The command of idiomatic expressions in any language is pre-requisite for expressive writing and comprehension. Phrasal verbs, idiomatic adjectives and noun phrases and idiomatic pairs of nouns, adjectives and adverbs comprise such a vast portion of idiomatic expressions that it is nearly impossible to deal with them comprehensively in such a short space. However, this chapter contains the most important usages that indispensable for any competitive examination. Students would do well to consult the dictionary for further improvement in this field.

Idioms and Phrases Starting With Letter D:

Here is a list of some idioms and phrases starting with D

Dig the grave (to tarnish, to destroy) By taking side of the culprit he dug the grave of his reputation.

Draw the long bow (exaggerate) In calling him the best politician of the world, his followers draw the long bow.

Die in harness (die while working) Our Principal died in harness.

Dutch courage (bravery under alcoholic influence) Drunkards often indulge in Dutch courage and boast of their imaginary qualities.

Dare devil (fearless person) Only a dare devil can face the land mafia.

Dead broke (penniless) On account of reckless spending he is dead broke these days.

Down and out (poor and ruined) After a slump in share market he is down and out these days.

Draconian law (extremely severe law) During emergency in 1975 the government imposed Draconian laws to subdue opposition.

Die-hard (persistent in struggle) He is a die-hard person and will not easily surrender.

Days of reckoning (time to answer for one's actions) You ma after crime but days of reckoning are never far off.

Down in the mouth (out of elements) Now-a-days he is down in the mouth because he has suffered heavy loss in business. commit crime

Dog in the manger (a person who prevents others from enjoying what he himself cannot) By disrupting Parliament Session the Congress is following a dog in the manger policy.

Damp squib (complete failure) The visit of our Foreign Minister to China proved a damp squib on border issue.

Idioms and Phrases Starting With Letter E:

Here is a list of some idioms and phrases starting with E

Eat humble pie (to apologize) Inspite of his constant bragging he lost the match and had to eat humble pie.

Eat one's words (take a statement back) I warned my friend to be very careful in her speech otherwise she would have to eat her own words.

End in smoke/fiasco (come to nothing) He spoke a lot about his new film but it all ended in smoke and it flopped on box office.

Egg on (to urge somebody) The Captain egged the players on to continue to play foul till the end of the match.

Eke out (supplement income) To eke out his income he also works as a part time accountant in the evening.

Every dog has his day (good fortune comes sooner er later) Don't be disappointed.

Ever and Anon (now and then, sometimes) He visits his parents ever and

(An) eye wash (a pretence) My friend's promise to help me just proved eye-wash

Idioms and Phrases Starting With Letter F:

Here is a list of some idioms and phrases starting with F

Flesh and blood (human nature) People in some villages are so poor the sufferings are more than a flesh and blood can endure.

Fish in troubled waters (to take advantage of the trouble of others) Shrewd businessmen fish in troubled waters when there is scarcity of things

Follow suit (to act in a like manner) If you do not obey your elders, your children will follow suit.

Fall flat (to have no effect) The minister's speech fell flat on the audience

Fight shy of (to attempt to avoid a thing or a person) I generally fight shy of confronting my elder sister as she is in the habit of making sickening comments.

Fabian policy (policy of delaying decisions) Politicians generally follow a Fabian policy in order to keep everyone satisfied.

For no rhyme or reason (any reason whatsoever) Seema did not appear for her final examinations for no rhyme or reason.

Fight to the finish (fight to the end) Indian Army has vowed to fight to the finish and turn every intruder out of Indian territory.

Few and far between (very rare) His visits to his home town are few and f. between because of his expanding business.

Flog a dead horse (to revive interest in old matters) The rivals always flog a dead horse to insult their enemies.

Fool's errand (useless undertaking) His visit to the States to earn money proved to be a fool's errand.

Fall foul of (to quarrel) They were once bosom friends but now they have fallen foul of each other.

Fly off the handle (to lose one's temper) When his father questioned him about money, he flew off the handle.

French leave (to be absent without permission) Those who take french leave should not be pardoned.

Fair and square (upright) My father advised me to be fair and square in business dealings.

Feather one's own nest (to provide first for one self) Our leaders are busy feathering their own nests and have no concern for the poor.

From pillar to post (rush in all directions and suffer much harassment) You may rush from pillar to post, but you stand no chance of getting what you want without a bribe.

Foot the bill (bear expenses) Although he hosted the feast, his brother had to foot the bill.

Fair weather friend (selfish friend) A fair weather friend will never stand by you in difficulty.

Flash in the pan (sudden success) The success of Indian cricket team is never constant and steady. It is generally a flash in the pan.

Fit to hold a candle to (match for, equal in quality) He is the son of a famous writer but he is not fit to hold a candle to his father.

The Fourth Estate (the press) The newspaper is regarded as the Fourth Estate of the state.

Feather in one's cap (additional success) His success in his M.A. exams has added a new feather in his cap.

Fly in the face of (to defy) It is disobedience on their part to fly in the face of the orders of the Principal.

Illustration: Choose the correct meaning of the given idiom/phrase: Few and far between.

A. very small in number B. very small in distance C. very small in quantity D. between near and far

Answer: A

Illustration: Given below is a sentence with idiom/phrase underlined. In Bold Letters Choose the correct option which best express the meaning of the given idiom/phrase.

Caesar was done to death by the conspirators.

A. Attacked B. removed C. eliminated D. murdered

Answer : D

Sample Questions

(More Questions for each concept available in Login)

Question : 1

Directions : - In the sentence an idiom highlighted as blue and bold is give. Choose the correct meaning of the Idioms in the sentences. If someone drops a bombshell, they give you a sudden piece of bad or unexpected news
A. Make a serious mistake		B. Create a big problem
C. Have some big, bad news		D. Are attacking their enemy
Right Option : C
View Explanation

Question : 2

Directions : - In the sentence an idiom highlighted as blue and bold is give. Choose the correct meaning of the Idioms in the sentences. The students found it hard to go at equal speed with the professor.
A. Get away from	B. Put up with	C. Keep up with	D. Race against
Right Option : C
View Explanation

Question : 3

Direction : - An idiomatic phrase is given followed by four alternatives. Choose the alternative that best expresses the meaning of the expression. Devil's Advocate
A. An advocate of a Devil		B. An advocate like a Devil
C. Discussion of an Advocate		D. One who is against religion
Right Option : D
View Explanation