CUETPRO

Idioms List

1. Achilles heel : weak spot, vulnerable point

2. A bolt from the blue : unexpected event
3. A cakewalk : an easy achievement
4. A damp squib : a disappointing result
5. A fool’s paradise : happiness based on false hopes
6. At loggerheads : in strong disagreement
7. Alma mater : institution where one got education
8. At a snail’s pace : slowly
9. A man of letters : a literary person, scholar
10.Barking up the wrong tree :trying to find someone at wrong place
11.Blow one’s own trumpet : self boasting
12.Bone of contention : matter of dispute
13.Bury the hatchet : to make peace/to stop being unfriendly and become friends again
14. Cry for the moon : an unattainable ambition
15. Capital punishment : death sentence
16. Carry the ball : be in charge
17. Couch potato : a person who prefers to watch television
18. Cut and dry method : completely decided
19.Draw a blank : find no favour
20. Fair and square : honest
21. Face the music : accept the punishment
22. Feather in one’s cap : an achievement
23.Gate crasher : uninvited guest
24.Get on nerves : annoying
25.Give a wide berth to : to stay away from or avoid someone
26.Grease the palm : to bribe
27.Gift of the gab : talent for speaking
28.Hit below the belt : to act unfairly
29.Hard and fast : that cannot be altered/fixed
30.Hold one’s horses : to restrain oneself
31. In a nutshell : briefly and concisely
32. In the loop : informed regularly
33. In the blues : cheerless and depressed
34. In apple pie order : in perfect order
35. Let the grass grow under the feet : delay in getting things done
36. Let sleeping dogs lie : not to bring up an old controversial issue
37. Let bygones be bygones : forget the unpleasant past
38. Let the cat out of the bag : to reveal secret unintentionally
39.Maiden speech : first speech
40.Make both ends meet : live within means
41.Make a beeline : rush/to go straight towards something as quick as you can
42.Null and void : invalid
43.Once in a bluemoon : rarely
44.Own flesh and blood : children
45.Out of one’s wits : greatly confused
46. Pulling one’s legs : befooling someone
47. Putting the cart before the horse : doing things in the wrong way
48.Reading between the lines : understand the hidden meaning
49. Rule the roost : to be the person in charge
50. Selling like hot cakes : to have a very good sale
51. Stir up a Hornet’s nest : to create a lot of trouble
52. Spill the beans : reveal the secret information
53. Swan song : last word/work of a person
54. Through thick and thin : in all circumstances
55. To add insult to injury : harm as well as humiliate
56. To break the ice : to start conversation
57. To cast pearls before a swine : to talk wisely before fools
58. To fish in troubled waters : to take advantage of one's own problem
59. The Alpha and Omega : beginning and the ending
60. To smell a rat : to suspect foul dealings
61. To die in harness : to die while in service
62. To play second fiddle : take a subordinate role
63. Under a cloud : under suspicion
64. Under the weather : sick
65. Wild goose chase : useless search

One word substitution

1. Accomplice : Partner in crime.
2. Acrophobia : fear of high places
3. Altruist : A person who devotes his/her life for the welfare of others.
4. Amateur : One who plays for pleasure rather than as a professional.
5. Ambidextrous : One who is able to use right hand and left hand equally well.
6. Ambiguous : Having more than one possible meaning.
7. Amnesia : Loss of memory.
8. Anarchist : One who believes in no government and therefore incites disorder in a state.
9. Apprentice : One who is learning by practical experience under a skilled worker.
10.Archive : A place where government / public records are kept.
11.Arsonist : A person who deliberately sets fire to a building.
12.Atheist : One who does not believe in the existence of God.
13.Autocracy : Government by one ruler who has unlimited power.
14.Autopsy : Examination of a dead body to find the cause of the death.
15.Bankrupt : One who is unable to pay one’s debt.
16.Bibliography : A list of books and writings about one author or one subject.
17.Bibliophile : One who loves books.
18.Bilingual : A person who is fluent in two languages.
19.Biopsy : A test in which cells from diseased organ are removed and tested.
20.Boutique : A small shop that sells fashionable clothes, cosmetics, etc.
21.Bureaucracy : A government by non-elective officials.
22. Calligrapher : A person who writes decoratively.
23. Camouflage : Concealment by means of disguise.
24. Cannibal : One who eats human flesh.
25. Carnivorous : Animals that eat flesh.
26. Cemetery : A large burial ground.
27. Chauffeur : A person who drives around in motor cars.
28. Chronological : Record of events in order of their occurrence.
29. Claustrophobia : fear of closed places
30. Constellation : A number of stars grouped together.
31. Cosmopolitan : Belonging to all parts of the world.
32.Demagogue : A political leader appealing to popular desires and prejudices.
33.Democracy : Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
34.Destitute : The state of being miserably deprived of all possessions.
35. Eavesdropper : One who secretly listens to conversations of others.
36. Economical : One who is careful in using resources.
37. Egoist : One who thinks or speaks too much of himself.
38. Emigrant : One who goes to settle in another country.
39. Epilogue : A speech often in verse addressed to the spectators after the conclusion of a
play.
40. Ethnology : Science of the race of mankind.
41. Eulogy : A writing or a speech in praise of someone who has recently died.
42. Euthanasia : Act of mercy killing.
43. Extravagant : A man who wastes his money on luxury.
44. Extempore : Spoken or done without preparation.
45. Fable : A story in which animals or objects speak and give wholesome moral lessons.
46. Fastidious : One who is not easily pleased by anything.
47. Feminist : One who believes in offering equal opportunities to men and women in all
spheres.
48.Gallant : A brave, noble – minded or chivalrous man.
49.Genocide : The act of killing a whole group of people, especially a whole race.
50. Gregarious : Living in groups.
51. Gullible : Easily duped or fooled.
52. Hanger : A building in which aircraft is housed.
53. Herbivorous : Animal that feeds on plants.
54. Homicide : Murder of a man.
55. Hydrophobia : fear of water
56. Hypocrite : One who pretends to be what he is not.
57. Illegible : That which cannot be easily read.
58. Incorrigible : One who cannot be corrected.
59. Inedible : Not suitable for eating.
60. Infanticide : Killing of a baby.
61. Intruder : A person who enters without any invitation.
62. Insomnia : Inability to sleep.
63. Invincible : That which cannot be defeated.
64. Itinerary : Detailed plan of a journey.
65. Immigrant : A person coming to a foreign land to settle there.
66. Kleptomania : a compulsive desire to steal
67. Laxative : A medicine that relaxes the bowels.
68. Malleable : Something capable of being easily shaped.
69. Manuscript : A paper written by hand.
70. Misanthrope : One who hates mankind.
71. Momentary : Lasting only for a moment.
72. Narcissism : The habit of always admiring oneself.
73. Nepotism : The unfair practice by a powerful person to give advantages to one’s own
person.
74. Nocturnal : Occurring at night.
75. Novice : A person without any training or experience in a skill or subject.
76. Numismatist : One who collects coins.
77. Omnipotent : One who is all powerful.
78. Opaque : Through which light cannot pass.
79. Optimist : A person who is always hopeful and looks upon the brighter side of things.
80. Panacea : A remedy for all diseases.
81. Parasite : One who lives/survives on others’ nutrients.
82. Parricide : The murder of parents or near relative.
83. Pathology : Science of diseases.
84. Philatelist : A person who collects and/or studies stamps.
85. Plagiarism : Theft of another person’s writings or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.
86. Plutocracy : Government by wealthy.
87. Polygamy : The practice of having many wives.
88. Rancid : Having a stale smell or taste.
89. Recluse: A person who withdraws from world to live in seclusion and often in solitude.
90. Rhetoric : Language with an exaggerated style intended to impress.
91. Sedative : A drug or other substance that induces sleep
92. Sericulture : The production of raw silk.
93. Simile : A figure of speech comparing two unlike things.
94. Somnambulist : One who walks in sleep.
95. Sororicide : Killing of one’s sister.
96. Theology : The study of religion and religious ideas and beliefs.
97. Triennial : The conference that takes place once in three year.
98. Verbatim : Reproducing or memorizing word for word.
99. Veteran : A person with a long experience in any occupation.
100. Wreath : A decorative ring of flowers and leaves