat and dig life.
64. A man of word: A person who fulfill his promise
Ex: My friend is a man of word, he helped me in my distress.
65. A storm in a tea cup: A great tension over a simple matter
Ex: The opposition created a storm in the tea-cup and staged q walk out from parliament.
66. A jack of all trades: A person who knows everything but not an expert in anything.
Ex: I am a jack of all trades but master of none.
67. The lion's share: A major portion of something
Ex: He wanted to have a lion's share in his uncle's property.
68. A man of spirit: A brave person
Ex: He is a man of spirit and so he can undertake any hazardous task.
69. A man of parts: A man of extraordinary qualities
Ex: The former president was a man of parts.
70. The milk of human kindness: Full of kindness
Ex: Mother Theresa's heart was filled with the milk of human kindness towards the poor.
71. Penelope's web: An endless job
Ex: The eradication of unemployment is a Penelope's web.
72. The sinews of war: Things used in war
Ex: The developed countries are engaged in producing the sinews of war.
73. A serpent in the egg: in the initial stage
Ex: Terrorism is harmful to national integration. We should terminate the serpent in the egg.
74. A stone's throw: Very bear
Ex: My office is at stone's throw so I usually go there on foot.
75. A sword of democies: A hovering danger
Ex: Pollution is hanging over our heads like a sword of democies.
76. A yeoman's service: Excellent work
Ex: Bola did yeoman's service to the nation.
B. IDIOMATIC PAIRS
Nouns
1. Bread and butter: Material welfare, food
Ex: The government must provide for bread and butter to every citizen.
2. Body and soul: Entirely
Ex: You must put your body and soul in your work.
3. At the beck and call: Be ready at the service.
Ex: My servant is always at my beck and call.
4. To play ducks and drakes: To waste money
Ex: He spent all the money by playing ducks and drakes.
5. through fire and water: Through every sort of difficulty
Ex: My mother went through fire and water in life.
6. Flesh and blood: Human nature
Ex: Flesh and blood cannot bear such injustice.
7. By fits and starts: Irregularly
Ex: He works by fits and starts.
8. Fire and fury: Enthusiasm
Ex: Great Nigeria party leader Kola Adekoya's speeches were full of fire and fury.
9. By hook or by crook: By fair or foul means
Ex: Politicians desire to come to power by hook or by crook.
10. Heart and soul: Earnestly
Ex: I am working heart and soul to complete the script.
11. Kith and kin: Blood relation
Ex: He has a great love and affection for his kith and kin.
12. By leaps and bounds: Rapidly
Ex: Nigeria is progressing in all field by leaps and bounds
13. Over head and ears: Excessively
Ex: My father was in debt over head and ears.
14. Ins and outs: Full particulars.
Ex: You must know the ins and outs of the business in which you are interested.
15. Under lock and key: In a safe
Ex: She kept her jewelry under lock and key
.
16. Latin and Greek: Unintelligible
Ex: Funmi's words prived Latin and Greek to me
17. Odds and ends: Bits
Ex: The book is supplemented with odds and ends of the topic.
18. pros and cons: For and against
Ex: We must take into account both the pros and cons of a problem
19. Time and tide: Course of time
Ex: Time and tide waits for no one.
20. Tooth and nail: Completely
Ex: We must eradicate poverty tooth and nail.
21. Part and parcel: A completely part
Ex: Education is a part and parcel the marriage of the Minister's daughter
22. The rank and file: All sections of people
Ex: The rank and file attended the marriage of the Minister's daughter.
23. Sum and substance: The summary
Ex: The sum and substance of Angela's words is that she has no intention to work in life.
24. Ups and downs: Changes in life
Ex: My life is full of ups and downs.
25. Null and void: Illegal
Ex: The count declared the act null and void.
26. Ways and means: Necessary aids or funds
Ex: We must find out the ways and means to complete the project.
Adjectives
27. All in all: Supreme
Ex: The manager is all in the office.
28. All and Sundry: All without distinction
Ex: I invited all and sundry to my sister's wedding.
29. In black and white: In writing
Ex: The police inspector wanted my statement in black and white.
30. Fair and square: Honest and proper
Ex: There is no fair and square distribution of wealth in. developing countries.
31. Blow hot and cold: To change according to the situation
Ex: Don't believe him, he blows hot and cold.
32. Hard and fast: Definite
Ex: There is no hard and fast rule to success in life.
33. High and low: Everywhere
Ex: God is high and low.
34. Long and short: Summary or substance
Ex: The long and short of the matter is that she is in trouble now.
35. Rough and ready: Not elaborate
Ex: She prepared a rough and ready draft and I made the necessary modification in it.
37. Safe and sound: Quite well
Ex: My mother returned from Kaduna safe and sound.
38. Right or wrong: Good or bad
Ex: Right or wrong, I must live in Kaduna.
39. Well and good: Whatever is the casa
Ex: Well and good, you must take her to the doctor.
40. Better half: Wife
Ex: Maryam is my better half.
41. High and mighty: Arrogant
Ex: My uncle is very high and mighty by nature.
42. At sixes and sevens: In disorder
Ex: On returning home, I found my books at sixes and sevens.
Adverbs
43. Again and again: Very often
Ex: I tried to see Mummy again and again.
44. Once and for all: Finally
Ex: He decided once and for all not to live in Lagos.
45. By and by: Gradually
Ex: You will be able to sora English language by and by.
46. Over and above: Besides
Ex: He was paid over and above his wages.
47. Ever and anon: Now and then
Ex: She Comes to me ever and anon.
48. Of hand: Without forethought
Ex: I learnt wole's poems by heart.
50. Far and wide: Everywhere
Ex: Mother Theresa's fame has spread far and wide.
51. Few and far between: Very rare or small in number
Ex: Her merits as a good wife are few and far between.
52. Far and near: In directions
Ex: He travelled Nigeria far and near to write an excellent tourist guide.
53. First and foremost: Most important
Ex: The first and foremost duty of a student is to pursue his education.
54. Hither and thither: Here and there
Ex: I searched for the book hither and thither.
55. On the spur of the moment: At once
Ex: He was arrested on the spur of the moment.
56. Off and on: Occasionally
Ex: My mother goes to the bank off and on.
57. Out and out: Completely
Ex: She is out and out a perfect woman.
58. Through and through: Completely
Ex: My uncle is through and through a gentleman.
59. Once and again: Repeatedly
Ex: I advised her once and again to be polite to strangers.
60. To and fro: Backward and forward
Ex: My father is pacing to and fro in the room.
She is walking to and fro in the room and waiting for her husband.
C. ADVERBIAL PHRASES
1. In the nick of the time: At the right time
Ex: The police arrived on the scene in the nick of time.
2. In full swing: In progress
Ex: The company is in full swing this year and earning heavy profits.
3. At the eleventh hour: At the last moment
Ex: My friends came forward to help me at the eleventh hour.
4. At the stake: In danger
Ex: The Congress party is at the stake now.
5. Out of sorts: Unwell
Ex: Ads is out of sorts now.
6. Well off: In a sound financial position
Ex: My friend is well off nowadays.
7. With might and main: With full power
Ex: I do everything with might and main.
D. PREPOSITION PHRASES
1. In the teeth of: In the face of
Ex: The bill was passed by the parliament in the teeth of opposition.
2. In quest of: In search of
Ex: A scholar is always in quest of knowledge.
3. Instead of: In place of
Ex: Funmi came to me instead of her sister.
4. In the air: Under consideration
Ex: The minimum wage issue is still in the air.
5. In case of: On condition that
Ex: In case of any help, please ring me up.
6. In the heart of: In the centre of
Ex: Our college is situated in the heart of Kaduna.
7. In view of: Considering
Ex: The security arrangements were tightened in view of the elections.
8. In a but shell: in short, in summary
Ex: She explained that problem in a nut shell.
9. In the nick of time: just in time
Ex: He reached the railway station in the nick of time.
10. Under the thumb of: Under the control of
Ex: Most great people are under the thumb of their wives.
11. At home in: Familiar with
Ex: Funmi is at home in mathematics.
12. In vogue: In fashion
Ex: The custom of shaking hands is still in vogue.
13. At sea: In confusion
Ex: When she failed in her exam, I was at sea.
14. From pillar to post: From one place to another
Ex: A position has to go from pillar to post to deliver letters.
15. Between the devil and the Dee sea: Between two dangers
Ex: She was to either endure his brutality or discontinue her studies, so she I in between the Devi and the Dee sea.
16. At odds: In conflict
Ex: The two brothers are always at odds.
17. At large: At liberty
Ex: Criminals should not be at large. They should be taken into custody.
E. IDIOMATIC VERBAL PHRASES
1. Be up to: Be equal to
Ex: Your essay is not up to the standard.
2. to be up and doing: To be actively engaged
Ex: You must be up and doing in your studies, otherwise you will not get distinction.
3. To be at a loss: To be confused
Ex: I am at a Los how to express the love I have for my father.
4. To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth: To be born in a rich family
Ex: It I Worthwhile to brush up your abilities.
6. To be all ears: Be attentive
Ex: I am all ears to film songs.
7. To be weak in the storey: To be feel minded
Ex: She I weak in the storey and so she cannot come up life.
8. To be at daggers drawn: To be bitter enemies
Ex: The two sisters are always at daggers drawn.
9. To be at one's wits end: To be greatly perplexed
Ex: When I saw that mathematics question pale in the exam, I was at my wits end.
10. To be at the helm of:
Ex: The principal is at the helm of affairs in everything in OK college.
11. To be beside oneself with: Overwhelmed with joy or grief
Ex: When funmi failed in the exam, she was beside herself with grief.
12. To be on the horns of a dilemma: To be in doubt
Ex: The prime Minister was on the horns of a dilemma whether to join hands with the opposition or resign his office.
13. To bear the burnt of: To feel the force of
Ex: I bore the burnt of failure in life.
14. To beat about the bush: To tell something in a roundabout way
Ex: Don't beat about the bush, tell me what you want.
15. To beggar description: Indescribable
Ex: The beauty of Gosi Valley beggers description.
16. To bell the cat: To take up a dangerous task
Ex: No political party is prepared to bell the cat and combat corruption in developing countries.
17. To break the ice: To break silence or to begin a conversion
Ex: Aliyu broke the ice at the congress meeting held in Abuja.
18. To blow one's own trumpet: To indulge in self PRA is
Ex: She has a habit of blowing her own trumpet.
19. To breath one's last: To die
Ex: My father breathed his last a week ago.
20. To burn the candle at both ends: To spend money lavishly
Ex: My friend burnt the candle at both ends and lost his property.
21. To bear the palm: To be successful
Ex: Halimat bore the palm in the staff selection examination.
22. To bring to book: To punish
Ex: The criminal was brought to book by the police.
23. To bury the hatchet: To end up enmity or quarrel
Ex: The wife and husband buried the hatchet and lived happily.
24. To be like a fish out of water: To be in a difficult situation
Ex: I felt like a fish out of water in America.
25. To back up: Support
Ex: He promised to back me up in my. distress.
26. To bear mind: To remember
Ex: You must Bea in mind that you cannot buy everything with money.
27. To be true to one's salt: To prove faithful
Ex: She is true to her salt and served him sincerely go ten years.
28. To be there order of the day: To be fashion of the day
Ex: Dowry system is the order of the day.
29. To Bea the air: To make useless efforts
Ex: Don't beat the air, you cannot succeed in the GCE exam.
30. To be the good books: To be a favorite
Ex: She is always in the good books of her husband.
31. To call in question: To express doubt
Ex: His honesty was called in question by the manager.
Her ability to handle a computer can Nev be called in question.
32. To call a spade a spade: To say the truth of the matter
Ex: She calls a spade a spade at meetings.
33. To cast pearls before swine: To offer to a person a thing which he cannot appreciate.
Ex: If you teach English to a taxi driver, it is like casting pearls before swine.
34. To poor oil on troubled water: To make the situation calm
Ex: The president poured oil on troubled water by making up the differences among the cabinet.
35. To chew the end: To meditate on an idea
Ex: He chewed the end of overcoming his poverty.
36. To come home to a person: To make someone understand something
Ex: It came home to me that poverty is a bliss.
37. To come to a standstill: To come to stop
Ex: The welfare schemes taken up by the state government came to a standstill due to lack of sufficient funds.
38. To come off with flying colors: To achieve distinction or something
Ex: The social party came off with flying colours in the elections by securing full majority.
39. To cut one's coat according to one's cloth: To spend according to one's income
Ex: It is always a wise thing to cut our coat according to our cloth.
40. To cry for the moon: To desire for what is impossible
Ex: My desire to marry Titi is nothing but crying for the moon.
41. To come to light: To be revealed
Ex: Several facts came to light as a result of the police investigation.
42. To cry over spilt milk: To regret for a past loss
Ex: It is really a foolish thing to cry over spilt milk.
43. To catch red handed: To catch while committing the act
Ex: He was caught red handed while taking a bribe from the contractor.
44. To come of age: To attain maturity
Ex: You have come of age and so you must try to think independently.
45. To die in harness: To die while working
Ex: My uncle died in harness and his family was paid compensation.
46. To dance attendance on a person: To flatter a person to satisfy his ego and one's own desires
Ex: You cannot succeed in life by dancing attendance on a rich person.
47. To do yeoman's service: To contribute
Ex: It is the duty every citizen to do yeoman's service to the nation.
48. To dig a grave of one's reputation: To destroy one's reputation
My: Cousin is digging a grave of my uncle's reputation by taking to drugs.
49. To end in smoke: To fail
Ex: All my attempts to employ Dani ended In smoke.
50. To eat one's words: To withdraw one's words
Ex: My friend agreed to lend me money but he ate his words later.
51. To eat the humble pie: To pocket an insult
Ex: When I failed in the exam, I had to eat the humble pie.
F. MISCELLANEOUS IDIOMS AND PHRASES
1. New broom sweeps clean: A new employee works with zeal taking down dictation and typing it neatly. It is evident that a new broom sweeps clean.
2. Ill at ease: Restless
Ex: I felt ill at ease at the interview.
3. A feather in one's cap: A new honour
Ex: He was awarded a GON besides several other title, So it is a feather in his cap.
4. The salt of the earth: The best people of the earth
Ex: Mother Theresa and Lord Lugard can be considered to be the salt of the earth.
5. On the rack: Tormented
Ex: The police out him on the rack to extract the truth from him.
6. Man of parts: Talented
Ex: Benson is a man of parts.
7. Helter–skelter: In confusion
Ex: The crowd ran helter–skelter on seeing the film star.
8. First water: Highest grade
Ex: The leather is of first water.
9. Seventh heaven: A place of extreme happiness
Ex: When Donald is with me, I feel like living in the seventh heaven.
10. Highwayman: A robber
Ex: The cyclist was looted by a highwayman.
11. A blockhead: A dull person
Ex: I can't teach her English because she is a blockhead.
12. High time: It is already late
Ex: It is high time that you gave up smoking.
13. Black–hearted: Evil minded person
DX: Stella is a black–hearted girl.
14. The flower: The best part of something
Ex: I missed the flower of the poem because the language was too difficult for me to understand.
15. Eldorado: An unattainable thing or aim
Ex: Dami still remains an eldorado in my life.
16. Good Samaritan: A person who is ready to help
Ex: My mother is a good Samaritan. She loves and helps the poor.
17. Lotus eater: A person who lives in a world of dreams
Ex: A poet is a lotus eater. He creates fanciful things and lives in them.
18. Pandora's box: A valuable thing which proves to be an evil
Ex: The government's foreign policy turned into a Pandora's box because it created enmity with the neighboring country
19. Panacea: A universal remedy
Ex: The president tried to find out a panacea for all political problems in Nigeria.
20. Utopia: An imaginary (perfect) model or plan
Ex: Classless society is a utopia of the political leaders.
The economic freedom for women is nothing but an utopia.
21. Areadia: A place of natural beauty and simple life
Ex: The romantic poets of England always lived in an Arcadia.
22. Don quixote: A strange person
Ex: My uncle is a don quixote. He does not know how to behave himself. His habits are very peculiar.
23. Lilliputian: Narrow
Ex: Most of our leaders have Lilliputian views about women's role in politics.
24. Colossal: Huge
Ex: The collapse of the house was a colossal loss.
25. Hobson's choice: No choice at all
Ex: She has only a Hobson's choice. So she has to employ him.
26. Epicurean: Relating to pleasures
Ex: I have no zeal for an epicurean life.
27. A mentor: An experience and trusted adviser
Ex: She is a mentor to the company and so she plays a limited role.
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