Idioms for SSC exams -5

Pulled all the stops out Developed cold feet |A damp squib| Hot on the heels of | Ins and outs| To talk through one's hat |To take with a grain of salt |Off and on| Take to one'e heel| To keep up one's appearances |To turn over a new leaf|  Dark horse| On the cards| To cast aspersions |Come of with flying colours |Hay white the sun rises |Puts a spoke in one's wheel| Hold a brief for another |Out of the frying-pan into the fire|
                                                                                                            




                                                                                                                                        
Pull all the stops out/ pull out all the stops 
Meaning:-
  • to make every effort to achieve something
  • to make the greatest effort possible to achieve something
  •                                                                        
Mind Tricks:-
Here pull refers for throwing away and the stops means obstruction. So pull all the stops out means throwing your all the obstruction away.
Usages:-
  1. Candidates are pulling out all the stops to get the job.
  2. Leaders decided to pull out all the stops and campaign in every state.
                                                                                                                                            
Developed cold feet/ Get or have cold feet
Meaning:-
  • became nervous
  • to suddenly become nervous about doing something that you had planned to do
  •                                                                         
Mind Tricks:-
Here cold feet means due to some hesitation you are not able to move your feet.
Usages:-
  1. We were get cold feet, when we decided to go for foreign.
  2. She would be getting cold feet.
                                      
A damp squib
Meaning:-
  • totally unimpressive
  • an event that is disappointing because it is not as exciting or impressive as expected
  • an event which people think will be exciting but which is disappointing when it happens
Mind Tricks:-
 Squib means a small firework and Damp means wetness. You were very happy with your crackers but you suddenly get disappointed when you see a damp squib.
Usages:-
  1. The celebrations were a bit of a damp squib.
  2. His day's performance turned out to be a damp squib.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Hot/hard on the heels of something
Meaning:-
  • very close behind something or somebody, very soon after something 
  • closely following
Mind Tricks:-
Here hard or hot means putting a lot of effort or energy into an activity and heel means bottom of a shoe. If you are putting a lot of effort on  someone's heels means you are following that one very closely.
Usages:-
  1. He ran ahead, with the others hot on his heels
  2. He came hot on the heels of his brother.
                                                                                                                                                                                      
Ins and outs of
Meaning:-
  • details and complexities
  • all the details, especially the complicated or difficult ones 
Usages:-
  1. Mango man does not understand the ins and outs of  politics.
  2. Candidates should know ins and outs of terms and conditions.
To talk through one's hat
Meaning:-
  • to talk nonsense
  • to say silly things while you are talking about a subject you do not understand
Mind Tricks:-
Hat has two meanings 1. a covering make to fit the head and 2. a position or role in an official or professional role, when you have more than one such role, an informal term for a person's role. If you talk other than your hat you would talk nonsense because you don't know much on other subjects.
Usages:-
  1. Why are you talking through one's hat.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
To take (something) with a grain of salt
Meaning:-
  • accept with misgiving
  • to accept something  maintaining a degree of doubt on its truth
Mind Tricks:-
The idea comes from the fact that food is more easily swallowed if taken with a small amount of salt. Pliny the Elder translated an ancient antidote for poison with the words 'be taken fasting, plus a grain of salt'. - www.phrases.org.uk
Usages:-
  1. He takes food with a grain of salt.                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Off and on
Meaning:-
  • occasionally                                                                        
Mind Tricks:-
Sometime off and sometime on means it does not happen regularly but occasionally.
Usages:-
  1. We slept off and on last night.
  2. We would go to school off and on.
                                                                                                                   
Take to one'e heel/ Take to your heels 
Meaning:-
  • to run away
  • to run away from somebody/something
Mind Tricks:-
Take a run = Take a heel
Usages:-
  1. Robber had taken to one's heel when police came.
                                                                                                                                            
To keep up one's appearances
Meaning:-
  • to talk about something for a long time without coming to the main point                                                                        
Mind Tricks:-
To keep up one's appearances means to talk means you are talking only one thing that you are interested more .
Usages:-
  1. He is in a habit of keeping up one's appearances.                        



Turn over a new leaf  
Meaning:-
  • to work on a novel idea
  • to change your way of life or work to become a better, more responsible person
Mind Tricks:-
Leaf means a sheet of paper. So when you start working on new idea, you would need a new sheet of paper.
Usages:-
  1. He has forgotten his past life and turning over a new leaf.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Dark horse
Meaning:-
  • an unexpected winner                   
  • someone or something whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others                        
Mind Tricks:-
This phrase comes out from horse race. In dark we can neither see nor suspect anything.
Usages:-
  1. It is difficult to predict who will win the prize- there are two or three dark horses in the tournament.
  
On/In the cards
Meaning:-
  • anticipated, likely to happen                         
  • in future                                              
Mind Tricks:-
Your name in the card means something will happen to you in near future.
Usages:-
  1. I am expecting some holiday on the cards.
  2. I would become a leader in the cards.
To cast aspersions on
Meaning:-
  • to make unpleasant remarks                                                          
Mind Tricks:-
 Aspersions means critical or unpleasant remarks.
Usages:-
  1. Don't cast aspersion on me.
  2. Parties are casting aspersion on each other.
Come off with flying colours
Meaning:-
  • achieve creditable success
  • to be victorious
Mind Tricks:-
The phrase's origins relate to ship flags. Flying colours refer Flag. When soldiers achieve creditable success, they would come with flying colours or flying flags.
Come Off -  to take place, to happen 
Usages:-
  1. Ram has been finally selected as he come off with flying colours.

Make hay white the sun rises
Meaning:-
  • take benefit of condition
  • to do something while the situation or conditions are right
Mind Tricks:-
Hay means grass that has been cut and dried (Here White means to dry.)and is used as food for animals, here hay stands for food.So every one should make a hay while the sun shines.
Usages:-
  1. Our leaders know how to make hay white the sun rises.
  2. Police makes hay white the sun rises.
Puts a spoke in one's wheel
Meaning:-
  • to obstruct one's progress
  • to prevent somebody from putting their plans into operation 
Usages:-
  1. We should not put a spoke in somebody's wheel.
  2. I do not know why he puts a spoke in one's wheel.
                                                                                                                                                     
Hold a brief for another
Meaning:-
  • to speak on another's behalf
  • to support or be in favour of somebody or something
Mind Tricks:-
Brief means to give somebody information about something.
Usages:-
  1. Public hold a brief for Congress party.
  2. We should hold a brief for good people.


I have read some fantastic books on English language that really helped me improve my writing. You can buy my recommended books on Amazon. Here is the lists below:

Books on Grammar:
Books Buy Links Rating

The Elephants Of Style

4.5/5

English Grammar in Use Book

4.5/5

Practical English Usage

4.5/5

The Elements of Style

4.5/5

Essentials of English

4.5/5

Handbook of English Grammar and Usage

4.5/5

Woe Is I

4.5/5

Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

4.5/5

It was the best of sentences, it was the worst of sentences.

4.5/5

If you want more books on English language, click the link





Looking for something? Find here!






Ads