IDIOMS AND PHRASAL VERBS FOR FA/FSC ENGLISH
ABC: She is learning ABC of music.
2. Above All. Saleem is wise hardworking and above all honest.
3. Above board. The honesty of Ali is above board.
4. Add fuel to fire. He is already angry. Do not add fuel to fire by calling him a liar.
5. Add insult to injury. He is already angry. Do not add insult to injury by calling him a liar.
6. After All. You should help Ali. After all, he is your friend.
7. Again and again. He failed in English again and again.
8. All and sundry. He invited all and sundry on his birthday.
9. All in All. Musharaf was all in all in Pakistan.
10. Apple of Discord. Kashmir is an apple of discord between India and Pakistan.
11. Apple of some one’s eyes. Ali is apple his mother’s eyes.
12. Apple Pie order My books are always in apple pie order.
13. At the end of the day. Pakistan team defeated India at the end of the day.
14. At the eleventh hour. He called off his plan to go to India at the eleventh hour. Afridi hit two sixes at the eleventh hour and won the match against India.
15. Achilles’ heel. His Achilles heel was his pride.
16. At cross purpose. I think we have been talking at cross purpose.
17. An eyewash. The election in Pakistan is just an eyewash.
18. A hard nut to crunch/crack. To pass in B.A English is a hard nut to crunch/crack.
19. A hard and fast rule. There is no hard and fast rule to write an essay.
20. A hair breathes escape/a close shave/ a near miss/ a narrow escape. I had a hair breathed escape from an accident yesterday.
21. A henpecked husband. Mr Jameel is a hen pack husband.
22. A labour of love. My father is doing a labour of love in the education department.
23. At large. The thief is still at large.
24. Alladin’s lamp. You need an Aladdin lamp to become rich overnight.
25. maiden speech.
26. A snake in the grass. Beware of Adeel; he may prove a snake in the grass.
27. At a snail’s peace. The bus was moving at a snail’s pace in the fog.
28. At sixes and seven. My books were lying on the table at sixes and sevens.
29. Above all. Above all, we should respect our parents.
30. All at once. It started to rain all at once.
31. At All. The computer is not working at all.
32. At length. The Taliban are still at large in length.
33. At times. At times I meet my teachers.
34. At Large. The killer is still at large.
35. At once. The killer entered the room at once.
36. At random. I am learning English at random.
37. At stake. Life in Pakistan is at stake due to terrorism.
38. Storm in the teacup. Both the lovers had a storm in the teacup over their intensity of love.
39. Bag of Bones. His maidservant is a bag of bones.
40. Bed of Roses Life is not a bed of roses for a ruler in Pakistan.
41. Bed of Thrones Life is a bed of thorns for a policeman.
42. Beast Of Burden A donkey is a beast of burden.
43. Big Gun/Shot Imran Khan is a big gun in politics.
44. Bird Of Passage Marco polo was a bird of passage.
45. Birds Eye View The headmaster took a birds eye view of the class
46. Black Sheep Ali Raza considered the black sheep of the family.
47. Blue Eyed Boy Ali is a blue-eyed boy of his boss.
48. Blue Stocking Haseena Moen is a bluestocking lady.
49. Bolt from the blue. His mother death proved a bolt from the blue for Ali.
50. Bone of contention. Kashmir is a bone of contention between India and Pakistan.
51. Bull in a china shop. When Ali went to P.C. hotel he behaved like bull in a china shop.
52. By and by. I will learn English by and bye.
53. By and large. By and large he is a good person.
54. Beat about the Bush. Do not beat about the bush and get to the point.
55. Before long. The result of B.A. will be announced before long.
56. Bad blood. There is no bad blood between two brothers.
57. Bag baggage. He earns his bread and butter from fish farm.
58. To the Backbone. Afzal is a liar to the backbone.
59. Bear Fruit. My efforts bore fruit and I passed B.A.
60. Beast of Burden. Chinese work like beasts of burden.
61. Better half. My better half is unwell.
62. Birds of feather. Birds of a feather together.
63. Blueblood. Tipu Sultan had blue blood in his veins.
64. Burn the boats/bridges. My target is CSS. I have burnt my boats.
65. Break the ice. All were silent. I broke the ice.
66. Burning question. Kashmir is a burning question between India and Pakistan.
67. By leaps and bounds. Pakistan is making progress by leaps and bounds.
68. By hook or by Crook. He wants to pass B.A. by hook or by crook.
69. Black sheep. There are many black sheep in office who take bribe.
70. Blow one’s dignity. It is below my dignity to do a job of peon.
71. Bring/call to mind. The mother called to her mind her dead child and shed tears.
72. Cold blooded murder. The killing of Liaqat Ali Khan was a cold-blooded murder.
73. Casting vote. The matter was decided by the casting vote of the speaker.
74. Cat and dog life. Ali and Seema are living a cat and dog life.
75. Closed fisted man. Nobody likes him because he is a close-fisted man.
76. A cock and bull story. Ali narrated a cock and bull story.
77. Carry weight. Her opinion carries weight with her husband.
78. Carry the day. PMLN carried the day in 2013 elections.
79. Cast Down. Ali is cast down after his failure in B.A.
80. Cast a spell. Her attractive/fair face cast a spell on Ali and he fell in love with her.
81. Call a spade a spade. Ch. Nisar calls a spade a spade in PMLN meetings and press conferences.
82. Call somebody names. It is a bad habit to call others names.
83. Capital punishment. Capital punishment is declared /a dead letter/null and void in England.
84. Cheek by Jowl. very close by. Saleem was sitting Cheek by Jowl with Ali.
85. Cat’s Paw. Tool. Do not be a cat’s paw for your boss.
86. Consist of. This class consists of forty boys.
87. Come/Get to the point. Do not beat about the bush and get to the point.
88. Come of age. A man should get married when he comes of age.
89. Come to blows. From hot words, they came to blows.
90. Come to end. The war came to end at last.
91. Come to grief. His plan to marry a singer/an English girl came to grief.
92. Crocodile tears. She was shedding crocodile tears at the death of her enemy.
93. Cut a sorry figure. He failed in F.A. and cut a sorry figure.
94.
95. Darkhorse. Many dark horses in my class got good marks in English.
96. Dead letter Capital punishment is a dead letter in England.
97. Drawn game. Pakistan and India played a drawn game. Our debate about choosing our president proved a drawn game.
98. Daggers drawn. India and Pakistan are always at daggers drawn.
99. Die in harness. Allama Iqbal died in harness.
100. Diehard. Mubeen is a diehard supporter of PTI.
101. Double face/turn-coat/ a rolling stone. Most of the politicians in Pakistan are turn-coats/ double-faced.
102. Eye opener. We should get united and take 1971 incident as an eye-opener.
103. End in smoke. His efforts to go to England for MBA ended in smoke.
104. Every inch. He is every inch a poet.
105. Face the music. You should work hard for exams otherwise get ready to face the music.
106. Fall flat. My advice to Ali to stop smoking fell flat.
107. Fair play. Most of the politicians have no sense of fair play.
108. Fair sex. We should respect fair sex.
109. Feather in one’s cap. (Source of happiness). This success is a feather in your cap.
110. Feather one’s nest. A greedy man feather’s his nest by hook or by crook.
111. Find fault with. My boss always finds fault with my work.
112. Fair weather friend. Fair weather friend leaves I the lurch.
113. Fly in the ointment. The function was going on well, but his presence proved a fly in the ointment.
114. Fool’s paradise. To pass examination without hardworking is like living fool’s paradise.
115. First and foremost. To get education is first and foremost duty of the student.
116. Fly in the ointment. Ali proved a fly in the ointment as he disturbed all the guests with his stupid actions.
117. From hand to mouth. Many people of Pakistan are living from hand to mouth.
118. For good. We gave up smoking for good.
119. For the rainy day We must lay aside some money for the rainy day.
120. Few and far between. Ali comes to the class few and far between.
121. Flog a dead horse. Our religious people flog the dead horse and do not talk about present social issues. Or The promotion of Latin in schools will be like flogging a dead horse.
122. Flesh and Blood. The flesh and blood will have to account for their deeds before Allah.
123. For the sake of. I cannot be dishonest for the sake of money. I have donated one lakh for the sake of education of the poor.
124. French leave. Ali took a French leave from the office.
125. Freudian Slip. She made a Freudian slip and exposed her love affair.
126. From Scratch. Ali started from scratch and he is filthy rich now.
127. Gala Day. Eid is a Gala day for the Muslims.
128. Gail bird. His father is a gaolbird; they live a hard life.
129. Get into hot waters. You may get into h not obey your boss.
130. Get rid of. We should get rid of U.S. aid.
131. Give vent to. Iqbal gave went to his ideas in poems.
132. Give the devil his due. I give devil his due and say that India is making progress.
133. Gift of the gab. You need gift of gab to become politician.
134. Golden age. The golden age of Mughal empire starts with Akbar.
135. Good for nothing. I do not like Ali because he is a good for nothing fellow person.
136. Hand in glove with. Israel is hand in glove with India. She is hand in glove with her friends.
1) Hard nut to crack /crunch.
To pass in B.A English is a hard nut to crack /crunch.
2) A hard and fast rule. There is no hard and fast rule to write an essay
137. Hard pill to swallow. To spend money on others is a hard pill to swallow for a miser.
138. Have an axe to grind. Our MPA has a political axe to grind in the new jobs.
139.
140. Hobson’s choice. You have Hobson’s choice to obey your boss.
141. Heart and soul. She loves her son heart and soul.
142. Hit the mark. Pakistan team defeated India in ICC cup and hit the mark.
143. It is high time. It is high time you married./got a job.
144. Heart and soul. Ali is in love with Aleem head over heels.
145. Hale and hearty. My aunt is hale and hearty in his old age.
146. High and dry. The loss of business left him high and dry.
147. Hold water. His lame excuse for leave does not hold water. His arguments never hold water.
148. Hold one’s tongue. Hold your tongue and let me work/love.
149. A house of cards. His plan to go to U.K. proved a house of cards.
150. Hue and cry. There was a lot of hue and cry in the village fair.
151. In full swing. The dance party is in full swing.
152. In short. In short, the situation of water is worse in Thar.
153. In low spirits. She was in low spirit at the death of her friend.
154. Ins and outs. Ali knows the ins and outs of music.
155. In store. She has a surprise in store for you.
156. In good books. Prof. Ali is in the good books of his principal.
157. In Addition to. Ali/Jamez writes books in addition to teaching.
158. In the long run. Hardworking people succeed in the long run.
159. In black and white. I sent an application in black and white to the principle.
160. In a fix. The thief was in a fix when he was caught red-handed.
161. In full swing. My studies were in full swing near exams.
162. In good books. I am in good books of my teacher.
163. In a nutshell. Tell me the story in a nutshell.
164. Iron hand. The principle must crushed politics in college within iron hand.
165. In the air. The news of Ali’s murder is in the air.
166. In the pipeline. New government jobs are in the pipelines for teachers.
167. In the long run. A hardworking man gets success in the long run.
168. Jack of all trades. Ali is a jack of all trades but muster none.
169. Jailbird. Ali father is a jailbird because he is a thief gambler.
170. Keep at an arm’s length. A teacher should keep the students at an arm’s length.
171. Kith and kin. We should respect our kith and kin.
172. Keep body and soul together. It is very difficult for poor man Ali to keep body and soul together.
173. Kick the bucket. The old man kicked the bucket yesterday. Everybody has to kick the bucket one day.
174. Lame Excuse. His lame excuse for leave was not accepted by the boss. His lame excuse does not hold water.
175. Lions share. India got lion share during partition.
176. Laughing stock. The naughty boy Ali has become a laughing stock in the class.
177. Leave in the lurch. Only a selfish friend leaves in the lurch.
178. Leave no stone unturned. She left no stone unturned to Pass F.A.
179. Live in fool’s paradise. We should not live in fool’s paradise and be realistic.
180. Long and short. The long and short of the news is the situation of water is worse in Thar.
181. Make both ends meet. It is very difficult for poor man Ali make both ends meet.
182. Man of word. A Muslim should be a man of word.
183. Man of Iron will. Quide-e-Azam was a man of iron will.
184. Man of letters. Dr. Iqbal is men of letters.
185. Man of parts. Dr. Abdul Qadeer is a man of parts.
186. Maiden speech. Ali impressed the whole college with his.
187. Null and void. Capital punishment is declared null and void in England.
188. Necessary evil. Examination is a necessary evil.
189. Nip in the bud. We should nip the evil in the bud.
190. Now and then. It rains here now and then. I meet my teachers now and then.
191. On the horns of dilemma. I am on the horns of dilemma about the selection of subjects for B.A.
192. Off and on. Ali comes to college off and on.
193. Offhand. I attempted my English paper of hand.
194. On the whole. On the whole he is a good person.
195. Once and for all. I have left smoking once and for all.
196. Out and out. He is a liar out and out.
197. Open secret. It is an open secret that he has married an actress.
198. Open Pandora’s box. Imran Khan has opened the Pandora’s box for government.
199. Out of question. To pass B.A. without hard work is out of question.
200. Open book. He is a good man. His life is an open book.
201. Over and over again. Madness is doing one thing over and over again and getting the same result.
202. Part and parcel. English is part and parcel of our education system.
203. Pros and cons. She knows the pros and cons of our new plan.
204. Rain cats and dogs. It is raining cats and dogs outside.
205. Rank and file. The rank and file of the village came to my party.
206. Read between the lines. A wise man reads between the lines and understands the situation well.
207. Red letter day. Eid is a red letter day for the Muslims.
208. Royal road. There is no royal road to success.
209. Red tape. Red is a menace of our government offices.
210. Safe and sound. Ali reaches home safe and sound.
211. Set free. He set free the birds in the cage.
212. Set to work. Ali set to work after prayers.
213. Snake in the grass. Beware of stupid and selfish friends. They are snakes in the grass.
214. Spick and span. We keep our house spick and span.
215. Speak volumes. Her dress speaks volumes about her poverty.
216. Through and through. He is a poet through and through.
217. Time and tide. Time and tide wait for none.
218. Turn the tables. Pakistan team turned the table when it defeated India in the final.
219. Tooth and nail. Pakistan army fights tooth and nail to save Pakistan.
220. To the backbone. He is honest with the backbone.
221. Undercover. A PPP leader was killed by an undercover killer/plan. Our first PM Liaqat Ali Khan was killed by an undercover killer/plan.
222. Under a cloud. He left his job under a cloud. Muslims are under a cloud after 9/11.
223. Up to the mark. My English is not up to the mark.
224. Wear and tear. My boats have become ugly due to wear and tear.
225. Win laurels. Pakistan team won from India and won laurels for the nation.
226. Without fail. I say my prayers without fail.
227. With open arms. He received the chief guest with open arms.
228. Ways and means. Pakistan should use all the ways and means to promote education.
229. Wet blanket. Ali is a wet blanket. He is not welcomed/invited in parties.
230. White lie. Fair election in Pakistan is a while lie.
231. Wild goose chase. To appear in exam without hard work is a wild goose chase.
232. Wolf in sheep’s clothing. A Hindu is a wolf in sheep clothing.
233. Yeoman’s service. Pak army did yeoman’s service/ a labour of love during flood.
Phrases
234. At home in. Ali is at home in English.
235. At large..azad. the murderer is still at large
236. Act upon. amal krna. The son acted upon the advice of his father.
237. Back out. Waday se phir jana. It is too late to back out now.
238. Back up. Taid krna support krna.she refused to back up his plan.
239. Bear out ….Tasdeeq krna…he will bear out my honesty.
240. Belong to taluk hona. Same belongs to a noble family.
241. Break down. Machine ka khrab hona. My car broke down on the way.
242. Break out …phoot prna. Cholera has broken out in the city.
243. Break into Someone broke into my house and stole my laptop.
244. Bring to light. The causes of separation of East Pakistan should be brought to light.
245. Bring about. Sabab banana. What brought about your failure.
246. Bring out. I have brought out a new edition of my poetry book.
247. Bring up.She brought up her child well.
248. By all means. He assured me that he will help me by all means.
249. .
250. By and large. (Overall)By and large, I am happy with my lot/life.
251. Carry out I cannot carry out your orders.
252. Call off.He called off his plan to go to India at the eleventh hour.
253. Cut down …km krna..we should cut down our expenses.
254. Call at. The train called at Hafizabad.
255. Call for..success calls for hard work.
256. Carry on She carried on hard work and succeeded.
257. Carry out …amal karna..The son carried out his father’s orders.
258. Deal in..to do business…he deals in sugar.
259. Deprive of .no one can dperive people of their basic human rights.
260. Go off..achanak bandook chal jana..the gun went off and killed the innocent boy.
261. Go back on…waday se phir jana..The Muslims never go back on their promise.
262. Give up. Tark krna..ali has given up smoking.
263. Hand over hawalay kr dena..he handed over his business to his children.
264. Keep an eye on…nigah rakhna…we must keep an eye on the enemies of Pakistan.
265. Keep on..jari rkhna..do not sit idle keep on your work.
266. Lay aside..bacha k aik trf rakhna. We must lay aside some money for the rainy day.
267. Look after..dekh bhal krna. She looked after her children very well.
268. Look forward to…khushi or shoq se ummed krna…we looking forward to your visit at our office.
269. Look for. Tlash krna…I was looking for my lost pen.
270. Look down upon..haqarat ki nigah se dekhna. We should not look down upon the poor.
271. Part with …alehda ho jana.dastbrdar hona…she cannot part with her old car.
272. Pass_away…die…Everyone will have to pass way one day.
273. Put aside …nazar andaz krna…they put aside their quarrel and became friends again.
274. Put on….pehn lena..Della put on her brown hat.
275. Set aside …makhsoos maksad k lye alag krna…we must set aside some money for the rainy day.
276. Set in…shuru hona…the winter has set in.
277. Set up…qaim krna…she has set up her own business.
278. Send for..bula bhejna..he sent for a doctor.
279. Take after …shakal aik jaisi hona..she takes after her mother.
280. Take to…aadi ho jana..ali took to drinking and lost everything.
281. Take down…write…I took down what he said..
282. Turn down..rad krna…they offered me a job but I turned it down.
283. Turn off..bujha dena..he turned off the light.
284. Turn up..hazir hona..he turned up late in the class.
285. Turn on …He turned on the light.
286. Turn off He turned off the light.
287. Up to the mark. My English is not up to the mark yet.
288. Ups and downs. Life is full of ups and downs.
289. Wear out… puranay ho ker bekar ho jana…I have worn out two pairs of shoes this year.
Comments