Idioms and Phrases with Shortcut tricks English Grammar Printable Worksheet Free PDF

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Chapter-wise Worksheets for English Grammar: Idioms and Phrases

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Practice English Grammar Worksheets: Idioms and Phrases

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This English Grammar reference page gathers over a hundred and fifty common idioms and phrases in one place, each with its meaning and a short example sentence. It is handy for school and bank-exam preparation, where you are often asked to pick the meaning of an expression or use it correctly in a sentence.

What are Idioms?

An idiom is a fixed group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the separate words. Some idioms are grammatically unusual, like “Long time, no see!”, and others cannot be understood literally, like “It is raining cats and dogs”, which only means that it is raining very heavily.

Another example: in “He cried crocodile tears”, nobody is thinking of a crocodile. The boy was only pretending to cry. Idioms make language more colourful and often say a lot in a few words.

Commonly Used Idioms and Phrases

Idioms and Phrases: Part 1

Idiom	Meaning	Example
Beat back	to force to retreat	The strong wind beat back the walkers, so they turned toward home.
Boil down to	to amount to	The whole discussion boils down to one simple question: who will pay?
Cast aside	to reject; to throw aside	She cast aside her old notes and began the chapter afresh.
Cry down	to run down; to speak of as having little value	Do not cry down your classmate's project just because it is simple.
To cut off with a shilling	to leave someone a very small part in a will	The old man was so upset that he cut his nephew off with a shilling.
Egg on	to urge on	His friends egged him on until he finally entered the race.
Gloss over	to hide or explain away	You cannot gloss over a careless mistake; it is better to admit it.
To laugh in one's sleeve	to be secretly amused	The teacher kept a straight face but laughed in his sleeve at the joke.
Play off	to set one party against another for one's own advantage	The shopkeeper played off one supplier against the other to get a lower price.
Pull one through	to help one recover	Good care from the nurses pulled him through a long illness.
Cast a slur upon	to say or do something that harms someone's good name	Spreading false stories will cast a slur upon an honest person.
To come off with flying colours	to succeed brilliantly	Riya came off with flying colours in her final examination.
To come off second best	to be defeated or to do worse than the other	In the quiz, our team came off second best by just one point.
To cut the Gordian knot	to solve a difficulty by a bold or unusual step	Instead of arguing for hours, Mira cut the Gordian knot by simply tossing a coin.
To fall to one's lot	to become one's duty or fate	It fell to my lot to clean the classroom this week.
To get into hot water	to get into trouble	Arun got into hot water for forgetting his homework again.
To give someone the slip	to escape from someone who is following or looking for you	The puppy gave us the slip and ran into the garden.
To go on a fool's errand	to go on a task that is certain to end in nothing	Looking for a shop open at midnight was a fool's errand.
To go to the wall	to lose out in a competition; to be pushed aside	Small shops sometimes go to the wall when a big mall opens nearby.
To go to rack and ruin / To go to the dogs	to be ruined	The garden went to rack and ruin because nobody watered it.
To have one's hands full	to be very busy	Mother has her hands full with the guests today.
To have a bone to pick with one	to have a complaint to discuss with a person	I have a bone to pick with you about my missing pen.
To have the whip hand of	to have control or mastery over	With ten points in hand, our team has the whip hand of the match.
To have too many irons in the fire	to have so much work in hand that some of it is done badly or left undone	Sana joined three clubs and now has too many irons in the fire.
To have the right ring	to sound genuine	His apology did not have the right ring, so nobody believed it.
To have two strings to one's bow	to have a second means of reaching one's aim	Ravi studies music as well as science, so he has two strings to his bow.
To have an axe to grind	to have a selfish purpose to serve	He praised the plan only because he had an axe to grind.
To keep the wolf from the door	to keep away hunger and extreme poverty	She took a part-time job to keep the wolf from the door.
To make short work of	to finish or destroy quickly	The children made short work of the pizza.
To make amends for	to make up for a wrong or damage	He helped his neighbour with shopping to make amends for his rude words.
To make common cause with	to join or co-operate with others for a shared aim	The residents made common cause with each other to clean the park.
To make a virtue of necessity	to pretend to do willingly what you must do anyway	We had no money for a taxi, so we made a virtue of necessity and enjoyed the walk.
To make much ado about nothing	to make a great fuss about a small matter	Crying over a tiny scratch is making much ado about nothing.
To make a cat's paw of someone	to use someone as a tool to get what you want	He made a cat's paw of his younger brother to get the cookies.
To play into the hands of someone	to act in a way that helps another person	By losing his temper, he played into the hands of his rival.
To play second fiddle	to take a less important part	In the school play, Neha was happy to play second fiddle to her friend.
To put the cart before the horse	to do things in the wrong order	Buying decorations before fixing the party date is putting the cart before the horse.
To put one's shoulder to the wheel	to work hard at a task	Everyone put their shoulder to the wheel to finish the project on time.
To set store by	to value highly	Grandmother sets great store by good manners.
To set the Thames on fire	to do something remarkable	He is a hard worker, but he will never set the Thames on fire.
To set one's house in order	to arrange one's own affairs properly	Before starting something new, set your house in order.
To take into one's head	to get an idea suddenly	She took it into her head to paint the whole wall green.
To take the bull by the horns	to face a problem bravely instead of avoiding it	Instead of delaying, Tara took the bull by the horns and spoke to her teacher.
To take a leap in the dark	to do something risky without knowing the result	Moving to a new city without a job was a leap in the dark.
To throw cold water upon	to discourage	His negative remarks threw cold water upon our plan for a picnic.
To throw up the sponge	to give up a contest	Tired and behind by many points, the player threw up the sponge.
To turn over a new leaf	to change one's behaviour for the better	After failing the test, Kabir turned over a new leaf and studied daily.
To turn tail	to turn and run away	The stray dog turned tail when we clapped our hands.
To turn the tables	to reverse a situation so the weaker side gains the upper hand	Our team scored three goals in the last minutes and turned the tables.
To cook or doctor an account	to falsify an account	The clerk was punished for cooking the accounts.
To bear the brunt of	to suffer the main force or shock of	The first-floor shops bore the brunt of the heavy rain.
To beard the lion in his den	to confront someone powerful in his own place	Meena bearded the lion in his den and asked the principal for an extra class.
To bid fair to	to seem likely to	The young plant bids fair to grow into a tall tree.
To blow one's own trumpet	to boast about oneself	A truly good player does not blow his own trumpet.
To blunt the edge of	to make less sharp or less effective	A good night's sleep blunted the edge of my worry.
To build castles in the air	to make dreamy plans that are unlikely to come true	Stop building castles in the air and start practising.
To burn the candle at both ends	to work or play so hard that one wastes one's strength	Studying all night and waking early means you are burning the candle at both ends.
To buy a pig in a poke	to buy something without examining it	Buying a used phone without testing it is like buying a pig in a poke.
To cross or pass the Rubicon	to take a step from which there is no going back	Once she signed the form, she had crossed the Rubicon.
To cry over spilt milk	to feel useless regret over something already done	The glass is broken; there is no use crying over spilt milk.
To err on the safe side	to be careful, even if that is not strictly needed	It may not rain, but I will carry an umbrella to err on the safe side.
To flog a dead horse	to waste effort on something that cannot succeed	Asking him again is flogging a dead horse; he has already said no.
To feather one's nest	to make oneself rich, often by unfair means	The manager used the company's money to feather his own nest.
To eat one's heart out	to brood sadly over a sorrow or disappointment	Do not eat your heart out over one low mark.
To eat humble pie	to humble oneself and admit a mistake	He had to eat humble pie and say sorry to the whole class.
To eat one's words	to take back what one has said	When she topped the class, her critics had to eat their words.
To throw down the gauntlet / To take up the gauntlet	to offer a challenge / to accept a challenge	Rohan threw down the gauntlet to his friend for a chess match, and Ali took it up.
To run the gauntlet	to face severe criticism or harsh treatment	The new student ran the gauntlet of teasing questions on the first day.
To burn one's fingers	to suffer from a rash action	He burnt his fingers by lending money to a stranger.
To force one's hand	to compel one to act sooner or against one's wish	The heavy rain forced our hand, and we cancelled the match.
To haul over the coals	to scold severely	The coach hauled the players over the coals for coming late.
To let the grass grow under one's feet	to waste time by being slow or idle	Do not let the grass grow under your feet; start the work now.
To put in a nutshell	to say in very few words	To put it in a nutshell, the trip is cancelled.
To let loose the dogs of war	to start fighting or conflict	The harsh words let loose the dogs of war between the two cousins.
To lord it over someone	to behave in a bossy manner toward someone	The monitor likes to lord it over the younger children.
To mind one's Ps and Qs	to be careful about one's manners and behaviour	Mind your Ps and Qs when you meet the principal.

Idioms and Phrases: Part 2

Idiom	Meaning	Example
To muster in force	to gather in large numbers	The fans mustered in force at the gate to cheer the team.
To pay one back in one's own coin	to treat a person as he has treated you	He cheated at cards, so they paid him back in his own coin.
To plough a lonely furrow	to work alone without help	Writing the report alone, Dev felt he was ploughing a lonely furrow.
To poison the ears or mind	to turn a person against someone by false talk	Do not poison her mind against her best friend.
To rest on one's laurels	to be satisfied with past success and stop trying	Having won once, he did not rest on his laurels but kept training.
To rest on one's oars	to stop working after reaching a goal	With the exams over, the students rested on their oars.
To harp on the same string	to keep repeating the same thing	He keeps harping on the same string about his lost pencil.
To rise like a phoenix from its ashes	to recover and flourish after a great loss or ruin	After the fire, the little shop rose like a phoenix from its ashes.
To rule the roast / To rule the roost	to be the boss in a group	Our eldest cousin rules the roost at every family gathering.
To run in the same groove	to follow the same path or line of thought	The ideas of the two friends run in the same groove.
To run in the blood	to be a family trait	Love for music runs in the blood of their family.
To scatter to the winds	to waste or spread far and wide	Careless spending scatters your savings to the winds.
To be on the right scent	to be on the right track	The detective in the story was on the right scent.
To see how the wind blows	to find out how things are likely to turn out before acting	Let us see how the wind blows before choosing a team.
To see a thing through coloured glasses	to judge something in a biased way	If you see everything through coloured glasses, you will never be fair.
To show the white feather	to show cowardice	He showed the white feather and refused to climb the high wall.
To sow broadcast	to scatter widely	The farmer sowed the seeds broadcast across the field.
To split hairs	to argue over tiny, unimportant differences	Do not split hairs over whether it is five or six minutes late.
To steal a march	to gain an advantage over another quietly	Priya stole a march on her classmates by starting the project early.
To steer clear of	to avoid	Steer clear of the wet floor near the stairs.
To stick at nothing	to be ready to do anything, however wrong, to reach one's aim	A cheat will stick at nothing to win a prize.
To strain every nerve	to make the greatest possible effort	The runners strained every nerve to reach the finish line.
To strike while the iron is hot	to act at the right moment	The sale ends today, so strike while the iron is hot and buy the bag.
To swallow the bait	to be tricked by an attractive offer	He swallowed the bait and paid for a worthless gift.
To talk shop	to talk about one's work or trade, even in company	The two doctors began to talk shop at the birthday party.
To tie one's hands	to prevent one from acting	The strict rules tied the teacher's hands, so she could not give extra time.
To tread on the heels of	to follow closely behind	Fear trod on the heels of the sudden noise.
To fish in troubled waters	to make a profit out of other people's troubles	Some sellers fish in troubled waters by raising prices during a shortage.
To pour oil on troubled waters	to calm an angry situation	The teacher poured oil on troubled waters by speaking kindly to both students.
To win or gain laurels / To bear away the palm	to achieve success in a contest	Our school won laurels at the inter-school science fair.
To worship the rising sun	to respect a person who is gaining power	Some people worship the rising sun and ignore old friends.
Argus-eyed	very watchful	The security guard was Argus-eyed and noticed every visitor.
To clean the Augean stables	to correct a great and long-standing wrong	Clearing the old store room felt like cleaning the Augean stables.
Backstairs influence	secret and improper influence	He got the seat through backstairs influence, not through merit.
Bad blood	ill feeling between people	There has been bad blood between the two neighbours for years.
A bone of contention	a subject of dispute	The remote control is a bone of contention between my brother and me.
A bosom friend	a very close and trusted friend	Asha is my bosom friend, and I tell her everything.
A bull in a china shop	a clumsy person who damages things	The big dog was like a bull in a china shop in the tiny room.
A close shave	a narrow escape	The cyclist had a close shave when a car turned suddenly.
A cold comfort	little or no consolation	Being told it could have been worse was cold comfort to him.
A dog in the manger	a person who keeps others from having what he cannot use himself	Do not be a dog in the manger; let others play with the ball you don't use.
Elbow room	enough space or freedom to act	Give the artist some elbow room and she will do wonders.
A fair-weather friend	a friend who leaves you in difficult times	A fair-weather friend is never there when you need help.
Good offices	help or support given by someone with influence	The class teacher's good offices helped settle the quarrel.
A good Samaritan	a person who kindly helps a stranger	A good Samaritan stopped to help the lost child find her mother.
The green-eyed monster	jealousy	The green-eyed monster made him sulk when his friend won the prize.
A Herculean task	a job needing great effort	Cleaning the entire school ground in one day is a Herculean task.
A maiden speech	the first speech made by a person in a public body	Her maiden speech at the school assembly was confident and clear.
A nine days' wonder	something that excites interest for a short time only	The new toy was a nine days' wonder and was soon forgotten.
An open question	a matter still to be decided	Whether we go by bus or train is still an open question.
A red-letter day	a special, happy or important day	The day I got my first bicycle was a red-letter day.
Scot-free	without punishment or harm	The naughty boy escaped scot-free because nobody saw him.
A sheet anchor	the chief support one can rely on in trouble	Her mother's advice was her sheet anchor in hard times.
Tall talk	boastful speech	His tall talk about swimming across the lake made everyone laugh.
A white elephant	a costly possession that is of little use	The huge old car in our garage is a white elephant.
A white lie	a harmless, small untruth	Telling your aunt you love her gift can be a white lie.
A wild goose chase	a foolish and useless search	Looking for my keys in the park was a wild goose chase.
An apple of discord	a cause of quarrel	The last slice of cake became an apple of discord.
A cock and bull story	a silly, unbelievable story	His excuse about a dancing cow was a cock and bull story.
A fish out of water	a person in unfamiliar surroundings who feels uneasy	On the first day in the new school, Sam felt like a fish out of water.
The gift of the gab	skill in speaking easily and well	Our guide had the gift of the gab and kept us entertained.
The lion's share	the largest part	The eldest brother took the lion's share of the sweets.
A mare's nest	a discovery that turns out to be false or worthless	The treasure map proved to be a mare's nest; it was just a drawing.
The milk of human kindness	kind and gentle feelings toward others	The shopkeeper, full of the milk of human kindness, gave the boy a free pencil.
Penelope's web	a task that never seems to end	Sorting out my old photographs is a Penelope's web.
The pros and cons	the arguments for and against something	We discussed the pros and cons of adopting a pet.
By the skin of one's teeth	by a very narrow margin	She caught the train by the skin of her teeth.
A snake in the grass	a hidden enemy; a treacherous person	He seemed friendly, but he was a snake in the grass.
A stone's throw	a very short distance	The market is just a stone's throw from our house.
All moonshine	foolish or untrue talk	His story about a talking tree was all moonshine.
Behind the scenes	in private; out of public view	Many people worked behind the scenes to make the show a success.
Between two fires	attacked or pressed from two sides	Caught between two angry friends, I felt between two fires.
In a body	all together	The students walked in a body to the principal's office.
Wide of the mark / Beside the mark	not relevant; off the point	His answer was wide of the mark and had nothing to do with the question.
Cheek by jowl	very close together	The little shops stood cheek by jowl along the narrow lane.
Out at elbows	poor; shabby	After losing his job, the man was soon out at elbows.
Part and parcel	an essential part	Homework is part and parcel of school life.

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Are these Idioms and Phrases English Grammar worksheets based on the new competency-based education (CBE) model?

Yes, English Grammar worksheets for Idioms and Phrases focus on activity-based learning and also competency-style questions. This helps students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.

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Yes, we have provided solved worksheets for English Grammar Idioms and Phrases to help students verify their answers instantly.

Can I print these Idioms and Phrases English Grammar test sheets?

Yes, our English Grammar test sheets are mobile-friendly PDFs and can be printed by teachers for classroom.

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