| Sr.No | Idioms/Foreign Phrases | |
| 1. | Magnum opus | Best work of an artist |
| 2. | Cock and bull story | An unbelievable tale |
| 3. | Sine die | Without fixing a date |
| 4. | Cortage | A funeral procession |
| 5. | An above board person | Trustworthy |
| 6. | To be at longgerheads | To be in strong disagreement or dispute |
| 7. | A dark horse | A unexpected winner |
| 8. | To take the bull by the horns | To deal with a difficult situation in a direct way |
| 9. | To cast pearls before a swine | To offer to a person a thing which he cannot appreciate |
| 10. | To have an axe to grind | To have a personal interest in a mater |
| 11. | To cool one’s heels | To be kept waiting |
| 12. | In a jiffy | Without any delay |
| 13. | In camera | Not in public |
| 14. | Per se | By itself |
| 15. | To call a spade a spade | To speak in plain terms |
| 16. | To bury the hatchet | To make peace |
| 17. | To bear the brunt of | To endure the main force or shock |
| 18. | To fish in troubled waters | To go for a daunting task |
| 19. | ‘De Novo’ means? | New |
| 20. | Cul-de-Sac | A passage with only one outlet |
| 21. | Per se | In itself |
| 22. | Prima Facie | At first view |
| 23. | Status quo | The same state as before |
| 24. | Sine die | Indefinitely |
| 25. | To make amend for | To compensate for damage |
| 26. | En route | On the way |
| 27. | Inter-Alia | In between |
| 28. | ‘To wipe out’ means | Eradicate |
| 29. | To cut the cake | Celebrate birthday |
| 30. | Mixed feelings’ means? | Feelings of hate and love |
| 31. | ‘Alter ego’ means? | A close friend |
| 32. | Gift of the Gab | Fluency of speech |
| 32. | ‘To drive home’ means? | To emphasize a point |
| 33. | ‘To clip wings’ means? | Put limits |
| 34. | Kith and Kin | Blood relations |
| 35. | To face the music | To bear the consequence |
| 36. | ‘Delible’ means? | A writing that can be effaced |
| 37. | ‘Inexplicable’ means? | That which cannot be explained |
| 38. | To introduce ideas. | Instill (give idea) |
| 39. | Less than | Infra (below) |
| 40. | Hide one’s light under a bushel | To conceal one’s talents |
| 41. | Hobson’s choice | Giving no choice at all |
| 42. | To lionize a person | To treat a person as a celebrity |
| 43. | Keep one’s own counsel | To preserve a discreet silence |
| 44. | Fair weather friends | Person who cease to be friend when one is in trouble
(false friend) |
| 45. | Leading questions | Questions suggesting an answer |
| 46. | ‘Keep tabs on’ means? | To keep under observation |
| 47. | To cool one’s heels | To be kept waiting |
| 48. | Cul-de-Sac | A passage with only one outlet |
| 49. | ‘Laissez-Fair’ means? | Non-interference of state in economy |
| 50. | ‘Bona Fide’ means? | In good faith
Acting in good faith |
| 51. | Alma mater | The place where someone was educated |
| 52. | ‘Eye wash’ means? | Deceit |
| 53. | ‘Lingua Franca’ means? | A common language |
| 54. | ‘To talk through one’s hat’
means? |
To talk through nonsense |
| 55. | ‘Spick and span’ means? | Clean and fresh |
| 56. | ‘A pipe dream’ means? | An impracticable wish |
| 57. | ‘De Jure’ means? | By law |
| 58. | ‘Malafide’ means? | In bad faith |
| 59. | ‘Pros and cons’ means? | Loss and profit |
| 60. | ‘De facto’ means? | In practice |
| 61. | Amphibious | Double life |
| 62. | Spain literally | Land of rabbits |
| 63. | To loose face | To be humiliated |
| 64. | To clip the wind | Put limits |
| 65. | To hit the road | Start journey |
| 66. | To flex one’s muscles | Show strength/ Authority |
| 67. | To carry the day | To win a victory |
| 68. | To be green eyed | Jealous |
| 69. | Inter-alia | Among other things
In between |
| 70. | Affair de Coeur | An affair of the heart |
| 71. | Ex-officio | In virtue of one’s office |
| 72. | Modus operandi | Plan of action |
| 73. | Beat about the bush | To avoid the main topic |
| 74. | Cock and bull story | An unbelievable tale |
| 75. | Have an axe to grind | Selfish motive |
| 76. | Let’s sleeping dogs lie | To avoid restarting a conflict |
| 77. | On the fence | Undecided |
| 78. | Rule of thumb | A rough estimate |
| 79. | To call a spade a spade | To speak in plain terms |
| 80. | To bury the hatchet | To make peace |
| 81. | Have an axe to grind | Selfish motive |
| 82. | To husband one’s resources | To manage one’s means with frugality |
| 83. | To bear the brunt of | To endure the main force or shock |
| 84. | To fish in troubled waters | To go for a daunting task |
| 85. | What is meant by ‘causeway’ | A raised path |
| 86. | ‘Once a blue moon’ means? | Rearly |
| 87. | Under a cloud | Out of favour |
| 88. | To be above board | To be honest in any business deal |
| 89. | To put one’s hand to plough | To take a difficult task |
| 90. | Status quo | Present state |
| 91. | Locus standi | Right to intervence |
| 92. | To spill the beans | To reveal secret information |
| 93. | To smell a rat | To suspect a trick or detect |
| 94. | A chip of the old block | Having characteristics of one’s ancestors |
| 95. | To make amend for | To compensate for damage |
| 96. | Put/set the cat among the pigeons | To say or do something that makes a lot of people angry |
| 97. | What is contraband | All smuggled material |
| 98. | A bone of contention | A cause of quarrel |
| 99. | House of cards | A weak structure |
| 100. | To hit the nail on head | Exact point |
| 101. | To face the music | To bear the consequences |
| 102. | Make away with | Depart in haste to steal |
| 103. | Eye wash | Misleading statement |
| 104. | Helter-skelter | In disorderly confusions |
| 105. | Heat up | Angry and agitated |
| 106. | Turncoat | One who abandons his principles |
| 107. | Once in a blue moon | Rarely |
| 108. | As the crow flies | Directly |
| 109. | To give one the sack | To dismiss a person |
| 110. | Alter ego | A close friend |
| 111. | Alma mater | Once college or university |
| 112. | To plough the sand | To work in vain |
| 113. | Torque | A force that tends to cause of rotation |
| 114. | Modus vivendi | Arrangement |
| 115. | A buffer state | A small state between two big hostile states |
| 116. | To be at arm’s length | At a distance |
| 117. | ‘To lose heart’ means to become? | Discouraged |
| 118. | Tour de force | Forceful tour |
| 119. | Burn midnight oil | Work hard |
| 120. | Bear the brunt | Face the task |
| 121. | Dutch courage | Great courage |
| 122. | Podium | An elevated platform |
| 123. | Acumen | Mental sharpness |
| 124. | A fair weather friend | False friend |
| 125. | To wipe out | Eradicate |
| 126. | To take with a pinch of salt | To take with some reservation |
| 127. | To run amuck | To run about in frenzy |
| 128. | To pull strings | To tease someone |
| 129. | To set free | To release someone |
| 130. | A piece of cake | An easy task |
| 131. | A Gordian knot | A difficult or complex problem |
| 132. | Spill the beans | To reveal secret information |
| 133. | To fish in troubled waters | Get involved in a dangerous situation |
| 134. | To cry wolf | To give false alarm |
| 135. | Never-never land | An idea place (imaginary land) |
| 136. | A slap on the wrist | Working or small punishment |
| 137. | Amicus curiae | Friend of the court and disinterested advisor |
| 138. | To be in two minds | To be uncertain |
| 139. | A wet blanket | Someone presence damps enthusiasm |
| 140. | To hit the nail on the head | To say just the right thing
Exact point |
| 141. | The alpha and omega | Beginning and end |
| 142. | To pass by | Over look |
| 143. | Hold one’s horse | Have patience |
| 144. | At sea | Puzzled |
| 145. | Fender bender | A small car accident |
| 146. | Debut | First appearance as performance |
| 147. | By fits and starts | Irregularly |
| 148. | Tie the knot | Getting married |
| 149. | Feel blue | Feel sad |
| 150. | To cut long story short | Come to the point |
| 151. | Get your goat | To irritate someone |
| 152. | A penny wise pound foolish | To ask someone that they are thinking about |
| 153. | Just good enough | Good for circumstances |
| 154. | Burn the midnight oil | Stay awake or study late into the night |
| 155. | Putting the cart before the horse | To do something contrary to conventional order |
| 156. | Star crossed | Unlucky |
| 157. | To break a lance with | To engage in a competition |
| 158. | Between sylla and charybids | Between two great difficulties |
| 159. | Leave into Lurch | To leaves someone in difficulty |
| 160. | In the blue funk | In a state of terror |
| 161. | Above Board | Trustworthy |
| 162. | Subjudice | Under judicial condition |
| 163. | Pros and Cons | For and against |
| 164. | Dejure | By law |
| 165. | An above board person | Trustworthy |
| 166. | A fair weather friend | False friend |
| 167. | Alter | Modify |
| 168. | In camera | Not in public |
| 169. | Per se | By itself |
| 170. | Sine die | Indefinitely |
| 171. | En route | On the way |
| 172. | Inter-Alia | In between |
| 173. | Denovo | New |
| 174. | Alter ego | Close friend |
| 175. | Ins and Out | All the detail |
| 176. | At sixes and sevens | Bewildered |
| 177. | Blue-eyed-boy | Favourite person |
| 178. | Eye-wash | Deceit |
| 179. | Magnum opus | Best work of an artist |
| 180. | Modus operandi | Plan of action |
| 181. | A queer fish | A strange person |
| 182. | Eye wash | Deceit |
| 183. | Lingua franca | A common language |
| 184. | Eye wash | Misleading Statement |
| 185. | Modus vivendi | Arrangement |
| 186. | Pro bono | For good |
| 187. | At sea | Puzzled |
| 188. | Modicum | Great amount |
| 189. | Cue-de-sac | A blind alley, A passage with one outlet. |
| 190. | Ibid | In the book |
| 191. | Interse | Among/ between thousand |
| 192. | Sinedie | Without fixing a date |
| 193. | Viz-a-viz | That is to say |
| 194. | Modus operanoli | Plane of action |
| 195. | Coup d ‘etat’ | To change a government by rebellion |
| 196. | Inter Alia | Among other things |
| 197. | Faux pas | An embassassing mistake |
| 198. | Star eclecisis | Rule of law |
| 199. | Modus uivand | Arrangement |