List of idioms

<dl> <dt>A hot potato</dt> <dd>Speak of an issue (mostly current) which many people are talking about and which is usually disputed</dd> <dt>A penny for your thoughts</dt> <dd>A way of asking what someone is thinking</dd> <dt>Actions speak louder than words</dt> <dd>People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say.</dd> <dt>Add insult to injury</dt> <dd>To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavorable situation.</dd> <dt>At the drop of a hat</dt> <dd>Meaning: without any hesitation; instantly.</dd> <dt>Back to the drawing board</dt> <dd>When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over.</dd> <dt>Ball is in your court</dt> <dd>It is up to you to make the next decision or step</dd> <dt>Barking up the wrong tree</dt> <dd>Looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong person</dd> <dt>Be glad to see the back of</dt> <dd>Be happy when a person leaves.</dd> <dt>Beat around the bush</dt> <dd>Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.</dd> <dt>Best of both worlds</dt> <dd>Meaning: All the advantages.</dd> <dt>Best thing since sliced bread</dt> <dd>A good invention or innovation. A good idea or plan.</dd> <dt>Bite off more than you can chew</dt> <dd>To take on a task that is way to big.</dd> <dt>Blessing in disguise</dt> <dd>Something good that isn't recognized at first.</dd> <dt>Burn the midnight oil</dt> <dd>To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting.</dd> <dt>Can't judge a book by its cover</dt> <dd>Cannot judge something primarily on appearance.</dd> <dt>Caught between two stools</dt> <dd>When someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives.</dd> <dt>Costs an arm and a leg</dt> <dd>This idiom is used when something is very expensive.</dd> <dt>Cross that bridge when you come to it</dt> <dd>Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.</dd> <dt>Cry over spilt milk</dt> <dd>When you complain about a loss from the past.</dd> <dt>Curiosity killed the cat</dt> <dd>Being Inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant situation.</dd> <dt>Cut corners</dt> <dd>When something is done badly to save money.</dd> <dt>Cut the mustard [possibly derived from "cut the muster"]</dt> <dd>To succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate</dd> <dt>Devil's Advocate</dt> <dd>To present a counter argument</dd> <dt>Don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched</dt> <dd>This idiom is used to express "Don't make plans for something that might not happen".</dd> <dt>Don't give up the day job</dt> <dd>You are not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally.</dd> <dt>Don't put all your eggs in one basket</dt> <dd>Do not put all your resources in one possibility.</dd> <dt>Drastic times call for drastic measures</dt> <dd>When you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions.</dd> <dt>Elvis has left the building</dt> <dd>The show has come to an end. It's all over.</dd> <dt>Every cloud has a silver lining</dt> <dd>Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days.</dd> <dt>Far cry from</dt> <dd>Very different from.</dd> <dt>Feel a bit under the weather</dt> <dd>Meaning: Feeling slightly ill.</dd> <dt>Give the benefit of the doubt</dt> <dd>Believe someone's statement, without proof.</dd> <dt>Hear it on the grapevine</dt> <dd>This idiom means 'to hear rumors' about something or someone.</dd> <dt>Hit the nail on the head</dt> <dd>Do or say something exactly right</dd> <dt>Hit the sack / sheets / hay</dt> <dd>To go to bed.</dd> <dt>In the heat of the moment</dt> <dd>Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.</dd> <dt>It takes two to tango</dt> <dd>Actions or communications need more than one person</dd> <dt>Jump on the bandwagon</dt> <dd>Join a popular trend or activity.</dd> <dt>Keep something at bay</dt> <dd>Keep something away.</dd> <dt>Kill two birds with one stone</dt> <dd>This idiom means, to accomplish two different things at the same time.</dd> <dt>Last straw</dt> <dd>The final problem in a series of problems.</dd> <dt>Let sleeping dogs lie</dt> <dd>Meaning - do not disturb a situation as it is - since it would result in trouble or complications.</dd> <dt>Let the cat out of the bag</dt> <dd>To share information that was previously concealed</dd> <dt>Make a long story short</dt> <dd>Come to the point - leave out details</dd> <dt>Method to my madness</dt> <dd>An assertion that, despite one's approach seeming random, there actually is structure to it.</dd> <dt>Miss the boat</dt> <dd>This idiom is used to say that someone missed his or her chance</dd> <dt>Not a spark of decency</dt> <dd>Meaning: No manners</dd> <dt>Not playing with a full deck</dt> <dd>Someone who lacks intelligence.</dd> <dt>Off one's rocker</dt> <dd>Crazy, demented, out of one's mind, in a confused or befuddled state of mind, senile.</dd> <dt>On the ball</dt> <dd>When someone understands the situation well.</dd> <dt>Once in a blue moon</dt> <dd>Meaning: Happens very rarely.</dd> <dt>Picture paints a thousand words</dt> <dd>A visual presentation is far more descriptive than words.</dd> <dt>Piece of cake</dt> <dd>A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple.</dd> <dt>Put wool over other people's eyes</dt> <dd>This means to deceive someone into thinking well of them.</dd> <dt>See eye to eye</dt> <dd>This idiom is used to say that two (or more people) agree on something.</dd> <dt>Sit on the fence</dt> <dd>This is used when someone does not want to choose or make a decision.</dd> <dt>Speak of the devil!</dt> <dd>This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives.</dd> <dt>Steal someone's thunder</dt> <dd>To take the credit for something someone else did.</dd> <dt>Take with a grain of salt</dt> <dd>This means not to take what someone says too seriously.</dd> <dt>Taste of your own medicine</dt> <dd>Means that something happens to you, or is done to you, that you have done to someone else</dd> <dt>To hear something straight from the horse's mouth</dt> <dd>To hear something from the authoritative source.</dd> <dt>Whole nine yards</dt> <dd>Everything. All of it.</dd> <dt>Wouldn't be caught dead</dt> <dd>Would never like to do something</dd> <dt>Your guess is as good as mine</dt> <dd>To have no idea, do not know the answer to a question...........</dd> <dd> </dd> <dd>List of most important phrases:-</dd> <dd>

1. In order to

Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument.

Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”

2. In other words

Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point.

Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance.

Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”

4. That is to say

Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise.

Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”

5. To that end

Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”.

Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”

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