100 Must-Know English Idioms for KPSC, SSC, and Banking Exams

 

I. Common Everyday Idioms

Piece of cake -> Something very easy.

Break a leg -> Good luck (usually said before a performance).

Under the weather -> Feeling sick.

Spill the beans -> Give away a secret.

A penny for your thoughts -> Asking someone what they are thinking about.

Actions speak louder than words -> What you do matters more than what you say.

Back to the drawing board -> Start over because a previous attempt failed.

Bite off more than you can chew -> Take on a task that is too big.

Blessing in disguise -> A good thing that seemed bad at first.

Burn the midnight oil -> Work late into the night.

Call it a day -> Stop working on something.

Cut corners -> Doing something poorly to save time or money.

Don't give up your day job -> You are not very good at this.

Get out of hand -> Get out of control.

Hang in there -> Don't give up.

Hit the sack -> Go to sleep.

It’s not rocket science -> It is not complicated.

Let someone off the hook -> To not hold someone responsible for something.

Make a long story short -> Tell something briefly.

Miss the boat -> It’s too late.

II. Time & Speed

Better late than never -> Better to arrive late than not at all.

In the nick of time -> At the last possible moment.

Once in a blue moon -> Very rarely.

Time flies -> Time passes very quickly.

Around the clock -> All day and all night.

Beat the clock -> Finish something before time runs out.

Kill two birds with one stone -> Accomplish two things with one action.

Call time -> Decide to end something.

At the eleventh hour -> At the latest possible moment.

Living on borrowed time -> Living longer than expected.

III. Money & Work

Break the bank -> Cost too much money.

A dime a dozen -> Something very common and cheap.

Bread and butter -> A person's main source of income.

Bring home the bacon -> Earn money for the family.

Get the axe -> To be fired from a job.

Give the green light -> Give permission to start.

In the red -> Spending more money than you are earning.

In the black -> Earning more money than you are spending.

Ball is in your court -> It is your turn to make a decision.

Get the show on the road -> Get started.

IV. Emotions & Feelings

On cloud nine -> Very happy.

Over the moon -> Extremely pleased.

Chip on your shoulder -> Being angry about something that happened in the past.

Down in the dumps -> Feeling sad or depressed.

Butterflies in your stomach -> Feeling nervous.

Drive someone up the wall -> Irritate or annoy someone greatly.

Fed up -> Frustrated and wanting to quit.

Go bananas -> Become very excited or angry.

Green with envy -> Very jealous.

Hot under the collar -> Very angry.

V. People & Personalities

A cold fish -> Someone who lacks emotion.

A couch potato -> A lazy person who watches too much TV.

A social butterfly -> An extroverted person.

Busy bee -> A very active or hardworking person.

Dark horse -> Someone who wins unexpectedly.

Early bird -> Someone who wakes up or arrives early.

Night owl -> Someone who stays up late.

Smart cookie -> A very intelligent person.

Top dog -> The leader or most important person.

Black sheep -> A person who is different from the rest of the group (often negatively).

VI. Communication & Secrets

Beat around the bush -> Avoid saying what you mean.

Hear it on the grapevine -> Hear a rumor.

Keep your chin up -> Stay positive in a tough situation.

Put your foot in your mouth -> Say something embarrassing or hurtful.

Speak of the devil -> When the person you were talking about arrives.

The elephant in the room -> An obvious problem no one wants to discuss.

Mum's the word -> Keep it a secret.

Take it with a grain of salt -> Don’t take it too seriously.

Wrap your head around something -> Understand something complicated.

Blow your own trumpet -> Boast about your achievements.

VII. Animal-Themed Idioms

Let the cat out of the bag -> Accidentally reveal a secret.

Hold your horses -> Wait a moment.

Straight from the horse's mouth -> From a reliable source.

Wild goose chase -> A hopeless search.

Dog tired -> Extremely tired.

Cat nap -> A short sleep during the day.

Fish out of water -> Feeling uncomfortable in a new situation.

Lion’s share -> The biggest part of something.

Pig out -> Eat a large amount of food.

Rat race -> A competitive and exhausting way of life.

VIII. Nature & Weather

Break the ice -> Start a conversation in a social setting.

Calm before the storm -> A quiet period before a chaotic time.

Face the music -> Accept the consequences of your actions.

Rain on someone's parade -> Spoil someone's plans.

Steal someone's thunder -> Take credit for someone else's work.

The tip of the iceberg -> Only a small part of a much larger problem.

Under the sun -> Everything in the world.

Weather the storm -> Survive a difficult situation.

Barking up the wrong tree -> Looking in the wrong place.

Beat a dead horse -> Waste time doing something already finished.

IX. Body Parts

All ears -> Listening intently.

Cold feet -> Feeling nervous before a big event.

Cost an arm and a leg -> Very expensive.

Cry your eyes out -> Cry for a long time.

Head over heels -> Completely in love.

Keep an eye on -> Watch carefully.

Off the top of my head -> Without thinking too much.

Rule of thumb -> A general unwritten rule.

See eye to eye -> Agree with someone.

Wash your hands of something -> Stop being involved in something.