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| Arup Roy, Lecturer in English Language & Literature, Kanchkura University College |
J
To get the jitters (To get nervous):
- He got the jitters on being questioned by the police.
To hit the jackpot (To win a big prize):
- He became rich overnight as he hit the jackpot.
A jack of all trades (A person who can do many different kinds of work):
- He is a jack of all trades.
Jam-packed (Full to capacity):
- The hall was jam-packed.
K
To kowtow with someone (to behave slavishly):
- The honest man refused to kowtow with anyone.
Next of kin (Nearest relative):
- The railways announced compensation to the next of kin.
Killer instinct (A ruthless nature):
- The Indians lacked the killer instinct to win the match.
Dressed to kill (To dress impressively):
- She was dressed too at the party.
To keep body and soul together (To manage to exist somehow):
- The poor people barely can keep their bodies and soul together.
To keep the pot boiling (To keep things going):
- He asked him to keep the pot boiling till he returned from the hospital.
Keyed up (Roused, excited):
- He was all keyed up till the interview was over.
L
To win Laurels (To win glory):
- He won laurels for his school at the interschool athletic championship.
To toe the line (To follow instructions exactly):
- The press decided to toe the line of the government during the emergency.
To laugh in one's sleeve (To be secretly amused):
- He was laughing in his sleeves when he saw his opponents quibbling among themselves.
The long and the short (The substance of):
- The long and the short of the story is that honesty is the best policy.
Pull (someone's) leg (Make fun of someone):
- He got angry for his friend kept pulling his leg.
There's a many a slip twixt the cup and the lip (Thing can go wrong anytime):
- He thinks he will win the election but there is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.
M
To make a mountain out of a molehill (To exaggerate an unimportant matter):
- The newspapers have a habit of making a mountain out of a molehill.
A man of letters (A scholar):
- He is a man of letters.
Made to order (Made to individual requirement):
- His dress was made to order.
To make or mar (To succeed or fail):
- the youth can make or mar their future.
To steal a march upon (To gain an advantage over):
- By launching their popular program the star channel stole a march over their rivals.
To put words in one's mouth (To tell one what to say):
- The judge restrained the lawyer from putting words in the mouth of the witness.
N
In a nutshell (Briefly):
- He told him the incident in a nutshell.
To get on one's nerves (To make one irritated) :
- The crafty boy gets on my nerves.
To save one's neck (To save one's life):
- He told a lie to save his neck.
To lead someone by the nose (To make one do whatever he wants):
- She led her husband by the nose.
Null and void (Invalid):
- The court struck down the order as null and void.
To pay through the nose (To pay an excessive price) :
- The five-star hotel makes you pay through the nose.
Tooth and nail (Fiercely):
- They fought tooth and nail till the last man.
O
The order of the day (The current fashion):
- Corruption has become the order of the day.
A tall order (An unreasonable demand):
- Accepting the union's demand was a tall order for the management.
One-track mind (A mind preoccupied with one subject):
- He refuses to be serious for he has a one-track mind.
On and off (At intervals) :
- It has been snowing on and off for several days.
A tall order (A difficult request):
- It was indeed a tall order to achieve the target.
Out of the woods (Free from troubles):
References
Singh, M., & Singh, O. P. (2002). Art of Effective English Writing (New Edition, pp. 202–204). S. Chand & Company Limited.