TO A "T"
TAB
PICK UP THE TAB:to pay the bill. he insisted on picking up
the tab for the meal.
KEEP TABS ON: to keep a check on; to watch. i like to keep
tabs on what is happening at home when i am on holiday.
TABLE
UNDER THE TABLE: drunk. we found him under the table.
TAKE
TAKE A BACK SEAT: to accept a poorer or lower position. she
does not have to take a back seat to any singer alive.
TAKE A BAD TURN: suddenly feel very ill. he was just walking
to work when suddenly he took a bad turn and had to be taken to
hospital.
TAKE AFTER: resemble. she takes after her mother.
TAKE ABACK: confuse; surprise. his reply took me aback.
TAKE CHARGE OF: be in control you will be taking charge of
this department from monday.
TAKE EFFECT:to become lawfully right or operative. the newx
tax law will not take effect until january.
TAKE FOR: to suppose to be; mistake for. do you take me for a fool.
TAKE IT EASY:take things easy; to go or act slowly; carefully.
take it easy. the roads are icy.
TAKE OFF: departure of an airplane. we had a smooth take-off.
TAKE TO ONE'S HEELS: run away. when the boys saw the police
coming, they took to their heels.
TO TAKE TO ONE'S HEELS:to run away. at the sight of the
police, thieves took to their heels.
TAKE PLACE:happen. the race willl take place tomorrow.
TAKE DOWN:write; record. please take down this letter.
TAKE IN: regularly. i take in the "filmfare" magazine.
TO TAKE IT ILL: to feel offened. donot take it ill.
TAKE AN OATH: swear; give one's word; promise. he took an
oath that he would never return to england until he had found his
missing son.
TAKE BY STORM:to win the favour of. the comic took the
audience by storm.
TAKE CARE: be careful. always take care when you are crossing
a busy road.
TAKE WINGS:fly away. the huge bird ran along the ground and
then at last took wing.
TO TAKE UP: to begin. he has taken up work in a bank.
TO TAKE TO HEARD:to feel grieved. do not take your failure to heart.
TAKE IT FROM ME: i assure you. you take it from me he will not help you.
TO TAKE A MAN AT HIS WORD: to believe a man's word. well, i
told him at his face that i could not take him at his word.
TO TAKE OFF : to put off.he took off his clothes and jumped
into the river.
TO TAKE UPON ONESELF: to undertake or assume. she takes all
the responsibility upon her self.
TO TAKE PRIDE IN: full confidence. she takes pride in doing
her emdroidery very neatly.
TAKE SIDES: to join one of the two parties. i donot like you
taking sides in this matter.
TAKE INTO ONE'S CONFIDENCE: to confide. it is only you, whom i
have taken into confidence.
TO TAKE THE LEAD: in a competition when one gets ahead and
takes the foremost or leading place. all the boasts started together,
but friend's soon took the lead.
TO TAKE IN GOOD PART: accept good naturedly. i hope you will
take my advice in good part.
TO TAKE TO TASK:reprove; blame. my boss took me to task for being lazy.
TALK
TALK BIT: to talk boastfully. he talks bit about his pitching
, but he hasnot won a game.
TALK UP: to speak in favour or support of. let's talk up the
game and get a big crowd.
TALK OVER: to talk together about. raj talked his plan over
with his father before he bought the car.
:
TALK BIG: to talk as if one is very important; to boast. he is
always talking big about his job.
TALK OVER: discuss. they talked over the plan till midnight.
TALK BACK TO: to answer rudely. do not talk back to me!
TALK ROUND: to persuade. she did not want to do it but i
managed to talk her round.
TEAR
CROCODILE TEARS: hypocritical tears. they shed crocodile tears
on hearing of her step-mother's death.
TEAR INTO: attack with vigour. the teacher tore into my statement.
TEETH
SHOW ONE'S TEETH: to show one's angerand power to resist. the
goverment soon showed its teeth to the rebels.
IN THE TEETH OF: against or in opposition to. they were
walking in the teeth of a gale.
GET ONE'S TEETH INTO: to tackle in a determined manner. he
likes to work ona really difficult problem that he can get his teeth
into.
TELL
TELL ON: to have a bad effect on. the strain of looking
after her invalid mother is obviously telling on her.
TO TELL UPON: to effect. overwork told upon his health.
TELL OFF: to appoint to some speacial duty. the
superintendent told of ten policemen to watch the burning house.
TELL ABOUT: to describe; to mention . to tell me about this ship.
TO TELL A LIE: to utter a falsehood. people are not afraid
of tellling.
TEMPER
KEEP,LOSE ONE'S TEMPER: not to show, to show anger. he lost
is temper and shouted at me.
OUT OF TEMPER: irritable; in an unpleasant mood; be angry.
the old man was completely out of temper
TENDER
TO TENDER A RESIGNATION: to resign . she tendered her
resignation on marchr5th.
TENDER young. she is only a child of tender age.
TENOR
THE TENOR OF ONE'S LIFE: direction.you should not disturb
the tenor of my life.
TERMS
TO BE ON GOOD TERMS WITH A PERSON: to be friendly. i am no
longer on good terms with him.
COME TO TERMS: tomake an agreement. india and pakistan come t terms.
THANK
NO THANKS TO:in spite of. we eventually managed to finish
the job, no thanks to him and his stupid ideas.
THANK HEAVEN: a general ejaculation of gratitude. thank
heaven it has not rained today.
THAT
AT THAT:in addition; when everything has been considered
. he is novelist, and a good one at that.
LIKE THAT: immediately, without further thought . you
donot expect me to give up my job and go to america just like that,
surely?
THICK
THICK SKINNED: not easily hurt by criticism or insults.
you will not upset her-she is very think-skinned.
IN THE THICK OF: most congested; in the denset. do not
disturb him; he is in the thick of a job.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN:difficulties. he will stand by me
through thick and thin.
THICK AND FAST: frequently and in large numbers. the
bullets/ insults were flying thick and fast.
THING
MAKE A THING OF:to make a fuss about. do not make athing
of leaving early, it is not important.
NO SUCH THING: something quite different. he said he was a
lawyer, but he turned out to be no such thing.
THE VERY THING:something very suitable, very good. a nice
long holiday would be very thing for rakesh to help him to recover
after his illness.
THINK
DON'T THINK: ironic dissent. his father was a noble man- i
donot think.
THINK OUT: device. let us think out a way of peace.
THINK ABOUT: be one's opinion. what do you think about madan.
THINK FIT: consider suitably; decide. the young
man,having no job and no mercy thought fit to get married.
WAY OF THINKING: point of view. according to my way of
thinking of disputes do more harm than good.
THINK HIGHLY: admire. the manager thinks highly of suresh.
THINK NO END OF:like and admire. you are her favourite
uncle;she thinks no end of you.
THOUGHT
TAKE TO THOUGHT: concern yourself about; do not worry.
take no thought for your future needs.
QUICK AS THOUGHT: instantly. quick as thought he struck at
his enemy.
THROAT
TO CUT ONE'S THROAT:kill. the enemy cut his throat.
THROUGH
THROUGH WITH:completely finished with.. i am not going to
study anymore; i am through with study.
THROUGH AND THROUGH:completely,throughly.he read your
notes through and through. heis through and through in debt these
days.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN: in all circumstaces. i will stand
by him through thick and thin.
THROUGH FIRE AND SWORD:to face all difficulties.rama has
to go through fire and sword in order to win his case.
THROW
THROW A CURVE : to mislead or deceive someone; to lie.
rajesh threw me a curve about the hiring.
THROW UP: to resign. he is ready to throw up the job.
TO THROW COLD WATER: to discourage. his father's
bankruptcy threw cold water on all his plan.
THROW AWAY: to reject; to lose by neglect. he has thrown
away a fine opportunity.
THROW OFF THE SCENT: from the true facts. the police were
completely thrown foo the scentl, and arrested the wrong man.
THOSE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSE SHOULD NOT THROW STONES AT
OTHERS: do not find fault with others when you have fault yourself.
TO THROW OUT:to remove by force. the new cleark was thrown
out of the office.
THROW AT: throw with the intention to hit. the girl threw
a stone at the dog.
WITHIN A STONE'S THROW:near. the goverment college is
within a stone's throw from my house.
THUMB
UNDER ONE'S THUMB: under one's control or influence. the
students are under the thumb of their teacher.
THUMBS DOWN: disapproval or failure. i asked the boss, but
i am afraid it is thumb down for our proposed scheme.
TICK
ON TICK:on credit, promising to pay later. he bought the
books on tick.
TICK OVER: to run quietly and smoothly at a gentle pace.
our sales are ticking over nicely at the moment.
TIDE
TIDE UP: busy. i am tide up these days.
TIME AND TIDE: opportunities. time and tide wait for none/nobody.
TIE
TIE UP: to slow or stop the movemen or action of;
hinder;tangle. the crash of the two trucks tied up all traffic in the
center of town.
TIE IN: a connection. there's a direct tie in between
legalized gambling and the mafia.
TILE
ON THE TILES: away from home drinking, dancing. they
decided to go out for a night on the tiles.
TIME
HIGH TIME:without any further delay. it is high time that
you should work hard.
FROM TIME TO TIME: occasionally.i go to see my aunt from
time to time. he has been writing to me from time to time.
AT TIME: now and then. he is very strict at times.
ONCE UPON A TIME: beginning of a story. once upon a time
there was king.
IN THE NICK OF TIME:just in time. i reaches the railway
station in the nick of time.
JOLLY GOOD TIME: a very pleasant time. we had a jolly good
time at the picnic yesterday.
BEHIND THE TIME: to be backward. his views on co education
are decidedlly behind the times.
TIME AND TIDE: oppurtunites. time and tide wait for none.
TIME OF LIFE:age. at my time of life i cannot be expected.
HARD TIMES:sufferring, or discomfort; times of poverty. he
went through hard times when he was young.
TIME AND AGAIN:very often,repeatedly .robert bruce was
defeated time and again. time and again, the teacher warned the
students not to indulge in mischief.
TIME IS RIPE:it is the right. the politician told his
audience that the time was ripe for a change of goverment.
TIME OUT: time during which a game or other activity is
stopped for a while for some reason. he took time out from studying to
go to a movie.
TIME WITHOUT NUMBER: very many times. i have seen him
dashing to catch that train time without number.
ALL IN GOOD TIME: soon enough. the work will be finished
all in good time.
KEEP TIME: too show the time accurately. does this watch
keep(good) time.
NO TIME: a very short time indeed. he arrived in no time.
ON TIME: at the right time. the train left on time.
IN OWN TIME: spare time, when not at work. i have so much
work to do, i have to finish a lot of it in my own time.
IN NO TIME:soon. i will bring him to his senses in no time.
TIME OF DAY: the hour; the time. whatis the time of day.
MANY A TIME:frequently; repeatedly. many a time we walked
by the river.
BEFORE ONE'S TIME: too early. the train was here before its time.
IN TIME: before it is too late. the train came in time.
IN GOOD TIME: early. be at the station in good time.
TIP
TIP OFF:to give information or a hint to ; to warn. he
tipped me off about her arrival.
TIP TOP: excellent. we had a tip-top lunch at the hotel.
TIT
TIT FOR TAT: given in return for something close;
something frequently unpleasant. the little boy tore his sister's
book, and tit for tat she hid his doll.
TO
TO AND FRO: backwards and forwards,here and there.birds
are flying to and fro in the air. they ran to and fro in the street:
TO BE BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON:to be born in rich
family,dhani parivar mein paida hona. jawahar lal nehry was born with
a silver spoon in his mouth.
TO BE HAND AND GLOVE:to be intimate,gahare sambandh.ram
ans shiam are both hand and glove with each other.
TO BE IN VOGUE:in fashion.child marriage is not in vogue these days.
TO BE IN THE BAD BOOKS OF:not in favour. sagar chand is in
the bad books of his teachers.
TO BE UP AND DOING:active,kam main lage rahna. as soon as
the rains set in, farmers are seen to be up and doing.
TO BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH:to speak in a round about way.be
definite in your answer and do not beat about the bush.
TO BEAR IN MIND:to remeber. you must bear in mind my order.
TO BEAR THE BURNT OF :to endure the severest shock of
contest.japan had to beat the brunt of war when germany surrended.
TO BEAR THE PALM:to win the prize. sita bore the plam in
the annual examination.
TO BELL THE CAT:to take a lead.we have a number of
complaints. but nobody is going to bell the cat by going to the
principal.
TO BID FAIR :to seem likely to. he bids fair to be a good musician.
TO BLOW ONE'S OWN TRUMPET:to boast. why do you blow your
own trumpet? it is bad habit.
TO BREAK HEART:to dishearten. the news of john's death
broke my heart.
TO BREAK THE ICE:to speak first. after long silence mohan
brke the ice in the meeting.
TO BREAK THE NEWS:first to tell an unpleasant news. he
broke the news of his mother's death to his wife.
TO BREATHE HIS LAST:to die. my father breathed his last at
the age of eighty.
TO BRING TO BOOK:to call to account, to punish. if you
will pluck flowers from the garden , you will be brought to book.
TO BRING HOME:to explain. the teacher did his best but he
could not bring home the problem to me.
TO BRING TO LIGHT:to make known. the fact was brought to
light by mr agarwal.
TO BUILD CASTLES IN THE AIR:to think of visionary shemes.
never build castles in the air, give up this habit.
TO BURN THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS:to spend carelessly. john
is burning the candle at both ends after his father's death and
therefore he will repent very shortly.
TO BURY THE HATCHET :to end quarrel. the caseis over and
therefore you must bury the hatchet now.
TO CALL ONE NAMES :to abuse. subodh mind your own
business. it is bad to call names.
TO CALL A SPADE A SPADE:to be plain. the prisonaer called
a spade a spade before the judge.
TO CALL IN QUESTION:to challenge the truth of. why do you
callin question his authority as a manager?
TO CALL TO ACCOUNT:to demand an explanatin. i appointed
his as a teacher but nobody called his appointement to account.
TO CATCH A STRAW: to entertain a vain hope.a drowing man
always cathers at a straw.
TO CATCH RED HANDED:to catch one in the very act of
doing.the thief was cought red handed by the police.
TO CARRY THE DAY:to win. thje D.A.V college hockey team
carried the day in the last match.
TO CLINCH THE ISSUE :to settle the matter finally. kindly
clind the issue immediately as Rama and Krishna have been quarrelling
since long.
TO COME ACROSS:to meet. i come across my old friend yesterday .
TO COME INTO THE WORLD:to be born.it is thrity years since
I came into the world.
TO COME TO TERMS:to accept. both Mohan and Sohan have came
to terms now.
TO COME OFF WITH FLYING COLOURS:to achieve
destination.Rama come off with flying colours in the Intermediate
Examination of 1968.
TO CRY FOR THE MOON:profit less wish. if a beggar wishes
to marry a rich girl, it is simply crying for the moon.
TO CUT A JOKE: jest. never try to cut a joke with your superiors.
TO CUT A SORRY FIGURE:to feel ashamed of. he cut a sorry
figure before the audience.
TO CUT THE GORDIAN KNOT :to solve a knotty problem. it is
difficult to cut the gordian knot of this problem.
TO DIE IN HARNESS:to die on duty. sardar patel, our deputy
prime minister, died in harness.
TO DRINK TO THE HEALTH OF:to express good wishes for. Mr
nehru drank to the healthof MR bulganin when he visited india.
TO END IN SMOKE:to result in nothing. the scheme chalked
out by MR mathur ended in smoke.
TO FALL A VICTIM:to suffer.many a good man fell a victime
to treachery.
TO FALL FLAT:failed. he delievered a lecture but he fell
flat before the huge audience.
TO FALL SHORT:to be dificient. The supply fell short of
what we needed.
TO FIND FAULT WITH:to blame. it is a bad habit to find
fault with friends.
TO FLASH ACROSS ONE'S MIND:to pass. a very good idea
flashed across my mind yesterday.
TO FLY IN THE FACE OF:to retreat. i never fly in the face
of danger.
TO FOLLOW SUIT :to act in a like manner. the
teacherstarted playing cricket and the students followed suit.
TO GAIN GROUND :to make progress. rama, who has recently
started his business, is gaining ground rapidly.
TO GET BY HEART:to commit to memory.you must get by heart
the rules of grammer.
TO GET INTO HOT WATER:to get into difficulty. as regardes
his business he is in hot water there days.
TO GET RID OF:to be free. i wish to get rid of this
servant as he has become idle.
TO GET SCENT OF:to knowl.the man must have got the scent
of his secrets.
TO GET WIND :to become public. it is difficult to get wind
of the budget.
TO GET THE BETTER OF:to win.the english got the better of
the marahattasin the second anglo-marahatta war in 1802.
TO GIVE CURRENCY TO:to circulte.mr sharma has given
currency to this report.
TO GIVE OCCASSION TO:to give a chance. india's gold gave
occasion to many wars in the past.
TO GIVE VENT TO: to express.i cannot give vent ot may pent
up feeling.
TO GIVE UP THE GHOST:to die. he gave up his ghost after a
short illness.
TO GO A-BEGGING:to find no acceptor. this post in my
office will go a begging.
TO GO HARD WITH:to cause rouble. matter willl go hard with
you, if you do not care.
TO GO IN AND OUT:to go every where. the shadow of man
always goes in and out with him.
TO GO THROUGH FIRE AND WATER:to face all kinds of
difficulties. he has to go through free and water in order to win the
case.
TO GO TO DOGS:to be ruined.if he does not spend money
properly, he will go to dogs.
TO GO TO PIECES:to be ruined. if he will spend money like
water,he is sure to go to pieces.
TO GO WITHOUT SAYING:to be a self-evident fact./ it goes
without saying that parsis worship fire.
TO GREASE THE PALM : to bribe. if hyou want any payment
from the office, you must grease the palm of the accountant.
TO HAIL FROM:to come from. my wife hails from delhi.
TO HAVE A HAND IN :to be concerned with. he has no hand in
the present strike of the teachers.
TO HARP ON THE SAME STRING:to goon talking about the same
subject. rama harped on the same string whenever he talked.
TO HOLD GOOD:to remain in force. the time-table will hold
good for this month.
TO HOLD ONE'S TONGUE :to keep quiet. you must hold your
tongue as there isno use talking non-sense.
TO KEEP AN EYE ON:to attend. teachers keep an eye on
almost all the students.
TO KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER:to exist.it is difficult to
keep body and soul togeher nowadays when the prices of foodgrains are
daily going up.
TO KEEP COMPANY WITH :to remain, to mix. why do you keep
company with bad boys.
TO KEEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR:to keep out poverty. a sum
of RS.5000/- would keep the wolf from his door until better times
come.
TO LAUGH IN ONE'S SLEEVES:to smile inwardly. the
magistrate showed his ignorance of law and the lawyers laughed in
their sleeves.
TO LAY HANDS ON:to assault. the robbers did not hesitate
to lay hands on me last night.
TO LAY THE FOUNDATION OF:-DR K.P.Bhatnagar laid the
foundation of the science block of our college.
TO LEAVE TO ALTAR:to marry. savitri was led to altar at
the age of fifteen.
TO LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED:to try one's best.i shall leave
no stone unturned to make the function a success.
TO LEAVE ONE IN THE LURCH:to leave one in difficulty. i
will not leave you in the lurch if any emergency arises.
TO LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG:to open a secret. i has a
talk with MR Karim in my case who let the cat oout the bag.
TO LIE AT ANCHOR:used for ships when then stay in ports
with anchor down.ship lie at anchor in the ports dukring uncertain
weather.
TO LIE IN WAIT:to lie in concealment. the crocodile is
lying in wait on the bank of the river.
TO LOOK DOWN UPON:to hate. do not look down uon the poor.
TO MAKE GOOD:to compensate. the thief made good his
escape. can you make good your promise.
TO MAKE A CLEAN BREAST OF:to confess. the accused made a
clean breast of his guilt before the judge.
TO MAKE AMENDS FOR:to compensate for. you will be asked to
make amends for your misbehaviour if the matter is reported to the
principal.
TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF:to punish one simply to warn others.
i will make an example of it,if you do it again.
TO MAKE BOTH ENDS MEET:to support with income. it is
difficult to make both ends meet owing to high prices.
TO MAKE THE MOST OF:to utilise tothe full.intelligent
persons make the most of the time they get.
TO MAKE UP ONE'S MIND:to determine. i have made up my mind
to go there.
TO MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH:to try utmost. i shall move
heaven and earth to come out successful in the examination.
TO NIP IN THE BUD:to check in the beginning. smoking among
children should be nipped in the bud.
TO PART WITH:to separate. i cannot part with this ring.
TO PAY BACK IN ONE'S OWN COIN:tit for tat. james is a
respectable man and thereforehe cannot pocket an insult by anyone.
TO PICK A HOLE IN ONE'S COAT:to find fault with. khanna,
you must try to give up the habit to picking holes in other's coat.
TO PLAY A TRICK UPON:to deceive.he played a trick upon his
neighbour.
TO PLAY FALSE:to act faithlessly. it is always bad to play
false with your friends.
TO PLAY FAST AND LOOSE:to say one thing and do another. i
cannot repose confidence in Amir Ali because he plays fast and loose
wtih everyone.
TO PLAY IN ONE'S HANDS:to remain uder one.our principal
always plays in the hands of the head clerk.
TO PLAY THE SECOND FIDDLE:to play a subordinate part.
there are cetain persons who play the second fiddle as they have no
moral courage.
TO PLAY DUCKS AND DRAKES:to waste. rama's father left a
large amount. he, therefore, is playing ducks and drakees.
TO PLAY THE GAME:to be fair. the rajputs were brave and
honest and always played the game in love and war.
TO POCKET AN INSULT:to bear insult. james is a respectable
man and therefore he cannot pocket an insult by anyone.
TO POUR OIL UPON TROUBLED WATERS:to bring about
reconciliation. there is a quarrel between mohan and sohan . rama
tried to pour oil upon troubled waters.
TO PREY UPON:to tell upon. my worries and anxieties are
preying upon me.
TO PULL THE WIRE:to work secretly. some of the leaders
pull the wire and instruct others to come to the fore-front.
TO PUT A SPOKE IN ONE'S WHEEL:to check one's progress.
mohan is always in the habit of putting a spoke in one's wheels
because he is jealous of other's success.
TO PUT IN ORDER:to arrange. savitri will put all the
papers in order.
TO PUT INTO ACTIION:to enforce. i willl put into action
the various shcemes chalked out by me.
TO PUT ON ONE'S METTLE:to rouse oone to do one's best. the
success of his rival put rama on his mettle.
TO PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE:to change the natural and
usual order. to attempt exercises without learning the theorems is to
put the cart before the horse.
TO PUT THE END TO:to stop. i will put an end to all bad
practices in the city.
TO PUT TO A ROUT:to give a crushing defeat,bhagha dena.
the muslim army was put to rout by barber in 1526.
TO PUT TO THE PROOF:to test. you will be put to the proof
when my elections comes.
TO PUT TO THE SWORD:to kill. nadir shah put to the sword
many people when he invaded india.
TO RAIN CATS AND DOGS:to rain heavily. it rained cats and
dogs yesterday with the result that many house collapsed.
TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES:to find meaning not clearly
expressed in words. the article published in the Hindustan times does
not name anybody but by reading it between the lines. i think, it
belongs to shri rajgopalchari.
TO RISE TO THE OCCASSION:to act in a way suited to the
occasion. in the last strike, the principal rose tothe occasion and
suppressed it.
TO RUN INTO DEBT:to get into debt,karz mein phasna. he is
running into debt.
TO RUN SHORT OF:to falll short of. i am running short of
funds these days owing to dull business.
TO RUN THE RISK OF:to endager. in business, the proprietor
has to run the risk of loss.
TO RUN THE GAUNTLET OF:undergo. the book writtten by me
had to run the gauntlet of public criticism.
TO RUB THE SHOULDERS WITH:to mix with. will you like to
rub the shoulders with all kind of people?
TO SEE EYE TO EYE:to agree . Mr Sharma does not see eye to
eye with me on all points.
TO SEE THE LIGHT: be out. My son saw the light of the day
on March 5, 1964.
TO SET AT DEFIANCE:to challenge. rama has been arrested
becuase he set defiance the laws of goverment.
TO SET AT NAUGHT:to disregard. he set at naught all my
efforts in the case.
TO SET FIRE TO:to burn. i will set fire to this heap of rubbish.
TO SHOW THE WHITE FEATHER:to show cowardice. the police
showed the white feather in an attack by the rioters.
TO SLIP INTO THE SHOES OF:to be appointed.rama proceeded
on leave . sohan slipped into his shoes.
TO SMELL A RAT:to suspect foul play.i smell a rat because
the proceedings of the committee have been kept secret.
TO SPREADS LIKE WILD FIRE:to spread quickly. the news of
azad's death spread like wild fire in the city.
TO STAND IN NEED OF:to require badly. i stand in need of
some money these days.
TO STAND IN THE WAY OF:to obstruct. the clerks in the
office always stand in the way of every person.
TO STAND ON ONE'S OWN LEGS: to rely on oneself. after
passing the M.A examination my son will stand on his own legs.
TO STAND TO REASON:to be sensible. your arguments in this
case do not stand to reason at all.
TO STEAL A MARCH ON:to gain an advantage unnoticed. he has
stolen a march on me by approaching the officer first.
TO STRAIN EVERY NERVE:to try best.i shall strain every
nerve to help him in his competition.
TO STRIKE THE IRON WHILE IT IS HOT:to utilize an
opportunity at the right movement.it is always profitable and wise to
strike the iron while it is hot.
TO RUN AMUCK: to become mad.an elephant ran amuck in the
lask Kumbh Fair.
TO TAKE AMISS:misunderstand. i had a frank talk with the
manager but he took it amiss.
TO TAKE FRENCH LEAVE:steal away,chupchap chale jana.most
of the boys in the college always took french leave.
TO TAKE TO HEART:to feel. i always take to heart your jokes.
TO TAKE TO HEELS:to run away,bhag jana. the thief took to
heels when he saw the police.
TO TAKE TO TASK:tp punish,saja dena.defaulters will be
taken to task today.
TO THROW LIGHT:to make clear. will you please throw some
light on this subject.
TO THROW COLD WATER:to discourage. the principal threw
cold water on my scheme.
TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF:to be entirely changed. the
convict turned over a new leaf when the bishop gave him a decent
treatment.
TO TURN A DEAR EAR TO :to disregard . boys who turn a dear
ear to their teachers always repent.
TO VIE WITH:to be envious of. please do not vie with your friends.
TOAST
AS WARM AS TOAST: very warm. my new coat keeps me as warm
and toast.
TOD
ON ONE'S TOD: alone. if you will not come with me, i'll
have to go on my tod.
TOE
BE ON ONE'S TOES: to be ready; to be prepared for action.
we are all on our toe and just waiting for the order to start.
TOFFEE
NO FOR TOFFEE: not at all. i can not sing for toffee.
TOKEN
BY THE SAME TOKEN: also; in addition. by the same token,
we should like to thank your wife.
TONE
TONE DOWN:to make softer,less harsh etc. the painters
added white to tone down the colour of the green paint.
TOGETHER
TOGETHER WITH: also; with. i am selling the shop,
together with the furniture.
TONGUE
HOLD ONE'S TONGUE:cease to speak; become silent. " hold
your tongue!" cried my father,and i said no more.
TO PUT ONE'S TONGUE: grimance. the boy put out his tongue
at the beggar.
TONGUE IN CHEEK: not meant to be tajen seriously.rakesh
suggested that we should all go for a midnight swim; but i think it
was said tongue in cheek.
ON THE TONGUES OF MEN: much talked of. krishan is on the
tongues of men.
TOOL
TO BECOME THE TOOL OF: to become someone's agent. madan
has become the tool of the bose.
TOOTH
IN THE TEETH OF:against. do not go in the teeth of my order.
TOOTH AND NAIL:with full force. gulzarilal nandais
determined to weed out curruprtion tooth and nail.
A SWEET TOOTH: a tast for sweet things. i have a sweet tooh.
TOP
AT THE TOP OF: loudly. rama was singing a song at the top
of his voice.
BELOW ONE'S TOP:to become very angry. she blew her top
when he arrived home late.
TOP SPEED: as fast as possible. the bus dashed through
the town at top speed.
TOP UP:to fill, to the top. let me top up your glass/drink.
TOUCH
TOUCH UP:resotre or improve by number of small touches
with a brush or pen. raj is busy touching up that old picture he
bought.
TOUCH ON: to treat of slighly in a discourse. in his
lecture on chemistry, he touched on the subject of climate.
TOUCH OFF: to start something as if by lighting a fuse.
the boy touched off a firecracker.
TOUGH
TOUGH LUCK: bad luck. that was tough luck.
TOWER
A TOWER OF STRENGTH:some one who give hlep, comfort. my
wife was tower of strength to meduring my recent long illness.
TOWN
GET OUT ON THE TOWN: to have a good time eating,
drinking, dancing. let's go out on the town to night!
TRACK
IN ONE'S TRACKS: where one stands or is. he stopped dead
in his tracks.
MAKE TRACKS:to depart , or set off.we ought to be making tracks.
TRADE
TRADE ON: to take unfair advantage of.he traded on her kindness.
TRADE IN to give as part payment for something. we
decieded to trade in our old car and get a new one.
TRIBUTE
BE A TRIBUTE TO: to be the result of. the success of the
scheme is a tribute to his hard work.
TRICE
IN A TRICE:very quickly. do not go- i am coming in trice.
TRICK
HOW'S TRICKS:how are you. hello aditya, how's tricks!
DO THE TRICK: to do or be what is necessary. i need a
piece of paper-this old envelope will do the trick.
TROT
ON THE TROT: one after the other. he ate four ice-creams
on the trot.
TRUCK
HAVE NO TRUCK WITH: to have nothing to do with, not to
take part in. my father would have no truck with politics.
TRUE
COME TRUE: to really happen. her dreams finally came true.
OUT OF TRUE: not straight or not properly positioned. the
drawer did not fit because one of its sides was out of true.
TRUMP
TRUMP CARD: something kept back to be used to win success
if nothing else works. the coatch saved his star pitcher for a trump
card.
TRUMP UP untruthfully; falsely state. he came to me with
trumped up story about my uncle.
TRUMPET
BLOW ONE'S OWN TRUMPET: boast of one's own work or
actions. she spends most of the time blowing his own trumpet.
FLOURISH OF TRUMPETS: preleminary ceremonies and
announcement, as a herald proclaiming some matter of importance. the
new restaurant was opened with a flourish of trumpets.
TRUST
TAKE ON TRUST:to accept or believe without cheking. he
always takes his friends on trust.
TRUTH
TO TELL THE TRUTH: really; actually.to tell the truth i
forgot it was your birthday lat week.
TWO
TWO TICKS: a very short time. i will be ready in two ticks.
TWO TIMES: cheat, deceive with another man. it seems he
beat her up because she was two-timing him.
TRY
TRY OUT: to test by using it. he tried out the bicyle.
TRY ON: put on a garment to see it fits. you would better
try on the shirt before you buy it.
TRY ONE'S HAND AT: attempt. i am going to try my hand at
cooking while ram is away.
TRY ON: to put one, to see if they fir, i have bought a
dress but i havenot tried it on yet.
TUNE
CALL THE TUNE: to be the person who gives the orders. he
calls the tune in this office.
TUNE IN: to tune a radio. we usually tune( the radio) in
to the news.
TO THE TUNE OF: amounting to the sum or total. he
received bills to the tune of rs500/-
TUNE UP: the adjusting or fixing of something to make it
work safely and well. father says the car needs a tune up before
winter begins.
TURN
TURN DOWN: to refuse to accept; reject. his request for a
raise was turned down.
TURN IN: to give to someone; deliver to someone. i want
you to turn in a good history paper.
TURN OF EVENTS:unexpected change in what happens. this
remarkable turn of events amzed every one.
TURN OFF:to leave by turning right or left on to another
way. turn off the highway at exit.
TURN ON: to start by turning a knob or handle or working
a switch. mahesh turned on the water.
TURN OUT: to make leave or go away. his father turned him
out of the house.
TURN UP: to find; discover. the police searched the
house, hoping to turn up more clues.
TURN ONE'S HEAD: to make one lose one's good judgement.
the first pretty girl he saw turned his head.
DO A GOOD TURN:to do something helpful for. he did me
several good turns.
DONE TO TURN: cooked to exactly the right degree. the
meat ws done to a turn.
ON THE TURN: in the process of turning. the tide is on the turn.
OUT OF TURN:out of the correct order or not at the
correct time. he answered a question out of turn.
TAB
PICK UP THE TAB:to pay the bill. he insisted on picking up
the tab for the meal.
KEEP TABS ON: to keep a check on; to watch. i like to keep
tabs on what is happening at home when i am on holiday.
TABLE
UNDER THE TABLE: drunk. we found him under the table.
TAKE
TAKE A BACK SEAT: to accept a poorer or lower position. she
does not have to take a back seat to any singer alive.
TAKE A BAD TURN: suddenly feel very ill. he was just walking
to work when suddenly he took a bad turn and had to be taken to
hospital.
TAKE AFTER: resemble. she takes after her mother.
TAKE ABACK: confuse; surprise. his reply took me aback.
TAKE CHARGE OF: be in control you will be taking charge of
this department from monday.
TAKE EFFECT:to become lawfully right or operative. the newx
tax law will not take effect until january.
TAKE FOR: to suppose to be; mistake for. do you take me for a fool.
TAKE IT EASY:take things easy; to go or act slowly; carefully.
take it easy. the roads are icy.
TAKE OFF: departure of an airplane. we had a smooth take-off.
TAKE TO ONE'S HEELS: run away. when the boys saw the police
coming, they took to their heels.
TO TAKE TO ONE'S HEELS:to run away. at the sight of the
police, thieves took to their heels.
TAKE PLACE:happen. the race willl take place tomorrow.
TAKE DOWN:write; record. please take down this letter.
TAKE IN: regularly. i take in the "filmfare" magazine.
TO TAKE IT ILL: to feel offened. donot take it ill.
TAKE AN OATH: swear; give one's word; promise. he took an
oath that he would never return to england until he had found his
missing son.
TAKE BY STORM:to win the favour of. the comic took the
audience by storm.
TAKE CARE: be careful. always take care when you are crossing
a busy road.
TAKE WINGS:fly away. the huge bird ran along the ground and
then at last took wing.
TO TAKE UP: to begin. he has taken up work in a bank.
TO TAKE TO HEARD:to feel grieved. do not take your failure to heart.
TAKE IT FROM ME: i assure you. you take it from me he will not help you.
TO TAKE A MAN AT HIS WORD: to believe a man's word. well, i
told him at his face that i could not take him at his word.
TO TAKE OFF : to put off.he took off his clothes and jumped
into the river.
TO TAKE UPON ONESELF: to undertake or assume. she takes all
the responsibility upon her self.
TO TAKE PRIDE IN: full confidence. she takes pride in doing
her emdroidery very neatly.
TAKE SIDES: to join one of the two parties. i donot like you
taking sides in this matter.
TAKE INTO ONE'S CONFIDENCE: to confide. it is only you, whom i
have taken into confidence.
TO TAKE THE LEAD: in a competition when one gets ahead and
takes the foremost or leading place. all the boasts started together,
but friend's soon took the lead.
TO TAKE IN GOOD PART: accept good naturedly. i hope you will
take my advice in good part.
TO TAKE TO TASK:reprove; blame. my boss took me to task for being lazy.
TALK
TALK BIT: to talk boastfully. he talks bit about his pitching
, but he hasnot won a game.
TALK UP: to speak in favour or support of. let's talk up the
game and get a big crowd.
TALK OVER: to talk together about. raj talked his plan over
with his father before he bought the car.
:
TALK BIG: to talk as if one is very important; to boast. he is
always talking big about his job.
TALK OVER: discuss. they talked over the plan till midnight.
TALK BACK TO: to answer rudely. do not talk back to me!
TALK ROUND: to persuade. she did not want to do it but i
managed to talk her round.
TEAR
CROCODILE TEARS: hypocritical tears. they shed crocodile tears
on hearing of her step-mother's death.
TEAR INTO: attack with vigour. the teacher tore into my statement.
TEETH
SHOW ONE'S TEETH: to show one's angerand power to resist. the
goverment soon showed its teeth to the rebels.
IN THE TEETH OF: against or in opposition to. they were
walking in the teeth of a gale.
GET ONE'S TEETH INTO: to tackle in a determined manner. he
likes to work ona really difficult problem that he can get his teeth
into.
TELL
TELL ON: to have a bad effect on. the strain of looking
after her invalid mother is obviously telling on her.
TO TELL UPON: to effect. overwork told upon his health.
TELL OFF: to appoint to some speacial duty. the
superintendent told of ten policemen to watch the burning house.
TELL ABOUT: to describe; to mention . to tell me about this ship.
TO TELL A LIE: to utter a falsehood. people are not afraid
of tellling.
TEMPER
KEEP,LOSE ONE'S TEMPER: not to show, to show anger. he lost
is temper and shouted at me.
OUT OF TEMPER: irritable; in an unpleasant mood; be angry.
the old man was completely out of temper
TENDER
TO TENDER A RESIGNATION: to resign . she tendered her
resignation on marchr5th.
TENDER young. she is only a child of tender age.
TENOR
THE TENOR OF ONE'S LIFE: direction.you should not disturb
the tenor of my life.
TERMS
TO BE ON GOOD TERMS WITH A PERSON: to be friendly. i am no
longer on good terms with him.
COME TO TERMS: tomake an agreement. india and pakistan come t terms.
THANK
NO THANKS TO:in spite of. we eventually managed to finish
the job, no thanks to him and his stupid ideas.
THANK HEAVEN: a general ejaculation of gratitude. thank
heaven it has not rained today.
THAT
AT THAT:in addition; when everything has been considered
. he is novelist, and a good one at that.
LIKE THAT: immediately, without further thought . you
donot expect me to give up my job and go to america just like that,
surely?
THICK
THICK SKINNED: not easily hurt by criticism or insults.
you will not upset her-she is very think-skinned.
IN THE THICK OF: most congested; in the denset. do not
disturb him; he is in the thick of a job.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN:difficulties. he will stand by me
through thick and thin.
THICK AND FAST: frequently and in large numbers. the
bullets/ insults were flying thick and fast.
THING
MAKE A THING OF:to make a fuss about. do not make athing
of leaving early, it is not important.
NO SUCH THING: something quite different. he said he was a
lawyer, but he turned out to be no such thing.
THE VERY THING:something very suitable, very good. a nice
long holiday would be very thing for rakesh to help him to recover
after his illness.
THINK
DON'T THINK: ironic dissent. his father was a noble man- i
donot think.
THINK OUT: device. let us think out a way of peace.
THINK ABOUT: be one's opinion. what do you think about madan.
THINK FIT: consider suitably; decide. the young
man,having no job and no mercy thought fit to get married.
WAY OF THINKING: point of view. according to my way of
thinking of disputes do more harm than good.
THINK HIGHLY: admire. the manager thinks highly of suresh.
THINK NO END OF:like and admire. you are her favourite
uncle;she thinks no end of you.
THOUGHT
TAKE TO THOUGHT: concern yourself about; do not worry.
take no thought for your future needs.
QUICK AS THOUGHT: instantly. quick as thought he struck at
his enemy.
THROAT
TO CUT ONE'S THROAT:kill. the enemy cut his throat.
THROUGH
THROUGH WITH:completely finished with.. i am not going to
study anymore; i am through with study.
THROUGH AND THROUGH:completely,throughly.he read your
notes through and through. heis through and through in debt these
days.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN: in all circumstaces. i will stand
by him through thick and thin.
THROUGH FIRE AND SWORD:to face all difficulties.rama has
to go through fire and sword in order to win his case.
THROW
THROW A CURVE : to mislead or deceive someone; to lie.
rajesh threw me a curve about the hiring.
THROW UP: to resign. he is ready to throw up the job.
TO THROW COLD WATER: to discourage. his father's
bankruptcy threw cold water on all his plan.
THROW AWAY: to reject; to lose by neglect. he has thrown
away a fine opportunity.
THROW OFF THE SCENT: from the true facts. the police were
completely thrown foo the scentl, and arrested the wrong man.
THOSE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSE SHOULD NOT THROW STONES AT
OTHERS: do not find fault with others when you have fault yourself.
TO THROW OUT:to remove by force. the new cleark was thrown
out of the office.
THROW AT: throw with the intention to hit. the girl threw
a stone at the dog.
WITHIN A STONE'S THROW:near. the goverment college is
within a stone's throw from my house.
THUMB
UNDER ONE'S THUMB: under one's control or influence. the
students are under the thumb of their teacher.
THUMBS DOWN: disapproval or failure. i asked the boss, but
i am afraid it is thumb down for our proposed scheme.
TICK
ON TICK:on credit, promising to pay later. he bought the
books on tick.
TICK OVER: to run quietly and smoothly at a gentle pace.
our sales are ticking over nicely at the moment.
TIDE
TIDE UP: busy. i am tide up these days.
TIME AND TIDE: opportunities. time and tide wait for none/nobody.
TIE
TIE UP: to slow or stop the movemen or action of;
hinder;tangle. the crash of the two trucks tied up all traffic in the
center of town.
TIE IN: a connection. there's a direct tie in between
legalized gambling and the mafia.
TILE
ON THE TILES: away from home drinking, dancing. they
decided to go out for a night on the tiles.
TIME
HIGH TIME:without any further delay. it is high time that
you should work hard.
FROM TIME TO TIME: occasionally.i go to see my aunt from
time to time. he has been writing to me from time to time.
AT TIME: now and then. he is very strict at times.
ONCE UPON A TIME: beginning of a story. once upon a time
there was king.
IN THE NICK OF TIME:just in time. i reaches the railway
station in the nick of time.
JOLLY GOOD TIME: a very pleasant time. we had a jolly good
time at the picnic yesterday.
BEHIND THE TIME: to be backward. his views on co education
are decidedlly behind the times.
TIME AND TIDE: oppurtunites. time and tide wait for none.
TIME OF LIFE:age. at my time of life i cannot be expected.
HARD TIMES:sufferring, or discomfort; times of poverty. he
went through hard times when he was young.
TIME AND AGAIN:very often,repeatedly .robert bruce was
defeated time and again. time and again, the teacher warned the
students not to indulge in mischief.
TIME IS RIPE:it is the right. the politician told his
audience that the time was ripe for a change of goverment.
TIME OUT: time during which a game or other activity is
stopped for a while for some reason. he took time out from studying to
go to a movie.
TIME WITHOUT NUMBER: very many times. i have seen him
dashing to catch that train time without number.
ALL IN GOOD TIME: soon enough. the work will be finished
all in good time.
KEEP TIME: too show the time accurately. does this watch
keep(good) time.
NO TIME: a very short time indeed. he arrived in no time.
ON TIME: at the right time. the train left on time.
IN OWN TIME: spare time, when not at work. i have so much
work to do, i have to finish a lot of it in my own time.
IN NO TIME:soon. i will bring him to his senses in no time.
TIME OF DAY: the hour; the time. whatis the time of day.
MANY A TIME:frequently; repeatedly. many a time we walked
by the river.
BEFORE ONE'S TIME: too early. the train was here before its time.
IN TIME: before it is too late. the train came in time.
IN GOOD TIME: early. be at the station in good time.
TIP
TIP OFF:to give information or a hint to ; to warn. he
tipped me off about her arrival.
TIP TOP: excellent. we had a tip-top lunch at the hotel.
TIT
TIT FOR TAT: given in return for something close;
something frequently unpleasant. the little boy tore his sister's
book, and tit for tat she hid his doll.
TO
TO AND FRO: backwards and forwards,here and there.birds
are flying to and fro in the air. they ran to and fro in the street:
TO BE BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON:to be born in rich
family,dhani parivar mein paida hona. jawahar lal nehry was born with
a silver spoon in his mouth.
TO BE HAND AND GLOVE:to be intimate,gahare sambandh.ram
ans shiam are both hand and glove with each other.
TO BE IN VOGUE:in fashion.child marriage is not in vogue these days.
TO BE IN THE BAD BOOKS OF:not in favour. sagar chand is in
the bad books of his teachers.
TO BE UP AND DOING:active,kam main lage rahna. as soon as
the rains set in, farmers are seen to be up and doing.
TO BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH:to speak in a round about way.be
definite in your answer and do not beat about the bush.
TO BEAR IN MIND:to remeber. you must bear in mind my order.
TO BEAR THE BURNT OF :to endure the severest shock of
contest.japan had to beat the brunt of war when germany surrended.
TO BEAR THE PALM:to win the prize. sita bore the plam in
the annual examination.
TO BELL THE CAT:to take a lead.we have a number of
complaints. but nobody is going to bell the cat by going to the
principal.
TO BID FAIR :to seem likely to. he bids fair to be a good musician.
TO BLOW ONE'S OWN TRUMPET:to boast. why do you blow your
own trumpet? it is bad habit.
TO BREAK HEART:to dishearten. the news of john's death
broke my heart.
TO BREAK THE ICE:to speak first. after long silence mohan
brke the ice in the meeting.
TO BREAK THE NEWS:first to tell an unpleasant news. he
broke the news of his mother's death to his wife.
TO BREATHE HIS LAST:to die. my father breathed his last at
the age of eighty.
TO BRING TO BOOK:to call to account, to punish. if you
will pluck flowers from the garden , you will be brought to book.
TO BRING HOME:to explain. the teacher did his best but he
could not bring home the problem to me.
TO BRING TO LIGHT:to make known. the fact was brought to
light by mr agarwal.
TO BUILD CASTLES IN THE AIR:to think of visionary shemes.
never build castles in the air, give up this habit.
TO BURN THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS:to spend carelessly. john
is burning the candle at both ends after his father's death and
therefore he will repent very shortly.
TO BURY THE HATCHET :to end quarrel. the caseis over and
therefore you must bury the hatchet now.
TO CALL ONE NAMES :to abuse. subodh mind your own
business. it is bad to call names.
TO CALL A SPADE A SPADE:to be plain. the prisonaer called
a spade a spade before the judge.
TO CALL IN QUESTION:to challenge the truth of. why do you
callin question his authority as a manager?
TO CALL TO ACCOUNT:to demand an explanatin. i appointed
his as a teacher but nobody called his appointement to account.
TO CATCH A STRAW: to entertain a vain hope.a drowing man
always cathers at a straw.
TO CATCH RED HANDED:to catch one in the very act of
doing.the thief was cought red handed by the police.
TO CARRY THE DAY:to win. thje D.A.V college hockey team
carried the day in the last match.
TO CLINCH THE ISSUE :to settle the matter finally. kindly
clind the issue immediately as Rama and Krishna have been quarrelling
since long.
TO COME ACROSS:to meet. i come across my old friend yesterday .
TO COME INTO THE WORLD:to be born.it is thrity years since
I came into the world.
TO COME TO TERMS:to accept. both Mohan and Sohan have came
to terms now.
TO COME OFF WITH FLYING COLOURS:to achieve
destination.Rama come off with flying colours in the Intermediate
Examination of 1968.
TO CRY FOR THE MOON:profit less wish. if a beggar wishes
to marry a rich girl, it is simply crying for the moon.
TO CUT A JOKE: jest. never try to cut a joke with your superiors.
TO CUT A SORRY FIGURE:to feel ashamed of. he cut a sorry
figure before the audience.
TO CUT THE GORDIAN KNOT :to solve a knotty problem. it is
difficult to cut the gordian knot of this problem.
TO DIE IN HARNESS:to die on duty. sardar patel, our deputy
prime minister, died in harness.
TO DRINK TO THE HEALTH OF:to express good wishes for. Mr
nehru drank to the healthof MR bulganin when he visited india.
TO END IN SMOKE:to result in nothing. the scheme chalked
out by MR mathur ended in smoke.
TO FALL A VICTIM:to suffer.many a good man fell a victime
to treachery.
TO FALL FLAT:failed. he delievered a lecture but he fell
flat before the huge audience.
TO FALL SHORT:to be dificient. The supply fell short of
what we needed.
TO FIND FAULT WITH:to blame. it is a bad habit to find
fault with friends.
TO FLASH ACROSS ONE'S MIND:to pass. a very good idea
flashed across my mind yesterday.
TO FLY IN THE FACE OF:to retreat. i never fly in the face
of danger.
TO FOLLOW SUIT :to act in a like manner. the
teacherstarted playing cricket and the students followed suit.
TO GAIN GROUND :to make progress. rama, who has recently
started his business, is gaining ground rapidly.
TO GET BY HEART:to commit to memory.you must get by heart
the rules of grammer.
TO GET INTO HOT WATER:to get into difficulty. as regardes
his business he is in hot water there days.
TO GET RID OF:to be free. i wish to get rid of this
servant as he has become idle.
TO GET SCENT OF:to knowl.the man must have got the scent
of his secrets.
TO GET WIND :to become public. it is difficult to get wind
of the budget.
TO GET THE BETTER OF:to win.the english got the better of
the marahattasin the second anglo-marahatta war in 1802.
TO GIVE CURRENCY TO:to circulte.mr sharma has given
currency to this report.
TO GIVE OCCASSION TO:to give a chance. india's gold gave
occasion to many wars in the past.
TO GIVE VENT TO: to express.i cannot give vent ot may pent
up feeling.
TO GIVE UP THE GHOST:to die. he gave up his ghost after a
short illness.
TO GO A-BEGGING:to find no acceptor. this post in my
office will go a begging.
TO GO HARD WITH:to cause rouble. matter willl go hard with
you, if you do not care.
TO GO IN AND OUT:to go every where. the shadow of man
always goes in and out with him.
TO GO THROUGH FIRE AND WATER:to face all kinds of
difficulties. he has to go through free and water in order to win the
case.
TO GO TO DOGS:to be ruined.if he does not spend money
properly, he will go to dogs.
TO GO TO PIECES:to be ruined. if he will spend money like
water,he is sure to go to pieces.
TO GO WITHOUT SAYING:to be a self-evident fact./ it goes
without saying that parsis worship fire.
TO GREASE THE PALM : to bribe. if hyou want any payment
from the office, you must grease the palm of the accountant.
TO HAIL FROM:to come from. my wife hails from delhi.
TO HAVE A HAND IN :to be concerned with. he has no hand in
the present strike of the teachers.
TO HARP ON THE SAME STRING:to goon talking about the same
subject. rama harped on the same string whenever he talked.
TO HOLD GOOD:to remain in force. the time-table will hold
good for this month.
TO HOLD ONE'S TONGUE :to keep quiet. you must hold your
tongue as there isno use talking non-sense.
TO KEEP AN EYE ON:to attend. teachers keep an eye on
almost all the students.
TO KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER:to exist.it is difficult to
keep body and soul togeher nowadays when the prices of foodgrains are
daily going up.
TO KEEP COMPANY WITH :to remain, to mix. why do you keep
company with bad boys.
TO KEEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR:to keep out poverty. a sum
of RS.5000/- would keep the wolf from his door until better times
come.
TO LAUGH IN ONE'S SLEEVES:to smile inwardly. the
magistrate showed his ignorance of law and the lawyers laughed in
their sleeves.
TO LAY HANDS ON:to assault. the robbers did not hesitate
to lay hands on me last night.
TO LAY THE FOUNDATION OF:-DR K.P.Bhatnagar laid the
foundation of the science block of our college.
TO LEAVE TO ALTAR:to marry. savitri was led to altar at
the age of fifteen.
TO LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED:to try one's best.i shall leave
no stone unturned to make the function a success.
TO LEAVE ONE IN THE LURCH:to leave one in difficulty. i
will not leave you in the lurch if any emergency arises.
TO LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG:to open a secret. i has a
talk with MR Karim in my case who let the cat oout the bag.
TO LIE AT ANCHOR:used for ships when then stay in ports
with anchor down.ship lie at anchor in the ports dukring uncertain
weather.
TO LIE IN WAIT:to lie in concealment. the crocodile is
lying in wait on the bank of the river.
TO LOOK DOWN UPON:to hate. do not look down uon the poor.
TO MAKE GOOD:to compensate. the thief made good his
escape. can you make good your promise.
TO MAKE A CLEAN BREAST OF:to confess. the accused made a
clean breast of his guilt before the judge.
TO MAKE AMENDS FOR:to compensate for. you will be asked to
make amends for your misbehaviour if the matter is reported to the
principal.
TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF:to punish one simply to warn others.
i will make an example of it,if you do it again.
TO MAKE BOTH ENDS MEET:to support with income. it is
difficult to make both ends meet owing to high prices.
TO MAKE THE MOST OF:to utilise tothe full.intelligent
persons make the most of the time they get.
TO MAKE UP ONE'S MIND:to determine. i have made up my mind
to go there.
TO MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH:to try utmost. i shall move
heaven and earth to come out successful in the examination.
TO NIP IN THE BUD:to check in the beginning. smoking among
children should be nipped in the bud.
TO PART WITH:to separate. i cannot part with this ring.
TO PAY BACK IN ONE'S OWN COIN:tit for tat. james is a
respectable man and thereforehe cannot pocket an insult by anyone.
TO PICK A HOLE IN ONE'S COAT:to find fault with. khanna,
you must try to give up the habit to picking holes in other's coat.
TO PLAY A TRICK UPON:to deceive.he played a trick upon his
neighbour.
TO PLAY FALSE:to act faithlessly. it is always bad to play
false with your friends.
TO PLAY FAST AND LOOSE:to say one thing and do another. i
cannot repose confidence in Amir Ali because he plays fast and loose
wtih everyone.
TO PLAY IN ONE'S HANDS:to remain uder one.our principal
always plays in the hands of the head clerk.
TO PLAY THE SECOND FIDDLE:to play a subordinate part.
there are cetain persons who play the second fiddle as they have no
moral courage.
TO PLAY DUCKS AND DRAKES:to waste. rama's father left a
large amount. he, therefore, is playing ducks and drakees.
TO PLAY THE GAME:to be fair. the rajputs were brave and
honest and always played the game in love and war.
TO POCKET AN INSULT:to bear insult. james is a respectable
man and therefore he cannot pocket an insult by anyone.
TO POUR OIL UPON TROUBLED WATERS:to bring about
reconciliation. there is a quarrel between mohan and sohan . rama
tried to pour oil upon troubled waters.
TO PREY UPON:to tell upon. my worries and anxieties are
preying upon me.
TO PULL THE WIRE:to work secretly. some of the leaders
pull the wire and instruct others to come to the fore-front.
TO PUT A SPOKE IN ONE'S WHEEL:to check one's progress.
mohan is always in the habit of putting a spoke in one's wheels
because he is jealous of other's success.
TO PUT IN ORDER:to arrange. savitri will put all the
papers in order.
TO PUT INTO ACTIION:to enforce. i willl put into action
the various shcemes chalked out by me.
TO PUT ON ONE'S METTLE:to rouse oone to do one's best. the
success of his rival put rama on his mettle.
TO PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE:to change the natural and
usual order. to attempt exercises without learning the theorems is to
put the cart before the horse.
TO PUT THE END TO:to stop. i will put an end to all bad
practices in the city.
TO PUT TO A ROUT:to give a crushing defeat,bhagha dena.
the muslim army was put to rout by barber in 1526.
TO PUT TO THE PROOF:to test. you will be put to the proof
when my elections comes.
TO PUT TO THE SWORD:to kill. nadir shah put to the sword
many people when he invaded india.
TO RAIN CATS AND DOGS:to rain heavily. it rained cats and
dogs yesterday with the result that many house collapsed.
TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES:to find meaning not clearly
expressed in words. the article published in the Hindustan times does
not name anybody but by reading it between the lines. i think, it
belongs to shri rajgopalchari.
TO RISE TO THE OCCASSION:to act in a way suited to the
occasion. in the last strike, the principal rose tothe occasion and
suppressed it.
TO RUN INTO DEBT:to get into debt,karz mein phasna. he is
running into debt.
TO RUN SHORT OF:to falll short of. i am running short of
funds these days owing to dull business.
TO RUN THE RISK OF:to endager. in business, the proprietor
has to run the risk of loss.
TO RUN THE GAUNTLET OF:undergo. the book writtten by me
had to run the gauntlet of public criticism.
TO RUB THE SHOULDERS WITH:to mix with. will you like to
rub the shoulders with all kind of people?
TO SEE EYE TO EYE:to agree . Mr Sharma does not see eye to
eye with me on all points.
TO SEE THE LIGHT: be out. My son saw the light of the day
on March 5, 1964.
TO SET AT DEFIANCE:to challenge. rama has been arrested
becuase he set defiance the laws of goverment.
TO SET AT NAUGHT:to disregard. he set at naught all my
efforts in the case.
TO SET FIRE TO:to burn. i will set fire to this heap of rubbish.
TO SHOW THE WHITE FEATHER:to show cowardice. the police
showed the white feather in an attack by the rioters.
TO SLIP INTO THE SHOES OF:to be appointed.rama proceeded
on leave . sohan slipped into his shoes.
TO SMELL A RAT:to suspect foul play.i smell a rat because
the proceedings of the committee have been kept secret.
TO SPREADS LIKE WILD FIRE:to spread quickly. the news of
azad's death spread like wild fire in the city.
TO STAND IN NEED OF:to require badly. i stand in need of
some money these days.
TO STAND IN THE WAY OF:to obstruct. the clerks in the
office always stand in the way of every person.
TO STAND ON ONE'S OWN LEGS: to rely on oneself. after
passing the M.A examination my son will stand on his own legs.
TO STAND TO REASON:to be sensible. your arguments in this
case do not stand to reason at all.
TO STEAL A MARCH ON:to gain an advantage unnoticed. he has
stolen a march on me by approaching the officer first.
TO STRAIN EVERY NERVE:to try best.i shall strain every
nerve to help him in his competition.
TO STRIKE THE IRON WHILE IT IS HOT:to utilize an
opportunity at the right movement.it is always profitable and wise to
strike the iron while it is hot.
TO RUN AMUCK: to become mad.an elephant ran amuck in the
lask Kumbh Fair.
TO TAKE AMISS:misunderstand. i had a frank talk with the
manager but he took it amiss.
TO TAKE FRENCH LEAVE:steal away,chupchap chale jana.most
of the boys in the college always took french leave.
TO TAKE TO HEART:to feel. i always take to heart your jokes.
TO TAKE TO HEELS:to run away,bhag jana. the thief took to
heels when he saw the police.
TO TAKE TO TASK:tp punish,saja dena.defaulters will be
taken to task today.
TO THROW LIGHT:to make clear. will you please throw some
light on this subject.
TO THROW COLD WATER:to discourage. the principal threw
cold water on my scheme.
TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF:to be entirely changed. the
convict turned over a new leaf when the bishop gave him a decent
treatment.
TO TURN A DEAR EAR TO :to disregard . boys who turn a dear
ear to their teachers always repent.
TO VIE WITH:to be envious of. please do not vie with your friends.
TOAST
AS WARM AS TOAST: very warm. my new coat keeps me as warm
and toast.
TOD
ON ONE'S TOD: alone. if you will not come with me, i'll
have to go on my tod.
TOE
BE ON ONE'S TOES: to be ready; to be prepared for action.
we are all on our toe and just waiting for the order to start.
TOFFEE
NO FOR TOFFEE: not at all. i can not sing for toffee.
TOKEN
BY THE SAME TOKEN: also; in addition. by the same token,
we should like to thank your wife.
TONE
TONE DOWN:to make softer,less harsh etc. the painters
added white to tone down the colour of the green paint.
TOGETHER
TOGETHER WITH: also; with. i am selling the shop,
together with the furniture.
TONGUE
HOLD ONE'S TONGUE:cease to speak; become silent. " hold
your tongue!" cried my father,and i said no more.
TO PUT ONE'S TONGUE: grimance. the boy put out his tongue
at the beggar.
TONGUE IN CHEEK: not meant to be tajen seriously.rakesh
suggested that we should all go for a midnight swim; but i think it
was said tongue in cheek.
ON THE TONGUES OF MEN: much talked of. krishan is on the
tongues of men.
TOOL
TO BECOME THE TOOL OF: to become someone's agent. madan
has become the tool of the bose.
TOOTH
IN THE TEETH OF:against. do not go in the teeth of my order.
TOOTH AND NAIL:with full force. gulzarilal nandais
determined to weed out curruprtion tooth and nail.
A SWEET TOOTH: a tast for sweet things. i have a sweet tooh.
TOP
AT THE TOP OF: loudly. rama was singing a song at the top
of his voice.
BELOW ONE'S TOP:to become very angry. she blew her top
when he arrived home late.
TOP SPEED: as fast as possible. the bus dashed through
the town at top speed.
TOP UP:to fill, to the top. let me top up your glass/drink.
TOUCH
TOUCH UP:resotre or improve by number of small touches
with a brush or pen. raj is busy touching up that old picture he
bought.
TOUCH ON: to treat of slighly in a discourse. in his
lecture on chemistry, he touched on the subject of climate.
TOUCH OFF: to start something as if by lighting a fuse.
the boy touched off a firecracker.
TOUGH
TOUGH LUCK: bad luck. that was tough luck.
TOWER
A TOWER OF STRENGTH:some one who give hlep, comfort. my
wife was tower of strength to meduring my recent long illness.
TOWN
GET OUT ON THE TOWN: to have a good time eating,
drinking, dancing. let's go out on the town to night!
TRACK
IN ONE'S TRACKS: where one stands or is. he stopped dead
in his tracks.
MAKE TRACKS:to depart , or set off.we ought to be making tracks.
TRADE
TRADE ON: to take unfair advantage of.he traded on her kindness.
TRADE IN to give as part payment for something. we
decieded to trade in our old car and get a new one.
TRIBUTE
BE A TRIBUTE TO: to be the result of. the success of the
scheme is a tribute to his hard work.
TRICE
IN A TRICE:very quickly. do not go- i am coming in trice.
TRICK
HOW'S TRICKS:how are you. hello aditya, how's tricks!
DO THE TRICK: to do or be what is necessary. i need a
piece of paper-this old envelope will do the trick.
TROT
ON THE TROT: one after the other. he ate four ice-creams
on the trot.
TRUCK
HAVE NO TRUCK WITH: to have nothing to do with, not to
take part in. my father would have no truck with politics.
TRUE
COME TRUE: to really happen. her dreams finally came true.
OUT OF TRUE: not straight or not properly positioned. the
drawer did not fit because one of its sides was out of true.
TRUMP
TRUMP CARD: something kept back to be used to win success
if nothing else works. the coatch saved his star pitcher for a trump
card.
TRUMP UP untruthfully; falsely state. he came to me with
trumped up story about my uncle.
TRUMPET
BLOW ONE'S OWN TRUMPET: boast of one's own work or
actions. she spends most of the time blowing his own trumpet.
FLOURISH OF TRUMPETS: preleminary ceremonies and
announcement, as a herald proclaiming some matter of importance. the
new restaurant was opened with a flourish of trumpets.
TRUST
TAKE ON TRUST:to accept or believe without cheking. he
always takes his friends on trust.
TRUTH
TO TELL THE TRUTH: really; actually.to tell the truth i
forgot it was your birthday lat week.
TWO
TWO TICKS: a very short time. i will be ready in two ticks.
TWO TIMES: cheat, deceive with another man. it seems he
beat her up because she was two-timing him.
TRY
TRY OUT: to test by using it. he tried out the bicyle.
TRY ON: put on a garment to see it fits. you would better
try on the shirt before you buy it.
TRY ONE'S HAND AT: attempt. i am going to try my hand at
cooking while ram is away.
TRY ON: to put one, to see if they fir, i have bought a
dress but i havenot tried it on yet.
TUNE
CALL THE TUNE: to be the person who gives the orders. he
calls the tune in this office.
TUNE IN: to tune a radio. we usually tune( the radio) in
to the news.
TO THE TUNE OF: amounting to the sum or total. he
received bills to the tune of rs500/-
TUNE UP: the adjusting or fixing of something to make it
work safely and well. father says the car needs a tune up before
winter begins.
TURN
TURN DOWN: to refuse to accept; reject. his request for a
raise was turned down.
TURN IN: to give to someone; deliver to someone. i want
you to turn in a good history paper.
TURN OF EVENTS:unexpected change in what happens. this
remarkable turn of events amzed every one.
TURN OFF:to leave by turning right or left on to another
way. turn off the highway at exit.
TURN ON: to start by turning a knob or handle or working
a switch. mahesh turned on the water.
TURN OUT: to make leave or go away. his father turned him
out of the house.
TURN UP: to find; discover. the police searched the
house, hoping to turn up more clues.
TURN ONE'S HEAD: to make one lose one's good judgement.
the first pretty girl he saw turned his head.
DO A GOOD TURN:to do something helpful for. he did me
several good turns.
DONE TO TURN: cooked to exactly the right degree. the
meat ws done to a turn.
ON THE TURN: in the process of turning. the tide is on the turn.
OUT OF TURN:out of the correct order or not at the
correct time. he answered a question out of turn.
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