was really confused about which section to start this thread

in., hope this is the right one.

We encounter many phrases in english that sometimes in the

literal meaning dont seem to be remotely related to the whole
idea goin on in that line or para., but they've got an interesting
hidden meaning usually to present a situation or scenario or
somethin else but, in a ..., well..., interetin way. Let me give
you a few examples 2 b more clear ...,

A bed of roses :- A pleasant or easy situation.

Raining cats and dogs :- Raining very heavily.
Paint the town red :- Engage in a wild spree
Rule of thumb :- A means of estimation made according to a
rough and ready practical rule, not based on science or exact
measurement.

Bad hair day : A day when everything seems to go wrong.

Baker's dozen : thirteen !( thats interestin! )(Origin:In the

Middle Ages in England there were severe penalties for anyone
who gave short weight. To guard against miscounting bakers
habitually gave thirteen loaves when selling a dozen)

The Big cheese : The most important person

Catch 22 : any problematic or unwelcome situation.

A cock and bull story : A fanciful and unbelievable tale.

Caught with your pants down : Caught unawares.

Many happy returns : Have many more happy days.

Make my day : Give me an excuse to do you harm(wat the..

!!!) .

The whole nine yards : All of it - full measure.

Take the bit between your teeth : Take control of a situation.

Head over heels : Excited and/or turning cartwheels to

demonstrate one's excitement.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. - Our feeling for those
we love increases when we are apart from them.

Armed to the teeth - To be heavily armed.

Back handed compliment - A compliment that also insults or

puts down at the same time.

Bleed like a stuck pig - To bleed heavily.

Blow off some steam - To enjoy oneself by relaxing normal
formalities.

Blowing smoke - To be boasting without being able to back it

up, talking about action without intent to follow through.

Down to the short strokes - Approaching the end of a long

process.

For the love of Pete - I am frustrated with this situation.

Hold your feet to the fire - To hold one accountable for a

commitment, make good on a promise

Turn the tables : Reverse the positions of adversaries. Usually

used when the weaker position subsequently becomes
dominant.
(Tables used to be the name for backgammon. The phrase
comes from the practise of reversing the board so that players
play from their opponent's previous position).

The Ball is in your court : The next move is up to you.

Blow your own trumpet : Act in a confident self-promoting

manner.

To break the ice : to relax a tense or formal atmosphere or

social situation / to make a start on some endeavor.
( To break the ice would be to allow boats to pass, marking the
beginning of the season's activity after the winter freeze. In
this way, this expression has been connected to the start of
enterprise)

By hook or by crook : By any means possible.

(Possibly from a custom in mediaeval England that allowed
peasants to take any deadwood from the royal forest that they
could reach with a shepherd's crook or a reaper's billhook)

Out of the frying pan and into the fire : to get out of one
difficult situation only to end up in another

This is a list of IDIOMS i hav collected exhaustively on the NET.

1. Wear the heart on their sleeve — People who wear their

heart on their sleeve express their emotions freely and openly,
for all to see.
2. Frog in one’s throat — the voice of a person that sounds
scratchy or clogged up.
3. Fat cat — person with a lot of money and importance.
4. Till the cows come home — for a long time.
5. Eat like a bird — eat little.
6. Blind as a bat – unaware.
7. dead duck — someone who has no hope and is doomed.
8. wild goose chase — looking frantically for something that’s
almost impossible to find.
9. without batting an eye –showing no emotion, acting as
though nothing was unusual.
10. sitting duck – easy target.
11. dumb bunny – a person who does something stupid but you
still love him or her anyway.
12. chew the cud — to think something over.
13. break a leg — to wish good luck.
14. from the horse’s mouth — from someone who knows what
he or she is talking about.
15. kill the fatted calf –to prepare for a fun and happy party or
a warm welcome,
16. go hog wild — to go crazy and be really excited.
17. duck soup – something that is easily done with no
problems.
18. like a chicken with its head cut off is — in a wild, crazy
manner.
19. bull-headed — very stubborn.
20. beat a dead horse – try to revive interest in a hopeless
issue.
21. sacred cow — a person or thing immune to criticism or
questioning.
22. neither fish nor fowl – not one or the other, not something
fitting any category under discussion
23. as the crow flies — in the shortest route.
24. chicken out — back out from fear or lose one’s nerve.
25. shaggy-dog story — a long drawn-out story with a silly
ending.
26. eagle eye –keen intellectual vision.
27. An Axe To Grind — you plan to express your anger to that
person .
28. Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right — it is never right to do
wrong to another person .
29. The Ball Is In Your Court — it is your turn to do something
30. Roll Out The Red Carpet — to give a grand welcome to an
important guest
31. Pulling Your Leg – making a joke by tricking another
person.
32. On Top Of The World – you are feeling great.
33. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind – you don’t think about it when
you can no longer see it
34. A Slip Of The Tongue – to say something by accident
35. black sheep — least respected member of the group.
36. sacred cow –a person or thing immune to criticism or
questioning.
37. eat crow — to be forced to admit a humiliating mistake
38. early bird catches the worm — one who arrives first has the
best chance for success,
39. white elephant – an unwanted or useless item.
40. every dog has its day — even the lowliest will sometimes
come to the fore
41. Second Nature – something which is very natural for you to
do
42. At Wit’s End – not able to come up with a solution
43. curiosity killed the cat — it’s best to mind one’s own
business.
44. cook someone’s goose — ruin someone, upset someone’s
plans,
45. ferret out — to uncover and bring to light by searching.
46. On The Fence – you are still undecided
47. put on the dog — to behave in an elegant, extravagant
manner.
48. A Dime A Dozen — cheap and easy to get
49. Par For The Course — normal and expected
50. Bite Your Tongue — keep yourself from speaking
51. like water off a duck’s back — easily and without apparent
effort
52. count one’s chickens before they hatch – make plans based
on events that may or may not happen
53. can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear — be unable to
turn something ugly or inferior into something attractive or of
value
54. kill the goose that lays the golden eggs — destroy a source
of riches through stupidity or greed.
55. feather one’s nest – to acquire wealth for oneself,
especially by taking advantage of one’s position or using the
property of others.
56. the tail wagging the dog — a small or unimportant factor or
element governing an important one or a reversal of the
proper roles.
57. let sleeping dogs lie — to keep quiet because saying
something would only cause trouble
58. get one’s ducks in a row — to complete one’s preparations,
become efficient and well organized.
59. Up For Grabs – available for anyone to take
60. The Writing On The Wall – the signs of a coming change
61. Out On The Town — to go out and enjoy yourselves
62. Preaching To The Choir – trying to make believers out of
people who already believe
63. The Sky Is The Limit — the possibilities are endless
64. Mad As A Hatter — a person who is crazy
65. Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket — don’t risk
everything all at once
66. Beating Around The Bush — talking about something
indirectly
67. Off Limits – it is not okay to go to that place
68. The Pros And Cons – the reasons for and against it; the
good and bad aspects
69. A Blessing In Disguise – a good thing that you don’t
recognize at first
70. It Takes Two To Tango — when two people have a conflict,
both people are at fault
71. Out And About — out and at different places
72. Around The Block – been to different places and done
different things
73. Give Him The Slip — to escape from that person
74. A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing — one who is dangerous while
pretending to be harmless
75. Don’t Burn Your Bridges — don’t do harm to past
relationships
76. Put Your Foot In Your Mouth — say something
embarrassing
77. A Piece Of Cake — easy to do
78. Keep An Eye On Him – watch him carefully
79. Tie The Knot – get married
80. All Bark And No Bite — acting aggressive but not willing to
fight
81. When In Rome Do As The Romans Do — a visitor should try
to act as the people do who are from that Place …
82. Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag — sharing a secret
83. The Apple Of Your Eye — the one you love the most
84. Go For Broke — risking it all for the chance to win big
85. Put Your Best Foot Forward — go ahead and give it your
best try
86. Crying Wolf – calling for help when you don’t really need
help
87. Practice Makes Perfect — the more you practice, the better
you will become
88. As Sick As A Dog – very sick with a cold or the flu
89. An About Face — turn around and face the opposite
direction
90. Truer Words Were Never Spoken — I totally agree with
what you just said
91. Biting Off More Than You Can Chew – taking on a challenge
that is too big
92. Biting The Hand That Feeds You — hurting a person who
has been helping you
93. Birds Of A Feather Flock Together — similar people go to
the same places and do the same things together …
94. One For The Road — one more, then I am leaving
95. Get Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed – having a bad day
96. Barking Up The Wrong Tree – looking for something in the
wrong place
97. An Arm And A Leg — a high price to pay
98. Crying Over Spilled Milk – complaining about some past
loss
99. Lost His Head – he got so upset that he lost control of his
actions
100. Burning The Midnight Oil — up late at night working hard
101. Can’t Cut The Mustard — not good enough to participate
102. When It Rains, It Pours — it hasn’t happened for a long
time, and then it happens all at once
103. Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth — questioning the
value of something you have received for free
104. Sink Or Swim – you will either fail or you will find a way to
succeed
105. Finding Your Feet — feeling more comfortable in what you
are doing
106. Turn Over A New Leaf – taking action to change one’s life
for the better
107. Start From Scratch — starting a project from the very
beginning
108. Better Late Than Never — it is better to do something late
than to not do it at all
109. The Early Bird Catches The Worm – being early leads to
success
110. The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back — one last thing
that finally made the you upset
111. Against The Clock – working hard to finish by a certain
time
112. Going Against The Grain – making things difficult by
acting against the wishes of others
113. All In The Same Boat — facing the same challenges and
needing to work together
114. Rock The Boat – do something that risks upsetting a
group situation
115. Go Cold Turkey – quit taking an addictive drug by
stopping immediately
116. You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover — don’t make
judgments based only on appearances
117. Under The Gun – under a lot of pressure to get something
done
118. Everything But Kitchen Sink – almost everything has been
included
119. Cross Your Fingers – hoping it happens that way
120. Word Of Mouth – news that travels from person to person
121. Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire — to get out of a
bad situation and end up in one that is even worse.
122. Out Of The Blue — suddenly and unexpectedly.
123. Burning The Candle At Both Ends – working for many
hours without getting enough rest …
124. Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining – be hopeful because
difficult times always lead to better days …
125. At The Drop Of A Hat — quickly and easily, without
needing to decide …
126. A Chip On Your Shoulder — angry because of what
happened in the past …
127. A Drop In The Bucket — not important
128. When Pigs Fly — that thing will never happen