14 Important Idioms You must Learn

If you are going to appear any competition exam like SSC and IBPS Bank, we will suggest you read these 14 important idioms. We have explained them in a tricky way. 

At a crossroads: A crossroads is a place where two roads meet and cross each other. This is a very important point. Suppose your destination is I 0 km to the right. Instead, you turn left. Then you are going away from the destination. So when you reach a crossroads, a sense of direction becomes very important. Idiomatically, if you are at a crossroads, you have reached a very important stage in your life or development. When the students pass out of school, they are at a crossroads. Their career depends on the direction they take.

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Cry over spilt milk: Madhu knocked the can and the milk spilt. She started crying. But it made no sense. The milk could not come back into the can. So if you cry over spilt milk, you feel sad about something that has happened and cannot be changed. When Rajesh failed the exam, he sat depressed. So his mother told him, “It’s no use crying over spilt milk. Prepare for next exam.”

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Cry wolf: This idiom comes from the story of a goatherd. He wanted to play a prank on the villagers. So he cried, “Wolf! Wolf!” When the villagers came, he made fun of them. Because there was no wolf. So if you cry wolf you pretend there is danger. You call for help when it is actually not needed. The result:

People no longer believe you even when you are in real trouble. Country X has cried wolf for so long that the international community is no longer ready to believe it.

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Not one’s cup of tea: If something is not your cup of tea, you do not like it. Since you are not interested in it, you will not choose to do it. A friend of mine is very good at literature. But give him a simple calculation and he says, “Mathematics is not my cup of tea. Why don’t you calculate it?”

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Curry favour: If you curry favour with someone, you try to gain his favour by giving him help, praise, etc. You try to please him so that he will notice you and approve of you. You are buttering him up. Many employees think they can move up the company ladder only if they curry favour with their boss.

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At daggers drawn: A dagger is a short pointed knife used as a weapon. When do you draw daggers? When you are against someone, idiomatically, if you are at daggers drawn with someone, you show strong dislike for him. You are hostile towards him. You are having an argument with him. You are very angry at him. The two captains were at daggers drawn on the controversial Ibw decision.

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A dark horse: A dark horse refers to someone about whom very little is known. He has not told anything about himself, especially his special personal qualities or abilities. When HD Deve Gowda became the prime minister, the media called him a dark horse. The country knew very little about him before this event.

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A flash in the pan: If a success is a flash in the pan, it is not likely to be repeated. It lasts only a short time. And it is not an indication of future achievements. Arundhati Roy’s success as a novelist seems to be a flash in the pan. She wrote a Booker-winning novel, The God of Small Things. But since then she has concentrated on social activism. Can we expect more novels from her?

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Fall flat: If something falls flat, it is unsuccessful. It completely fails to produce the effect intended or expected. Recently, a renowned psychologist wrote a novel. There was much media hype about it. But when it was published, it fell flat upon the readers.

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Flotsam and jetsam: What is flotsam? It refers to parts of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea after the ship has been wrecked. What is jetsam? It also has a similar meaning. Idiomatically, flotsam and jetsam refer to people who have no homes or work and who wander about in a helpless way. Flotsam and jetsam refer to an untidy collection of unimportant or useless objects.

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Fly in the face of: If an action or belief flies in the face of an accepted idea, it seems to oppose or contradict it. If a brilliant Bihari does not become an lAS, it flies in the face of what his society thinks. Similarly, if a mediocre Gujarati or Punjabi decides to pursue higher studies, it flies in the face of these business communities.

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Fly in the ointment: What is an ointment? It is a smooth thick substance that helps wounds heal. Imagine what will happen if a fly falls into it? Its healing property may diminish. So idiomatically, if something is a fly in the ointment, it spoils a situation or activity. The activity fails to be as successful as one had hoped. We had always relied on Mr Verma. His withdrawal at a crucial juncture became the fly in the ointment.

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Take time by the forelock: If you take time by the forelock, you do your work in time. Success cannot be had unless one learns how to take time by the forelock. in other words, punctuality is the key to success.