Hello Aspirants, we bring you the list of top 20 English Idioms and Phrases with their Full Meaning and Usage.
Idioms and phrases are very pounding throughout the English language. One cannot ignore them or else we will be missing out obvious phrasal interpretations and gradation in the abstract form. Idioms make the mind thing abstract about the concept they are refereeing to. These work as magic on the mind that it stimulates thought to get the right and appropriate focus. It is one of the ways that different people use for the same thing but with different anecdotal allusions. For example “Once in a blue moon” has a different connotation than "Fat chance" One implies “something that happens very rarely” the other implies “to something that is incredibly unlikely.” They both mean the same thing but under different circumstances (means rarely or very less).
Every year questions related to idioms and phrases are asked in various SSC and Bank Exams to check the command over English language. In case the meaning is known to you than these questions can be attempted in 10 seconds and helps you save the time for difficult or big questions. These Idioms and Phrases questions can be solved easily in case you know the meaning.
Let us discuss the list of often-used idioms and phrases for SSC CGL and SBI PO/Clerk to memorize, which may prove valuable for aspirants during the exam.
1. Once in a blue moon:
Meaning-Something that happens very rarely
Sentence- Once in a blue moon, the red jackal can be seen in the interiors of these forests.
2. Break the ice:
Meaning- To initiate a social conversation or interaction
Sentence- At the start of the project, the new coordinator tried to break the ice by singing a song.
3. Apple of one’s eye:
Meaning- Being cherished more than others are
Sentence- Mohan is adored by his mother for his childlike nature. He is the apple of her eye.
4. Come hell or high water:
Meaning- Possible obstacles in your path (will not stop you)
Sentence- She has decided that come hell or high water I will become a doctor.
5. Spill the beans:
Meaning-To disclose a secret
Sentence- Rakhi spilled the beans about the surprise vacation her friends had planned.
6. Piece of cake:
Meaning-Something that is easy to understand or do
Sentence- Neha thought that the project would be tough, but it turned out to be a piece of cake!
7. Blessing in disguise:
Meaning-Something good and useful that did not initially seem that way
Sentence-Her accident was a blessing in disguise as it gave her a lot of time to think about her life while she was recovering, and as a result, she made some important decisions that improved her life.
8. Come hell or high water:
Meaning-Possible obstacles in your path (will not stop you)
Sentence- They have decided that come hell or high water I will become a teacher.
9. Taste of your own medicine:
Meaning-When someone receives the same treatment, usually negative, that he/she gives to others
Sentence-He is always taunting others and hurting their sentiments. I just wish someone would give her a taste of his own medicine.
10. Golden handshake:
Meaning-A big sum of money given to a person when he/she leaves a company or retires
Sentence-The management of the company wanted to decrease their staff members. They offered a golden handshake to their aged employees.
11. Mean business:
Meaning-Being serious/dedicated
Sentence- Many borders are sealed by troops who mean business.
12. The best of both worlds:
Meaning-The benefits of widely differing situations enjoyed at the same time.
Sentence-They had the best of both worlds since they worked as an ordinary member of the team but got to learn from the leaders.
13. Feeling a bit under the weather:
Meaning-Feeling slightly ill
Sentence-She might not be able to run today, as she is feeling a bit under the weather.
14. Icing on the cake:
Meaning-Something that turns good into great
Sentence-India’s victory over Pakistan on India’s Independence Day was like icing on the cake.
15. Cost an arm and a leg:
Meaning-Be very expensive
Sentence-Her laziness made her miss her flight to Mumbai. The next ticket cost an arm and a leg.
16. Jump the bandwagon:
Meaning-To joins a popular activity or trend
Sentence-When she was detected with cancer, she quickly jumped on the bandwagon and visited the best hospital for the treatment.
17. Ball is in your court:
Meaning-When it is up to you to make the next decision or step.
Sentence-Now the ball is in your court; decide whether you want to work or not.
18. Bite off more than you can chew:
Meaning-To takes up a task which you may not be able to accomplish due to lack of ability.
Sentence- A bit off more than she could chew when she decided to take up the new research project.
19. Can’t judge a book by its cover:
Meaning-Cannot judges something primarily on appearance.
Sentence-Their house looked impressive in the pictures sent by them. Still, I visited the house to check everything. It is always not to judge a book by its cover.
20. Hand to mouth:
Meaning-live on only basic necessities
Sentence-The insistent floods led the farmers to live hand to mouth.
Similarly, the aspirants can develop the list of frequently asked idioms and phrases along with the usage to understand the meaning. It works wonders when it comes to attempting the vocabulary section and reading comprehension.
About the Author
Jyoti Malhotra is an English Trainer for the last 15 years. She has received her M.A (ENGLISH) degree from Delhi University. Her areas of interest are teaching, writing educational blogs and content development. She is working as an English Faculty with IBT – Best institute for Bank & SSC exam Preparation in Chandigarh for the last three years. She is training the aspirants of SSC, IBPS, SBI and various other competitive exams. She is a passionate writer also and has written study material for SSC, IBPS, CBSE-NET, NDA, etc.
