IDIOMS & PHRASES
Idioms: An idioms is a phrase having a
special meaning used as a mode of expression peculiar to a language.
As:- The Principal is all in all in the
college.
Phrase: A phrase is a group of words that works as a single
part of speech having neither a subject nor a predicate. As:- He
tried heart and soul to pass the examination.
Use of Idioms & Phrases
1. ABC (প্রাথমিক জ্ঞান) : He has no ABC in English.
2. Above all (মোটের উপর/সর্বোপরি/প্রধানত): Nazrul was above all a good poet.
3. Above
board (প্রকাশ্য):
His dealings are open and above board.
4. After
all (মোটের উপর): After all he is a good man.
5. All
along (আগাগোড়া):
He was present in meeting all along.
6. All
at once (হঠাৎ):
He came here all at once.
7. All
in all (সর্বেসর্বা):
He is all in the family.
8. All
on/of a sudden(হঠাৎ):
He entered my room all on a sudden.
9. All
the same (একই):
It is all the same to me whether you come or not.
10. Anything
but (আর্ যাই হোক): Your statement is anything but true.
11. Apple
of discord (বিবাদের
বিষয়): A piece of land is the apple of
discord between the two brothers.
12. As
it were (যেন):
The moon is, as it were, the lamp of the earth.
13. As
usual (যথারীতি):
He started for school as usual.
14. As
good as (কথা
রাখা): He is as good as his word.
15. At
all (আদৌ): She does not read
at all.
16. At
a loss (হতবুদ্ধি):
I am at a loss to decide what to do now.
17. As
to (সম্পর্কে):
I know nothing as to the boy.
18. At
all events (যাই
ঘটুক না কেন): I shall go there at all events.
19. At
daggers dawn (সাপে
নেউলে সম্পর্ক): At present the two brothers are at
daggers dawn.
20. At
home (দক্ষ): He is at home in
English.
21. At
last (অবশেষে):
At last God took pity on him.
22. At
a time (একেবারে):
Come in one at a time.
23. At
times (মাঝে
মাঝে): At times, he loses his temper.
24. At
random (বিশৃঙ্খলভাবে):
She talks at random.
25. At
large (স্বাধীন):
Birds fly at large in the sky.
26. At
the eleventh hour (শেষ
মুহূর্তে): He came at the eleventh hour.
27. At
a stretch (এক নাগাড়ে): I can walk five miles at s stretch.
28. At
the point of (মুখোমুখি): The
man is now at the point of death.
29. At
one’s disposal (কারো
নিয়ন্ত্রণে থাকা): The job is now at your disposal.
30. At
finger’s end (নখদর্পণে):
Your statement is at my finger’s end.
31. At
stake (বিপদাপন্ন):
His life is at stake.
32. At
sixes and sevens (এলোমেলো): The
books are at sixes and sevens on the table.
33. At
a glance (এক নজরে): I looked over the paper at a glance.
34. At
least (কম পক্ষে): At least five thousand people were
present in the meeting.
35. All
and sundry (সকলকেই):
The principal loves all and sundry.
36. As
well as (এবং):
He as well as his friend came to the meeting.
37. According
to (অনুসারে):
He acted according to my plan.
38. At
the top of উচ্চস্বরে):
He shouted at the top his voice.
39. As
if (যেন): He speaks as if
he knew everything.
40. As
soon as (যত তাড়াতাড়ি সম্ভব): I shall come back as soon as
possible.
41. Bad
blood (শত্রুতা):
There is bad blood between the two brothers.
42. Bag
and baggage (তল্পি
তল্পাসহ): He left the hostel bag and baggage.
43. Bed
of roses (ফুল
শয্যা)Life is not a bed of roses.
44. Before
long (অতি শীঘ্র): He will arrive before long.
45. Beggar
description (বর্ণনাতীত):
His miseries beggar description.
46. Bid
fair (মনে হওয়া): A good boy bids fair to success.
47. Birds
of a feather (একই
সভাবের):Birds of a feather flock together.
48. Blue
blood (অভিজাত
বংশীয়): He is proud of his blue blood.
49. Black
sheep (কুলাঙ্গার):
He is the black sheep in our family.
50. Bolt
from the blue (বিনা
মেঘে বজ্রপাত): The news of his death came to me as
a bolt from the blue.
51. Bone
of contention (বিবাদের
বিষয়): The piece of land is bone of
contention between the two brothers.
52. Bosom
friend (ঘনিষ্ট
বন্ধু): He is my bosom friend.
53. By
all means (সর্বাতোভাবে):
I shall help you by all means.
54. Beyond
doubt (সন্দেহাতীতভাবে):
He will come back beyond doubt.
55. By
dint of (বলে):
You can succeed in life by dint of hard labor.
56. By
fits and starts (মাঝে
মাঝে খুব উৎসাহ দেখিয়ে): The students who reads by fits and
starts cannot succeed.
57. By
virtue of (কারণে):
He claimed a pension by virtue of his long service.
58. By
leaps and bounds (অতিদ্রুত):
The price of essentials is increasing by leaps and bounds.
59. By
turns (পর্যায়ক্রমে):
They went by turns.
60. By
hook or by crook (যেকোন
উপায়ে): I shall do it by hook or by crook.
61. Burning
question (গুরুত্বপূর্ণ
বিষয়): Female education is a burning
question.
62. By
the by(কথা
প্রসঙ্গে): By the by how are you?
63. By
this time (এখনই):
He must have reached home by this time.
64. Bring
to light (প্রকাশ
করা): The secret was brought to light.
65. Bring
to book (দমন
করা): The criminal should be brought to book.
66. By
chance (হঠাৎ):
By chance, I met him on the way.
67. Bread
and butter (জীবিকা):
He is too poor to buy his bread and butter.
68. Beyond
dispute (অবিসংবাদিত):
Bangabodhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was beyond dispute a great leader.
69. Bad
bargain (বেশি
দামে কেনা): The people of little income should
buy anything at bad bargain.
70. Bear
testimony to (সাক্ষ
দেওয়া): His action bore testimony to his
honesty.
71. Beauty
sleep (প্রথম
রাত্রির ঘুম): Hearing a loud cry I woke up from my
beauty sleep.
72. Bear
fruit (ফলপ্রসূ
হওয়া): All his efforts bore fruit.
73. Black
and white (লিখিত
ভবে): He filed against me in black and white.
74. Book
worm (ভীষণ পড়ুয়া): He is a book worm.
75. Bring
to mind (স্মরন
করা): I failed to bring his name to mind.
76. Beyond
question (নিঃসন্দেহে):
It is question that Bangabodhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was beyond question a
great leader.
77. Body
and soul together (জীবনধারণ):
The poor can hardly keep body and soul together.
78. Better
half (অর্ধাঙ্গিনা):
He is worried of the illness of his better half.
79. Big
guns (অতিবিশিষ্ট ব্যক্তিবর্গ): The big guns always do
many things for society.
80. Call
up (মনে করা): I could not call up your name.
81. Call
to mind (স্মরণ):
I cannot call to mind what he told me.
82. Chicken-hearted
(ভীরু): A chicken-hearted
man like you cannot do it.
83. A
close-fisted man (দুর্দশাগ্রস্থ):
A close-fisted man spends nothing in charity.
84. Cock
and bull story (গাঁজাখুরি
গল্প): A cock and bull story makes us laugh
only.
85. Come
in question (সন্দেহ):
His honesty cannot be called in question.
86. Come
to light (প্রকাশিত
হওয়া): The secret has come to light.
87. Come
true (সত্য প্রমানিত হওয়া): His dream came true.
88. Crocodile
tears (মায়াকান্না): His
step-mother shed crocodile tears at the death of his sister.
89. Crying
need (গুরুতর প্রয়োজন): Education is the crying need of a
nation.
90. Cut
a sorry figure (মন্দ
পরিনতি): He cut a sorry figure in the
examination.
91. Cut
short (সংক্ষেপ
করা): Please cut short your lecture.
92. Cold
war (ঠান্ডা যুদ্ধ): The two nations are at cold war.
93. Come
round (সুস্থ
হওয়া): he will come round very soon.
94. Cats
and dogs (মুষলধারে):
It has been raining cats and dogs.
95. Care
for (যত্ন নেওয়া): He cares for his health.
96. Carry
on (চালিয়ে যাওয়া): I shall carry on my study at any
cost.
97. Close
to (সন্নিকটে):
His house is close to mine.
98. Cut
off (কেটে ফেলা): Della cut of off her hair.
99. Dead letter (অকেজো): This fashion is now dead letter.
100. Dead language (অপ্রচলিত ভাষা
): Sanskrit is now a
dead language.
101.Dog in the
manager policy (নিজেও
নেবে না, অন্যকেও নিতে
দিবে না):
I do not support your dog in the
manager policy.
102. Day after day (দিনের পর
দিন):
He is growing fat day after day.
103. End in smoke (ব্যর্থ হওয়া): His attempts ended in smoke.
104.
Every other day (একদিন পর একদিন): Take the medicine every other day.
105.
Every now and then (প্রায়ই): He disturbs me every now and then.
106. Fall flat (নিস্ফল
হওয়া): The plan fell flat for want of money.
107.
Fair weather friend (সুসময়ের বন্ধু): Fair weather friends never come in hard days.
108. Far and wide (সর্বত্র): His fame
spread far and wide.
109. First and foremost (সবচেয়ে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ): The first and foremost duty of a student is to read.
110. Flesh and blood (রক্ত মাংসের দেহ):
A flesh and blood cannot tolerate this fortune.
111. For the time being (আপাতত): Please let me wait here for the time being.
112.
Find fault with (দোষ ধরা):
Do not find fault with others.
113.
Fall short of (ঘাটতি): Your
performance fell short of our expectation.
114.
For good (চির
দিনের জন্য): He left the country for good.
115. For the sake of (খাতিরে): He sacrificed much for the sake of peace.
116. From hand to mouth (দিন আনা দিন খাওয়া: A beggar lives from hand to mouth.
117.
From head to foot/ from top to bottom (আপাদমস্তক): The Principal looked at him from head to foot.
118. French leave (ছুটি না
নিয়ে অনুপস্থিত থাকা): No one should enjoy French leave.
119. Get rid of (মুক্ত হওয়া): Try to get rid of smoking.
120. Gift of the gab (বাগ্নিতা): His gift of the gab charmed us.
121. Golden age (সোনালী যুগ): Queen Elizabeth’s period is
called the golden age of English Literature.
122. Golden opportunity (সুবর্ণ সুযোগ): You have lost a golden opportunity of going aboad.
123. Give up (ত্যাগ করা): He gave up his bad habit.
124. Go to the dogs (গোল্লায় যাওয়া): He has gone to the dogs.
125. Gala day (আনন্দের দিন): Eid festival is a gala day for the Muslims.
126. Hue and cry (সোরগোল): They raised
a hue and cry at the sight of the tiger.
127. Hard and fast (ধরাবাধা): There are
some hard and fast rules in cricket.
128.
Heart and soul (মনেপ্রানে): He loves
me heart and soul.
129.
Hale and hearty (সুস্থ): I hope you are hale and hearty.
130. Head or tail (মাথামুন্ডু): I
cannot make head or tail of what you say.
131. High and low (ছোট বড়
সকলকেই): He is loved by all high and low.
132.
High time (উপযুক্ত
সময়):
It is high time you left the place.
133. In a fix (হতবুদ্ধি): I am in a fix what to do.
134. In case (যদি): In case you fail, you have to try
again.
135.
In fine উপসংহারে): In fine, he advised us to read
more and more.
136.
In full swing (পুরোদমে): Our
classes are going on in full swing.
137.
In lieu of (পরিবর্তে): He gave
me a pen in lieu of pencil.
138. In black and white (লিখিতভাবে): Please give me your statement in black and white.
139.
In spite of (স্বত্তেও): He came
in spite of rain.
140.
In the long run (পরিশেষে): Sinners will supper in the long run.
141. Ins and outs (সবকিছু): I know the ins
and outs of the affair.
142.
In a nut-shel (সংক্ষেপে): He told
us the story in a nut-shel.
143.
In quest of (অন্বেষণে): Tigers
prowl in quest of prey.
144.
In the good book of (সুনজরে): You are in the good book of the Managing Director.
145. In view of (বিবেচনা করা): In view of his age, he was
forgiven.
146.
In no time (অতি শীঘ্র): He will return in no time.
147. In cold blood (ঠান্ডা মাথায়): He murdered the man in cold blood.
148.
In fact (বস্তুত): She was in fact a woman of forty.
149.
Insist on (পীড়া
পীড়ি করা):
He insisted on my going to cinema.
150.
Kith and kin (আত্নীয় স্বজন): I have no kith and kin.
151.
Know no bounds (সীমার বাইরে): The orphan’s suffering after the
death of his father knew no bounds.
152. Keep body and soul together (কায়ক্লেশে জীবন ধারন করা):
The poor work hard to keep body and soul together.
153. Keep in the dark (গোপনে রাখা): He keeps his plan in the dark.
154.
Keep an eye (নজর রাখা): The police kept an eye on the
prisoner.
155. Leave no stone unturned (চেষ্টার ত্রুটি না করা):
He left no stone unturned to gain the object.
156.
Lion’s share (সিংহ ভাগ): The mill owners take the lion’s
share of the profit.
157.
Lose heart (সাহস হারানো/হতাশ হওয়া): He lost his heart at the sudden death of his
father.
158. Long and short (আসল কথা): This is the long and short of the
story.
159.
Look after (দেখাশুনা করা): We should look after our parents.
160.
Look for (খোঁজ
করা)
I am looking for a good job.
161.
Long for (ইচ্ছে
করা):
He longs for happiness.
162.
Lay by (সঞ্চয়
করা):
We should lay by something against rainy day.
163. Man of letters (পন্ডিত ব্যক্তি): Everybody respects a man of letters.
164. Make good (ক্ষতিপূরণ করা): I shall make good of the loss.
165. Muster strong (সঙ্গবদ্ধ): People mustered strong in the
meeting.
166. Maiden speech (প্রথম বক্তৃতা): His maiden speech charmed us all.
167. Make the best use of
(সর্বত্তোম ব্যবহার): Students should make the best use of
their time.
168. Make sure (নিশ্চিত করা): You should make sure of your aim.
169. Man of word (এক কথার মানুষ): He was a man of word.
170.
Nip in the bud (অঙ্কুরে বিনষ্ট হওয়া): All his hopes were nipped in the bud
at the death of his father.
171.
Now and then (মাঝে মাঝে): He visits our house now and then.
172. Null and void (বাতিল): This law is now null and void.
173.
No sooner than (যেইমাত্র): No sooner had I reached the station
than the train left.
174. On behalf of (পক্ষে): The chairman spoke on behalf of the
council.
175.
Of course (অবশ্যই): Of course I shall come back.
176. Once and again (বারবার): He tired once and again to pass the
examination.
177. Once for all (চিরতরে): I have seen his dead face once for
all.
178. Open secret (যে গোপন সর্বজনবিদিত): Corruption in upper
levels is an open secret.
179. Out of pocket (রিক্ত হস্ত): I am now out of pocket, so I cannot
give you the money.
180. On foot (পদব্রজে): He came on foot.
181. On the eve of (প্রাক্কালে): I went to the airport on
the eve of his departure.
182. On account of (কারণ বশত): I could not go to college on account of
my illness.
183. Out and out (হাড়ে হাড়ে): He is out and out a good man.
184.
Part and parcel (অবিচ্ছেদ্য অংশ): A library is part and parcel of our life.
185.
Play hide and seek (লুকোচুরি): The children were playing hide and
seek.
186. Play truant (স্কুল পালানো):
Nazrul played truant.
187. Pros and cons (খুটিনাটি): I know the pros and cons of the
matter.
188. Point blank (সরাসরি): The terrorist shot him point blank.
189.
Play tricks (চাতুরি করা): Some politicians play false with people.
190. Put off (পাশে রাখা): Do not put off your lesson for
tomorrow.
191.
Put off (খুলে ফেলা) Put of your dirty shirt.
192. Put out (নেভানো): Put out the lamp.
193. Pin money (স্ত্রীকে প্রদত্ত হাত খরচ): She bought a nice present for her husband
with her pin money.
194. Rag day (শিক্ষা জীবনের শেষ দিন): Students enjoy the rag day.
195. Red letter day (স্মরণীয় দিন): The Independence Day is a red letter day.
196.
A rainy day (দঃসময়): We should save money against a rainy
day.
197.
Red-handed (হাতে নাতে): The thief was caught red-handed.
198.
Rank and file (সাধারন সৈনিক): A rank and file always obeys their superiors.
199.
Skin and bone (অস্থি চর্মসার): Disease makes a man skin and bone.
200. Slow coach (অলস ব্যক্তি): A slow coach man can never shine in
life.
201. Stone’s throw (অল্প দুরে): My college is at a stone’s throw
from my residence.
202. Sum and substance (সারমর্ম): This is the sum and substance of the
story.
203. Summer friends (সুসময়ের বন্ধু): Summer friends do not come during
evil days.
204. Square meal (পেট ভরে আহার): The poor cannot have two square
meals a day.
205. Step by step (ক্রমশ): He advanced step by step.
206. Send for (ডেকে পাঠানো): We sent for a doctor.
207. Tell upon (ক্ষতি করা): Smoking tells upon health.
208. To the back bone (হাড়ে হাড়ে): The boy is wicked to the backbone.
209. Tooth and nail (প্রবল ভাবে): We opposed the proposal tooth and
nail.
210.
Take after (একই রকম হওয়া): The girl takes after her mother.
211.To and fro (এদিক ওদিক): I wandered to and fro in the rain.
212. Take pity on (কাহারো প্রতি করুনা করা): At last God took pity on him.
213. Ups and downs (উথ্থান পতন): Every life has ups and downs.
214.
Up and doing (তৎপর হওয়া): Be up and doing to prosper in life.
215. Up-to-date (আধুনিক): Now a day’s ladies are up to date.
216. Victim of (বলি): He is a victim of circumstances.
217. Without fail (অবশ্যই): I will go there tomorrow without
fail.
218. Weal and woe (সুখ দুঃখ): Weal and woe comes by turn.
219.
Well-to-do (ধনী): He comes of a well-to-do family.
220. Well off (স্বচ্ছল): Jim and Della were not well off.
221. Yellow dog (হীন ব্যক্তি): A yellow dog is always hated by all.
Md Lokman Hossain
B.A.(Hon’s)
M.A. in English (JU)
