Most Common Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

 

Written by: Prof Qasin Nazar

contact: 0334-8073431

IDIOMS AND PHRASAL VERBS

Sr. no	Idiom	Meaning	Sentence
1	A bad debt	نا قا بل واپسی قرض	A bad debt is not normally paid back.
2	A black sheep	برا شحص	He is the black sheep of this organization .
3	A bone of contention	فسا د کی جڑ	Kashmir is a bone of contention between India and Pakistan.
4	A dark horse	چھپا رستم	A dark horse can cause any upset.
5	Add fuel to fire	جلتی پر تیل ڈالنا	His bitter remarks added fuel to fire.
6	A dead letter	تر ک شدہ قانون	Marshal law should be a dead letter in Pakistan.
7	An axe to grind	ذاتی فائدہ	He always has his personal axe to grind in every matter.
8	At a stone through	قریب	My college is at a stone through from my house.
9	At arm's length	دور رکھنا	We should keep bad friends at arm's length.
	A better half	جیون ساتھی	His better half is a nice  lady.
10	At large	آزاد	The prisoner is at large.
11	At sixes and sevens	بے ترتیب	Everything in the room was at sixes and sevens.
12	At the eleventh hour	آخری لمحات	He reached the college at the eleventh hour.
13	A narrow escape	بال با ل بچنا	He had a narrow escape from an accident.
14	At home in	ماہر ہونا	He is at home in his subject.
15	A bed of roses	پھولوںکی سیج	Life is not a bed of roses.
16	A bed of thorns	کانٹوںکی سیج	Life is a bed of thorns.
17	A casting vote	فیصلہ کن ووٹ	The casting vote of the speaker decided the matte.
18	A fish out of water	بے چین	I am like a fish out of water in these  days.
19	A curtain lecture	بیوی کی جھڑکیاں	He felt insulted by a curtain lecture.
20	A far cry	طویل فاصلہ	Sialkot is a far cry from Karachi.
21	A white elephant	خزانے پر بوجھ	The car proved a white elephant for him.
22	A red letter day	خوشی کا دن	Eid Milad-ul-Nabi(saw) is the red letter day for the Muslims.
23	A man of parts	خوبیوں والا آدمی	Allama Iqbal was a man of parts.
24	A hard nut to crack	مشکل کام	To end poverty is a hard nut to crack.
25	A rainy day	مشکل وقت	We should save something for the rainy day.
26	A rolling stone	نا قابل اعتماد شخص	A rolling stone gathers no moss.
27	A sugar daddy	نوجوانوںکو تحفہ دینے والا	She does not like a sugar daddy man.
28	A rotten egg	گندا انڈا	A rotten egg destroys the others.
29	Above board	شک سے بالا تر	Your honesty is above board.
30	Add insult to injury	زخموںپر نمک ڈالنا	His bitter remarks added insult to injury.
31	An apple of discord	فساد کی جڑ	Kashmir is an apple of discord between Pakistan and India.
32	All in all	مکمل طور پر	The Principal is all in all in the college.
33	An eye wash	دکھاوا	Wealth is an eye wash.
34	At daggers drown	دشمن ہونا	The two brothers are at daggers drown.
35	Act for	کسی کی جگہ کام کرنا	He is acting for the director.
36	Act upon	عمل کرنا	We should act upon the advice of our parents.
37	Apple pie order	ترتیب کے ساتھ	She keeps everything in apple pie order in her room.
38	Back out	وعدےسے پھرنا	He backed out of his promise at the last moment.
39	Bad blood	دشمنی	There is no bad blood between Pakistan and China.
40	Bag and baggage	بوریا بسترسمیت	Get out my house bag and baggage.
41	Bring about	وجہ بننا	His carelessness brought about his failure.
42	Bring forth	پیدا کرنا	The trees bring forth new leaves in the spring.
43	Bear with	برداشت کرنا	Bear with her in her difficult time.
44	Bear out	تصدیق کرنا	The report bears out my hard work.
45	Believe in	یقین کرنا	The Muslim believes in one God.
46	Belong to	تعلق ہونا	Who does this watch belong to?
47	Blow out	بجھا نا	The wind blew up the candle.
48	Blow up	دھماکے سے اڑانا	They blew up the bridge.
49	Break into	نقب لگانا	The house was broken into by the burglars.
50	Break of f	توڑنا	Piece of rock broke off and fell into the river.
51	Break out	پھوٹ پڑنا	Cholera has broken out in the city.
52	Break up	منقطع کرنا	The meeting broke up in confusion.
53	Bring up	پرورش کرنا	She brought up her children.
54	Burn down	جلا دینا	The crowd burnt down the building.
55	Break through	نقب لگا نا	The thieves broke through the back wall of my house.
56	Beat about the bush	ادھرادھرکی باتیں کرنا	Don’t beat about the bush and come to the point.
57	Birds of a feather	ہم جنس	Birds of a feather flock together.
58	A bolt from the blue	ناگہانی آفت	His father’s death was a bolt from the blue for him.
59	Break down	خراب ہونا	The bus broke down on the road.
60	Bring home	احساس دلانا	He brought home to his student.
61	Bring to book	جواب طلبی کرنا	Criminals must be brought to book.
62	Burning question	اہم مسلہ	Corruption is a burning issue in these days.
63	Bury the hatchet	دفن کرنا/ختم کرنا	Let’s bury the hatchet and be friends again.
64	By hook or by crook	جائزو نا جائز	He wants to pass  the exam by hook or by crook.
65	Bird’s eye view	سر سری جائزہ	We had a birds eye view of Lahore from Minar-e- Pakistan.
66	Bosom friend	گہرا دوست	These two boys are bosom friends.
67	Blue blood	اعلی  نسب	He belongs to a blue blood family.
68	By leaps and bounds	دن دوگنی رات چوگنی	Pakistan is making progress by leaps and bounds.
69	Broken reed	نا قابل اعتماد	Qamar  is a broken reed man.
70	Burn’s boats	واپسی کا راستہ ختم کرنا	Tariq bin Ziyad burnt his boats.
71	Burn one’s fingures	نقصان اٹھانا	You will burn your fingures by mixing with wrong people.
72	Burn candle at both ends	فضول خرچی کرنا	We should not burn the candle at both ends.
73	By and large	مجموعی طور پر	By and large he is a gentle man.
74	By fits and starts	بے قائدگی سے	Pakistan is making progress by fits starts.
75	By and by	آہستہ آہستہ	They became close friends by and by
76	Call in	گھر بلانا	Please call in the doctor because I am ill.
77	Carry the day	جیتنا	Pakistan cricket team carried the day.
78	Call off	ملتوی کرنا	The workers called of the strike.
79	Carry too far	برھانا	Don’t carry your differences too far.
80	Carry weight	وزن رکھنا	Your argument does not carry weight.
81	Carry on	جاری رکھنا	I can’t carry on with him anymore .
82	Carry out	تعمیل کرنا	We should carry out the advice of our parent.
83	Cast pearls before swine	بھینس کے آگے بین بجانا	There is no use to cast pearls before swine.
84	Cat and dog life	زلت کی زندگی	He  is leading a cat and dog life after his marriage.
85	Call in question	شک کرنا	Nobody can call his honesty in question.
86	Call name	گالیاں دینا	It is not good habit to call names of others.
87	Call to mind	یاد کرنا	I call to mind the names of my old students.
88	Catch at straw	ڈوبتے کو تنکے کا سہارا	Drowning man catches at a straw.
89	Cock and bull story	فرضی کہانی	She told me a cock and bull story.
90	Come to blows	ہاتھا پائی پر اتر آنا	They exchanged hot words and then came to blows.
91	Crocodile tears	جھوٹھے آنسو	She is shedding crocodile tears.
92	Cry for the moon	نا ممکن  چیز کی خواہش کرنا	Don’t cry for the moon and work hard.
93	Come to grief	افسردہ	He has come to grief due to his misdeed.
94	Close fisted man	کنجو س	He is a close fisted man.
95	Come across	اچانک ملا قات ہونا	He came across to me after a long time.
96	Come about	واقع ہونا	His accident came about last evening.
97	Come of	تعلق ہونا	He comes of a noble family.
98	Come by	ہاتھ لگنا	She came by her new house.
99	Come of age	بالغ ہونا	She will come of age next week.
100	Cry over spilt milk	بے کار  پچھتاوا	It is useless to cry over spilt milk.
101	Cut a sorry figure	نقصا ن اٹھانا	Work hard otherwise you will have to cut a sorry figure.
102	Desire for	خواہش کرنا	He has a strong desire for money.
103	Die in harness	کام کرتےکرتے مرنا	Hakim Mohammad Saeed died in harness.
104	Differ from	مختلف	His habits differ from that of his brother.
105	Do away with	ختم کرنا	We should do away with our bad habits.
106	Double- faced	منافق	Gandhi was a double faced man.
107	Drawn game	ہار جیت کے بغیر	I saw a drawn game yesterday.
108	To egg on	اکسانا	She egged  on him to steal the book.
109	End in smoke	دھویں  اڑانا	His business ended in smoke.
110	Every inch	مکمل	He is sincere every inch with nation.
111	Child’s play	بچوںکا کھیل	To pass B.A. is not child’s play
112	Eat one’s words	الفاظ واپس لینا	He had to eat his own words.
113	Face the music	تنقید کا سامنا کرنا	Work hard otherwise you will have to face the music.
114	Fair weather friend	مطلبی دوست	Fair weather friends leave in the lurch.
115	Fall in with	متفق ہونا	She fell in with my suggestion at last.
116	Few and far between	کبھی کبھار	Soni meets me few and far between.
117	First and foremost	سب سے اہم	The first and foremost duty of a teacher is to teach.
118	For good	ہمیشہ کیلئے	He has left the city for good.
119	Fall a prey to	شکار ہونا	A young man falls an easy prey to bad habits.
120	Fall out	جھگڑنا	The two friends fell out of each other.
121	Fall in love	محبت میں گرفتار ہونا	She fell in love with her cousin and married him.
122	Find fault with	نقص نکالنا	He finds fault with everyone.
123	Flesh and blood	رشتہ دار	My flesh and blood supported me in my difficult time.
124	Fall away	بھاگ جانا/علیحدہ ہونا	Fair weather friend falls away in misery.
125	Fall in	قطار بنا نا	The soldiers had fallen in.
126	Fall through	نکام ہونا	Unfortunately the scheme fell through.
127	Fill in	مکمل کرناا	Please fill in this form.
128	Foul play	غلط کام	I don’t like foul play in my life.
129	For want of	کمی کی وجہ سے	The project failed for want of money.
130	French leave	بغیر اطلاع کے چھٹی	He has gone on French leave.
131	Get over	قابو پانا	I shall get over my problem soon.
132	Get rid of	نجات پانا	We should get rid of bad friends.
133	Get through	کامیا ب ہونا	He wants to get through in exams by hook or by crook.
134	Gift of the gab	تقریر کی قابلیت رکھنا	Quid- e Azam had the gift of the gab.
135	Give away	تقسیم کرنا	The principal gave away the prizes.
136	Give in	ہار مان لینا	The terrorists gave in at last.
137	Give oneself airs	بے جا فخر کرنا	He gives himself airs on his father post.
138	Go to the wall	شکست کھانا	He went to the wall in the competition.
139	Gird up one’s lions	کمر کسنا	We should always gird up our lions.
140	Give up the ghost	مرجانا	The old man gave up the ghost at last.
141	Give vent to	اظہار کرنا	The old man gave vent to his sorrow and began to cry.
142	Go hand in hand	ساتھ ساتھ چلنا	Good and evil go hand in hand in life.
143	Go through fire and water	ہر مشکل کا سا منا کرنا	I shall go through fire and water for your sake.
144	Go to the pieces	خراب ہونا	His health has gone to the  pieces.
145	Go to the dogs	تباہ ہونا	After the death of his father his business went to the dogs.
146	Get up	اٹھنا	I get up early in the morning.
147	Go away	چھوڑکرجانا	Are you going away for your holiday?
148	Go through	معائنہ کرنا	The doctor went through her case carefully.
149	Hand over	حوالے کرنا	He handed over the books to his friend.
150	Hold on	انتظار کرنا	Please hold on for a moment.
151	Hair-breadth-escape	بال بال بچنا	He had a hair breadth escape from an accident.
152	Hit below the belt	نا جائز وار کرنا	It is not good habit to hit below the belt.
153	Hue and cry	شور و غوغا	There was a great hue and cry in the street.
154	To go back upon ones words	وعدے سے پھرنا	Never go back on your words.
155	Hand in glove with	شیر و شکر ہونا	I and my friend are hand in glove with.
156	Hard and fast	بہت واضع اور سخت	No hard and fast rules are observed in our country.
157	Heart and soul	دل وجان	I love my country with heart and soul.
158	Hit upon	خیال آنا	He hit upon the perfect title for his new book.
159	In black and white	لکھا ہوا	Put your contract in black and white.
160	In consequence of	نتیجے کے طور پر	He could not appear in the exams in consequence of illness.
161	In full swing	جوبن پر/عروج	The party was in ful swing.
162	In cold blood	سفاکی سے	The girl was murdered in cold blood.
163	In the long run	اخر کار	Hard work wins in the long run.
164	In the nick of tome	عین وقت پر	He caught the bus in the nick of time.
165	In a nut shell	مختصر	I discuss all topics of this book in a nut shell.
166	In hot water	مصیبت میں	He is in hot awter because of a big loss.
167	In short	مختصر	In short , he worked hard and succeeded.
167	In teeth of	کی بجائے	I shall help you in the teeth of all opposition.
168	Keep an eye on	نظر رکھنا	A teacher keeps an eye on the naughty students.
169	Keep the wolf from the door	فاقوںسے بچنا	The poor man cannot keep the wolf from the door.
170	Kith and kin	رشتہ دار	We should help our poor kith and kin.
171	Kick up a row	جھگڑنا	The player kicked up a row and left the match.
172	Kick the bucket	مرجانا	The old patient kicked the bucket at lost.
173	Kill two birds with one stone	ایک تیر سے دو شکار	Politicians often kill two birds with one stone.
174	Lame excuses	جھوٹےبہانے	Don’t give lame excuses for your absence.
175	Lay by	بچا کر رکھنا	Lay by your money for the future.
176	Laughing-stock	مذاق کا نشانہ	Anwar Masood’s  poetry is not a laughing stock.
177	Lick the dust	خاک چٹانا	Work hard otherwise you will have to lick the dust.
178	Leave in lurch	مصیبت میں چھوڑجانا	Fair weather friends leave in lurch.
179	Leave no stone unturned	کوئی کسر اٹھا نہ چھوڑنا	I left no stone  unturned to win first position.
180	Let down	نیچا دیکھانا	Don’t try to let him down.
181	Let in	اجازت دینا	They let in the ticket holders.
182	Look after	دیکھ بھال کرنا	She looks after her children.
183	Look for	تلاش کرنا	What are you looking for in my room?
184	Pick out	چننا	Pick out the right option in this question.
185	Pull down	گرانا	Old buildings were pulled down in city.
186	Put off	ملتوی کرنا	I have put off my visit to Lahore.
187	Put on	پہننا	He put on a black coat.
188	Let the cat out of the bag	راز کھولنا	He is respected because he never lets the cat out of the bag.
189	Look forward to	آگے دیکھنا	I am looking forward to a better Pakistan.
190	Make good	مقصد حاصل کرنا	Everybody wants to make good these days.
191	Nip the evil in the bud	جڑسے ختم کرنا	We should nip the evil in the bud.
192	Make clean breast of	اعتراف کرنا	The thief made a clean breast  of his crim.
193	Make one’s mark	نام بنانا	He has made his Mark as a teacher.
194	Neck and neck	برابری پر	Both the wrestlers fought neck and neck.
195	Null and void	کلعدم	The contract was declared null and avoid.
196	Off and on	کبھی کبھار	He visits me off and on.
197	Now or never	اب نہی تو کبھی نہی	It is a matter of now or never.
198	Off hand	بغیر تیاری	He made a speech off hand.
199	On the air	نشریات	Our program will be on the air tomorrow.
200	Once in blue moon	کبھی کبھار	He visits me once in blue moon.
201	Out and out	پورے کا پورا	What she said was an out and out truth.
202	Over head and ear	سر سے پاوں تک	He is over head and ears in difficulties.
203	Pass away	مر جانا	Her grandmother passed away last night.
204	Put the cart before the horse.	الٹ کام کرنا	Don’t put the cart before the horse if you want to succeed. Muhammad Qasim 0334-8073431
205	Part and parcel	اہم جز	Happiness and sorrow are part and parcel in the life.
206	Pay through the nose	خمیازہ بھگتنا	Work hard otherwise you have to pay through the nose.
207	Play the double game	دوہرا کھیل کھیلنا	All Pakistani politicians play the double game and befool the nation.
208	Play truant	پڑھائی سے بھاگنا	I often played truant from the school.
209	Poke one’s nose	مداخلت کرنا	Don’t poke your nose in my affairs.
210	Pull a long face	منہ چڑھانا	He pulled a long face at my remarks.
211	Rank and file	عام لوگ	The rank and file of the country want peace.
212	Red handed	رنگے ہاتھ	The thieves were caught red handed.
213	Root and branch	مکمل جڑسے	This evil system must be destroyed root and branch.
214	Run after	تعا قب کرنا	The police man ran after the thief.
215	Run away	بھاگ جانا	He ran away from Lahore.
216	Send for	بلانا	The old man sent for his sons.
217	Set up	قائم کرنا	He set up a new record in sports.
218	Red tape	دفتری کاروائی	Red tape is the root of bribery in our country.
219	Split hair	بال کی کھال اتارنا	He always splits hair even in small matters.
220	Storm in a tea cup	معمولی بات پر جھگڑا	The strike was on the storm in a tea cup.
221	To the back bone	پوری طرح	He is an honest man to the back boon.
222	Set in motion	حرکت میںلانا	They set the machinery in motion.
223	A jail birds	عا دی مجرم	Anwar is a jail bird.
224	Set to work	کام کا آغاز کرنا	I will have to set to work on this project soon.
225	To show the white feather.	بزدلی دکھانا	A brave man never shows the white feather.
226	Small talk	گپ شپ	I wasted my evening in small talk.
227	Spick and span	صاف ستھرا	She keeps her room spick and span.
228	Take a fancy	پسند کرنا	She took a fancy to the house and bought it.
229	Take in	دھوکہ دینا	We should not take in our friends.
230	Tooth and nail	پوری طا قت سے	He fought tooth and nail against the thieves.
231	Turn a deaf ear to	توجہ نا کرنا	A bad student turns a deaf his ears to his teacher’s advice.
232	Turn turtle	الٹ جانا	The bus turned turtle on the road.
233	Blessing in disguise	زحمت میں رحمت	The rain proved blessing in disguise for the crops.
234	Take ones time	تسلی سے کام کرنا	Take your time there is no hurry in making a decision.
235	Take to heart	دل پر لگانا	Don’t take my warning to heart.
236	Talk shop	کاروباری گفتگو	He always talks shop and makes us angry.
237	Tell upon	برا اثر پڑنا	The hard work is telling upon her health.
238	The lion’s share	بڑا حصہ	He got the lion’s share from his father’s property.
239	Through thick and thin	اچھے اور برے وقت	She is always with me through thick and thin.
240	Time and again	بار بار	I asked her time and again not to do that.
241	To be taken aback	حیران رہ جانا	She was taken aback by the fame she got.
242	To be well off	آسائش میں ہونا	You do not know when you are well off.
243	To break the ice	خاموشی توڑنا	Who will break the ice in the class room?
244	To burn the mid night oil	سخت محنت کرنا	He is burning mid night oil to get through in exam.
245	To break the news	اہم خبر	He broke the news of his wife’s death.
246	To call a spade a spade	صاف صاف بات کرنا	A brave man can call a spade a spade.
247	To cast a spell	جادو کرنا	Her voice cast a spekk on me.
248	Take down	لکھنا	He always takes down notes.
249	Take off	اتارنا	Please take off your dirty shoes.
250	Turn down	مسترد کرنا	His application was turned down.
251	Wind up	ختم کرنا	The principal wound up the meeting.
252	Come to light	روشنی ڈالنا	Truth will come to light at last.
253	Go off	گولی کا چلنا	The gun went off suddenly.
254	To look sharp	جلدی کرنا	Bring me the book and look sharp about it.
255	To live from hand to mouth	بامشکل گزارہ کرنا	The poor live from hand to mouth .
256	To make amends for	تلافی کرنا	Always try to make amends for your faults.
257	Make up	پورا کرنا	Try to make up your loss in studies.
258	To pocket the insult	بےعزتی برداشت کرنا	She cannot pocket the insult  at any case.
259	put by	بچانا	He put by some money for future.
260	Put up with	گزارا کرنا	She cant put up with me any more.
261	To round up	مختصر جائزہ	I don’t like to round up the match.
262	Run out	ختم ہونا	The traveler ran out of water.
263	To see eye to eye	متفق ہونا	She does not see eye to eye with him.
264	See off	الوداع	I saw her off at the air port.
265	Sit on the fence	فیصلہ نہ کر پانا	She is still sitting on the fence about her future.
266	Stand by	ساتھ دینا	He always stands by me in my difficulties.
267	Stand on ceremony	تکلف کرنا	She always stands on ceremony with me.
268	A man of letters	عالم فاضل	Allama Iqbal was a man of letters.
269	Take to task	تنقید کرنا	He was taken to take for his misconduct.
270	Turn over a new leaf	نیا آغازکرنا	He has turned over a new leaf after his marriage.
271	Under a cloud	مصیبت میں	Fair weather friends leave under a cloud.
272	In a fix	مصیبت میں	Fair weather friends leave in a fix.
273	A wild goose chase	بے کا ر	It is a wild goose chase to think of success without hard work.
274	Ups and downs	اتار چڑھاو	Every business has its own ups and downs.
275	Aladdin’s lamp	الہ دین کا  چراغ	Money is Aladdin’s lamp it can do anything.
276	Alpha and omega	اول آخر	I know the alpha and omega of this business. Muhammad Qasim 0334-8073431