š What is an Idiom?
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of each word. You cannot guess the meaning from individual words ā you must learn them as fixed expressions. Idioms are one of the most frequently tested topics in BCS, Bank, and all competitive exams.
"Kick the bucket" doesn't mean literally kicking a bucket ā it means "to
die."
"Burn the midnight oil" doesn't involve oil ā it means "to study/work late at
night."
"Break the ice" doesn't involve ice ā it means "to start a conversation in a social
setting."
š Idiom vs Phrase vs Proverb
Exams often test these three ā knowing the difference helps you answer correctly.
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Idiom | Fixed expression with non-literal meaning | "Kick the bucket" = to die |
| Phrase | Group of words functioning as a unit (may be literal) | "In lieu of" = instead of |
| Proverb | A short, well-known saying expressing a general truth or advice | "Rome was not built in a day" = great things take time |
All proverbs are phrases, but not all phrases are idioms. An idiom's meaning cannot be guessed from its words. A proverb gives advice or a moral lesson. Know the distinction ā exams may ask "Which of the following is an idiom/proverb?"
š Most Important Idioms (AāK)
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A bed of roses | An easy, comfortable situation |
| A bolt from the blue | A sudden, unexpected event |
| A broken reed | An unreliable person |
| A chicken-hearted person | A coward |
| A cock and bull story | An absurd, unbelievable story |
| A fish out of water | Feeling uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings |
| A hard nut to crack | A difficult problem or person |
| A man of letters | A scholar, learned person |
| A man of straw | A weak person, one without substance |
| A red-letter day | A memorable, important day |
| A white elephant | A costly but useless possession |
| ABC | Elementary/basic knowledge |
| Apple of discord | A cause of dispute or quarrel |
| At daggers drawn | Bitterly hostile |
| At the eleventh hour | At the last moment |
| Beat about the bush | Talk about unimportant things avoiding the main topic |
| Beggar description | Beyond the power of description |
| Bird's eye view | A general/overall view |
| Black sheep | A disgraceful member of a family or group |
| Blue blood | Noble/aristocratic birth |
| Bone of contention | Subject of dispute |
| Break the ice | Start a conversation, remove tension |
| Burn the midnight oil | Study or work late into the night |
| Burning question | A widely discussed important issue |
| By hook or by crook | By any means, fair or foul |
| Carry the day | Win, be victorious |
| Cast pearls before swine | Offer something valuable to those who can't appreciate it |
| Crocodile tears | False tears, pretended sorrow |
| Cry over spilt milk | Regret over something that cannot be undone |
| Cut a sorry figure | Make a poor impression |
| Dark horse | An unknown competitor who unexpectedly wins |
| Dead letter | A law or rule no longer enforced |
| Dog days | The hottest period of summer |
| Eat humble pie | Apologize humbly, admit a mistake |
| Feather in one's cap | An achievement to be proud of |
| Gift of the gab | Talent for speaking fluently |
| Give cold shoulder | Treat someone with deliberate unfriendliness |
| Go to the dogs | Deteriorate, become ruined |
| In cold blood | Deliberately, without emotion |
| In the long run | Eventually, over a long period |
| Ins and outs | Full details |
| Jack of all trades | A person who can do many things but master of none |
| Keep an eye on | Watch carefully |
| Kith and kin | Friends and relatives |
š Most Important Idioms (LāZ)
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lame excuse | A weak, unconvincing excuse |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret accidentally |
| Lion's share | The largest part of something |
| Make both ends meet | Live within one's income |
| Maiden speech | First public speech |
| Move heaven and earth | Try every possible way |
| Nip in the bud | Destroy at an early stage |
| Null and void | Invalid, having no legal force |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely |
| Open secret | Something supposedly secret but widely known |
| Out of the frying pan into the fire | From a bad situation to a worse one |
| Part and parcel | An essential part of something |
| Penny wise, pound foolish | Careful with small amounts but wasteful with large ones |
| Pros and cons | Advantages and disadvantages |
| Put the cart before the horse | Reverse the natural order |
| Rainy day | A time of need or difficulty |
| Read between the lines | Understand the hidden meaning |
| Red tape | Excessive bureaucratic rules and procedures |
| Salt of the earth | A very good, honest person |
| Silver lining | A hopeful side of a bad situation |
| Sit on the fence | Remain neutral, avoid taking sides |
| Snake in the grass | A hidden enemy |
| Spread like wildfire | Spread very quickly |
| Swan song | The final performance or activity before retirement/death |
| The bottom line | The most important point/fact |
| The last straw | The final problem that makes a situation unbearable |
| Through thick and thin | In good times and bad times |
| Turn over a new leaf | Start behaving better, make a fresh start |
| Under the weather | Feeling sick or unwell |
| Wild goose chase | A useless, pointless search or pursuit |
| With flying colors | With great success |
| Wolf in sheep's clothing | A dangerous person pretending to be harmless |
| Yellow journalism | Sensational, exaggerated news reporting |
š Idioms by Theme ā Quick Revision
Grouping idioms thematically makes them easier to remember and helps you spot patterns in exams.
š¾ Animal Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Crocodile tears | False tears |
| Dark horse | Unknown competitor who wins |
| Dog days | Hottest part of summer |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret |
| Lion's share | The largest part |
| Snake in the grass | A hidden enemy |
| Swan song | Final performance |
| Wild goose chase | A pointless pursuit |
| Wolf in sheep's clothing | A dangerous person disguised as harmless |
šØ Color Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A bolt from the blue | A sudden shock |
| A red-letter day | A memorable day |
| A white elephant | Costly but useless |
| Black sheep | Disgraceful member of a group |
| Blue blood | Noble birth |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely |
| Red tape | Excessive bureaucracy |
| Silver lining | Hope in a bad situation |
| Yellow journalism | Sensational reporting |
šļø Body-Part Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bird's eye view | A general overview |
| Chicken-hearted | Cowardly |
| Cold shoulder | Deliberate unfriendliness |
| Feather in one's cap | An achievement to be proud of |
| Gift of the gab | Talent for speaking |
| Keep an eye on | Watch carefully |
| Turn a blind eye | Deliberately ignore something |
Group idioms by theme to memorize faster. When you see an animal, color, or body-part word
in an exam question, your brain will quickly recall the group.
Animal ā Deception/Character: crocodile tears, wolf, snake, dark horse
Color ā Status/Rarity: blue blood, red letter, white elephant, black sheep
Body ā Observation/Action: keep an eye on, cold shoulder, gift of the gab
š Important Proverbs for Exams
Proverbs express wisdom, advice, or moral lessons. These are frequently asked in BCS and Bank exams either as direct meaning questions or fill-in-the-blanks.
| Proverb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A stitch in time saves nine | Fixing a problem early prevents bigger trouble |
| All that glitters is not gold | Appearances can be deceptive |
| Barking dogs seldom bite | Those who threaten loudly rarely act |
| Birds of a feather flock together | Similar people tend to associate |
| Don't count your chickens before they hatch | Don't assume success before it happens |
| Every cloud has a silver lining | There is hope in every difficulty |
| Familiarity breeds contempt | Too much closeness leads to disrespect |
| Honesty is the best policy | Being truthful is the best approach |
| Look before you leap | Think carefully before acting |
| Necessity is the mother of invention | Need drives creativity |
| Practice makes perfect | Regular practice leads to mastery |
| Rome was not built in a day | Great achievements take time |
| Slow and steady wins the race | Patience and persistence succeed |
| The pen is mightier than the sword | Writing/ideas are more powerful than violence |
| Too many cooks spoil the broth | Too many people involved ruins the work |
| Where there is a will, there is a way | Determination finds a solution |
Exams often give slight variations of proverbs to trick you. Always choose the standard, well-known version:
- ā "All that glitters is not gold" ā NOT "All that shines is not gold"
- ā "A stitch in time saves nine" ā NOT "A stitch in time saves ten"
- ā "Birds of a feather flock together" ā NOT "Birds of same feather fly together"
š Important Phrases
Phrases are tested both as meaning questions and in sentence completion. Many of these appear in formal/official English ā essential for written exams.
| Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| At a loss | Puzzled, confused | I was at a loss for words. |
| At all events | In any case | At all events, we must try. |
| At stake | At risk, in danger | His career was at stake. |
| By and large | On the whole, generally | By and large, students performed well. |
| By dint of | By means of, through | He succeeded by dint of hard work. |
| For good | Permanently, forever | She left the city for good. |
| In a nutshell | In brief, summarized | In a nutshell, the plan failed. |
| In lieu of | Instead of, in place of | He got time off in lieu of overtime pay. |
| In the nick of time | Just in time, at the critical moment | The doctor arrived in the nick of time. |
| In vain | Without success, uselessly | All efforts were in vain. |
| On the spur of the moment | Spontaneously, without planning | I decided on the spur of the moment. |
| On the verge of | About to happen, on the brink | She was on the verge of tears. |
| Out of the question | Impossible | Leaving early is out of the question. |
| To and fro | Back and forth | The boat swayed to and fro. |
| With a view to | With the aim/purpose of | He studied with a view to becoming a lawyer. |
š Confusing Idiom Pairs
These pairs look similar but have very different meanings. Exams love testing them!
| Idiom A | Meaning | Idiom B | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the last moment | Just before the deadline | At the latest | No later than |
| In black and white | In writing (documented) | In cold blood | Deliberately, without emotion |
| Out of the question | Impossible | Out of question | Without any doubt (archaic) |
| Make up one's mind | Decide | Make up a story | Invent a false story |
| Look after | Take care of | Look into | Investigate |
| Turn down | Reject | Turn over a new leaf | Start fresh |
This is a classic exam trap! "Out of the question" (with "the") means impossible. Without "the" it historically meant "beyond doubt," but this usage is rare. In modern exams, always pick "out of the question" = impossible.
š Idioms Used in Sentences ā Exam Practice
In BCS and Bank exams, idioms are often tested in sentence context. Practice reading idioms within sentences:
1. Life is not a bed of roses ā you must work hard to succeed.
2. The new stadium is a white elephant ā it costs millions but nobody uses it.
3. He came at the eleventh hour and somehow passed the exam.
4. Don't cry over spilt milk ā focus on what you can do now.
5. She is the black sheep of her family ā always causing trouble.
6. The news of his resignation came as a bolt from the blue.
7. They supported each other through thick and thin.
8. Government jobs involve a lot of red tape.
9. He passed the BCS exam with flying colors.
10. The candidate was a dark horse ā nobody expected him to win.
11. After the scandal, the politician tried to turn over a new leaf.
12. Stop beating about the bush and tell me the truth!
13. Who let the cat out of the bag? The surprise party is ruined!
š Common Exam Mistakes
- ā "A white elephant" = a rare animal ā ā It means a costly but useless possession
- ā "Crocodile tears" = tears of pain ā ā It means false, insincere tears
- ā "Dead letter" = a letter that wasn't delivered ā ā It means a law no longer enforced
- ā "Lion's share" = a fair share ā ā It means the largest part (not equal)
- ā "Nip in the bud" = encourage growth ā ā It means destroy at an early stage
- ā "Rainy day" = a day when it rains ā ā It means a time of difficulty or need
- ā "Red tape" = a red ribbon ā ā It means excessive bureaucracy
- ā "Swan song" = a beautiful song ā ā It means a final performance before retirement/death
When an exam asks "What do you call a person who...?" ā these idioms describe people:
A man of letters = scholar
A man of straw = weak person
A chicken-hearted person = coward
Jack of all trades = versatile but not expert
A broken reed = unreliable person
Salt of the earth = very good, honest person
Black sheep = disgraceful member