Idioms and phrases · noteswale

Topic kya maangta hai

Paper: Meaning of the idiom / Choose the correct idiom / The underlined phrase means / Fill with a suitable idiom. Pooche poore tukde ka ruudh matlab, har word ka alag synonym nahi. arid = dry — synonyms. one who hates = misanthrope — OWS. famous ___ for — cloze (collocation). PQRS — improvement. Passage title / “author suggests” — comprehension. Hindi आँख का तारा / अंधों में काना राजा — muhavare / lokoktiyan.

Yahan padhna

Hidden ≠ sum of words. Idiom vs proverb vs phrasal vs cloze-collocation. Frozen the / order. Tense idiom ke verb pe chal sakta (kicked the bucket). Phrasal office: call off ≠ put off, look after ≠ look down on, turn down = reject. Body, animal, colour. Office: red tape, in black and white, burn the midnight oil. Rajasthan: mela called off, file red tape, Amer once in a blue moon.

Yahan mat ghusana

Given word → nearest — synonyms (die = expire; yahan kick the bucket = die). Definition → ek naam — OWS (deceased). Hole famous for — cloze. look forward to meeting form — cloze/spotting; yahan matlab wait eagerly. Underline goes — improvement. Hindi नाक कटना list — muhavare. Better late than never jyon-ki-tyon — English proverb (paper kabhi idiom bag mein; kasauti alag).

Ek line: Tukda padho jaise ek unit — picture mat banao (bucket, beans, crocodile). Sentence ho to usi line ka hidden matlab jeette.

Hidden — shabdon ka jod kaam nahi

Idiom = ruudh padbandh. Matlab dictionary ke teen alag word jodne se nahi nikalta. Hindi मुहावरा wahi kaam karta Devanagari mein; yahan English tukda, English option.

Tukda	Picture (galat)	Hidden (sahi)
kick the bucket	baalti ko laat	marna / die
spill the beans	daal girana	raaz kholna
crocodile tears	magarmachh roye	jhootha dukh
raining cats and dogs	billi-kutta giren	tezi se baarish
red tape	laal feeta	daftari jhanjhat / delay

Example

After a long illness he kicked the bucket. Matlab?

Solution

Picture mat
bucket nahi. Illness + after → mar gaya.
Fence
expire / die as word = synonyms. deceased = OWS “one who has died”. Yahan phrase ka matlab.

Answerdied

Idiom vs proverb vs phrasal vs collocation

Paper aksar ek thaila. Tum kasauti rakhna — tick usi extra ka nahi, is sawal ka.

	Kya hai	Example	Kaun sa extra
Idiom	chhupa matlab; vaaky ke andar ghulta; verb ka tense badal sakta	He spilled the beans yesterday	yeh page
Proverb	poora lok-vakya / naseehat; jyon-ki-tyon	Actions speak louder than words. Better late than never	paper “idioms & phrases” bag; kasauti = poora saying. Hindi twin lokoktiyan
Phrasal verb	verb + particle; naya matlab	call off, look after, put up with	yahan matlab; form (to + -ing) kabhi cloze / spotting
Collocation	jo word saath baihte — matlab chhupa nahi	famous for, make an effort, a few	cloze
OWS	definition → ek naam	one who dies = deceased	OWS

Hindi kasauti yahan bhi. मुहावरा वाक्य में घुलता, क्रिया बदलती — muhavare. लोकोक्ति ज्यों-की-त्यों — lokoktiyan. English: He kicked the bucket last year (ghula). Honesty is the best policy (poori naseehat — proverb). Birds of a feather flock together — theoretically proverb; paper aksar idiom list mein. Key dekho, kasauti yaad rakhna.

Frozen form — the, order, tense

Matlab chhupa hai, lekin shakl aksar pakki. Galat article / extra word = galat idiom (spotting bhi kaat’ta; yahan matlab pehle, shakl doosri nazar).

kick the bucket — kick a bucket literal laat. Frozen the.
in black and white — in white and black nahi (order).
once in a blue moon — once in blue moon article girana Class-X trap.
at the eleventh hour — at eleventh hour kamzor; at 11 o’clock bilkul alag.
Tense: kicked / has kicked / kicking the bucket — verb idiom ka hissa, kaal chalega jaise Hindi मुहावरा.
Object alag: He kicked the bucket (idiom). He kicked the chair (literal).

Phrasal: separable vs nahi

Separable (object beech aa sakta): put off the meeting / put the meeting off. turn down the offer / turn it down (pronoun hamesha beech: turn down it galat).

Inseparable: look after the file — look the file after band. look down on him — look him down on band. put up with delay — put delay up with band.

Yeh word-order improvement / spotting bhi poochh sakte. Yahan pehle: matlab kya. Form galat ho to option jo shakl-sahi + matlab-sahi.

Phrasal — daftar ka hissa

Office file, meeting, offer. Particle off / down / after / up naya ghar banata. Near-miss yahi kat’te.

Phrase	Matlab	Pass ka jhooth
call off	cancel (mela / meeting / strike)	put off = taalna, cancel nahi; call on = milna; call for = maangna
put off	postpone / delay	put on = pehnna; put out = bujhana; put up with = sehna
look after	sambhalna / take care	look for = dhoondhna; look at = dekhna; look into = jaanch; look down on = ghrina
look into	enquire / investigate	look in = jhaankna. look into the complaint
look down on / upon	neecha samajhna	look up to = izzat
look forward to	intezaar + khushi	to ke baad `-ing` — form cloze; matlab yahan
give up	chhod dena / haar	give in = man lena; give away = baantna / raaz kholna
turn down	reject (offer / form)	volume kam = bhi chal sakta — sentence dekho. turn up = pahunchna; turn out = nikalna / saabit
turn up	aa jana / mil jana	He turned up at the window. turn down nahi
break down	kharab (bus) / rona	break into = ghusna (chor); break out = failna (war / epidemic)
carry on	jaari rakhna	carry out = amal / execute (order carry out)
carry out	execute / palna	carry out the instructions. carry on = continue
come across	achanak milna (file / fact)	come after = peeche aana
go through	padhna dhyan se / takleef se nikalna	go on = continue. go over = revise
put up with	bardasht	put up = tikna / poster lagana
make out	samajh pana / likh dena cheque	make up = jhoot / sulah / cosmetics
set off / out	nikalna (safar)	set up = sthapit; set in = shuru (barsaat set in)

Example

The Pushkar mela was called off due to rain.

Solution

off cluster
called off = cancel. put off = next date pe shift. rain se mela hua hi nahi → cancel, delay nahi zaruri.
Literal mat
phone nahi kiya. shout nahi.

Answercancelled

Body — aankh, kaan, haath, dil

Hindi आँख–नाक family muhavare pe. Yahan English body-tukda. नाक कटना yahan cut the nose nahi.

Idiom	Matlab	Trap
keep an eye on	nazar rakhna	keep an ear — nahi. turn a deaf ear = ansunna
turn a deaf ear	sunne se inkaar	literal kaan-bahar
lend a hand / give a hand	madad	clap nahi. hand in = jama karna (form)
lose heart	himmat chhodna	lose one’s heart to = pyaar (alag). take to heart = buri tarah mehsoos
by heart	rato / yaad	learn the poem by heart. from the heart = sachcha
see eye to eye	sehamat	do clerks noting pe disagree = do not see eye to eye
pull someone’s leg	chhedna / mazak	literal kheenchna. face the music = daant / nateeja bhugatna
face the music	natija bhugatna	gaana nahi. late file
cold feet	dar ke peeche hatna	thande pair weather nahi
at one’s fingertips	tayyar / expert	rules at his fingertips
tooth and nail	poori taakat se ladna	daant-nakhun picture
neck and neck	barabar race	two candidates
from hand to mouth	sirf guzara	make both ends meet = kharch-aamdani barabar
on one’s last legs	khatam hone ke kareeb	bus / machine / insaan thak

Animal — picture mat

Idiom	Matlab	Trap
crocodile tears	jhootha afsos	Thar mein magarmachh RC nahi; yahan phrase
dark horse	chhupi kabiliyat / unexpected winner	kala ghoda literal. black sheep alag
black sheep	ghar/office ka kalank	dark horse jeet. colour cluster bhi
let the cat out of the bag	raaz nikal gaya (aksar galti se)	spill the beans = kholna (jaan-bujh / general). dono “reveal”
a wild-goose chase	bekaar daud	goose farm nahi
kill two birds with one stone	ek kaam se do faide	himsa picture. OWS nahi
hold your horses	ruko / gusse mein mat daudo	cavalry nahi. Rajasthan ghoda GK alag
a snake in the grass	chhupa dushman	desert snake biology nahi
a fish out of water	ajnabee jagah bechain	aquarium OWS place
the lion’s share	sabse bada hissa	sher GK sanctuary alag
raining cats and dogs	tez baarish	monsoon GK; yahan idiom matlab

Colour + daftar — red tape

JA/CA paper yahi daftar-rang poochhta. Feeta picture mat. Secretariat Jaipur = bureaucracy OWS; yahan delay ka phrase.

Idiom	Matlab	Office / RJ stem
red tape	zyaada niyam / file-ghumai / official delay	The file stuck in red tape. ribbon / danger-red nahi
in black and white	likh kar / documentary	Get the order in black and white. colour-print nahi
catch red-handed	mauke par pakadna	stamp / cash. haath laal nahi
once in a blue moon	bahut kam	He visits Amer once in a blue moon. chand-science nahi
a bolt from the blue	achanak jhatka (buri khabar aksar)	out of the blue = achanak
white lie	chhota jhoot nuksan-kam	lie synonyms alag word
green with envy	jalan	Thar green canal — geography nahi
in the red	nuksan / udhaar	accounts. in the black = profit (kam paper)
grey area	saaf niyam nahi	rule book hole
black sheep	kalank (upar animal)	office black sheep

Example

The appointment was delayed by red tape.

Solution

Daftar
niyam-file ghumai. laal ribbon / festival / danger board nahi.
OWS nahi
bureaucracy = hukumat-prakar. red tape = us hukumat ki jhanjhat.

Answerofficial formalities / delay

Time — last moment vs just in time

Idiom	Matlab	Farq
at the eleventh hour	bilkul aakhri pal (der se shuru / late decision)	11 baje wall-clock nahi. in the nick of time = bachte-bachte time pe
in the nick of time	just in time (saved)	eleventh hour = late-late; nick = kaafi-kaafi sahi pal
in no time	bahut jaldi	in time vs on time — prepositions collocation, idiom nahi
now and then / off and on	kabhi-kabhi	once in a blue moon = usse bhi kam
time and again	baar-baar	again and again literal-sa; paper idiom bhi
for good	hamesha ke liye (chhod diya)	good = achha synonyms nahi. He left the village for good
against time / race against time	samay se jeetne ki daud	typing test stem
burn the midnight oil	raat ko padhna/kaam	oil lamp picture. exam / file
call it a day	aaj ka kaam band	call off = cancel event, call it a day = stop work today

in time (kaafi pal pehle) vs on time (barabar) preposition extra. Yahan eleventh hour / nick / blue moon.

High-frequency — Class-X baaki

Poori Oxford nahi. Paper yahi ghar ghumta. Jodi: tukda + matlab + ek trap.

Idiom	Matlab	Ek trap
a blessing in disguise	nuksan dikha, faida nikla	disguise OWS nahi
beat about the bush	baat ghumana, seedha nahi	jungle GK nahi
hit the nail on the head	bilkul sahi baat	carpenter literal
in a nutshell	sankshep	akhrot picture
leave no stone unturned	koi koshish baaki nahi	Thar patthar geography nahi
make a mountain out of a molehill	chhoti baat badi	Aravalli mountain GK nahi
on cloud nine / over the moon	bahut khush	ecstatic synonyms intensity; yahan phrase
a piece of cake	aasan	mithai literal
smell a rat	shak	chuha biology nahi
the ball is in your court	ab faisla tumhara	tennis scene nahi
through thick and thin	sukh-dukh saath	mota-patla size nahi
add fuel to the fire	aur bhadkana	Hindi आग में घी — muhavare stamp yahan English tukda
bury the hatchet	jhagda khatam	kulhari picture
call a spade a spade	saaf-saaf kahna	kudali / card-spade mix
eat humble pie	maafi / apni galti manna	pie khana
get out of hand	kaabu se bahar	hand body-idiom alag
hit below the belt	galat / unfair vaar	boxing only picture
nip in the bud	shuru mein dabana	botany nahi
take with a pinch of salt	poora vishwas mat	namak cooking nahi
throw in the towel	haar manna / give up	give up phrasal same ghar
under the weather	tabiyat kharab	Thar weather GK nahi
a bone of contention	jhagde ki jadd	haddi
in hot water / in a soup	mushkil / daant ke kareeb	chai-pani literal
in the same boat	same mushkil	OWS nahi
out of the woods	khatra-se bahar	jungle
the last straw	woh chhoti baat jisne toda	ghaas
tit for tat	jaisi karni waisi bharni	Hindi कहावत twin lokokti — yahan English phrase
make both ends meet	guzara chalana	from hand to mouth paas; insolvent OWS
burn one’s boats / bridges	waapas raasta band	midnight oil alag oil

Hindi stamp — translate mat

English paper English tukda. नाक कटना ka calque “cut the nose” yahan galat. Jo English idiom hai woh alag shakl se aata.

Hindi (wahan)	Yahan mat	English paas (alag shakl)
नाक कटना — muhavare	cut the nose	lose face / be humiliated (paper kam); yahan diya tukda padho
आँख का तारा	star of the eye	apple of one’s eye
आग में घी डालना	put ghee in fire	add fuel to the fire
अंधों में काना राजा — lokokti	king among the blind (calque)	In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king — proverb, idiom list nahi rato as OWS
जान देना	give life word-by-word	kick the bucket / pass away — marna; lay down one’s life = qurbani (alag)

Devanagari options is extra pe nahi. «मद्यत्यागी» OWS Hindi tha. Yahan spill the beans = reveal, daal nahi.

Traps — yahi kat'te hain

1. Picture / word-by-word

beans, bucket, crocodile, red ribbon, 11 o’clock, cats-dogs.

2. Near-miss phrasal

call off ≠ put off. look after ≠ look into ≠ look down on. turn down offer ≠ turn down volume bina sentence. give up ≠ give in.

3. Synonym of ek word

die = expire — synonyms. Phrase kick the bucket yahan.

4. OWS

one who has died = deceased — OWS. Idiom = tukda ka matlab, naya naam mint nahi.

5. Cloze collocation

famous for, make an effort — cloze. look forward to -ing form wahan; matlab wait yahan.

6. Proverb ko todna

Honesty is the best policy — jyon-ki-tyon. He honested the policy band. Hindi लोकोक्ति kasauti.

7. RC inference

“The author suggests…” / title — comprehension. Underline idiom andar passage ke ho to matlab yahi extra; poora unseen nahi.

Paper pe paanch kadam

Picture hatao. Bucket, beans, tape, moon, crocodile mat banao.
Sentence lock. turn down + offer = reject. turn down + radio = volume. Bina sentence ke sabse aam Class-X matlab.
Particle / colour / body ghar. off = cancel/postpone family — call vs put. red = daftar delay. eye = nazar.
Near-miss kaato. put off vs call off. spill beans vs let the cat out (dono reveal — stem “accidentally” ho to cat).
Doosra extra mat. nearest word = synonyms. one who = OWS. hole for = cloze. नाक कटना = Hindi muhavara. passage title = RC.

Galat list. kick the bucket = laat. called off = postponed hamesha. red tape = ribbon. eleventh hour = 11:00. look after = look down. नाक कटना = this page. arid = idiom. misanthrope = idiom. famous for = idiom.

Q 1–10

Idioms and phrases extra kya chunta hai?

One who… ek noun
Phrase / tukda ka hidden matlab (shabdon ka jod nahi)
Given word ka nearest
Passage ka title

Solution

Unit
OWS naam. Synonyms pair. RC agla.

AnswerB

kick the bucket means?

hit a pail with the foot
die
deceased — “one who has died” naam
expire as synonym of a single word without phrase

Solution

Hidden
picture laat nahi. OWS deceased. Synonyms expire akela word. Yahan phrase.

AnswerB

The Pushkar mela was called off.

postponed — put off
cancelled
telephoned
started

Solution

off
call off = cancel. put off = taalna. phone literal.

AnswerB

spill the beans means?

drop pulses
reveal a secret
cook badly
waste food

Solution

Hidden
daal nahi. raaz kholna. cat-out-of-bag bhi reveal — yahan beans wala tukda.

AnswerB

The clerk looks after the files.

searches for — look for
takes care of
despises — look down on
investigates — look into

Solution

after
sambhalna. for / down / into alag ghar. file / bachcha.

AnswerB

He submitted the form at the eleventh hour.

at 11 o’clock
at the last moment
in good time / early
once a year

Solution

Time
aakhri pal. clock 11 nahi. nick of time = just-saved; yahan late-late submit. blue moon = kam baar.

AnswerB

The file was delayed by red tape in the secretariat.

a red ribbon
official formalities / bureaucratic delay
danger signal
celebration

Solution

Daftar
jhanjhat. ribbon picture. bureaucracy OWS hukumat-prakar; yahan uski delay-phrase.

AnswerB

crocodile tears means?

a reptile crying
false sorrow
heavy rain — cats and dogs
fear of water — hydrophobia OWS

Solution

Animal
jhootha dukh. rain alag idiom. OWS dar alag extra.

AnswerB

Hindi «नाक कटना» ka calque “cut the nose” this extra pe tick?

Haan, same page word-by-word
Nahi — muhavare Hindi; yahan English tukda (lose face paper kam; diya idiom padho)
Yeh PQRS hai
Yeh tag hai

Solution

Do bhasha
Devanagari extra wahan. Translate mat.

AnswerB

Q10

“One who hates mankind is a misanthrope.” Yeh idioms extra hai?

Haan, hates = idiom
Nahi — OWS (definition → naam); yahan kick the bucket / red tape
Cloze famous for
Passage title — RC

Solution

Fence
Q10 OWS pe idiom tha. Title/inference RC pe.

AnswerB

Practice

Ye dus alag kone hain — upar wale dus ki nakal nahi.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

He visits Amer Fort once in a blue moon.

every full moon
very rarely
at the eleventh hour
in no time

Solution

kam baar
chand-science nahi. Q6 last-moment alag. in no time = jaldi.

AnswerB

The typing test was put off till Monday.

cancelled — call off
postponed
put on the table
switched off

Solution

till Monday
date shift = postpone. Q3 call off cancel. till = baad mein hoga.

AnswerB

He is the black sheep of the office.

dark horse — unexpected winner
disgrace of the group
hard worker — midnight oil
a clerk — OWS

Solution

Colour + animal
kalank. dark horse jeet. Q8 crocodile alag animal.

AnswerB

Get the order in black and white.

printed in two colours
in writing
red tape
orally

Solution

likh kar
documentary. Q7 red tape delay. colour-print picture nahi.

AnswerB

The clerk burnt the midnight oil before the exam.

wasted kerosene
worked / studied late at night
called it a day
set the office on fire

Solution

raat-kaam
oil picture nahi. call it a day = band. exam stem.

AnswerB

The committee turned down his application.

lowered the volume
rejected
turned up — arrived
accepted

Solution

Sentence
application → reject. radio-volume tab jab radio ho. Q5 look-family alag.

AnswerB

Don’t let the cat out of the bag before the result.

release an animal
reveal the secret (often by mistake)
spill pulses — picture of Q4
look after a cat

Solution

raaz
Q4 beans bhi reveal. cat aksar galti-se. picture billi nahi.

AnswerB

Keep an eye on the stamp register.

turn a deaf ear
watch carefully
learn by heart
see eye to eye

Solution

nazar
deaf ear = ansunna. by heart = rato. eye to eye = sehamat. office register.

AnswerB

They left no stone unturned to find water in the Thar. Matlab?

collected stones — geography
tried every possible means
made a mountain of a molehill
a wild-goose chase only (bekaar, koshish-naap nahi)

Solution

koshish
har rasta. patthar GK nahi. molehill = baat badhana. goose = bekaar daud, “every means” nahi.

AnswerB

P10

Unseen passage: “A suitable title for the passage is…”. Yeh idioms extra hai?

Haan, title ek phrase hai
Nahi — Comprehension; yahan underlined tukda kick the bucket / red tape. Title/inference RC
One who misanthrope
arid = dry

Solution

Fence
Q10 OWS fence tha. Title/not-said RC pe.

AnswerB