Idioms and Phrase কি?
Phrase হচ্ছে এমন একটি শব্দগুচ্ছ (group of words) যাতে কোনো Subject এবং Finite verb থাকে না। কিন্তু Sentence- এ ব্যবহৃত হয়ে কোনো Parts of Speech- এর ন্যায় কাজ করে। যেমন- The man in blue shirt is my father.
আরও পড়ুনঃ Adverb কাকে বলে? কত প্রকার ও কি কি?
Idioms and Phrase প্রকারভেদঃ
English Phrase- কে নিম্নলিখিত কয়েকটি ভাগে ভাগ করা যায়।
- Noun Phrase;
- Adjective Phrase;
- Adverbial Phrase;
- Prepositional phrase;
- Interjectional Phrase;
- Verbal Phrase;
- Conjunctional Phrase
আরও পড়ুনঃ বিসিএস লিখিত প্রস্তুতি (ইংরেজি) (BCS Written English Preparation)
A List of Important Idioms & Phrases
Idioms & Phrases = Meaning
ABC = primary knowledge
A castle in the air= a day dream
A dead letter = useless document
A fair crack of the whip = a period of importance
A fish out of water = uncomfortable situation
A green horn = an inexperienced person
A mammoth task = a herculean task/ a difficult task
A round dozen = a full dozen
A sitting duck = an easy target
A square peg in a round hole = unsuitable
A stitch in times saves nine = timely action
A utopian scheme = an unreal plan fault which is small but can cause a person’s
Achilles ‘ heel = fall
All and sundry = everyone
All Greek = totally unintelligible
All in = tired
Apple of discord = matter of dispute
Apple of sodom = good for nothing
As though = as if
At a loss = at one’s wit’s end
At a low ebb = declining
At arm’s length = short distance
At bay = in a tight corner
At daggers = drawn on the point of fighting

At sixes and sevens = chaotic condition
At stake = in danger
Bad blood = ill feeling, animosity
Bag and baggage = with all possessions
Beat the clock = finish the task
Beggar description = beyond description
Behind closed doors = secretly
Between the lines = hidden meaning
Bid fair show = signs of prosperity
Big guns = important people
Bill of fare = a list of dishes at restaurant
Birds-eye view = overall picture/ rough idea
Bite the dust = fall to the ground
Black and blue = covered with bruises
Black sheep = wicked man
Blue colour job = a job with manual labour
Blue blood = aristocratic birth, aristocracy
Blue chips = industrial shares considered to be a safe investment
Bolt from the blue = unexpected danger
Bottom line = the essential point
Break the ice = break the silence
Bring to book = take to task
Bring to light = make open, published
Bring to pass = cause to happen
Bull market = rising
Burning question = important issue
By and by = SOON
By and large = everywhere
By fits and starts = irregularly
By hook or by crook = by any means

By leaps and bounds = very rapidly
Call in question = doubt
Call to mind = remember
Capital punishment = death penalty
Carry into effect = make into reality
Carry the day = win, be victorious
Cat’s paw = a person used by another as a tool or dupe
Close-fisted man miser
Cock and bull story = absurd story/ unbelievable story/ A false story
Come to an end = end
Come to light = to publish
Come to terms = any group of words considered as a member of construction
Crocodile tears = false tears
Cry in the wilderness = unheard appeal
Crying needs = important
Culpable homicide = murder
Cut a sad figure = cut a sorry figure
Cut and dry = already decided
Dark horse = unknown person
Dead against = strongly opponent
Dead language = a language which is no longer in use
Dead letter = law that is not in force
Deep water = in trouble
Die in harness = die under the pressure of tasks
Dilly Dally = to waste time frivolously
Dog days = hot weather

Double game = double edged policy
Down to earth = realistic
Draw the line = to set a limit at something
End in smoke = fail
Ended in fiasco = complete failure
Every now and then = often/ frequent
Fair and square = honest
Fall flat = become failed
Far and near = all around
Few and far = between rarely
Fight shy = avoid
Flesh and blood = human body
Flying colors = win
Fool’s paradise = a state of being happy for foolish
For good = for ever/ permanently
French leave = leave without permission
From cradle = to grave from birth to death
Full fledged = full
Gala day = a day of festivity
Get along = to be amiable with one
Get rid of = to be free
Gift of the gab = power of delivering speech
Go through = read lightly
Greek to = unknown, unintelligible
Half a chance = an opportunity, a reasonable chance
Hand in glove = close/ intimate
Hard and fast = fixed
Hard up = insolvent; with insufficient money
Head in the cloud = day dream
Heart and soul = fixed

Herculean task = a very difficult task
Hit the roof = be angry
Hold water = bear examination
Horns of a dilemma = danger in both side
Hot water = be in problem
Hue and cry = noise
Hush money = bribe
In a fix = difficult situation, at a loss, puzzled/ perplexed
In a nutshell = briefly
In abeyance = adjourn
In addition = to additionally, further
In black and white = in writing
In cold blood = calmly and calculatively
In lieu of = in stead of
In the face of = against
In the nick of time = in right time
In the teeth of = experiencing something difficult
In vogue = in fashion
Irony of fate = by bad luck
Jaundiced eye = biased views
Keep body and soul together = to keep alive hardly
Kith and kin = relatives
Lame excuse = bad plea
Landslide victory = very substantial win
Lay waste = destroy
Leave no stone unturned = try all means
Lion’s share = major portion
Live from hand to mouth = live in poor circumstance
Long and short substance = abstract
Look before you leap = be wary

Look down upon = to hate
Look forward = to wait for something with joy
Loom large = important role
Loophole = flaws
Lose the day = to become defeated
Maiden speech = first speech
Make a case = to give reason why something has been done
Make a clean breast of = to admit the fault with open mind
Make a mountain of = to make the small bigger unnecessarily
Make good = to compensate
Make out = to understand
Make up one’s mind = decide something by someone
Man of letters = learned man, scholar
Man of straw = a worthless man
Marvel at = be taken aback
Milk and water = lifeless
Moot point = undecided matter
Nip in the bud = spoil in the beginning
Now and then = occasionally
Null and void = cancelled
Of late = recently
Of the first water of = high value or class
Off and on = occasionally
On the eve of = just before
Once in a blue moon = very rarely
Out and out = completely; thoroughly

Over head and ears = deeply
Palmy days = day of prosperity
Part and parcel = an integral part
Pass the buck = to pass the blame to someone else
Past master = expert
Pick holes = in find faults with
Pin money = sundry expenses
Plough sands = do useless work
Point blank = directly
Pros and cons = advantages and disadvantages
Put heads together = to discuss solve any problems
Put up with = to tolerate
Raise one’s eyebrow = to cause surprise
Rank and file = common person
Riding for a fall = to act recklessly
Right and left = indiscriminately
Run into debt = borrow something
Run riot behave = in a lawless way
Run short = to finish
Salt of life = valuable things
Scape-goat = blame to others
Silver lining = hope
Sine die = for an uncertain period
Sit on the fence = remain neutral in a dispute
Six of one, and half dozen of another = negligible difference
Smell a rat doubt = impugn
Snake in the grass = a secret foe, a hidden enemy
Soft soap = flattery for self motives
Sorry figure = poor result
Spare no pains = leave no stone unturned

Stone’s throw = within very short distance
Swan song = last work
Take a fancy = to like
Take into account = to consider
Take the bull by the horns = to challenge the enemy with courage
The three R’s = elementary education
Three score = three times twenty
Through and through = completely
Through thick and thin =under all conditions, every way and every time
Throw cold water = discourage
To do away with = to get rid of
To end in smoke = to come to nothing
To get along = with to adjust
To kick the bucket = die
To meet trouble half way = to be puzzled
To put the cart before the horse = to reverse the natural order of things
To raise one’s eye-brow = show surprise or disapproval
To stick to one’s gun = to refuse to change one’s position
Tooth and nail = strongly
Tom, Dick, and Harry = ordinary or common people
Tumble down = stumble
Turn over a new leaf = open a new chapter
Up and doing = active and lively
Up to the mark = standard
Ups and downs = rises and falls
Vexed question = difficult problem
Weal and woe = happiness and sorrow
Wear and tear = damage
Well off = solvent
Well-to-do = rich, solvent

White elephant = a very costly and troublesome possession
White colour job = a job without manual labour
Widow’s mite = small contribution of a poor man
Worth one’s while = profitable
Yeoman’s service = valuable help
Idioms and Phrase সম্পর্কে আজকে এই পর্যন্তই।
Hello BCS এর সাথে থাকুন। ধন্যবাদ।
