100 Idioms for SSC CGL

A hot potato: Something that is difficult or dangerous to deal with.

Example: The new tax legislation became a hot potato for the ruling party.

A piece of cake: Something that is very easy to do.

Example: After years of practice, solving these math problems is a piece of cake for him.

Against the clock: Working quickly to finish something before a deadline.

Example: The team worked against the clock to complete the project on time.

All ears: Listening carefully and with full attention.

Example: Tell me about your vacation; I'm all ears!

Back to the drawing board: Starting over because the previous plan failed.

Example: After the prototype failed, the engineers went back to the drawing board.

Barking up the wrong tree: Accusing the wrong person or pursuing a mistaken line of thought.

Example: If you think I stole your idea, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Beat around the bush: Avoiding the main topic.

Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.

Break a leg: Good luck, typically used before a performance.

Example: Break a leg in tomorrow's competition!

Burn the midnight oil: Work or study late into the night.

Example: She burned the midnight oil to finish her assignment.

Call it a day: Stop working for the day.

Example: After hours of discussion, we decided to call it a day.

Cost an arm and a leg: Very expensive.

Example: That luxury car costs an arm and a leg.

Cut corners: Do something poorly to save time or money.

Example: They didn't cut corners in building this house; it's very well constructed.

Dark horse: A person about whom little is known but who may be successful.

Example: He was the dark horse in the election and surprised everyone by winning.

Down to earth: Practical and realistic; humble.

Example: Despite being a superstar, she is remarkably down to earth.

Early bird: Someone who gets up early or arrives early.

Example: She's always been an early bird, rising at 5 AM every day.

Easy come, easy go: Money or success that comes easily is also lost easily.

Example: He lost all his winnings at the casino last nighteasy come, easy go.

Eleventh hour: The last possible moment.

Example: The agreement was reached at the eleventh hour before the deadline.

Every cloud has a silver lining: Every difficult situation has a hopeful aspect.

Example: When she lost her job, she found time to pursue her passion every cloud has a silver lining.

Face the music: Accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.

Example: He cheated on the test and now has to face the music.

Fall on deaf ears: Be ignored by someone who doesn't want to listen.

Example: His complaints to the management fell on deaf ears.

Get cold feet: Become nervous about something.

Example: Just before the wedding announcement, the groom got cold feet.

Get wind of: Hear or learn about something secret.

Example: She got wind of the job opening before it was officially announced.

Give someone a run for their money: Provide good competition.

Example: The new player gave the champion a run for his money in the tournament.

Give it a shot: Try to do something.

Example: I'm not sure I can do it, but I'll give it a shot.

Go the extra mile: Make extra effort; do more than expected.

Example: She always goes the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.

Go out on a limb: Take a risk.

Example: She went out on a limb to defend her colleague.

Grasp at straws: Try desperate solutions in a difficult situation.

Example: With no evidence to clear his name, he was just grasping at straws.

Have your cake and eat it too: Want to have the benefits of two contradictory options.

Example: You can't have your cake and eat it too either you save money or you spend it on luxuries.

Hit the hay: Go to bed.

Example: It's getting late; I'd better hit the hay.

Hit the nail on the head: Be exactly right.

Example: You hit the nail on the head with that analysis.

Hold your horses: Wait a moment; be patient.

Example: Hold your horses! Slow down before we make a decision.

In hot water: In trouble.

Example: She found herself in hot water with her boss after the mistake.

In the heat of the moment: Overwhelmed by immediate emotion.

Example: In the heat of the argument, he said things he didn't mean.

It takes two to tango: Both parties involved in a situation are responsible.

Example: You can't blame just him; it takes two to tango.

Jump on the bandwagon: Follow a trend or activity.

Example: Many companies jumped on the social media bandwagon to reach more customers.

Keep your fingers crossed: Hope for a favorable outcome.

Example: I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the exam results.

Keep your chin up: Remain cheerful in a difficult situation.

Example: Keep your chin up; things will get better soon.

Kill two birds with one stone: Accomplish two things with a single action.

Example: By cycling to work, she exercises and saves money on gas, killing two birds with one stone.

Let the cat out of the bag: Reveal a secret by mistake.

Example: I let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

Let sleeping dogs lie: Allow a situation to remain as it is and not disturb it.

Example: I wouldn't bring up that old argument; it's better to let sleeping dogs lie.

Make ends meet: Earn enough to cover expenses.

Example: Since the pay cut, it's been difficult for them to make ends meet.

Miss the boat: Miss an opportunity.

Example: She missed the boat by not applying for the scholarship before the deadline.

No pain, no gain: Suffering is necessary to achieve something worthwhile.

Example: Training for the marathon was hard, but no pain, no gain.

Once in a blue moon: Very rarely.

Example: I only eat fast food once in a blue moon.

On cloud nine: Extremely happy.

Example: When she got the promotion, she was on cloud nine.

Out of the blue: Unexpectedly; without warning.

Example: My old friend called me out of the blue after ten years.

Pay through the nose: Pay too much for something.

Example: They had to pay through the nose for the last-minute flight tickets.

Piece of the pie: A share of something.

Example: Everyone wants a piece of the pie in the expanding market.

Play it by ear: Decide what to do as the situation develops.

Example: We don't have a fixed itinerary for our trip; we'll play it by ear.

Pull someone's leg: Tease or joke with someone.

Example: He said he was moving to Mars, but he was just pulling my leg.

Put all your eggs in one basket: Depend entirely on one thing; risk everything on a single venture.

Example: Don't put all your eggs in one basket; diversify your investments.

Raining cats and dogs: Raining very heavily.

Example: It's been raining cats and dogs all afternoon.

Rule of thumb: A practical principle that's not always intended to be strictly accurate.

Example: As a rule of thumb, save 20% of your income each month.

See eye to eye: Agree with someone.

Example: Parents rarely see eye to eye on child-rearing techniques.

Sit on the fence: Avoid taking sides in a discussion or dispute.

Example: He tends to sit on the fence during political debates.

Skating on thin ice: In a risky or precarious situation.

Example: With his careless spending, he's skating on thin ice financially.

Sleep on it: Delay making a decision until the following day.

Example: Don't decide now; sleep on it and let me know tomorrow.

Speak of the devil: The person just mentioned has appeared.

Example: "We were just talking about Tom." "Speak of the devil, here he comes."

Spill the beans: Reveal secret information.

Example: Promise you won't spill the beans about the surprise party.

Steal someone's thunder: Take credit for someone else's idea or draw attention away from them.

Example: Don't steal her thunder; let her announce her engagement.

Take with a grain of salt: View something with skepticism.

Example: I take everything he says with a grain of salt as he tends to exaggerate.

Throw in the towel: Quit or give up.

Example: After three rounds, the exhausted boxer decided to throw in the towel.

Time flies when you're having fun: Time passes quickly when enjoying oneself.

Example: I can't believe it's midnight already time flies when you're having fun!

Under the weather: Feeling sick or unwell.

Example: She won't be coming to work as she's feeling under the weather.

Under the table: Secretly and illegally.

Example: The company was accused of paying bribes under the table.

Up in the air: Uncertain; undecided.

Example: Our vacation plans are still up in the air.

When pigs fly: Something that will never happen.

Example: I'll lend him money when pigs fly!

Word of mouth: Information spread orally from person to person.

Example: The restaurant's reputation grew through word of mouth.

You can't judge a book by its cover: Don't judge something or someone by appearance alone.

Example: The old building looked unimpressive, but inside it was beautiful you can't judge a book by its cover.

A blessing in disguise: Something that seems bad at first but actually results in something good.

Example: Losing his job was a blessing in disguise as it pushed him to start his own business.

Add insult to injury: Make a bad situation worse.

Example: To add insult to injury, it started raining after he missed his bus.

Bite off more than you can chew: Try to do something too difficult.

Example: He bit off more than he could chew by taking three jobs simultaneously.

Bite the bullet: Endure a painful or difficult situation.

Example: She had to bite the bullet and tell her parents about the accident.

Break the ice: Initiate a conversation in a social setting.

Example: The host used an interesting game to break the ice at the party.

Catch someone red-handed: Catch someone in the act of doing something wrong.

Example: The teacher caught him red-handed cheating on the exam.

Come rain or shine: No matter what happens.

Example: She goes for a morning walk every day, come rain or shine.

Cut to the chase: Get to the point without wasting time.

Example: Let's cut to the chase and discuss the main issue.

Drive someone up the wall: Irritate or annoy someone greatly.

Example: The constant noise from the construction drove him up the wall.

Better late than never: It's better to do something late than never do it at all.

Example: "Sorry I missed your birthday." "Better late than never!"

Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush: What you already have is more valuable than what you might get.

Example: Don't risk your current job for an uncertain opportunity; a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

A diamond in the rough: A person of good character but lacking manners or education.

Example: He may be unpolished, but he's a diamond in the rough.

Ace in the hole: An advantage held in reserve.

Example: She had a few aces in the hole for the negotiations.

All of a sudden: Suddenly; without warning.

Example: All of a sudden, the lights went out.

As right as rain: Perfectly fine; healthy.

Example: After a few days of rest, he was as right as rain.

At the drop of a hat: Immediately; without hesitation.

Example: She would help anyone at the drop of a hat.

Bark is worse than one's bite: Not as bad as one appears.

Example: Don't worry about his angry emails; his bark is worse than his bite.

Beating a dead horse: Continuing something that is already over or settled.

Example: Why keep arguing? You're just beating a dead horse.

Bend over backwards: Try extremely hard to please or help someone.

Example: She bent over backwards to help her students succeed.

Best of both worlds: Enjoy advantages from two different situations.

Example: Working from home gives her the best of both worlds no commute and a flexible schedule.

Blind as a bat: Unable to see well.

Example: Without his glasses, he's as blind as a bat.

Blood is thicker than water: Family relationships are stronger than other relationships.

Example: She supported her brother because blood is thicker than water.

Bursting at the seams: Very full or crowded.

Example: The museum was bursting at the seams with visitors.

By the skin of one's teeth: Barely managing to do something.

Example: He caught the train by the skin of his teeth.

Call the shots: Be in charge; make the decisions.

Example: Since he's the project manager, he calls the shots.

Can't cut the mustard: Not able to meet the requirements or succeed.

Example: He tried to join the team but couldn't cut the mustard.

Change of heart: A change in one's opinion or feelings about something.

Example: She had a change of heart about moving abroad.

Come in handy: Be useful.

Example: That small tool will come in handy for repairs.

Cry over spilt milk: Feel regret about something that has already happened.

Example: The contract is signed; there's no point crying over spilt milk.

Curiosity killed the cat: Being too curious can lead to trouble.

Example: Don't ask too many questions; remember, curiosity killed the cat.

Devil's advocate: Expressing a contentious opinion to provoke debate.

Example: Even though he agreed with the plan, he played devil's advocate to test its weaknesses.

Eyes are bigger than one's stomach: Take more food than one can eat.

Example: He ordered three dishes but couldn't finish them his eyes were bigger than his stomach.

From scratch: From the very beginning.

Example: The company built its reputation from scratch.

Give someone the cold shoulder: Ignore someone or treat them in an unfriendly way.

Example: After their argument, his friends gave him the cold shoulder.

Go Dutch: Share expenses equally.

Example: For the dinner, we decided to go Dutch and split the bill.

In the same boat: In the same difficult situation.

Example: Both companies are facing financial challenges; they're in the same boat.

Kick the bucket: To die.

Example: The old man kicked the bucket at the age of ninety.