Idioms
1) “Absence makes heart grow fonder” :-
Our feeling for those we love increases when we are apart from them .

2) “Armed to the teeth” :-
To be heavily armed.

3) “Back-handed compliment” :-
A compliment that also insults or put down at the same time.

4) “Bleed like a stuck pig” :-
To bleed heavily.

5) “Blow off some steam” :-
To enjoy oneself by relaxing normal formalities.

6) “Blowing smoke” :-
To be boasting without being able to back it up ; talking about action without intent to follow through.

7) “Bouched up” :-
Substandard; Messed up; Make a shamble of.

8) “Brand Spanking New” :-
New and Unused.

9) “Break A Leg” :-
A wish of good luck, do well.

10) “A burnt child dreads the fire” :-
One does not repeat a painful lesson twice.

11) “Bust your balls” :-
To harass with the intent to break one’s spirit.

12) “Busting your chops” :-
To say things intended to harass.

13) “Can’t hold a candle to” :-
To be far less competent or have far less skills than someone else.

14) “Cat bird seat” :-
A highly advantaged position, to have it all.

15) “Chew the fat” :-
To talk about unimportant things.

16) “Clean bill of health” :-
To be found healthy.

17) “Clear as a Bell” :-
Clearly understood.

18) “Close, but no cigar” :-
Nearly achieving success, but not quite.

19) “Cold Turkey” :-
To Quit something abruptly.

20) “Cooking with gas” :-
To be working fast, proceeding rapidly.

21) “ In the Crapper” :-
In the toilet, soiled, hopelessly irretrievable.

22) “Crocodile Tears” :-
Pretending to cry in an attempt to manipulate or exploit, phony tears.

23) “Crossing the Rubicon” :-
When a decisive and irrevocable step has been taken. To commit to a given course of action that permits no return to cross the rubicon.

24) “Cut from the same cloth” :-
To be similar, usually in behavior.

25) “Dead as a door nail” :-
To be dead with no chance for recovery.

26) “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched” :-
Don’t be overconfident and assume success before you know the outcome of a venture.

27) “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” :-
Don’t be critical of a gift.

28) “Down the hatch” :-
Drink or eat.

29) “Down to the short strokes” :-
Approaching the end of a long process.

30) “Down to the wire” :-
Undecided until the end, at the last minute.

31) “Dressed to a tea” :-
Well dressed with attention to detail.

32) “Dressed to the nine” :-
Dressed Flamboyantly, Dressed well.

33) “Drop a Dime” :-
Make a phone call.

34) “At the Eleventh hour” :-
At the very last moment.

35) “Eyes are bigger than the stomach” :-
When a person wants more than is good for them.

36) “Face the music” :-
To Accept the truth.

37) “For the love of pete” :-
I am frustrated with this situation.

38) “From stem to stern” :-
Thorough, complete.

39) “Get a leg up” :-
To get a boost or advantage.

40) “Gramps” :-
Grand-Father.

41) “Hat trick” :-
The accomplishment of three successes or wins.

42) “Hells half acre” :-
A long and frustrating trip.

43) “High on the hog” :-
Extravagantly.

44) “Hold your feet to the fire” :-
To hold one accountable for a commitment, make good on a promise.

45) “Horse of a different colour” :-
Unlike the subject at hand.

46) “Horse sense” :-
Common Sense, able to stand the test of reasonableness.

47) “In the Country of the Blind, the One-eyed man is king” :-
A man of even limited ability is at a great advantage in the company of those less able.

48) “In the black” :-
To be making money.

49) “In the doldrums” :-
To be depressed or unmotivated.

50) “In the red” :-
To be losing money.

51) “Irons in the fire” :-
Having or pursuing multiple opportunities simultaneously.

52) “Jump on the Bandwagon” :-
Do what everybody else is doing, whatever is popular.

53) “Keep your pants on” :-
Calm down, be patient.

54) “Kiss of Death” :-
Something that is precursor to failure, that will lead to future failure.

55) “Knock on Wood” :-
Tap on a wooden surface for good luck or to keep from putting a jinx on yourself for having mentioned some hope or dream aloud.

56) “Let the Cat out of the bag” :-
To divulge a secret.

57) “Living Hand to Mouth” :-
To be poor, to have difficulty supporting yourself.

58) “Long in the tooth” :-
To be getting old.

59) “Many a true word is spoken in jest” :-
A humorous, joking remark may hide a profound insight or a serious criticism. An unintended comment may turn out to be true.

60) “Mind your P’s and Q’s” :-
Behave properly.

61) “Cut the mustard” :-
To achieve the required standard.

62) “On the ball” :-
To be paying attention, to respond promptly, to be doing one’s job .

63) “Once in a blue moon” :-
To happen only on rare occasions.

64) “One red cent” :-
A single symbolic penny.

65) “ Passed with flying colours” :-
To exceed expectations, to do better than expected.

66) “Pot calling the Kettle black” :-
Someone who criticizes another but who is just as much at fault themselves.

67) “Pot to piss in” :-
To have money or wealth.
Given the PROVERB, identify the MEANING

1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Answer: Our affection increases when we are parted from our loved ones.

2. Actions speak louder than words.
Answer: It is what we do that matters and not just what we say.

3. After a storm comes a calm.
Answer: Since something better must follow an unpleasant event, be optimistic.

4. All's well that ends well.
Answer: A satisfactory conclusion makes up for earlier disappointments.

5. All roads lead to Rome.
Answer: People can arrive at the same conclusion by different means.

6. All that glitters is not gold.
Answer: Everything that is attractive on the outside may not be really valuable inside.

7. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Answer: It is not good to only toil and have no recreation.

8. As you sow, so shall you reap.
Answer: One's actions whether good or bad determine one's rewards or punishments.

9. Bad news travels fast.
Answer: Information about unpleasant happenings spreads quickly.

10. A bad workman always blames his tools.
Answer: A person with deficiencies finds excuses for his lack of skill.

11. Barking dogs seldom bite.
Answer: People who talk a lot or threaten may not be actually harmful.

12. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Answer: What pleases the sight varies from one person to another.

13. Beggars cannot be choosers.
Answer: One must accept what is available in difficult circumstances.

14. The best fish swim near the bottom.
Answer: The finest things are hard to get.

15. The best of friends must part.
Answer: Nothing can go on forever as all things change.

16. Better late than never.
Answer: It is preferable to do a job even if it is delayed than not do it at all.

17. Better safe than sorry.
Answer: It is preferable to be cautious than be rash and get into trouble.

18. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Answer: It is better to accept the little we have than reject it hoping to get a lot later.

19. Birds of a feather flock together.
Answer: People with similar interests and tastes tend to group.

20. Blood is thicker than water.
Answer: Family ties are stronger than other relationships.

21. A burnt child dreads the fire.
Answer: A mistake can be a great teacher.

22. Call a spade a spade.
Answer: Be blunt and say plainly what you mean.

23. Charity begins at home.
Answer: Provide help first to one's family members and then to others.

24. The child is father of the man.
Answer: The character of a child shows the kind of man he will grow up to be.

25. Coming events cast their shadows before.
Answer: There are often early indications of future happenings.

26. Cut your coat according to your cloth.
Answer: Live within your means.

27. The darkest hour is that before the dawn.
Answer: When things seem at their worst, they may just begin to improve.

28. The die is cast.
Answer: Once a decision has been made, it cannot be reversed.

29. Do as you would be done by.
Answer: Treat others as you would expect them to treat you.

30. Do not cast your pearls before swine.
Answer: Do not give a precious thing to someone who cannot value it.

31. Don't change horses in mid-stream.
Answer: Plans must not be altered at the wrong time.

32. Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
Answer: One should not assume success prior to actually achieving it.

33. Don't cross a bridge till you come to it.
Answer: One should not worry before something happens for it may never happen.

34. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
Answer: One should not make a big fuss about a trivial matter.

35. First come, first served.
Answer: If one arrives early, one gets a better choice.

36. Slow but sure wins the race.
Answer: Steady progress is better in the long run than inconsistent speed.

Figure of Speech

A mode of expression in which words are used out of their literal meaning or out of their ordinary use in order to add beauty or emotional intensity or to transfer the poet's sense impressions by comparing or identifying one thing with another that has a meaning familiar to the reader. Some important figures of speech are: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole and symbol.

Anticlimax, sequence of ideas that abruptly diminish in dignity or importance at the end of a sentence or passage, generally for satirical effect. The following sentence contains an illustration of anticlimax: “Among the great achievements of Benito Mussolini's regime were the revival of a strong national consciousness, the expansion of the Italian Empire, and the running of the trains on time.” (Compare with climax, below.)

Antithesis, juxtaposition of two words, phrases, clauses, or sentences contrasted or opposed in meaning in such a way as to give emphasis to contrasting ideas. An example of antithesis is the following line by the English poet Alexander Pope: “To err is human, to forgive divine.”

Apostrophe, device by which an actor turns from the audience, or a writer from readers, to address a person who usually is either absent or deceased, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea. The English poet John Milton, in his poem Il Penseroso, invokes the spirit of melancholy in the following words: “Hail divinest Melancholy, whose saintly visage is too bright to hit the sense of human sight.”

Climax, arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences in the order of their importance, the least forcible coming first and the others rising in power until the last, as in the following sentence: “It is an outrage to bind a Roman citizen; it is a crime to scourge him; it is almost parricide to kill him; but to crucify him—what shall I say of this?” (Compare with anticlimax, above.)

Conceit, an elaborate, often extravagant metaphor or simile (see below) making an analogy between totally dissimilar things. The term originally meant “concept” or “idea.” The use of conceits is especially characteristic of 17th-century English metaphysical poetry. An example occurs in the poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” by the English poet John Donne, in which two lovers' souls are compared to the legs of drawing compasses.

Euphemism, substitution of a delicate or inoffensive term or phrase for one that has coarse, sordid, or otherwise unpleasant associations, as in the use of “lavatory” or “rest room” for “toilet,” and “pass away” for “die.”

Exclamation, sudden outcry or interjection expressing violent emotion, such as fright, grief, or hatred. Two illustrations of exclamation are the line in the English playwright William Shakespeare's drama Macbeth in which Lady Macbeth says, “Out, out, damned spot .... !” and the line in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet where the prince cries, “O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!”

Hyperbole, form of inordinate exaggeration according to which a person or thing is depicted as being better or worse, or larger or smaller, than is actually the case, as in the sentence from an essay by the English writer Thomas Babington Macaulay: “Dr. Johnson drank his tea in oceans.” (Compare with litotes, below.)

Irony, dryly humorous or lightly sarcastic mode of speech, in which words are used to convey a meaning contrary to their literal sense. An instance of irony is the suggestion, put forward with apparent seriousness by the English satirist Jonathan Swift in his “A Modest Proposal”, that the poor people of Ireland should rid themselves of poverty by selling their children to the rich to eat.

Litotes, understatement employed for the purpose of enhancing the effect of the ideas expressed, as in the sentence “The English poet Thomas Gray showed no inconsiderable powers as a prose writer,” meaning that Gray was in fact a very good prose writer. (Compare with hyperbole, above.)

Metaphor, use of a word or phrase denoting one kind of idea or object in place of another word or phrase for the purpose of suggesting a likeness between the two. Thus, in the biblical Book of Psalms, the writer speaks of God's law as “a light to his feet and a lamp to his path.” Other instances of metaphor are contained in the sentences “He uttered a volley of oaths” and “The man tore through the building.” (Compare with simile, below.)

Metonymy, use of a word or phrase for another to which it bears an important relation, as the effect for the cause, the abstract for the concrete, and similar constructions. Examples of metonymy are “He was an avid reader of Chaucer,” when the poems of the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer are meant, and “The hostess kept a good table,” when good food is implied. (Compare with synecdoche, below.)

Onomatopoeia, imitation of natural sounds by words. Examples in English are the italicized words in the phrases “the humming bee,””the cackling hen,””the whizzing arrow,” and “the buzzing saw.”

Oxymoron, combination of two seemingly contradictory or incongruous words, as in the line by the English poet Sir Philip Sidney in which lovers are said to speak “of living deaths, dear wounds, fair storms, and freezing fires.” (Compare with paradox, below.)

Paradox, statement or sentiment that appears contradictory to common sense yet is true in fact. Examples of paradox are “mobilization for peace” and “a well-known secret agent.” (Compare with oxymoron, above.)

Personification, representation of inanimate objects or abstract ideas as living beings, as in the sentences “Necessity is the mother of invention,””Lean famine stalked the land,” and “Night enfolded the town in its ebon wings.”

Rhetorical question, asking of questions not to gain information but to assert more emphatically the obvious answer to what is asked. No answer, in fact, is expected by the speaker. The device is illustrated in the following series of sentences: “Did you help me when I needed help? Did you once offer to intercede in my behalf? Did you do anything to lessen my load?”

Simile, specific comparison by means of the words “like” or “as” between two kinds of ideas or objects. Examples of the simile are contained in the sentence “Christianity shone like a beacon in the black night of paganism” and in the line by the English poet William Wordsworth: “But, like a thirsty wind, to roam about.” (Compare with metaphor, above.)

Synecdoche, figurative locution whereby the part is made to stand for the whole, the whole for a part, the species for the genus, and vice versa. Thus, in the phrase “50 head of cattle,””head” is used to mean whole animals, and in the sentence “The president's administration contained the best brains in the country,””brains” is used for intellectually brilliant persons.
Common Abbreviations
This table provides some comon abbreviations and their meanings. Notice that many abbreviations only differ by a capitalization or punctuation, which can be perplexing! This table willl ensure you will no longer confuse GMT (Greenwich mean time) with GDP (gross national product), or SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) with sec (seconds). And be sure to check out our guide to state abbreviations so you can finally determine whether MO stands for Montana or Missouri!
|A.B. |Artium Baccalaureus [Bachelor of Arts] |
|abbr. |abbreviation(s), abbreviated |
|Acad. |Academy |
|A.D. |anno Domini [in the year of the Lord] |
|alt. |altitude |
|A.M. |ante meridiem [before noon]; Artium Magister [Master of Arts] |
|AM |amplitude modulation |
|Assn. |Association |
|at. no. |atomic number |
|at. wt. |atomic weight |
|Aug. |August |
|Ave. |Avenue |
|AWOL |absent without leave |
|b. |born, born in |
|B.A. |Bachelor of Arts |
|B.C. |Before Christ |
|b.p. |boiling point |
|B.S. |Bachelor of Science |
|Btu |British thermal unit(s) |
|C |Celsius (centigrade) |
|c. |circa [about] |
|cal |calorie(s) |
|Capt. |Captain |
|cent. |century, centuries |
|cm |centimeter(s) |
|co. |county |
|Col. |Colonel; Colossians |
|Comdr. |Commander |
|Corp. |Corporation |
|Cpl. |Corporal |
|cu |cubic |
|d. |died, died in |
|D.C. |District of Columbia |
|Dec. |December |
|dept. |department |
|dist. |district |
|div. |division |
|Dr. |doctor |
|E |east, eastern |
|ed. |edited, edition, editor(s) |
|est. |established; estimated |
|et al. |et alii [and others] |
|F |Fahrenheit |
|Feb. |February |
|fl. |floruit [flourished] |
|fl oz |fluid ounce(s) |
|FM |frequency modulation |
|ft |foot, feet |
|gal. |gallon(s) |
|Gen. |General, Genesis |
|GMT |Greenwich mean time |
|GNP |gross national product |
|GOP |Grand Old Party (Republican Party) |
|Gov. |governor |
|grad. |graduated, graduated at |
|H |hour(s) |
|Hon. |the Honorable |
|hr |hour(s) |
|i.e. |id est [that is] |
|in. |inch(es) |
|inc. |incorporated |
|Inst. |Institute, Institution |
|IRA |Irish Republican Army |
|IRS |Internal Revenue Service |
|Jan. |January |
|Jr. |Junior |
|K |Kelvin |
|kg |kilogram(s) |
|km |kilometer(s) |
|£ |libra [pound], librae [pounds] |
|lat. |latitude |
|lb |libra [pound], librae [pounds] |
|Lib. |Library |
|long. |longitude |
|Lt. |Lieutenant |
|Ltd. |Limited |
|m |meter(s) |
|M |minute(s) |
|M.D. |Medicinae Doctor [Doctor of Medicine] |
|mg |milligram(s) |
|mi |mile(s) |
|min |minute(s) |
|mm |millimeter(s) |
|mph |miles per hour |
|Mr. |Mister (always abbreviated) |
|Mrs. |Mistress (always abbreviated) |
|Msgr |Monsignor |
|mt. |Mount, Mountain |
|mts. |mountains |
|Mus. |Museum |
|N |north; Newton(s) |
|NAACP |National Association for the Advancement of Colored People |
|NASA |National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
|NATO |North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
|NE |northeast |
|no. |number |
|Nov. |November |
|OAS |Organization of American States |
|Oct. |October |
|Op. |Opus [work] |
|oz |ounce(s) |
|pl. |plural |
|pop. |population |
|pseud. |pseudonym |
|pt. |part(s) |
|pt |pint(s) |
|pub. |published; publisher |
|qt |quart(s) |
|Rev. |Revelation; the Reverend |
|rev. |revised |
|R.N. |registered nurse |
|rpm |revolution(s) per minute |
|RR |railroad |
|S |south |
|S |second(s) |
|SEATO |Southeast Asia Treaty Organization |
|SEC |Securities and Exchange Commission |
|sec |second(s); secant |
|Sept. |September |
|Ser. |Series |
|Sgt. |Sergeant |
|sq |square |
|Sr. |Senior |
|SSR |Soviet Socialist Republic |
|St. |Saint; Street |
|UNICEF |United Nations Children's Fund |
|uninc. |unincorporated |
|Univ. |University |
|U.S. |United States |
|USA |United States Army |
|USAF |United States Air Force |
|USCG |United States Coast Guard |
|USMC |United States Marine Corps |
|USN |United States Navy |
|USSR |Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
|VFW |Veterans of Foreign Wars |
|VISTA |Volunteers in Service to America |
|vol. |volume(s) |
|vs. |versus |
|W |west; watt(s) |
|WHO |World Health Organization |
|wt. |weight |
|yd |yard(s) |
|YMCA |Young Men's Christian Association |
|YWCA |Young Women's Christian Association |