# SY BCom Sem 3 Grammar # Idioms

 # SY BCom 3  # English  # Idioms

 1. At the drop of a hat

Meaning: To do something immediately, without any hesitation.

• Examples:
• She would help you at the drop of a hat.
• They will go on a trip at the drop of a hat if they get time.
• He can come to the party at the drop of a hat.

2. Barking up the wrong tree

Meaning: To pursue a mistaken or misguided course of action.

• Examples:
• If you think I took your book, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
• She’s barking up the wrong tree if she thinks he’ll help her with that.
• They are barking up the wrong tree looking for the problem in the software.

3. Cloud nine

Meaning: Feeling extremely happy.

• Examples:
• She was on cloud nine after winning the competition.
• He’s been on cloud nine since he got the new job.
• They were on cloud nine during their vacation.

4. Devil’s advocate

Meaning: Someone who argues against a position to test its validity, even if they don't necessarily disagree with it.

• Examples:
• I’m playing devil’s advocate to see if your plan really works.
• He took the role of devil’s advocate during the meeting to challenge the proposal.
• Even though she agreed with the decision, she played devil’s advocate to ensure all angles were considered.

5. Far cry from

Meaning: Very different from something.

• Examples:
• This small apartment is a far cry from their old house.
• The new restaurant is a far cry from the one we used to go to.
• His current job is a far cry from what he dreamed of.

6. It takes two to tango

Meaning: Both people involved in a situation are responsible for it.

• Examples:
• If there’s a fight, remember it takes two to tango.
• They both need to fix their mistakes; it takes two to tango.
• In any argument, it takes two to tango, so both should apologize.

7. Keep something at bay

Meaning: To prevent something from getting too close or causing problems.

• Examples:
• She takes medicine to keep the flu at bay.
• He tries to keep stress at bay by exercising regularly.
• They use a firewall to keep hackers at bay.

8. The last straw

Meaning: The final problem or difficulty that makes you lose patience.

• Examples:
• Missing the meeting was the last straw for her.
• When he forgot her birthday, it was the last straw.
• The noisy neighbors were the last straw for them.

9. Cut a long story short

Meaning: To explain something in a brief way.

• Examples:
• To cut a long story short, they didn’t get the job.
• I’ll cut a long story short: we ended up having a great time.
• He cut a long story short and told us the main points.

10. Miss the boat

Meaning: To miss an opportunity.

• Examples:
• She missed the boat on buying that house.
• They missed the boat on the sale because they were too late.
• He missed the boat on joining the team because he was indecisive.

11. Best thing since sliced bread

Meaning: A very innovative or great idea.

• Examples:
• This new app is the best thing since sliced bread.
• He thinks the new smartphone is the best thing since sliced bread.
• Many believe online learning is the best thing since sliced bread. 

12. Burn the midnight oil

Meaning: To work late into the night.

• Examples:
• She had to burn the midnight oil to finish her project.
• He’s been burning the midnight oil for weeks to prepare for the exam.
• They burned the midnight oil to meet the deadline.

13. Cross that bridge when you come to it

Meaning: Deal with a problem when it actually happens, not before.

• Examples:
• We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
• Don’t worry about what might happen next month; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
• Let’s not stress about possible problems; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

14. Cry over spilt milk

Meaning: To waste time worrying about things that have already happened and cannot be changed.

• Examples:
• Don’t cry over spilt milk; just clean it up and move on.
• It’s no use crying over spilt milk; the exam is already over.
• He’s still crying over spilt milk about missing the opportunity.

15. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Meaning: Don’t risk everything on a single venture.

• Examples:
• It’s risky to invest all your money in one company; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
• She didn’t put all her eggs in one basket by applying to multiple colleges.
• Always have a backup plan; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

16. Give the benefit of the doubt

Meaning: To assume that someone is telling the truth or is innocent.

• Examples:
• I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he forgot.
• Even though the report was late, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.
• She gave him the benefit of the doubt, hoping he had a good reason.

17. Jump on the bandwagon

Meaning: To join or support something that is popular or successful.

• Examples:
• Everyone is talking about the new diet, so she decided to jump on the bandwagon.
• He jumped on the bandwagon and started using the latest tech gadgets.
• Many businesses jumped on the bandwagon of online sales. 

18. Steal someone’s thunder

Meaning: To take attention away from someone else's achievement or idea.

• Examples:
• She stole his thunder by announcing the project first.
• Don’t steal my thunder; I wanted to share the news myself.
• He felt like they stole his thunder when they made a similar announcement.

19. Horse trading

Meaning: Negotiating or making deals, often involving compromise.

• Examples:
• The politicians were engaged in horse trading to pass the new law.
• There was a lot of horse trading before they agreed on the contract.
• Horse trading was necessary to finalize the business deal.

20. Pull yourself together

Meaning: To regain control of your emotions and behavior.

• Examples:
• After the news, he needed to pull himself together.
• She had to pull herself together before going to the meeting.
• You need to pull yourself together and focus on the task.

21. All ears

Meaning: Fully listening and eager to hear something.

• Examples:
• I’m all ears; tell me what happened!
• She was all ears when he started talking about his trip.
• He said he was all ears for any new ideas.

22. Beck and call

Meaning: Ready and available to help whenever needed.

• Examples:
• She is at his beck and call for anything he needs.
• The assistant is always at the boss’s beck and call.
• Being at someone’s beck and call can be tiring.

23. Carrot and stick approach

Meaning: Using both rewards and punishment to motivate someone.

• Examples:
• The manager used a carrot and stick approach to get the team to meet their targets.
• The carrot and stick approach worked well with his children for good behavior.
• They applied a carrot and stick approach to encourage employees.

24. Dog days

Meaning: The hottest days of summer, or a period of stagnation.

• Examples:
• The dog days of summer are here, and it’s really hot outside.
• The company faced the dog days of low sales in the summer.
• During the dog days, they didn’t have much work to do.

25. Fall on stony ground

Meaning: To be ignored or rejected.

• Examples:
• His suggestion fell on stony ground; no one paid attention.
• The proposal fell on stony ground with the committee.
• The idea fell on stony ground because it wasn’t practical.

26. Go fly a kite

Meaning: To go away or stop bothering someone.

• Examples:
• He told his annoying neighbor to go fly a kite.
• She was so fed up with the complaints that she just said, “Go fly a kite!”
• When they kept asking for favors, he told them to go fly a kite.

27. Hit below the belt

Meaning: To make an unfair or mean remark.

• Examples:
• Bringing up his past mistakes was hitting below the belt.
• It was hitting below the belt when they criticized her personal life.
• Don’t hit below the belt; stick to the topic. 

28.  In the doldrums

Meaning: Feeling unhappy or in a state of stagnation.

• Examples:
• He’s been in the doldrums since he lost his job.
• The team was in the doldrums after their losing streak.
• She felt in the doldrums because of the long winter.

29. Left-handed compliment

Meaning: An insincere or somewhat insulting compliment.

• Examples:
• “You look good for your age” is a left-handed compliment.
• She received a left-handed compliment when he said her dress was “interesting.”
• His comment about her cooking being “better than he expected” was a left-handed compliment.

30. Nook and cranny

Meaning: Every part or corner of a place.

• Examples:
• They searched every nook and cranny for the missing keys.
• The old house had a nook and cranny filled with old books.
• She cleaned every nook and cranny of the kitchen.

31. Ask for the moon

Meaning: To make an unreasonable request.

• Examples:
• Asking for a week off right after starting the job is asking for the moon.
• He’s asking for the moon if he thinks he’ll get a promotion so quickly.
• Her demands were so high, it was like asking for the moon.

32. Beyond one’s ken

Meaning: Beyond one’s understanding or knowledge.

• Examples:
• Quantum physics is beyond my ken.
• The complexity of the project was beyond his ken.
• The ancient language was beyond her ken.

33. Cheek by jowl

Meaning: Very close together, often uncomfortably so.

• Examples:
• The houses were built cheek by jowl in the old part of town.
• The kids were sitting cheek by jowl in the small classroom.
• The crowded festival had people standing cheek by jowl.

34. Find one’s feet

Meaning: To become comfortable and confident in a new situation.

• Examples:
• It took a few weeks for her to find her feet at the new job.
• He’s still finding his feet in the new school.
• Once you find your feet, you’ll feel more at ease with the project.

35. Get one’s act together

Meaning: To organize oneself and be more effective.

• Examples:
• He needs to get his act together if he wants to finish the project on time.
• After a slow start, she finally got her act together for the exam.
• They need to get their act together to meet the deadline.

36. Hats off to someone

Meaning: To show admiration or respect for someone.

• Examples:
• Hats off to her for winning the award.
• He deserves hats off for his incredible work on the project.
• Hats off to the team for their excellent performance.

37. Kangaroo court

Meaning: A court that is not legally established or one that lacks proper legal procedures.

• Examples:
• The meeting was a kangaroo court with no proper rules.
• They held a kangaroo court to settle the dispute without proper evidence.
• His trial felt like a kangaroo court with no real chance for a fair defense.

38. Last but not the least

Meaning: Introducing the final item, which is still important.

• Examples:
• Last but not least, I want to thank my family for their support.
• She was last but not least on the list of speakers.

39. Nose in the air

Meaning: Acting arrogantly or looking down on others.

• Examples:
• She walked around with her nose in the air, thinking she was better than everyone else.
• His nose in the air attitude made him unpopular among his colleagues.
• Don’t put your nose in the air; stay humble.

40. Paper tiger

Meaning: Something or someone that seems threatening but is actually harmless.

• Examples:
• The company’s new competitor turned out to be a paper tiger.
• His threats were just paper tigers; he had no real power.
• The new regulations seemed scary but were paper tigers in the end.