Idioms and Phrases Q to Z

Roam about – To wander without a fixed purpose

The children roamed about in the park.

Run the risk – To take a chance that may be dangerous

If you drive too fast, you run the risk of an accident.

Ram things down one's throat – To force someone to accept something

He always tries to ram his opinions down our throats.

Return with – To bring something back

She returned with a basket full of apples.

Ram into – To collide with something forcefully

The car rammed into a tree after the driver lost control.

Root and branch – Completely, thoroughly

The new management plans to change the company root and branch.

Rain cats and dogs – To rain very heavily

We had to cancel the outdoor picnic because it rained cats and dogs all day.

Rise to the occasion – To perform well in a difficult situation

She rose to the occasion and gave an excellent presentation during the meeting.

Run after – To chase or pursue someone or something

The dog ran after the ball until it couldn’t keep up.

Run down – To criticize or talk badly about someone

It’s not nice to run down other people just to make yourself feel better.

Run the risk of – To be in danger of something bad happening

If you don’t study, you run the risk of failing the exam.

Run short – To have less of something than is needed

We are running short on time, so we need to hurry up.

Rhyme or reason – A logical or reasonable explanation

There’s no rhyme or reason for why he did that.

Right and left – Everywhere, in all directions

There were people selling things right and left at the market.

Rule out – To eliminate or exclude something as a possibility

We ruled out the idea of going to the beach because it started to rain.

Save from – To protect someone from something

The lifeguard saved the child from drowning.

Say goodbye – To bid farewell

They said goodbye before leaving for the airport.

See into – To investigate or check carefully

The police will see into the matter soon.

Settle down – To start living a stable life

He moved to a new city to settle down with his family.

Send for – To call someone to come

She sent for a doctor when she felt sick.

Shake hands – To greet or show agreement by holding hands

They shook hands after signing the deal.

So and so – An unspecified or unknown person

Some so-and-so called you in the morning.

So far as – To the extent that

So far as I know, he is a good player.

So that – In order to

She studies hard so that she can pass the exam.

Skim through – To read quickly

She skimmed through the newspaper before leaving.

So far as – To the extent of

So far as I know, the meeting is still scheduled for 3 PM.

Stuff and nonsense – Things that are silly, untrue, or unreasonable

What she’s saying is just stuff and nonsense.

Sum and substance – The main point or essence of something

The sum and substance of his speech was about finding ways to reduce waste.

Safe and sound – To be safe, without harm

The kids arrived home safe and sound after their school trip.

Sheet anchor – A source of strength or support

Her kindness was the sheet anchor in our difficult times.

Slow coach – A person who moves or works slowly

Don’t be such a slow coach! Hurry up, we’re running late!

Small fry – People or things that are not important or of low rank

The project didn’t work out, but it’s not a big deal; just small fry.

Stand in the way of – To prevent or block something

Don’t stand in the way of her dreams, let her follow her passion.

Set off – To begin a journey or trip

We set off early in the morning to avoid traffic.

Set one's face against – To strongly oppose something

She set her face against the idea of moving to a new city.

Set to – To begin something with determination

The workers set to work as soon as they arrived at the site.

Set out – To start a journey or to begin an effort

They set out to build the best team possible for the competition.

Stand one in good stead – To be useful or beneficial in the future

Her experience in customer service will stand her in good stead for this job.

Salt of the earth – A person who is humble and kind

Grandfather is the salt of the earth, always ready to help anyone in need.

Salt of life – The things or people that make life enjoyable and meaningful

Spending time with family is the salt of life for me.

Sec to – Close or very near to

She’s sec to her best friend and they do everything together.

Speak ill of – To say bad things about someone

We should not speak ill of others.

Speak well of – To praise someone

The teacher spoke well of the hardworking student.

Spread over – To cover a surface or extend

The cloth was spread over the table.

Stand by – To support someone

She always stands by her friends in difficult times.

Stand out – To be easily noticed

Her bright red dress made her stand out in the crowd.

Stand up to – To face bravely

He stood up to the bully without fear.

Stare at – To look at someone or something for a long time

The child stared at the big balloon in wonder.

Step in – To get involved in a situation

The teacher stepped in to stop the fight.

Stop and stretch – To take a break and relax

After a long drive, he stopped and stretched his legs.

Sure of – Confident about something

She is sure of her success in the exam.

Set eyes on – To see something for the first time

I was happy when I first set eyes on my newborn baby.

Set foot in – To enter a place

He never set foot in that house again.

Set places for – To arrange seats for people

The waiter set places for the guests at the table.

Speak of – To talk about something

He spoke of his childhood memories.

Spring to one's feet – To stand up quickly

She sprang to her feet when she heard the noise.

Stagger to one's feet – To stand up with difficulty

The injured man staggered to his feet.

Strike off – To remove or cut out

The manager struck off his name from the list.

Stuff with – To fill something completely

The bag was stuffed with clothes.

Swear by – To strongly believe in something

She swears by this medicine for headaches.

Take by the hand – To guide or lead someone

The mother took her child by the hand and crossed the road.

Take down – To write or remove something

She took down notes from the lecture.

Take (someone or something) for (someone or something) – To mistake one thing/person for another

I took him for his twin brother.

Take a hand – To get involved

She took a hand in organizing the event.

Take a look at – To examine or see something

Take a look at this beautiful painting!

Take off – To remove or leave quickly

He took off his jacket because it was hot.

Take a mighty pride – To feel very proud

He takes a mighty pride in his achievements.

Take a second look at – To look at again for better understanding

I had to take a second look at the picture to understand it.

Take away – To remove or carry something away

The waiter took away the dirty plates.

Take care of – To look after

She takes care of her younger brother.

Take a dislike to – To start disliking something/someone

She took a dislike to the new food.

To be shoved up against – To be pressed tightly against something

In the crowded bus, I was shoved up against the door.

To be stoppered down – To be blocked or closed

The bottle was stoppered down to keep the liquid inside.

Take a view of – To look at or observe something

She took a view of the beautiful mountains from the balcony.

The long and the short – The main point or summary of something

The long and the short of the story is that he won the race.

To get hold of – To obtain or find something

I need to get hold of a good dictionary for my studies.

To lay one's hands on – To find or take something

He laid his hands on a rare book in the old library.

To deal with – To handle or manage something

She knows how to deal with difficult situations.

To learn by heart – To memorize something completely

She learned the poem by heart for the competition.

To have a touch of – To have a small amount of something

The painting has a touch of blue to make it look brighter.

To feed off one dish – To share everything together

They are such close friends that they feed off one dish.

Take (one) by the scruff of the neck – To grab or control someone forcefully

The teacher took the naughty boy by the scruff of the neck and scolded him.

Take orders – To follow commands or instructions

Soldiers must take orders from their superiors.

Take out – To remove or extract

He took out his wallet to pay the bill.

Take pity on – To show kindness to someone in trouble

She took pity on the poor dog and gave it food.

Take time – To not rush and go slowly

You should take time to understand the lesson properly.

Take (someone) to task – To scold or criticize someone

The manager took him to task for his careless work.

Take up – To start or begin something

She took up painting as a hobby.

Ten to one – Very likely or almost certain

Ten to one, he will be late for the meeting.

The ends of the world – Very far places

He traveled to the ends of the world in search of adventure.

The rest of – The remaining part

She spent the rest of the day reading a book.

Thrust down one's throat – To force someone to accept something

The teacher did not thrust his opinions down our throats; he let us think for ourselves.

To be tickled by – To be amused by something

She was tickled by the funny joke.

To be in the swim – To be involved in what is happening

She likes to be in the swim of all the latest fashion trends.

To give an impression – To make someone think something about you

His speech gave an impression of great confidence.

To have the blush of – To have a fresh and youthful appearance

She had the blush of youth on her face.

To have the tone of – To sound or express in a particular way

His voice had the tone of disappointment.

Touch with – To be connected with or have a little of something

Her painting was touched with bright colors to make it lively.

Trip by – To walk lightly and quickly

She tripped by happily on her way to school.

Tumble down – To fall or collapse

The old house tumbled down during the storm.

Turn away – To refuse entry or reject someone

The guard turned away the visitors at the gate.

Turn inside out – To search completely or change something completely

He turned his bag inside out to find his keys.

Turn (one) away – To reject or send someone away

They turned him away because he was late.

Turn white – To become very pale

She turned white with fear when she saw the snake.

Tall talk – Talking in a way that is exaggerated or hard to believe

Don’t believe his tall talk about winning the competition so easily.

Take side with – To support or agree with someone

She took side with her friend during the argument.

Take heart – To become more confident or hopeful

Take heart, we will find a solution to this problem soon.

Take place – To happen or occur

The concert will take place next Saturday at the park.

Take to heart – To be deeply affected by something, especially criticism

He took the comments to heart and worked harder to improve his performance.

Take down – To write something or remove something from its place

Please take down the notes from the board and copy them into your notebooks.

Take after – To resemble or be similar to someone, especially a parent

She takes after her mother with her love of reading.

Take off – To leave the ground and begin flying or to become very successful

The plane will take off in ten minutes.
Her business really took off after she launched her new product.

Take over – To assume control or responsibility

He will take over the company when his father retires.

Tit for tat – An equivalent exchange, usually a retaliation

It was just a tit for tat when they played pranks on each other.

Three R's – The basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic

In primary school, we focus a lot on the three R’s to build a strong foundation for learning.

Through fire and water – To go through many difficult and challenging situations.

He supported his friends through fire and water.

Tooth and nail – To fight very hard or with great determination.

She fought tooth and nail to win the competition.

Through and through – Completely, in every way.

He is kind through and through.

Time and again – Repeatedly, many times.

She has helped me time and again when I was in trouble.

To and fro – Moving back and forth.

The boat rocked to and fro on the waves.

To one's face – Directly, in person.

He said it to my face that he didn’t like my idea.

To the backbone – Completely, deeply.

She’s honest to the backbone.

To the utmost – To the greatest extent.

He helped me to the utmost when I needed it.

To the last – Until the end.

She worked hard to the last day of her job.

To the quick – Deeply, usually referring to feelings or emotions.

Her words struck me to the quick, and I felt very hurt.

To go astray – To get lost or to go in the wrong direction.

The package went astray and didn’t reach me on time.

To pick up – To learn or acquire something.

She picked up French quickly when she moved to Paris.

To poke one's nose into – To interfere or get involved in something that is not one’s business.

Stop poking your nose into other people’s problems.

To hold water – To be logical or reasonable.

His argument didn’t hold water during the debate.

To tell upon – To affect or have an impact on something.

The stress began to tell upon his health.

To throw cold water on – To discourage or stop something.

His negative comments threw cold water on my idea.

To abide by – To follow or obey a rule or decision.

We all need to abide by the rules of the game.

To abide in – To live or stay in a place.

He abides in the countryside with his family.

To a man – All together, without exception.

The team agreed to a man to start the game early.

To the end – Until the conclusion or final stage.

He promised to stand by me to the end.

Throw down the gauntlet – To challenge someone to a fight or competition.

She threw down the gauntlet and challenged him to a race.

Through thick and thin – Through good times and bad.

They have stayed friends through thick and thin.

Take the bull by the horns – To take control of a situation and deal with it directly.

He decided to take the bull by the horns and start his own business.

Throw dust in one's eyes – To deceive or mislead someone.

Don’t let him throw dust in your eyes with his sweet talk.

Turn tail – To run away or retreat.

When they saw the bear, they turned tail and ran.

Turn one's back – To ignore or refuse to help someone.

He turned his back on his old friends when he became famous.

Turn down – To reject or refuse something.

I had to turn down their invitation because I was busy.

Turn a deaf ear to – To ignore or not listen to something.

She turned a deaf ear to all their complaints.

Turn over a new leaf – To start fresh or make a positive change.

He promised to turn over a new leaf and stop being late to work.

Under one's nose – Close by, in plain sight, but unnoticed.

The keys were right under my nose, but I couldn’t find them.

Under one's wings – To take care of or protect someone.

She took the new employee under her wings and showed him the ropes.

Ups and downs – The good times and bad times in life.

Their relationship had its ups and downs, but they managed to stay together.

Up and doing – Active and busy.

She’s always up and doing something productive.

Under a person's thumb – Under someone’s control or influence.

He’s been under her thumb since they got married.

Utopian scheme – An idealistic plan that is unlikely to succeed.

His idea of a perfect society is a utopian scheme.

Watch for – To look out for something

She watched for her friend at the bus stop.

Wave aside – To dismiss or ignore something

He waved aside my concerns and continued talking.

Well-lined purse – To have a lot of money

A businessman with a well-lined purse can afford luxury.

With an air of – With a certain manner or attitude

She entered the room with an air of confidence.

Without parallel – Something unique or unmatched

His kindness is without parallel.

Worthy of – Deserving of something

His hard work is worthy of praise.

Would far rather – To strongly prefer something

I would far rather stay at home than go out in the rain.

Would like to – To want something

I would like to have a cup of tea.

Wriggle off – To escape or move away

The little boy wriggled off his mother's lap.

Well and good – Acceptable or satisfactory

If you can finish the work today, well and good.

Weal and woe – The good times and bad times in life.

They stayed together through weal and woe.

With flying colours – Successfully, especially with great achievement.

She passed her exam with flying colours.

With might and main – With great effort or strength.

They worked with might and main to finish the project on time.

Wear and tear – Damage or deterioration from use.

The car is showing signs of wear and tear after years of use.

With one voice – All together, in agreement.

The team spoke with one voice in support of the new plan.

With a grain of salt – To take something with skepticism or doubt.

You should take his story with a grain of salt, as he tends to exaggerate.

Well off – Rich or in a good financial situation.

They are well off and can afford to travel the world.

White elephant – A possession that is more troublesome or costly than it is worth.

That old car is just a white elephant. It costs too much to repair.

Wild goose chase – A futile or hopeless search.

Looking for his lost keys was a wild goose chase.

Worth one's salt – Deserving respect or reward for the work done.

He’s worth his salt as a teacher because he works hard to help students.

Why and wherefore – The reasons or explanation.

I asked her the why and wherefore of her decision, but she didn’t answer.

A young hopeful – A young person with hopes of success.

She’s a young hopeful in the world of acting.

Yeoman's service – Good, loyal, and dependable service.

He did yeoman's service in helping to organize the event.