VOCABULARY 3

(IDIOMS)
(1) MAN
(1) A MAN OF FEW WORDS→ One who doesn’t speak too much / reserved / reticent.
Ex:- He is a man of few words but he does his work on time.

(2) A MAN OF WORDS→ One who keeps his promises / trustworthy.

Ex:- We can bank on him because he is a man of words.

(3) A MAN OF LETTERS→ Scholarly, erudite

Ex:- Shakespeare was a man of letters.

(4) A MAN IN THE STREET→ Common / ordinary man

Ex:- The politicians are not bothered about the views of man in the street.
(5) A MAN OF STRAW→ weak person
Ex:- He is a man of straw and can be controlled by others.

(6) A MAN OF SUBSTANCE → rich and wealthy / influential.

Ex:- The girl chose to marry a man of substance.

(7) A MAN OF PARTS / RENAISSANCE MAN→ a man who is expert in different spheres
Ex:- He is a man of parts: musician, singer and actor.

(8) LADIES’ MAN→ a man who enjoys the company of ladies

Ex:- He has the reputation of a ladies’ man.

(9) MAN OF HOUR→ one who is honoured and appreciated

Ex:- John was the man of hour at the office after getting the award.
(2)
SEA / OCEAN

(1) AT SEA→ in a state of confusion / dilemma

Ex:- It was a long voyage and he was at sea for many days.

(2) A SEA CHANGE→ a big change

Ex:- There was a sea change in his behaviour.

(3) BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP SEA→ in a very difficult situation.
Ex:- He was caught between the devil and the deep sea by opposing his boss.

(4) A DROP / SPIT IN THE OCEAN→ a small amount of something

Ex:- The money that I received for business was just a drop in the ocean.
(5) AN OCEAN OF SOMETHING→ a lot of something
Ex:- He is an ocean of knowledge.

(6) BOIL THE OCEAN→ to do the impossible thing

Ex:- He is trying to boil the ocean by searching the documents in the dustbin.

(3) HORSE

(1) DARK HORSE→ an unknown / unexpected winner

Ex:- He was a dark horse in the contest.

(2) TO BEAT / FLOG A DEAD HORSE→ to waste your time and energy on unnecessary things.
Ex:- No need to convince him. It’s like flogging a dead horse.
(3) PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE→ do things in a wrong order
Ex:- The government put the cart before the horse by investing heavily before making major
reforms.

(4) EAT LIKE A HORSE→ eat a lot

Ex:- He eats like a horse at parties.

(5) STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH→ any information coming from an authentic or
reliable source
Ex:- You will have to wait till the news comes straight from the horse’s mouth.

(6) HORSE SENSE→ common sense

Ex:- It is a shame that you don’t have horse sense.
(7) HOLD YOUR HORSES→ wait, be patient
Ex:- Hold your horses until you get the results.

(8) HORSE TRADE → bargain

Ex:- After a lot of horse trade, I was able to buy the product.

(4) FISH

(1) A BIG FISH→ an important person

Ex:- He is a big fish in the organisation and will help you.

(2) TO FISH IN TROUBLED WATERS→ to involve oneself in taking risks / to gain advantage or
profit
Ex:- He is fishing in troubled waters by buying the shares of the sick company.
(3) FISH OUT OF WATER→ in a very unfamiliar surrounding
Ex:- She looked like a fish out of water when she was asked to cook.

(4) DRINK LIKE A FISH→ alcoholic

Ex:- They drink like a fish at parties.

(5) A COLD FISH→ lacking in emotion, unconcerned, apathetic

Ex:- He is a cold fish and doesn’t talk to his colleagues.

(6) A FISHY STORY→ a big lie

Ex:- Don’t try to befool me by telling a fishy story.
(7) FISH FOR A COMPLIMENT→ attempt to get praise and appreciation from others
Ex:- The girl has the habit of fishing for a compliment.

(8) SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL→ a very easy task

Ex:- Competing with him is like shooting fish in a barrel.

(9) NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL→ something very unclear, vague, doubtful
Ex:- His suggestions were neither fish nor fowl.

(10)TO HAVE OTHER FISH TO FRY / TO HAVE A BIGGER FISH TO FRY→ to do more
important things
Ex:- I don’t want to waste my time, I have a bigger fish to fry.
(5)
FEATHER

(1) TO SHOW THE WHITE FEATHER→ to behave like a coward

Ex:- Don’t show the white feather before the enemies till the end.

(2) A FEATHER IN ONE’S CAP→ an achievement / success to be proud of

Ex:- It is a feather to his cap to represent his country in the Olympics.

(3) TO FEATHER ONE’S NEST→ to use your power and position for financial gains / act
selfishly
Ex:- He used to feather his nest by using the money that was raised by charity.

(4) BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER→ two persons who are very similar to each other in
behaviour, conduct and opinion
Ex:- Both the friends are birds of the same feather.
(5) IN FINE FEATHER→ well dressed
Ex:- She was in fine feather at the party.

(6) RUFFLE ONE’S FEATHERS→ annoy / irritate

Ex:- I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers.

(6) GREEK MYTHOLOGY

(1) NEMESIS→ punishment / retribution

Ex:- His immoral behaviour brought about his nemesis.

(2) MIDAS TOUCH / GOLDEN TOUCH→ someone / something bringing good results
Ex:- Because of his Midas touch, the company was in profit.
(3) HERCULEAN TASK→ a very difficult task, next to impossible
Ex:- To complete the work in a day was a Herculean task.

(4) CUT A GORDIAN KNOT→ to solve a very difficult problem by force

Ex:- To make him understand was like cutting a Gordian knot.

(5) ADONIS→ a young, handsome man

Ex:- His Adonis looks made him win favour from others.

(6) TROJAN HORSE→ someone / something used secretly

Ex:- He was used as a Trojan horse by his boss.
(7) DOG

(1) A DOG IN THE MANGER→ a person who prevents others to have something which he
himself cannot use
Ex:- His dog in the manger attitude led him to problem.

(2) TOP DOG→ an important person in the organisation

Ex:- He is the top dog in the organisation.

(3) UNDERDOG→ poor / underprivileged

Ex:- The scheme proved to be beneficial to the underdogs.

(4) EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY→ everyone gets an opportunity at sometime or the other in life
Ex:- Don’t worry, have patience, every dog has his day.
(5) LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE→ not to talk about things which created problems in the past
Ex:- It would be better to let sleeping dogs lie and not discuss the matter any further.

(6) DOG TIRED→ very tired

Ex:- He was dog tired after heavy work.

(7) GO TO THE DOGS→ to become worse / deteriorate

Ex:- All his efforts went to the dogs.

(8) LEAD A DOG’S LIFE→ miserable life

Ex:- He led a dog’s life after his father’s death.

(9) RAINING CATS AND DOGS→ raining heavily/ downpour

Ex:- It has been raining cats and dogs since morning.
(10) FIGHTING LIKE CATS AND DOGS→ constantly fighting
Ex:- Both the brothers were fighting like cats and dogs.

(11) BETTER TO BE THE HEAD OF DOG THAN TAIL OF LION→ it is better to be the head
of small group and not the follower of a big group
Ex:- His better to be the head of a dog than tail of lion attitude made him a leader.

(12)IN THE DOGHOUSE→ in trouble / to be in a situation where someone is upset or angry with
you
Ex:- He will be in the doghouse if he comes late again this week.

(8) APPLE

(1) APPLE OF ONE’S EYE→ someone very dear / favourite

Ex:- My daughters are the apple of my eye.
(2) APPLE PIE ORDER→ something arranged in a perfect and orderly manner
Ex:- The house was in apple pie order.

(3) APPLE OF DISCORD→ a cause of problem / dispute

Ex:- The property was the apple of discord among the brothers.

(4) COMPARING APPLES AND ORANGES→ comparing two things which are very different
from each other
Ex:-My job is very different from yours; it’s like comparing apples and oranges.

(5) BAD APPLE→ a person / thing which has a negative impact on others
Ex:- We should not condemn the whole system just because of one bad apple.
(9) WOLF

(1) TO KEEP THE WOLF AT BAY→ to fight against any difficulty / danger
Ex:- After his father’s death, he took up the business to keep the wolf at bay.

(2) TO KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR→ to avoid hunger / poverty
Ex:- He worked day and night to keep the wolf from the door.

(3) THROW TO THE WOLVES→ to put someone in danger

Ex:- His comrades threw him to the wolves.

(4) A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING→ a person who pretends to be innocent but actually
dangerous / a hidden enemy
Ex:- Beware of fairweather friends, they are like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
(5) WOLF DOWN→ to eat greedily / gulp
Ex:- He wolfed down the food as he was in a hurry.

(6) A LONE WOLF→ a person who loves to be alone / reserved

Ex:- He is a lone wolf and has few friends.

(7) TO CRY WOLF→ false alarm / to call or ask for help when it is not required
Ex:- He had cried wolf several times and now nobody trusts him.

(10) RED

(1) A RED ALERT→ warning

Ex:- The troops were on red alert.
(2) A RED LETTER DAY→ an important day
Ex:- The day he got the job was a red letter day of his life.

(3) TO PAINT THE TOWN RED→ celebrate, rejoice

Ex:- After the examination was over, the students decided to paint the town red.

(4) RED HANDED→ caught while committing a crime

Ex:- He was caught red handed by the police.

(5) RED CARPET WELCOME→ a grand welcome

Ex:- The actor was given a red carpet welcome.

(6) RED TAPISM / TAPE→ excessive official formality

Ex:-Due to red tape at the immigration, I missed the flight.
(7) IN RED INK→ in debt
Ex:- The company was in red ink.

(8) IN THE RED→ in a loss

Ex:- Due to his negligence, he was in the red.

(11) BLUE

(1) A BOLT FROM THE BLUE→ a sudden, unexpected and unpleasant incident
Ex:- The news of his son’s death was a bolt from the blue.

(2) ONCE IN A BLUE MOON→ something happening rarely / occasionally

Ex:- He visits his grandparents once in a blue moon.
(3)BLUE BLOOD→ belonging to a royal family
Ex:- A blue blood will not understand the sufferings of the poor.

(4) FEEL BLUE→ sad, depressed

Ex:- Whenever I feel blue, I listen to music.

(5) BEAT BLACK AND BLUE→ to hurt someone physically or mentally

Ex:- He beats his servants black and blue.

(6) BLUE EYED→ one who gets special attention / favourite

Ex:- John was always the blue eyed boy at school.

(7) BLUE COLLAR→ lower working class

Ex:- Sometimes we have to take a blue collar job if the economy is down.
(8) OUT OF THE BLUE→ an unexpected event without any warning.
Ex:- His resignation came out of the blue.

(12) WHITE

(1) WHITE ELEPHANT→ something which is very expensive but useless

Ex:- The luxury car was a white elephant for him.

(2) BLACK AND WHITE→ something written in a very clear and straightforward manner
Ex:- The agreement was in black and white.

(3) TO SHOW WHITE FEATHER→ to behave in a cowardly manner

Ex:- Don’t show white feather, fight for your rights.
(4) WHITE LIE→ small / harmless lie told to avoid hurting others
Ex:- I told a white lie for not attending the party.

(5) WHITE COLLAR JOB→ a job that requires great managerial / professional skills
Ex:- Everyone loves white collar jobs.

(6) WAVE A WHITE FLAG→ a signal of surrender

Ex:- After the defeat, the enemies waved a white flag.

(13) GREEN

(1) GREEN EYED → jealous, envious

Ex:- We should guard against green eyed friends.
(2) BE GREEN→ inexpert, inexperienced
Ex:- He is rather green and not be able to operate the machinery.

(3) GET THE GREEN LIGHT→ to get the permission

Ex:- I got the green light to start the project.

(4) GREEN THUMB→ skillful in gardening

Ex:- She is a green thumb.

(5) GREEN BELT→ an area of field and trees

Ex:- My house is in a green belt area.

(6)GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE→ a person who is always

dissatisfied / one who feels that others are in a more comfortable position than them
Ex:- She says that she would be able to do business better in France, but the grass is always
greener on the other side.
(14) EYE

(1) BIRD’S EYE VIEW→ a general view

Ex:- His bird’s eye view of the market will help us beat our competitors.

(2) CATCH SOMEONE’S EYE→ gain attention

Ex:- The beautiful diamond ring caught her daughter’s eye.

(3) EAGLE EYE→ one who has the ability to see important details and notice mistakes
Ex:- The editor has an eagle eye and he will catch the mistakes.

(4) HIT THE BULL’S EYE→ hit the target

Ex:- You have hit the bull’s eye by getting the job.
(5) TURN A BLIND EYE→ ignore something which is wrong
Ex:- He turned a blind eye to his son’s drinking and partying.

(6) IN THE PUBLIC EYE→ in the limelight / well-known

Ex:- The politicians are in the public eye.

(7) SEE EYE TO EYE→ to agree with someone about something

Ex:- The couple see eye to eye on everything and they rarely argue.

(8) KEEP AN EYE ON→ watch carefully

Ex:- I am keeping an eye on the clock because I have to leave in 15 minutes.
(15) TONGUE
(1) SLIP OF THE TONGUE→ a minor mistake in speech
Ex:- A slip of the tongue resulted in big loss.
(2) ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE→ able to remember or recall
Ex:- Her name is on the tip of my tongue.

(3) HOLD YOUR TONGUE→ not to say things that upset people
Ex:- He had to hold his tongue in order to keep the peace at the family gathering.

(4) TONGUE IN CHEEK→ something that is said sarcastically or in jest.

Ex:- The whole interview was done tongue in cheek.

(5) TONGUE TIED→ to be unable to speak due to shyness

Ex:- He stood tongue-tied before the audience.
(6) TONGUE TWISTER→ a group of words which are difficult to say or pronounce
Ex:- Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

(7) SHARP TONGUE→ a bitter or critical manner of speaking

Ex:- She was a tough, sharp tongued woman.