A phrase is a group of words in English grammatical part which has a figurative meaning. It may short or long but cannot include subject and object. So it cannot give a complete meaning.
What is a Phrase?
Phrases and idioms are English ornaments. To understand English Idioms well, and to use them properly, it’s important. In Idioms, the literary meaning is not found in the meaning of the word, therefore it must be mastered by memorizing them. Due to differences in the meaning of words, the Idioms must be kept in mind exactly.
Phrase Example
Phrases: Meaning
At home: Efficient
Blue blood: Elite
Dead letter: Invalid
Give a hand: Help
Greek to: Unknown
An idiom is a phrase but it is dissimilar from other phrases in that you can’t realize its meaning from the words it is prepared from.
Example of Idioms and Phrases with Details
Here you will get details meaning of phrase and idioms examples. That will enrich your English. The phrase makes a sentence worthwhile.
ABC: Primary knowledge
He not know even the ABC of music.
Above all more than anything else
Above all, be careful of your health.
Above board: beyond doubt
His activities are open and above board.
Achilles’ heel week point
Hankering for votes is the Achilles’ heel of the so-called leaders of our country.
After all: in spite of everything
After all, he is a patriot.
All at once: suddenly
All at once a tiger comes out of the forest.
All on (of) a sudden: suddenly
All on (of) a sudden a tiger came out of the bush.
All but: nearly
The poor villagers are all but ruined.
All in all supreme
Mr. Sen is all in all in his office.
Apple of discord matter of dispute
The paternal property has become an apple of discord between the three brothers and two sisters.
As if: as it would be
She swims so beautifully as if she is the water-fairy.
As it were: like
The moon is, as it were, the beauty of the night.
As usual: habitually
He is late as usual.
At a loss: puzzled
He was at a loss and didn’t know what to do.
At all primarily
He doesn’t know French at all.
At all events: in all cases
I shall stand by him at all events.
At a low ebb: declining
His fame is at a low ebb now.
At arm’s length at a distance
Try to keep the bad girls at arm’s length.
At a stretch: without a break
He can run ten miles at a stretch.
At bay: in a tight corner
The tiger was at bay in the bush.
At one’s finger ends: ready at hand
All these facts are at his fingers end.
At daggers drawn: at enmity
The two brothers at daggers drawn now.
At home: skilled, comfortable
He is at home in Mathematics.
At large: free
The anti-socials are still at large.
At last: in the long run
I got my missing note at last.
At least: at the lowest
At least one hundred girls will come to school today.
At one’s wit’s end: puzzled
He was at one’s wit’s end and didn’t know what to do.
At random: without any aim
He hit the basketball at random.
At sixes and sevens scattered
All the books on the table were at sixes and sevens.
At stake: in danger
His life is at stake today.
At one’s back and call: obedient
He is always at my beck and call.
At one’s own sweet will: according to his wishes
Her sister still does it at his own sweet will.
Bad blood: ill feeling
Now there is bad blood between two brothers.
Bag and baggage: with all belongings
He left the place bag and baggage.
Beat about the bush: talk irrelevantly
Write the right thing without beating about the bush.
Bed of roses: comfortable condition
Life is not a bed of roses.
Birds of a feather: persons of similar nature
Birds of a feather flock together.
Beat black and blue: beat severely
They beat the thief black and blue.
Black sheep: the person of bad character
He is a black sheep in his family.
Beggar description: cannot be the description
The beauty of Taj baggers description.
By all means in all possible ways
Try to do it by all means.
By and by soon
He will come here by and by.
By the bye in the course of talking
By the by I came to know that he got a private job.
By chance by accident
I met him on the way by chance.
By fits and starts irregularly
He works by fits and starts.
By no means in no way
I shall by no means call on him.
By far in all respects
He is by far the best intelligent boy in the class.
By leaps and bounds very rapidly
The cost of rice in India is increasing by leaps and bounds.
By and large mostly
People in our country are by and large educated.
Bid fair have the possibility of prospering
He bids fair to be a good doctor.
Big gun a leading man
He is a big gun of our locality.
Bird’s eye view a rough idea
He took a bird’s eye view of the flood-stricken area from an airplane.
The bone of contention matter of dispute
The paternal property is the bone of connection between the two brothers.
Book worm one who always reads books only
Don’t be a book worm.
Bosom friend intimate friend
Maisha is my bosom friend.
Bring to light make open
At least all the facts were brought to light.
Bring to book punish
He should be brought to book for his misconduct.
Build castles in the air indulge in idle vision
Build castles in the air is a waste of time.
Burning question matter of strong debate
The problem of dowry system is the burning question of the day.
Breathe one’s last die
The old man breathes his last on Monday last.
Call to mind remember
I cannot call to mind your name.
Call in question doubt
No one can call his honesty in question.
Call a spade to speak plainly
I have no hesitation to call a spade.
Carry the day win victory
Amal, the best player in his school, carried the day in the annual sports.
Catch red-handed catch with the stolen articles
The thief was caught red-handed.
Cats and dogs verb heavily
It was raining cats and dogs.
Chip of the old block a worthy son of a worthy father
Mr. S. P. Mukherjee is a chip off the old block.
Crying need urgent need
Mass education is the crying need of every country.
Crocodile tears pretended cry
He shed crocodile tears at our misery.
Come to light become known
The main thief of the village come to light today.
Come off with flying colors: Win a victory
Our school team came off with flying colors
Curry favor be favorite through flattery
He knows how to curry favour with officers.
Cut a sorry figure make bad results
He cuts a sorry figure in the examination.
Cut to the quick be hurt
I was cut to the quick by his word.
Dead against bitterly against
I am dead against his proposal.
Dead of night midnight
The robbers broke into the locker of the bank at dead of night.
Die in harness die while in service
Dr. Sen die in harness.
Do yeoman’s service render valuable service
Raja Rammohan Ray has done yeoman’s service to our country.
End in smoke fail
All his planes ended in smoke.
Fall flat has no effect
My advice feels flat on him.
Fight shy avoid
Why do you fight shy of your teacher?
Fish out of water in an uneasy situation
When he came to our house, I felt like a fish out of water.
Fish in troubled water take advantage of disturbed water
Maximum people nowadays made a lot of money by fishing in troubled water.
Far and wide everywhere
His fame as a speaker spread far and wide.
Flesh and blood human body
Flesh and blood cannot bear with such insults.
For good forever
He left the country for good.
From hand to mouth live by hard labour
The poor man lives from hand to mouth.
From A to Z from the begging to end
The statement is true from A to Z.
Gala day a day of festivity
Eid is the gala day for every Muslim.
Get rid of be free from
Try to get rid of that rogue.
Gift of the gab power of delivering the speech
Every advocate should have the gift of the gab.
Hard and fast rigid
There is no such hard and fast.
Hard nut to crack a difficult problem
The rapid growth of the population of a country is really a hard nut to crack.
Head and ears complete
He is over head and ears in debt.
Heart and soul with all energy
Try heart and soul and you will succeed.
Hold water be effective
Every student needs to hold water in every situation.
Hold good apply
This rule will not hold good here.
Hue and cry a noise
The villager’s raised a hue and cry to see the thief.
Hush money bribe money
He offered hush money for his job.
Household word familiar name
Every student needs to know about the household word.
In a fix in a difficult position
We need to be strong in a fix.
In fine in conclusion
In fine, he declared his plan.
In full swing in full activity
The school is now in full swing.
In time in proper time
He reached the station in time.
In order to with the object of
He came here in order to meet my brother.
In lieu of instead of
Give this pen in lieu of that.
In black and white in writing
Put down the statement in black and white.
In cold blood without provocation
They committed this murder in cold blood.
In no time soon
He will finish the work in no time.
In the nick of time in right time
The player team arrived in the nick of time in the field.
Ins and outs full details
I know the ins and outs of the matter.
In vogue in fashion
This custom is not in vogue now.
In force in activity
This law is in force now.
In a nut shell very briefly
Tell the story in a nut shell.
In a hurry very quickly
Don’t do the work in a hurry.
In the meantime in the time between
Liza will come here to night. In the mean time, you should get her guest house.
In one’s teens between thirteen and nineteen years of age
She is yet in her teens.
In the long run ultimately
They will have to suffer in the long run.
In vain fruitless
All his attempts were in vain.
Irony of fate by bad luck
He could not succeed by irony of fate.
Lion’s share major part
He took the lion’s share of the profit.
Lame excuse the bad plea
Lame excuse is a bad habit.
Kith and kin near relatives
He has no good relation with his kith and kin.
Maiden speech first speech
His maiden speech fell flat on the audience.
Man of letters a scholar
Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee was a man of letters.
Man of straw worthless man
Don’t be a man of straw.
Make both ends meet live within means
He cannot make both ends meet with my little income.
Moot point an undecided matter
Dowry system is still a moot point in West Bengal.
Nip in the bud destroy in the initial
All her hopes were nipped in the bud.
Null and void invalid
The deed has been null and void now.
Now and then occasionally
He comes here now and then.
Of course certainly
Of course, you know what that means.
On the contrary just opposite
He do not hate me; on the contrary, he loves me.
On the wane declining
His fame is on the wane now.
On the whole generally speaking
On the whole, his conduct is good.
Out of date out of fashion
The fashion is now out of date.
Out of the wood free from danger
He is not yet out of the wood.
Out of doors out side
It is rather cold out of doors.
Out of sorts not well
He is out of sports.
Out of order defective
This car is out of orders.
Out of temper angry
She is out of temper now.
Part and parcel an integral part
Discipline is part and parcel of administration.
Pros and cons details
You should consider the pros and cons of the system.
Rank and file common men
They should pay attention to the rank and file of the world.
Red letter day memorable day
Every person has a red letter day in their life.
Red tape official formalities
Red tapism causes delay in official work.
Read between and lines understand and significance
Student should need to read between and lines of their books.
Round the clock twenty-four hours
He is working round the clock.
Set free liberate
The prisoners were set free.
Slow coach one who is lazy
You cannot expect much from a slow coach like me.
Slip of the tongue a slight mistake in speaking
This is the sleep of the tongue; don’t lay much stress on it.
Square meal full meal
He is too poor to have a square meal for his family.
Steer clear of avoid
You steer clear of evil company.
Stone’s throw within a very short distance
Our university is at a stone’s throw from our house.
Take to heart cut to the quick
She took his remark to heart.
Take to one’s heels to run away
The robbers took to their heels to see the rab
Three R’s elementary education
Everybody in a country needs three R’s.
To and fro hither and thither
The thief runs to and fro seeing the police.
Take one to task rebuke
You should take one to task if you negligence of duty.
Tooth and nail strongly
He fought tooth and nail against his enemy.
Through thick and thin through all difficulties
Sita followed her husband through thick and thin.
To the backbone to the core
The boy is wicked to the backbone.
To the contrary against what someone had said
In the court they said nothing to the contrary.
To the letter in all details
My little brother followed my advice to the letter.
Turn over a new leaf begin a new phase of life
After their failure they turned over a new leaf.
Turn downs refuse
He turned down my proposal.
Up and doing active
Be up and doing and then one will succeed in life.
Up and downs rise and fall
There are ups and downs in one’s life.
White elephant a costly unprofitable undertaking
At last our math department proved to be a white elephant.
Weal and woe joy and sorrow
Human life is full of weal and wave.
Wild goose chase useless pursuit
Do not waste time in wild and wave.
Read more English Grammer and Learning post
12 Basic Tense Examples with details
Prepositional Phrase Definition and examples
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