Idioms
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Idioms
Above all | Mainly, especially | He is good at all subjects at school, above all, in Literature. |
All at once | suddenly | |
All day long | The entire day, continuously through the day | |
All of a sudden | Suddenly | All of a sudden a creature appeared at the back door of the bungalow. |
All right | Satisfactory, correct | |
All the same | Regardless of what has been said;also, to be equal, the same, to make no difference | |
As a matter of fact | In fact, really | |
As to | concerning, with reference to | |
As usual | As always, customarily | |
As yet | Up to the present time | |
At all ( usually with not ) | To any degree, in the least | I don't have any money at all right now. |
At first | Originally, in the first instance | |
At last | Finally | |
At least | A minimum of | You have to walk at least for two hours a day. |
At once | Immediately, very soon, right away | |
At times | Sometimes, occasionally | At times my mother feels better but then she becomes weak again. |
By heart | By memory | We must learn the poem by heart. |
By oneself | Alone | |
By the way | Incidentally | |
Day in, day out day after day | Daily , continuosly | |
Every so often | Occasionally, every now and then | |
For good | Permanently, forever | Sue has returned to Boston for good. |
For the time being | For the present, temporarily | For the time being we are living with our parents. Next year, we are going to move to our new house. |
Had better | It is advisable to, it would be better to. Most often used in contracted form such as I'd better, you 'd better, she'd better, he'd better, we'd better, they 'd better. | |
In a hurry | Hurried, in a rush | I'm in a hurry to catch the bus. I don't want to miss it. |
In the long run | Finally, after a long period of time | In the long run, your friend can be your best partner. |
In time | within or sometime before an appointed time or a deadline | |
In vain | useless, without result | |
Little by little | Gradually, by degrees, slowly | |
Never mind | Do not mind, do not bother or pay any attention | |
No matter | Regadless of | |
Now and then | occasionally | |
Off and on | Irregularly, ocassionally | They go off and on.to see their parents. |
Once in a while | occasionally, now and then | |
On purpose | Purposely, intentionally | |
On time | Exactly at or before an appointed time | |
Out of date | No longer available, current, or in use | |
Out of order | Not in working condition | Most of the public phone in this town are out of order. Nobody maintains them. |
Over and over | Repeatedly | |
Quite a few | many | |
Right away | Immediately, at once, very soon | |
Right here, Right there, Right now etc | Exactly here, exactly there, immediately | |
So far | Up to the present time | So far he has treated me well. |
Something the matter nothing the matter | Something wrong nothing wrong | |
Tired out | Extremely tired | |
To be about to | To be on the point of, ready | |
To be becoming | To suit, favor in appearance | The dress is very becoming to you. |
To be better off | To be in a better condition or situation | |
To be bound for somewhere | To be going in a certain direction | |
To be bound to | Be certain to, sure to | |
To be bound to | Be certain to, sure to | |
To become of | To happen to (of someone or something missing ) | What has become of my Samsung Galaxy? It's gone. |
To be in charge of | To manage be responsible for | |
To be in the way | Blocking or obstructing, thus causing inconvenience | |
To be named after: | To be given at birth the same name as another | |
To be out of the question | To be imposible | |
To be over | To be finished, to be ended | |
To be up | To be ended ( of a time ) | |
To be up to someone | To depend on the decision of someone | It's up to you whether we buy this house. |
To be used to | To be accustomed to | |
To be well off | To be rich, well to do | |
To blow out: | To explode, go flat said generally of tires | |
To blow up | To destroy by Explosion, to explode | |
To break down | To stop functioning said generally of motors and similar mechanical objects | |
To break in | To adjust through usage of something which is new and stiff, To train a new employee | 1.Just try to break in a new car slowly by driving carefully. 2. After our office boy is broken in, everything will be alright. |
To break out | To occur suddenly | |
To bring up: | To rear, raise from childhood;also to present for attention or consideration | |
To burn down | To burn to the ground | |
To burn out | To stop functioning, become useless said of electrical equipment | |
To burn up | To burn completely | |
To call down | To reprimand, scold | |
To call for | To come to an office, home etc, in order to get someone or something | I'm going to call for my girlfriend at her house tomorrow morning. |
To call off | To cancel | The football match was called off due to security reasons. |
To call on | To visit | |
To call up | To telephone | Please call up the police when you see the wanted man! |
To catch cold | To become sick with a cold | Don't go out in the rain! Otherwise, you'll catch cold. |
To catch fire | To begin to burn | Nobody knew how the market caught the fire. |
To change one's mind | To alter one's decision or opinion | I have changed my mind. I don't like you anymore. |
To come from | To originate in ( to refer to one's home district ) | |
To come to | To revive, to regain consciousness | My wife finally came to after she had fainted for two hours. |
To come to | To revive, to regain consciousness | My wife finally came to after she had fainted for two hours. |
To come true | To prove to be true or correct | |
To count on | To depend upon | Don't count on him to do this job. He isn't reliable. |
To cross out | To cancel ( often by marking with crosses ) | I finally crossed out the most important line of my love letter. |
To cross out | To cancel ( often by marking with crosses ) | I finally crossed out the most important line of my love letter. |
To cut off | To remove by cutting the ends also to terminate abruptly | |
To cut off | Tear off break off bite off chew off,etc. | |
To cut out | A. to remove by cutting; b. to stop doing something | |
To cut up | To break up to chop up to chew up, etc. | |
To do over | To repeat | |
To do without | To get along without, to forego | |
To drive up to / to go up to / to walk up to / to run up to: | To approach | |
To fall in love | To begin to love | |
To feel like | To have the desire to | I feel like going out tonight. How about you? |
To feel sorry for | To pity, feel compassion for | |
To figure out | To calculate, To study carefully in order To understand | |
To fill out | To complete said of blanks, etc | |
To find fault with | To criticize | Don't find fault with others. |
To find out | To get information, discover, learn | |
To get along | To do, succeed, make progress | |
To get along with | To live or work harmoniously with | |
To get back | To return | My husband got back from Copenhagen last night. |
To get better, worse, etc | To become better, worse etc | |
To get in touch with | To communicate with | |
To get lost; | To lose one's direction become lost | |
To get off | To leave , to descend from | I got off the bus and ran to school. |
To get on | To enter or to board | Dai always gets on the bus at the station. |
To get over | To recover from | I can't get over the loss of my beloved wife. I cry and I cry and I cry. |
To get rid of | To become free of, to escape from | Those salesman are not easy to get rid of. |
To get sick, well, tired, wet, busy, etc | To become sick, well, tired, wet, busy , etc | |
To get through | To finish | |
To get to | To arrive at a place, home, work, etc. | I couldn't get to the office on time because I had an accident. |
To get up | To arise, To move from a lying, To a standing position | |
To get used to | To become used or adjusted to | |
To give up | To surrender, to renounce | One of our competitor gave up after attacking us wildly. |
To go around | Be sufficient for everyone | |
To go around | Be sufficient for everyone | |
To go off | A. to explode; b. To leave suddenly | |
To go on | To continue, proceed | |
To go out | To leave also to cease burning | |
To go up in smoke | To come to no practical result | My effort to get the highest score in the final exam went up in smoke when I found out that I couldn't answer more than ten out of forty questions. |
To go with | To go out together, to keep company with ( have dates) | |
To go with | To match, harmonize in color or desiqn | |
To grow out of | To outgrow , become too large and mature for | |
To hand in: | To submit or deliver something which is due | |
To hang up | To place upon a hook or coat hanger, to replace the telephone in its cradle | Don't hang up the phone! I can give you an explanation! |
To have a good time | To enjoy oneself, pass a period of time pleasantly | |
To have charge of, take charge of | To have or to take management of, to have or take responsibility for, attend to | |
To have got: | To have, to possess | |
To have got to do something : | To have to do something,must See note above on use of got with have | |
To have on | To be wearing | He was robbed by the gang and had just shorts on. |
To have one's way to get one's own way | To do or obtain what one wishes, especially against opposition or contrary | |
To have time off, to take time off | To have free time, not to have to work | We have to work for six days a week and have Sundays off. |
To hear from | To receive news from | I haven't heard from my wife since she left for Arab two years ago. |
To hear of | To know about, to hear mention of | Have you ever heard of John Lennon? |
To hold good: | To remain valid or in force, continue to be good | |
To hold on | To grasp , hold tightly to something also, to pause | |
To hold still | To remain quiet with moving | |
To hold still | To remain quiet with moving | |
To hold up | A to rob at the point of a gun; b. to delay | |
To keep an eye on | To watch, guard | |
To keep house | To do the usual work of running a home cooking cleaning, etc | |
To keep in mind to bear in mind | Not to forget remember | |
To keep in touch with | To continue in communication with; see also to get in touch with, lesson 9, No. 4 | |
To keep on | To continue | We have to keep on walking until we reach the nearest village. |
To keep out, off, away from, etc | To stay out, off, away from | "Keep off the grass" |
To keep track of | To keep or maintain a record of | |
To keep up with | To maintain the same speed as | |
To know by sight | To recognize as a result of having seen someone previously | |
To leave out | To omit | Please leave my name out of your list. |
To let go of | To release | |
To lie down | To recline, to take a lying position | |
To look after | To watch, to take care of | I'll have to look after the house while my parents are away. |
To look at | To direct the eyes toward, to watch | |
To look for | To search for, to seek | |
To look forward to | To expect, anticipate, usually pleasurably | |
To look into | To investigate, to examine carefully | The police are looking into his death. |
To look out | To be careful or cautious | Look out for the motorcycle turning in your direction. |
To look over | To examine | After looking over my application letter, I sent it to the Company. |
To look up | To search for a word, a price, etc especially in a dictionary | Please don't look up your dictionary before you guess the meaning from its context. |
To look up | To search for a word, a price, etc especially in a dictionary | Please don't look up your dictionary before you guess the meaning from its context. |
To make clear | To explain, to clarify | After making everything clear, I can take her out again. |
To make friends | To win or gain friends | He can make friends with everyone very easily. He is friendly. |
To make fun of | To laugh at, joke about | |
To make good | To succeed | |
To make good time | To travel rapidly at good speed | |
To make no difference | To be of equal importance | |
To make sure | To be sure, become sure or certain of | |
To make the best of | To accept a bad situation cheer fully and to do the best that one can under the circum stances | |
To make up one's mind | To decide | Please make up your mind! You want to go with us or not. |
To mix up, To be mixed up, to get mixed up | To confuse, to be confused, to become confused | We got mixed up in our directions, took the wrong turning and lost. |
To pay attention | To give attention To, place importance upon | |
To pick out | To choose, to select | |
To pick up | To take especially with the fingers | |
To play tricks on / To play jokes on | To make someone the victim of a trick or a joke | They tried to play tricks on the Minister but he was too clever for them. |
To point out | To indicate | |
To put away | To set aside, to return something to its proper place | Put your books away. It's time for dinner. |
To put off | To postpone | |
To put on | To place on oneself ( clothes ) | My girlfriend often puts on too much make up on her face. |
To put out | To extinguish | Please put out your cigarette here before you enter the room. |
To put together: | To assemble | |
To put up | To construct erect | |
To put up with | To tolerate | |
To run away | To leave without notice or permission | |
To run errands | To act as an errand boy , go to a store to buy thing | |
To run out of | To exhaust the supply of | We ran out of gas in the middle of the jungle. |
To run over | To strike or pass over with a moving vehicle | |
To see about | To attend to, to take care of | They are going to see about our accommodation. |
To see someone off | To go to a plane, a ship, a train in order to say good-bye to someone) | I was so sad to see my boyfriend off at the airport. |
To set fire to / to set on fire | To start burning | That crazy man set fire to his own bed. |
To shake hands | To exchange greetings with a clasp of the hands | We introduced each other and shook hands. |
To show off | To display to excess one's ability or poses sions | |
To shut off | To stop something which runs, such as water , gas electrical current, etc. similar to turn off | |
To shut up | To close also to be quiet, stop talking | |
To sit down | To take a sitting position after standing | |
To stand to reason | To be clear and logocal | |
To stand up | To rise, to take an upright or standing position after being seated | |
To take advantage of | To use an opportunity, also to impose upon or to profit at the expense of another person | |
To take after | To resemble a parent or close relative | |
To take a look at | To look at | When I took a look at her, she smiled at me beautifully. |
To take apart: | To separate the different parts of an object or mechanism | |
To take a seat | To sit down | Come in and take a seat! |
To take a walk | To go for a walk, to promenade | Let's take a walk. It's a nice day. |
To take believe | To pretend | |
To take care of | To watch, give attention to | |
To take charge of | To assume direction or responsibility for; see also to be in charge of, lesson | |
To take hold of | To grasp | |
To take into account | To take into consideration | We are going to take into account your proposal for two days. |
To take off | To remove ( clothes ) | She took off her coat because it's too hot in the room. |
To take one's time | To work or go leisurely, to avoid hurrying | |
To take out | To remove, extract | The man took out a gun and shot wildly. |
To take part | To participate | Many people are not willing to take part in the General Election. |
To take pity on | To pity | My son always takes pity on beggar he sees and he always gives them some money. |
To take place | To happen, to occur | The football match took place in Barcelona. |
To take someone by surprise: | To surprise, come as unexpected | |
To take someone for | To mistake a person for someone else | |
To take something for granted | To accept as true with out investigation | |
To take something up with | To consult generally with | |
To take turn | To alternate | |
To take up | To study , begin a course leading to a career | |
To talk over | To discuss, to consider | |
To tear down | To demolish | |
To tear up | To tear completely into small pieces, to cancel | |
To tell time | To be able to know the hour by looking at a watch or clock. | My four year old son can tell time. |
To tell two things or two persons apart to tell one from the other | To distinguish between | |
To think of | To have an opinion about | What did you think of the way he played football? |
To think over | To consider carefully before making decision | Let me think over your offer. I'll give you a call tomorrow. |
To think up : | To invent, discover, find | |
To throw away | To discard | |
To try on | To test, to try before buying clothes | Try these shoes on before you buy them. |
To try out | To test, use during a trial period | |
To turn around | To make a complete turn in order to face in the opposite direction | |
To turn down | To reduce in speed or volume, to reject | 1. Turn down the cd player. It is too loud. 2. She's turned down my offer many times. |
To turn off | To stop, to terminate | |
To turn on | To start | She opened the door and turned on the light. |
To turn out | To become or result, to eject | He turned out to be the best artist in our country. |
To wait for | To expect | |
To wait on/upon | To serve, to attend to-in a store or a shop | The shop assistant waited on me nicely. |
To wake up | To awaken | |
To watch out for | To look out for, guard against | |
To wear out | To become shabby and useless from wear | |
Up to date | Timely , modern, brought up to the present time | |
Used to | indicates an action or habit which continued for some period of time in the past but eventually ended | |
Would rather | To prefer to |
Other Exercises
Labels: Idioms
posted by sutarmaji @ October 28, 2018
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