Common and Important Idioms

Put up with (to tolerate) The man could not put up with his miserable situation. In the end,

he committed suicide.

Moot point (Undecided matter) We can’t wait for that moot point anymore. We have to

make an alternative decision.

For good (Forever) The Collins have left this village for good. They will never come back.

Off and on/ Now and then (occasionally) Bangladesh gets attacked by earthquakes now

and then/ off and on.

Once in a blue moon (Very rarely) Our boss is a horribly gloomy person. We see him

smiling once in a blue moon.

Of no avail (Failure) We tried our best to solve the dispute. Unfortunately, all our efforts

were of no avail/ in vain.

Call in question /Smell a rat (To doubt) His movement at the party was not normal. We

called him in question. / We smelt a rat when he was trying to take pictures with secrecy.

In lieu of (Instead of) Your acidity level is high. You should try omeprazole in lieu of

ranitidine.

Take into account (To consider) While shopping, we had better take into account our

budget.

By and by (soon) After getting that lucrative job, Hasan’s situation improved by and by.

By and large (Everywhere) That boy is a vagabond. I see him by and large. Doesn’t he

have any work?

By fits and starts (irregularly) Our national economy is developing by fits and starts.
Carry the day/ Flying colours (to win) It was a memorable day for us. We carried the day,

which was really unexpected. / She finished the last match by flying colours.

Cut and dry (Already decided) You can’t interfere our new plans. It’s cut and dry.

End in smoke (to fail) All his endeavours ended in smoke. He couldn’t bear that.

Every now and then (often/ frequent) Mr. Rafiq is a fortunate person. He has the

opportunity to travel overseas every now and then.

Dog days (hot weather) It was really tough for us to continue playing in dog days of May.

Bring about (to cause) The use of biofuels brings about serious air pollution.

All Greek (totally unintelligible) Some students’ handwritings in their exam papers are all

Greek.

Apple of discord (matter of dispute) Avijit and Arijit equally love Sushmita. Thus,

Shushmita is an apple of discord between them.

Apple of Sodom (Fair appearance but completely useless): Don’t be fooled by his

handsome appearance. Actually, he is an apple of Sodom; has no skill at all.

Beat the clock/ Call it a day (to finish task) We are totally exhausted. It’s time to call it a

day.

Bolt from the blue (Unexpected danger) The sudden appearance of the police was a bolt

from the blue to the robbers.

Herculean task/ Mammoth task (very difficult/ huge task) Becoming a graduate as well as

getting a good job is a herculean task in our country.

Keep body and soul together (to remain alive with hardship) The writer’s income was

barely enough to keep his body and soul together.

Pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) Before buying that new laptop, you must

know its pros and cons.

Up and doing (active) We need some up and doing employees in our office.
Wear and tear (to destroy/ spoil) Boys with toys commonly wear and tear everything they

find.

Up to the mark (standard) His performance in the interview was not up to the mark and so

he was eliminated.

To kick the bucket (to die) He kicked the bucket at an early age. We mourn him with

respect.

To throw cold water (to discourage) My elder brother always throws cold water to my

innovative ideas for our business. I’m really fed up with this.

Plough the sands (to put useless effort) He is trying to memorize those vocabularies. I think

he’s just ploughing the sands.

Ride for a fall (to behave recklessly) Most Bangladeshi drivers ride for a fall and so

accidents happen every day.

In the nick of time (in right time) He was fortunate to get that job in the nick of time.

Couple of days ago, he was too helpless.

At sixes and sevens (a chaotic condition) Gulistan is perhaps the worst place in Dhaka city.

It always remains at sixes and sevens.

By hook or by crook (by any means) We have to find the lost documents by hook or by

crook. Otherwise, we can’t win the case.

Rule out (Deny/ reject): People will rule out this unrealistic annual budget.

Crocodile’s tears (Fake consolation): I know he intentionally put me in danger. Now he’s

shedding crocodile’s tears for me.

Far and wide (All over the place/ Worldwide): His fame spread far and wide when he

discovered that new vaccine.

Read between the lines (To understand the hidden meaning): You misunderstood the

story. If you read between the lines, you’ll get the true meaning.
P’s and Q’s(Language): You don’t know how to behave with others. So mind your P’s and

Q’s.

A white elephant(A precious thing): He is not well off to buy a car. So a car is a white

elephant to him.

Achilles’ heel (weak point): The boy is too emotional and this unnecessary emotion is his

Achilles’ heel.

Beggar description (to go beyond description): The situation of the flood affected people

beggars description.