Naeem Series By Naeem Akhtar (M.A. English PU, M.

Com PU) 03344185053

Notes
On
Important
Idioms
&
Phrasal verbs

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Naeem Series By Naeem Akhtar (M.A. English PU, M.Com PU) 03344185053

IDIOMS
A bird's eye view (a general view) The police had a bird's eye view of the spot.
A black sheep (a man with a bad repute) We call him a black sheep due to bad manners.
Above board(beyond doubt) His honesty is above board.
A far cry (a long way) It is a far cry from Narowal to Lahore.
A dead letter (law not effective) This law is only a dead letter in Pakistan.
A white elephant (burden) This old car is a white elephant for him.
A royal road (easy way) There is no royal road to glory.
A rainy day (difficult time) We should try to save some money for a rainy day.
A laughing stock (object of ridicule) He always becomes a laughing stock in the class.
A burning question (a critical matter) Inflation is a burning question of the year.
Apple pie order (in complete order) His room is in apple pie order.
At sixes and sevens (not in order) His books are lying at sixes and sevens.
A bird of passage (migratory) A bird of passage has no permanent address.
A lion's share (largest part of anything) He received a lion’s share of his father’s property.
A leap in the dark (doubtful attempt) The new plan is only a leap in the dark.
A maiden speech (first speech) It is his maiden speech.
A red letter day (a momentous day) March 23, is a red letter day for Pakistan.
A fair weather friend (selfish friend) His companions are fair weather friends.
A Wild-goose chase (a futile search) It is a wild-goose chase to find the lost car.
Apple of discord (cause of contention) This car is an apple of discord between two brothers.
A bone of contention (reason of enmity) This car is a bone of contention between two brothers.
A rotten/bad egg (evil man) He proved to be a rotten egg for his friends.
At the eleventh hour (at the last moment) Police reached at the eleventh hour and saved his life.
An eye wash (a pretence) His offer to help is just an eye wash.
Add insult to injury (to aggravate) His way of talking added insult to my injury.
All and sundry (everybody) Give away the sweets among all and sundry.
Add fuel to the fire (instigate/incite) The opposition parties are adding fuel to the fire.
At daggers drawn (have bad blood) Both the parties are at daggers drawn.
At arm’s length (keep away) Keep bad boys at arm’s length.
A man of parts(leaned) My teacher is a man of parts
A blue stocking (a showy woman) Ayesha is a blue stocking.
Black sheep (an evil mannered) Smugglers are the black sheep of the society.
Bell the cat (take a risk or dare to act) Who will bell the cat by reporting against him?
Break the news (to give information) The Major broke the news of the war.
Bury the hatchet (to stop quarrelling) He buried the hatchet to become friends again.
Birds of a feather (people of same sort) Birds of a feather flock together.
Blow hot and cold (having no clear view point)He is a fickle. He always blows hot and cold.
Bolt from the blue (God’s act) Flood proved to be a bolt from the blue for me.
Burn midnight oil (work hard) He burnt midnight oil to get success.
Burn one’s fingers (to bear loss) He burnt his fingers for his misdeeds
Burn the candle at both ends He burnt the candle at both ends and ruined.
Build castle in the air (to boast of) He builds castles in the air and does nothing.
Bring to book (to call to account) A criminal was brought to book.
Broken reed (trustless person) Do not depend upon him as he is a broken reed.
Better half (wife) She is my better half.
Bring to light (to expose) The murder was brought to light.
Bad blood (feelings of revenge) There is a bad blood between Ali And Shahid.
By fits and starts (not seriously) He who works by fists and starts seldom succeed.
By hook or by crook (by fair or foul way) Ali wants to get the job by hook or by crook.
Break the ice (to overcome shyness) Naeem broke the ice when every body was silent.
Bag and baggage (with all belongings) He left his house bag and baggage.
By leaps and bounds (rapidly) Japan has made progress by leaps and bounds.

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By and by (gradually) He comes round his wife by and by.

Beat about the bush (to talk irrelevantly) Don’t beat about the bush and come to the point.
Crocodile tears (hypocritical tears) The thief sheds crocodile tears before the police.
Catch at a straw (to get support) A drowning man catches at a straw.
Cock and bull story (fabricated story ) I don’t believe in his cock and bull story.
Come to blows ( start quarrel ) Both abused each other and came to blows.
Casting vote (decisive vote) My vote proved to be a casting vote.
Call a spade a spade (to be truthful) Our leader always calls a spade a spade.
Call in question (to object) Parents love cannot be called in question.
Call names(to abuse) He has a bad habit of calling names.
Carry the day (to win) After a long struggle, Pakistan carried the day.
Carry weight (carry importance) His arguments carry weight.
Cat’s paw (to be used as a tool) Ali is cat’s paw in the hand s of his manager.
Cold war (open enmity with out fighting) There is a cold war between husband and wife.
Come to terms (come to agreement) At last, they had to come to terms.
Cut a sorry figure (to feel shame He cut a sorry figure at his maiden speech.
Capital punishment (death sentence) The terrorists deserve capital punishment.
Cry wolf ( to spread rumor) Those who cry wolf are never respected.
Curry favour (to praise for benefit) He always tries to curry favour with his boss.
Dutch courage (courage from being drunk) She does not like his Dutch courage.
Double faced ( hypocrite) I cannot accept your double faced policy.
Do a good turn to ( be helpful) He always does a good turn to others.
Dance attendance on (to do what one likes) He always dances attendance on his boss.
Dark horse (A person with hidden abilities) Ali proved to be a dark horse on getting good marks.
Die in harness (to continue to the last) Ali remained busy in work and died in harness.
Every inch (completely) He is every inch a knave.
End in smoke ( go useless) His business ended in smoke due to his misdeeds.
Eat one’s words ( to back out) An honest man does not eat his words.
Flesh and blood (human nature) It is just flesh and blood to get money.
Fair play (just dealing) I believe in fair play.
Fall prey to (become victim of) He fell a prey to a beautiful woman
Foul play (unfair) I don’t believe in foul play.
Find fault with (to criticize) He is in habit of finding fault in every matter.
Flog a dead horse (useless effort) It is useless to flog a dead horse.
Fish out of water (to be unease at new place) He feels like a fish out water at his new job.
Face the music (face the result) He has to face the music for his misdeeds.
Fall in love with (love) She has fallen in love with Ali.
Fall in with (meet) I fell in with the manager in the meeting.
For want of (running short of) His car stopped on the way for want of oil
For good (forever) Ali has left the city for good.
Few and far between (rarely) His visits here are few and far between.
French leave (to leave without notice) He is on french leave today.
Feather one's nest (to enrich oneself ) The rulers always try to feather their nest.
Get rid of (to leave) He should try to get rid of the Americans.
Go to the dogs (be ruined) He will go to the dogs for his misdeeds.
Go to the walls (to be unsuccessful/fail) He will go to the walls for not working hard.
Give oneself airs (to boast of) He gives himself airs for his wealth.
Gift of gab (gift of speech) The Quaid had great gift of gab.
Hard and fast (strict) There are no hard and fast rules in our society.
Hit below the belt (treat unfairly) The candidate hit below the belt to win the election.
Hue and cry (raise an alarm) There was a great hue and cry in the meeting.
Hand in glove (very close) They are hand in glove with each other.
House of cards ( a plan that will fail) Our current political system is a house of cards.
In full swing (to the climax) Spring season is in full swing.

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In short (in brief) In short, I shall stand by you.

In the long run ( in the end) In the long run, our team won the match.
In the teeth of ( besides opposition) We went to meet him in the teeth of heavy rain.
Ins and outs (all the details) I know the ins and out of this matter.
Iron will ( very strong determination) Quaid-e-Azam was a man of iron will.
In the air (spreading of information) It is in the air that you have married.
In a fix (in dilemma, awkward situation) He is in a fix for his misdeeds.
In black and white (to put down) We should get the terms in black and white.
In the nick of time (at the eleventh hour) He shut down the computer in the nick of time.
Keep up appearances(an outward show) He keeps up appearances through thick and thin.
keep at arm's length (to keep others away) He keeps himself at arm's length from others.
Kith and kin(relatives) The innocent Iraqis have lost their kith and kin.
Kick the bucket (pass away) The old man kicked the bucket last night.
Keep abreast of (keeping in touch) We should keep abreast of modern technology.
Let the cat out of bag ( to disclose) In the long run, he let the cat out of bag before me.
Leave no stone unturned (try every means) He left no stone unturned to help his friend.
Leave in the lurch (leave in difficulty) We should never leave bur friends in the lurch.
Lick the dust (lick) After all, the enemy will have to lick the dust.
Look down upon (to hate) We should not look down upon the poor.
Make fun of (to laugh at) Don’t make fun of others.
Make both ends meet (to be in one’s income)A poor man hardly makes both ends meet.
Make a clean breast of (to confess) The accused make clean breast of his crime
Make amends for (to make penance for) He makes amends for his past misdeeds.
Make good (to compensate) The insurance company will make good my loss.
Make one’s mark (to earn fame) He made his mark as a poet
Move heaven and earth (to struggle hard) He moved heaven and earth to get a job
Null and void (cancelled) The old trade laws have become null and void.
Nip in the bud (remove from the beginning) Nip the evil in the bud.
Off hand (with out preparation) He delivered his speech off hand.
Out and out (thoroughly) Jamil is out and out rude.
Off and on (now and then) He visits me off and on. /now and then.
Once in a blue moon (rarely) He visits me once in a blue moon.
Over head and ears (completely in debt) He is in debt over head and ears.
On the eve of (on the occasion of ) He met me on the eve of Eid.
Necessary evil ( an un-avoided evil) War is a necessary evil.
Narrow escape (close shave) He had a narrow escape from accident yesterday.
Part and parcel (inseparable) Man and woman are part and parcel for each other.
Play ducks and drakes ( to spend lavishly) He plays ducks and drakes with his father money.
Prose and cons (favorable & unfavorable) I know the pros and cons of this matter.
Play with fire (dangerous play) It is not good to play with fire.
Pay back in the same coin (tit for tat) He abused me and I paid back him in the same coin.
Pocket an insult (bear insult silently) He pocketed insult and went home.
Poke one’s nose (to interfere) Don’t poke your nose in my affairs.
Poison one’s ears (to make someone against) She poisons her husbands ears
Play truants (to run from school) He often plays truant from school.
Pull a long face (to get sad) He pulled a long face on my refusal to go there.
Pull one ‘s leg (to befool someone) Don’t pull your friends’ leg.
Pay through nose (face the music) You will have to pay through nose for your misdeeds.
Put the cart before horse (to do contrary) It is wrong to put the cart before horse.
Red tape (official delay due to Our officers suffer from red tape.
Read between the lines(to know the hidden) Be prudent and read between the lines
Rank and file(common people) He helps the rank and file.
Small talk (to gossip) After dinner, we made small talk.
Smell a rat (to smell danger) The thief smells a rat and ran away.

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Show white feather (show coward-ness) Don’t show white feather in fight.
Scot free (to be free completely) The thief got Scot free.
Split hair (to scrutinize) He is in habit of splitting hair.
Stand on ceremony (to be formal) Don’t stand on ceremony and feel at home.
Spick and span (neat and tidy) She keeps the house spick and span.
Spread like wild fire (spread very fast) The news of row spread like wild fire.
See eye to eye with (to get agree) He sees eye to eye with me in this matter.
Take to task (to reprove) The student was taken to task by the teacher.
Take ill (to mind) Don’t take my remarks ill.
Tell upon (break down) Hard work fell upon his health.
Talk shop (talk of one’s own business) He always talks shop.
Take one’s heals (run away) The thief took to his heal as he saw a police man.
Take to heart (take seriously) He has his failure to heart.
Taken aback (surprised) He was taken aback to see me there.
Turn over a new leaf(start life afresh) After marriage, she turned over a new leaf.
Turn a deaf ear to (not to listen) He turned a deaf ear to my advice.
Turn coat (disloyal/traitor) Don’t believe him as he is a turn coat.
Turn tail (to run away) The thief turned tail in darkness.
Turn turtle (to upside down) The bus turned turtle after accident.
Through thick and thin(through all sorts) I shall stand by you through thick and thin.
Throw dust in one’s eyes (to deceive) Children try to throw dust in their parents’ eyes.
Take fancy to (like some one) He has taken fancy to that girl.
To get wind of (to be informed of) He got wind of her marriage from his friend..
With heart and soul (fully) He does every thing with heart and soul.
Up to the mark (having reasonable) His performance in paper is up to the mark.
Under a cloud (to be dishonoured) The middle class always remains Under a cloud
Uphill/Herculean task (difficult task) It is not good to play with fire.
Wet blanket (discouraging person) He is a wet blanket.
Well off (to be rich) He is well off because his income is very high.
Wear and tear (depreciation) The wear and tear can be seen on this machinery.
Win laurels (to earn fame) Churchill won laurels in English literature.

PHRASAL VERBS
1. Bear out ( to confirm/certify) He bears out my honesty.
2. Belong to (come of) She belongs to a noble family.
3. Back out (dishonour commitment) An honest man does not back out of his words.
4. Bring home to (to explain) My teacher brings home to us all the points
5. Bring about(cause) What brought about your failure?
6. Bring up (to rear, to educate) He brought up her only daughter well.
7. Break down (stop functioning) His car broke down on the way.
8. Break away (to run away) The thief broke away from the jail.
9. Break out (to spread) The fire broke out. Or Cholera broke out in city.
10. Break into (enter violently) The thief broke into the house.
11. Break through (pass through) The thief broke through the crowd.
12. Call for (demand, need) Success calls for hard work.
13. Call in ( call for help) The nurse called in the doctor.
14. Call off (to stop something) The workers called off the strike.
15. Call to account (Call for explanation) The manager called the clerk to account.
16. Carry out (to execute orders) The Government will carry out the new policy.
17. Carry on ( to continue) He carried on working hard.
18. Come out (to appear) The new edition of this book has come out.
19. Come off (to happen) Our village fair will come off next Sunday.
20. Come across (meet by chance) I came across my old friend in the garden.

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21. Come round (to get round) He comes round his wife by arguments.
Comes of (have relation to) Ali comes of a great family.
Cast away ( to throw) He cast away his old books.
Cast down (be unhappy) He was cast down by his failure.
Cut short (be brief) Please cut the matter short as I am busy.
Cut down (to reduce) He cut down his expenditures.
Deal in (to do business) He deals in sugar.
Do away with (eradicate) We should do with injustice.
Die out (disappear) Many old customs are dying out gradually,
30. Drop off (to fall asleep) The patient has just dropped off.
31. Do up (to decorate) He did up his house with beautiful things.
32. Fall in with (happen to meet, agree to) Ali fell in with my views at once.
33. fall through (to fail) Some players are emotional and soon fall out.
34. fall off (to decrease) My income is falling off.
35. Go off (explode) The bomb went off in the Hall.
36. Get through (to succeed) You will get through by hard work.
37. Get at (reach, gain access to) I cannot get at the top position.
38. Get over(forget) Chips could never get over Katherine.
39. Go out (leave the room) Do you often go out riding?
40. Give away (distribute) The principal gave away the prizes.
41. Give in ( to yield) The enemy gave in.
42. Give up (to hand over) You should give bad habits.
43. Keep up with (go forward with You cannot keep with the class.
44. Lay by/put by/set aside ( to save) Lay be something for a rainy day.
45. Look down upon (to hate) We should not look down upon the beggars.
46. Look after ( to take care) He looks after her mother.
47. Look forward to ( to expect eagerly) I look forward to seeing you.
48. Look for (to search) He is looking for his lost book.
49. Make good (to compensate The company will make good our loss.
50. Make up for (Make up) (compensate) Hard work will make up for the loss.
51. Make out ( to understand) He easily made out my point of view.
52. Put off(to postpone) We should not put off any matter.
53. Put up with (endure; tolerate) Mr. Jinnah had to put up with many hardships.
54. Put down (to lower, to suppress) The police put down the crowd.
55. Put on(clothe) The manager put on his hat.
56. pass by ( to ignore) He always passes by my mistakes.
57. pass away(to die) The old man passed away last night.
58. part with (to do with out a thing) He cannot pass with his old car.
59. part from(to do with out a person) He cannot pass from his mother.
60. Set out (to start on a journey) Marco Polo set out for China in 1271.
61. Set off ( to start) We shall set off Lahore tomorrow.
62. Set in (to begin) Spring has set in.
63. Set up (to establish) He set up a new company.
64. See off (to depart with complements) He will see off the guests.
65. See through (to understand) I can see through your problem.
66. Stand out (to look prominent) His performance stands him out from others.
67. Stand for (to represent) He stands for intelligence.
68. Stand by (to support) I shall stand by you in the time of need.
69. Run short of (to fall short of) He ran short of money.
70. Run out (to finish) His money has run out.
71. Run over (knock down) The car ran over a beggar.
72. Send for (ask someone to go and bring) Please send for the doctor.
73. Take down (write) The reporters were taking down the news.
74. Take for (misunderstand) He took me for Ali.
75. Take to (to be accustomed to) He has taken to smoking.

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76. Take after (to be similar to) She takes after her mother.
77. Take into account (note, consider) The judge took my views into account.
78. Tell upon(on) (influence adversely) His hard work fell upon his health..
79. Turn down (refuse to consider) My case was turned down by the Board.
80. Turn up (arrive) The chief guest has not yet turned up.
81. Turn out/off ( extinguish) Please put out the light.
82. Write off (to cancel) I wrote off my loan.
83. Work out (to solve) He worked out the problem.

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