An IDIOM is a group of words or a phrase that differs from their literal meaning. Idioms enrich the language.
In this post, we present you the top 30 Idioms with their Meanings and Sentences.
30 Idioms with their Meanings and Sentences
No. | Idioms | Meanings | Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
1. | At arm’s length | keeping a safe distance | She kept the poisonous snake at arm’s length. |
2. | Bag and baggage | with all belongings | She left the apartment with her bags and baggage. |
3. | Beat about the bush | avoid getting to the point | Can you please stop beating about the bush and tell me what happened? |
4. | Bolt from the blue | a sudden and unexpected event | The news of the company’s bankruptcy came as a bolt from the blue. |
5. | Build castles in the air | indulge in unrealistic dreams | Instead of building castles in the air, let’s focus on our goals and work hard to achieve them. |
6. | Cats and dogs | raining very heavily | It’s been raining cats and dogs all day. |
7. | Crocodile tears | fake tears | I don’t trust her crocodile tears, she’s just trying to manipulate us. |
8. | Die in harness | die while working | He died in harness a month before his retirement. |
9. | Dark horse | relatively unknown | The political newcomer surprised everyone by winning the election, he was a real dark horse. |
10. | Flesh and blood | human or physical existence | She was just flesh and blood, and couldn’t work 24/7 without getting tired. |
11. | Give one’s word | to make a promise or give an assurance | He gave his word that he would always be there to support her. |
12. | In cold blood | done intentionally and without emotion | The murder was committed in cold blood and shocked the community. |
13. | Jail Bird | a repeat criminal | The detective recognized the suspect as a jailbird who had been in and out of prison for years. |
14. | Kith and kin | near and dear ones | She prefers to spend time with her kith and kin. |
15. | Lion’s share | the major part | The CEO took the lion’s share of the company’s profits. |
16. | Make both ends meet | live frugally | They had to make both ends meet after losing their jobs. |
17. | Man of straw | an insignificant person | The small-time crook was a man of straw compared to the big-time criminals. |
18. | Null and void | having no legal or binding effect | The contract became null and void when one of the parties breached the terms. |
19. | Out of the wood | no longer in a difficult or dangerous situation | The patient is out of the woods and is expected to make a full recovery. |
20. | Pros and cons | the advantages and disadvantages of a situation | Before making a decision, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of the options. |
21. | Red-letter day | special occasion | Winning the championship was a red-letter day for the team. |
22. | Salt of the earth | a good and honest person | My grandfather was the salt of the earth, always helping others in need. |
23. | Stone’s throw | a short distance away | The grocery store was just a stone’s throw from his apartment. |
24. | To the backbone | completely | She is a feminist to the backbone and fights for women’s rights. |
25. | Under the thumb | to be controlled by someone | She realized that she was under the thumb of her overbearing boss. |
26. | Vexed question | a complex and much-debated issue | Climate change remains a vexed question among policymakers. |
27. | Wild goose chase | an unsuccessful pursuit | Searching for the lost ring in the park proved to be a wild goose chase. |
28. | With a view to | with the intention of | She enrolled in college with a view to pursuing a career in medicine. |
29. | Yeoman’s service | diligent and valuable work | The volunteer organization provided yeoman’s service to the community after the natural disaster. |
30. | Zenith of power | the peak of one’s authority or influence | The president’s approval ratings were at the zenith of power after his successful foreign policy initiative. |