Xi English Question 7 - Idiomatic Structures

1. AT SIXES AND SEVENS: Home ruler, who were all at sixes and sevens among themselves agreed only upon the one thing and that was the freedom of India.

2. ALL IN ALL: The Head clerk is all in all in this office.

3. ALL THE SAME: It is all the same to me whether the pull over is home-made or bazaar-made.

4. AT LARGE: The culprits are still at large.

5. BY FITS AND STARTS: He works by fits and starts and does not apply him steadily.

6. BLACK SHEEP: We should be aware of the black sheep in our society.

7. A BONE OF CONTENTION: This property is a bone of contention between the two brothers.

8. TO BREAK THE ICE: We all wanted to talk on this subject by no one willing to break the ice.

9. A BURNING QUESTION: Kashmir is a burning question of the day.

10. TO BACK OUT: He promised to help me but backed out at the eleventh hour.

11. TO BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH: Stop beating about the bush; say exactly what you mean.

12. BED OF ROSES: A military life is not bed of roses.

13. IN COLD BLOOD: He murdered the merchant in cold blood.

14. TO FALL TO THE GROUND: The theory has fallen to the ground.

15. GO HAND IN HAND: Diligence and prosperity go hand in hand.

16. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED: Shah Faisal left no stone unturned to bring about unity in the Islamic world.

17. LIVE FROM HAND TO MOUTH: Our middle class people live generally from hand to mouth.

18. LOOK DOWN UPON: He is so proud of his promotion that he looks down upon all his former friends.

19. AT A LOSS: He is never at a loss for an appropriate word.

20. TO PAY BACK IN THE SAME COIN: If a person rude towards you, it does not mean that you should pay him in the same coin.

21. TO KEEP PACE WITH: Agriculture in the states has kept pace with manufacture, but it has far out stepped commerce. 22. RED TAPE: Florence Nightingale was a sworn enemy of red tape.

23. TO SPEAK VOLUMES: The murders spoke volumes about political conditions before Indian elections.

24. UP TO THE MARK: You don’t look quite up to the mark today.

25. TO GET INTO HOT WATER: Do not quarrel with your officers or you will soon get into hot water.

26. TIME AND AGAIN: Time and again proverbs come to be true.

27. CUT OFF: The supplies were cut off from the soldier due to snow fall.

28. RUN AGAINST: Zuhair Akram Nadeem was running against Dr. Farooq Sattar in the elections 89.

29. TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF: The teacher pardoned the boy on the condition that he promised to turn over a new leaf in future.

30. TO NIP IN THE BUD: The plot to overthrow the Government was detected and nipped in the bud.

31. TO FEEL LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER: Being the only educated person in that village, I felt like a fish out of water.

32. TO SHED CROCODILE TEARS: Don’t be deceived by the beggar’s crying. They are only crocodile’s tears.

33. LION SHARE: The stronger person generally gets the lions share of the property.

34. TO CRY OVER SPILT MILK: The damage has been done but instead of crying over spilt milk do something to repair it.

35. IT IS HIGH TIME: The exams begin next month so it is high time to study seriously.

36. TO SAVE SOMETHING FOR THE RAINY DAY: He wasted his savings and has kept nothing for the rainy day.

37. WITH A HIGH HAND: He is the most unpopular because he decides matters with a high hand.

38. DAY IN AND DAY OUT: I have been warning you day in and day out.

39. TO MAKE THE MOST OF: He let me use his bicycle for a week and I am going to make the most of it.

40. TO MAKE THE FUN OF: We should not make fun of handicaps.

41. TO MAKE ROOM FOR: They made room for more guests as all seats were full.

42. TO GO THROUGH: He went through the whole book within a week.

43. IN ALL: He got 782 marks in all.

44. ALL ALONE: Yesterday night she was all alone in her house.

45. TO PUT INTO PRACTICE: The Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) put into practice what he preaches.

46. A WILD GOOSE CHASE: The robbers fled away and the police gave them a wild goose chase.

47. TO END IN SMOKE: All his efforts ended in smoke because they were not made sincerely.

48. WITH FLYING COLOURS: If you work hard you will pass your examination with flying colours.

49. ODDS AND ENDS: The shopkeeper does not sell any particular article, but deals in odds and ends.

50. UNDER ONE’S NOSE: The police were on the look out for the culprit who was hiding under their nose.

51. TO POKE ONE’S NOSE INTO: One should not poke one’s nose into others affairs.

52. TO KICK UP A ROW: It is useless kicking up a row when the matters can be decided peacefully.

53. TO WIND UP: He is winding up his business in the city, as he going abroad.

54. IN BLACK AND WHITE: I want your statement in black and white.

55. A RED LETTER DAY: 14th August is a red letter day in the history of Pakistan.

56. TO RUN INTO: Last night my friend ran into a cheat who deprived him of his brief case by changing it with an empty one.

57. TO BRING TO LIGHT: A number of facts were brought to light by the Prime Minister in the recent Press Conference.

58. AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR: The president postponed his meeting with the journalists due to visit of the French delegation at the eleventh hour.

59. TO COME ACROSS: In the wedding party, she come across he two very close friends of the University life.

60. TO GIVE UP: The doctor has strictly advised him to give up drinking and smoking for the sake of his life.

61. TO CALL A SPADE, A SPADE: Islam teaches us to call a spade, a spade even before a cruel ruler.

62. TO LOOK AFTER: All the parents have to look after their children during the early period of the school life.

63. TO BREAK UP: The two partners have decided to break up the partnership and divide the assets equally.

64. TO GET RID OF: Pakistan must get rid of that type of foreign aid, which puts on her, undue political pressure.

65. AT A STRETCH: Saeed Anwer played an aggressive inning and continued to score runs at a stretch.

66. TO GIVE IN: Imran Khan and Miandad were real fighters and they would never give in till the last ball.

67. TO LET DOWN: The rich feel proud of their wealth and usually let down the poor.

68. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: I am not so fond of movies and watch some fine art movie once in a blue moon.

69. TO FALL OUT: A short tempered football player fell out with his opponents and got wounded.


70. TO CALL ON: The winners of 1994 World Cup called on the President, with their captain.

71. TO CALL OFF: The University students finally decided to call off the strike as their demands were accepted.

72. TO BRING HOME TO: Rizwan brought home to her all the important aspects of the matter.

73. TO GET OVER: The Indian Government made all possible efforts to get over the epidemic of plague.

74. TO GET ACROSS: The news of Mr. Eddhi’s self-exile got across the country within no time.

75. TO MAKE UP FOR: The Government and people of Iraq are working day and night to make up the loss caused by the Gulf war.

76. TO MAKE OFF: The robbers made off through the back door just as the security guard started firing into air.

77. TO BRING OUT: The telephone Corporation has brought a decent Directory in three volumes.

78. TO BRING UP: Abraham Lincoln was brought up by his parents in a state of very limited financial resources.

79. TO TAKE OFF: The Hajj flight will take off every morning during the next couple of weeks.

80. TO TAKE PLACE: The wedding of my cousin will take place in the first week of November, next.

81. TO KEEP UP: Our cricket team must go through an extensive training and practice session to keep up their position in the next world cup.

82. TO STIR UP: The statement given by Mr. Abdul Sattar Eddhi caused great stir up in the political circles.

83. TO GO OFF: While the police man was cleaning his rifle, it suddenly went off because it was loaded.

84. TO LET OFF: Finally, the defaulter was let off by the civil authorities in view of his undertaking to abide by the rules in future.

85. TO BEG FOR: The Quaid-e-Azam begged for peace and friendship with his former enemies, the Congress leaders.

86. TO FURNISH WITH: The chief justice was furnished with all the documentary proofs against the accused.

87. TO LOOK FOR: After the panic had subsided, people started looking for their misplaced baggage.

88. TO RUN AFTER: According to Einstein, ordinary people run after ordinary objects such as property and luxury.

89. TO TURN DOWN: The secretary was taking down the main points to prepare a summary of the Seminar on pollution.

90. TO WATCH OVER: Sensible parents make it a point to watch over the outdoor activities of their growing up children.

91. TO BANK ON: Never bank on a fair weather friend because he will certainly cheat you.

92. TO BLOW HOT AND COLD: It is part of his nature to blow hot and cold as he favours this political party today the other party tomorrow.

93. TO BREAK THE NEWS: It was really very hard to break the shocking news of her husband’s accidental death to her.

94. TO CALL NAMES: He is such loose tempered man that he often begins to call names to his neighbours.

95. TO TURN THE TABLES: The pace attack by Wasim Akram and Waqar turned the tables against India and our cricket team got victory.

96. TO HOLD WATER: The judge will give a favourable verdict only when you lawyer’s arguments hold water.

97. TO FACE THE MUSIC: Those who are responsible for terrorism in the city must face the music and be dealt with.

98. TO BE UNDER THE CLOUD: These days, the opposition leaders are under a cloud and being tortured by the Government.

99. BY HOOK OR BY CROOK: The corrupt politicians try to win in every general election by hook or by crook.

100. TO RUN SHORT OF: These days most areas in Karachi are running short of water supply.

101. TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Wise and responsible parents always keep and eye on the outdoor activities of their children.

102. TO BUILD CASTLES IN THE AIR: It is a favourite hobby of day dreamers and idealists to build castles in the air.

103. TO TAKE TO HEELS: Just as the mobile of Rangers approached, the robbers jumped over the gate and took to their heels.

104. BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS: In the 21st century, Pakistan is expected to make progress by leaps and bound.

105. TO TURN DEAF EAR TO: He turned a deaf ear to his father’s advice and as a result, fell into trouble.

106. AT THE NICK OF TIME: Medical aid was provided to the injured passengers at the nick of time and it proved effective.

107. TO BELL THE CAT: All the office workers are annoyed with the attitude of the M.D but no body dares to bell the cat.

108. TO HAVE AN AXE TO GRIND: He certainly had an axe to grind behind his sympathetic attitude.

109. TO BURRY THE HATCHET: At last the two combatant groups agreed to bury the hatchet and restore peace.

110. TO BEAR WITH: During our lifetime we have to bear with many sorrows and sufferings.

111. TO BEAR OUT: As a witness, he bore out in the court that the man was innocent.

112. TO BEAR IN MIND: Always bear in the advice of your elders.

113. TO BREAK INTO: The Dakotas broke into the bank and took away a large sum of money.

114. TO BREAK OFF: Pakistan has broken off with Israel since the last two decades.

115. TO BREAK DOWN: If my car had not broken down on the way, I would have reached in time.

116. TO BREAK THE HEART: Don’t break the heart by rejecting the offer.

117. TO BLOW OUT: On the occasion of his birthday, he blow out the candle on cake.

118. TO BLOW UP: Four bombs blew up at different places simultaneously.

119. TO BLOW ONE’S OWN TRUMPET: I always try to avoid such people who keep on blowing their own trumpet.

120. TO BRING IN: Imran Khan has brought in a large amount for setting up the cancer hospital.

121. TO BRING ABOUT: The fight between the two political parties can bring about another martial law.

122. TO BRING ROUND: By presenting a very logical argument, he was able to bring round all the members of committee.

123. TO BRING TO BOOK: All those who kidnap people for ransom money should be brought to book.

124. TO CARRY ON: Let me carry on my work without any disturbance.

125. TO CARRY THROUGH: If we work altogether like a lean, we can easily carry through our mission with any difficulty.

126. TO CALL ON: I shall call on your brother next week.

127. TO CALL AT: I shall call at your office tomorrow.

128. TO CALL FOR: You careless and rude behavior call for an explanation.

129. TO CALL IT A DAY: As we are tired after a hard day but let it call it a day.

130. TO CALL TO MIND: I can call to mind when I saw you last.

131. TO COME OF: Although she comes of a rich family, she is not proud of her wealth.

132. TO COME OFF: The annual meeting of the Board of Directors will come off next month.

133. TO COME BY: It is difficult to understand how did he come by all that money.

134. TO COME ROUND: He comes round after I had presented my views in a logical way.

135. TO COME TO LIGHT: Once the facts come to light, we will know who is responsible for creating such a situation.

136. TO COME TO BLOWS: Very often, student belonging to different groups come to blows on silly matters.

137. TO COME OVER: With faith in God and confidence in your self you can come over all you problems.

138. TO DO WITHOUT: No living creature can do without air.

139. TO DO AWAY WITH: It is the duty of the young people to do away with all the evil customs and traditions of the society.

140 TO DIE OFF: In the under developed countries, a large number of people die off.

141. TO DIE IN HARNESS: Once he had lost all his money at stakes he died in harness.

142. TO DEAL WITH: He has the knack of dealing with all kinds of people and situation.

143. TO DEAL IN: As he deals in auto-parts, he has a good knowledge of different kind of car.

144. TO DEAL OUT: He dealt out the card after shuffling the cards.

145. TO FALL SHORT OF: The performance of Indian Cricket team fell short of the expectations of the spectators.

146. TO FALL A PREY TO: The poor and the deprived always fall a prey to cruelty and injustice.

147. TO GIVE AWAY: At the end of the function, the prizes were given way by the chief guest.

148. TO KEEP IN THE DARK: The patient was kept in the dark about the nature of his illness.

149. TO KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER: With the price spiral, it is becoming difficult for the common man to keep body and soul together.

150. TO LOOK FORWARD TO: We are looking forward to this visit next month.

151. TO MAKE OFF WITH: The robber make off with a large amount from the super market.

152. TO MAKE FOR: The Birkenhead met with a disaster when it was making for South Africa.

153. TO MAKE BOTH ENDS MEET: With his limited income, it is really very difficult to make both ends meet.

154. TO MAKE UP THE MIND: Once you make your mind then stick to your decision.

155. TO PUT IN A NUT SHELL: At the end of his lecture, he put all his arguments in a nut shell.

156. TO PUT DOWN: The revolt against the king was put down by the royal forces.

157. TO PUT OFF: The debate, which was put off last week, is scheduled for tomorrow.

158. TO STAND BY: I shall stand by you whenever you are in trouble.

159. TO TAKE AFTER: Children very often take after their parents

160. TO TAKE UP: He has decided to take up the profession of teaching.