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Unit 16: Vocabulary and Usage: Idioms and Idiomatic Phrases and Their Usages

104. Other fish to fry (more important work to attend to): Please be as brief as you can, I have other Notes
fish to fry.
105. Go to roost (retire for the night): I am in the habit of going to roost early.
106. Pen and ink (in writing): Unless you issue orders in pen and ink, no one is likely to follow them.
107. Without fear and favour (impartially): At your position, it is expected that you act without fear
and favour.
108. Judas kiss (false love): His wife’s love was after all a judas kiss.
109. Is on the knees of gods (yet uncertain): Success in examination is still on the knees of gods.
110. Neck and crop (completely): The earthquake has devastated the town neck and crop.
111. Black ox (misfortune): His failure in life can be attributed only to the black ox.
112. To be at the zenith of (to be at the highest point of fame, glory, etc.): Sunil Gavaskar has been at
the zenith of his career for the past couple of years.
113. All and sundry (everyone without distinction): She invited all and sundry to the birthday party.
114. At death’s door (about to die): Her grandfather is at death’s door, so we must go and see him.
115. Donkey’s years (after a long time): I have struggled for donkey’s years to come to this position.
116. Eagle-eyed (keen sighted): You indeed are eagle-eyed to be able to spot Ramesh amidst the crowd.
117. An old flame (sweetheart): She was an old flame of my brother.
118. Gate crasher (uninvited intruder): Sorry for gate crashing like this, but we could not help it.
119. Gift of the gab (power of talking): It was only through his gift of the gab that he managed to win
the elections.
120. Heart to heart (frank and free): It was only after a heart to heart talk with Leela that we were able
to sort out our differences.
121. Not cricket (unfair): It is definitely not cricket to cheat in exams.
122. To pick a quarrel (to seek fight): I would rather not tell him about Arun’s behaviour for he is
quick to pick a quarrel with anyone.
123. Penny wise pound foolish (to bother about small coins and to throw bundles of rupees
carelessly): Strange it is but nevertheless true that there should be penny wise pound foolish people
in the world.
124. Once in a blue moon (rarely): One comes across a real good Hindi movie only once in a blue
moon.
125. Maiden speech (first speech of an individual): Most people cut a sorry figure in their maiden
speech.
126. To while away (to spend time uselessly): Those who while away time at the sowing season
cannot hope to reap the harvest.
127. Yearn for (to crave for): The modern youth badly yearns for recognition, which certainly is not
easy to get.
128. Yeoman’s service (excellent work done): Lincoln certainly rendered yeoman’s service to humanity
by eradicating slavery from his country.
129. To tax one’s patience (to test one’s patience): Dull and long speeches tax the patience of the
audience.
130. Ups and downs (bad and good days): Almost everyone must have seen ups and downs in life.
131. Utopian scheme (unpracticable, unattainable ideal): The scheme of Family Planning Ministry
to check the population explosion in a year’s time, appears utopian.
132. To throw mud at (to accuse wrongly): Pakistan always keeps on throwing mud at our country.
133. To take french leave (to take leave without permission or information): Gone are the days
when the government servants took french leave very often.

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