IDIOMS & PHRASES (मुहावरे) – Complete Guide for Competitive Exams

August 16, 2026

📚 WHAT ARE IDIOMS?

Idioms = वाक्यांश जिनका शाब्दिक अर्थ (Literal Meaning) नहीं, बल्कि एक अलग (Figurative) Meaning होता है।

✅ Example:

Literal: A piece of cake = केक का एक टुकड़ा 🍰
Idiomatic: A piece of cake = बहुत आसान काम ✅

🔥 MOST REPEATED IDIOMS (EXAM POINT OF VIEW)

SET 1: Body Parts Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
A piece of cake	Very easy task	बहुत आसान	This exam was a piece of cake.
Hit the nail on the head	Say exactly right	सटीक बात कहना	You hit the nail on the head with that answer.
Under the weather	Feel ill/sick	बीमार होना	I’m feeling a bit under the weather today.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	बहुत कम ही	He visits us once in a blue moon.
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive	बहुत महँगा	This car cost an arm and a leg.
Bite the bullet	Face a difficult situation bravely	मुश्किल का सामना करना	You must bite the bullet and tell him the truth.
Break a leg	Good luck	शुभकामनाएँ	Break a leg for your performance!
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret	राज़ खोलना	She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two things at once	एक पत्थर से दो शिकार	By studying and exercising, I kill two birds with one stone.
Beat around the bush	Avoid the main topic	घुमा-फिरा कर बोलना	Stop beating around the bush and tell me directly.
Hold your horses	Wait/Be patient	रुको/धैर्य रखो	Hold your horses! We haven’t finished yet.
Spill the beans	Reveal a secret	राज़ बताना	He spilled the beans about the plan.
Go the extra mile	Do more than expected	अतिरिक्त प्रयास करना	Our team always goes the extra mile.
Cut corners	Do something cheaply/quickly	लापरवाही करना	Don’t cut corners in your work.
Call it a day	Stop working for the day	काम खत्म करना	Let’s call it a day and go home.
Apple of my eye	Most beloved person/thing	आँखों का तारा	My son is the apple of my eye.
Cry over spilt milk	Waste time worrying about past	हुआ सो हुआ	It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
Make hay while the sun shines	Seize opportunities	अवसर का लाभ उठाओ	Make hay while the sun shines and invest now.
Couch potato	Lazy person who watches TV	आलसी व्यक्ति	Stop being a couch potato and go outside.
Take with a pinch of salt	Not completely believe	पूरी तरह न मानना	Take his advice with a pinch of salt.

SET 2: Animal Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
Dark horse	Unexpected winner	अप्रत्याशित विजेता	He was a dark horse in the election.
Black sheep	Disgraceful person	कलंक	He is the black sheep of the family.
White elephant	Costly/useless thing	बोझ/बेकार चीज़	This project has become a white elephant.
Crocodile tears	Fake crying	मगरमच्छ के आँसू	She shed crocodile tears but didn’t care.
Raining cats and dogs	Heavy rain	मूसलाधार बारिश	It’s raining cats and dogs outside.
Elephant in the room	Obvious problem	स्पष्ट समस्या	His salary is the elephant in the room.
Early bird	Person who arrives early	जल्दी आने वाला	The early bird catches the worm.
Night owl	Person who stays up late	रात को जागने वाला	He is a night owl and works at night.
Bee’s knees	Excellent	बहुत बढ़िया	This restaurant is the bee’s knees.
Chicken out	Back out due to fear	डर से पीछे हटना	He chickened out at the last moment.
Pig out	Eat a lot	ज़्यादा खाना	We pigged out on pizza last night.
Monkey business	Mischief/Deceit	शरारत/धोखा	I suspect some monkey business is going on.
Fish out of water	Uncomfortable in a situation	बेचैन	I felt like a fish out of water at the party.
Horse of a different colour	Different issue	अलग मुद्दा	This is a horse of a different colour.
Let sleeping dogs lie	Don’t disturb old issues	पुरानी बात न छेड़ो	It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Smell a rat	Suspect something wrong	धोखा महसूस करना	I smell a rat in this deal.
Wild goose chase	Futile search	व्यर्थ खोज	It was a wild goose chase.
Hold your horses	Be patient	धैर्य रखो	Hold your horses!

SET 3: Body Idioms (Part 2)

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
All ears	Listening attentively	पूरा ध्यान से सुनना	I’m all ears for your story.
All thumbs	Clumsy	अनाड़ी	I’m all thumbs when it comes to knitting.
Butterflies in stomach	Nervous/Anxious	घबराहट	I had butterflies in my stomach before the interview.
Cold feet	Nervous/Scared	डर लगना	He got cold feet before the wedding.
Keep an eye on	Watch carefully	नज़र रखना	Keep an eye on the children.
Lend a hand	Help	मदद करना	Could you lend a hand here?
Pull someone’s leg	Joke/Tease	मज़ाक करना	I’m just pulling your leg.
See eye to eye	Agree with someone	सहमत होना	We don’t see eye to eye on this matter.
Stick your nose into	Interfere	दखल देना	Don’t stick your nose into my business.
Sweet tooth	Love of sweets	मीठा पसंद होना	I have a sweet tooth.
Turn a blind eye	Ignore	अनदेखा करना	We turned a blind eye to his mistakes.
Cost an arm and a leg	Expensive	बहुत महँगा	This bag cost an arm and a leg.
Elbow room	Enough space	पर्याप्त जगह	I need more elbow room in my office.
Face the music	Accept punishment	सज़ा स्वीकार करना	You must face the music for your actions.
Foot the bill	Pay	बिल चुकाना	The company footed the bill for the dinner.
Give a hand	Applaud/Help	ताली बजाना/मदद	Let’s give a hand to the performers.
Hand in hand	Together	साथ-साथ	Hard work and success go hand in hand.
Head over heels	Deeply in love	बहुत प्यार करना	She is head over heels in love.
Heart to heart	Frank/Open conversation	खुलकर बात	We had a heart-to-heart talk.
In hot water	In trouble	मुसीबत में	He is in hot water over this issue.

SET 4: Colour Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
Black and white	Clear/Simple	स्पष्ट/सरल	The rules are black and white.
Green with envy	Very jealous	बहुत ईर्ष्या	She was green with envy at my success.
Red-handed	Caught doing wrong	रंगे हाथों	He was caught red-handed.
White lie	Harmless lie	सफ़ेद झूठ	He told a white lie to avoid hurting her.
Yellow-bellied	Cowardly	डरपोक	Don’t be yellow-bellied!
Blue blood	Royal/Noble	उच्च कुल	They are considered blue blood in the town.
Golden opportunity	Perfect chance	सुनहरा अवसर	This is a golden opportunity for you.
Grey market	Unauthorized trade	अनधिकृत बाजार	He bought it from the grey market.
Pink slip	Termination letter	बर्खास्तगी पत्र	He received a pink slip yesterday.
Purple patch	Period of success	सफलता का दौर	He is going through a purple patch.
Feel blue	Feel sad	उदास होना	She has been feeling blue lately.

SET 5: Food Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
Bread and butter	Basic living	रोज़ी-रोटी	This is my bread and butter.
Couch potato	Lazy person	आलसी	Don’t be a couch potato.
Cup of tea	Something you like	पसंदीदा चीज़	This is not my cup of tea.
Hot potato	Difficult issue	संवेदनशील मुद्दा	This is a hot potato topic.
Piece of cake	Easy task	आसान काम	This job is a piece of cake.
Apple pie order	Neat and tidy	बहुत व्यवस्थित	Her room is in apple-pie order.
Cream of the crop	Best of the group	श्रेष्ठ	He is the cream of the crop.
Full of beans	Energetic	ऊर्जावान	The children are full of beans today.
Sour grapes	Pretend not to want	न हो तो क्या गम	His criticism is just sour grapes.
Spill the beans	Reveal secret	राज़ खोलना	He spilled the beans about the plan.
Take with a pinch of salt	Not fully believe	पूरी तरह न मानना	Take his words with a pinch of salt.
Eat your words	Take back what you said	अपनी बात वापस लेना	He had to eat his words.
Chew the fat	Chat/Chitchat	बातचीत करना	We met and chewed the fat for hours.
Butter someone up	Flatter	चापलूसी करना	He is trying to butter up the boss.

SET 6: Money Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive	बहुत महँगा	This watch cost an arm and a leg.
Breaking the bank	Costing a lot	बहुत खर्च करना	This doesn’t need to break the bank.
Cash cow	Reliable income source	नकदी का स्रोत	This business is a cash cow.
Graveyard shift	Night shift work	रात की पाली	She works the graveyard shift.
Make ends meet	Manage financially	गुज़र-बसर करना	We can barely make ends meet.
Pay through the nose	Pay too much	बहुत ज़्यादा भुगतान करना	I paid through the nose for this bag.
Pour money down the drain	Waste money	पैसे बर्बाद करना	That’s like pouring money down the drain.
Put your money where your mouth is	Support words with money	कहा करके दिखाओ	It’s time to put your money where your mouth is.
Strapped for cash	Short of money	पैसों की कमी	I’m a bit strapped for cash this month.

SET 7: Time Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
Once in a blue moon	Very rare	बहुत कम	I see him once in a blue moon.
At the drop of a hat	Immediately	तुरंत	He’ll help at the drop of a hat.
Better late than never	Good to do late than not	देर से आए पर आए	Better late than never.
Call it a day	End work for the day	काम खत्म करो	Let’s call it a day.
Crunch time	Critical period	महत्वपूर्ण समय	This is crunch time for the team.
Against the clock	In a hurry	समय के ख़िलाफ़	We are working against the clock.
In the nick of time	Just in time	ठीक समय पर	He arrived in the nick of time.
Kill time	Waste time	समय बर्बाद करना	I killed time at the mall.
Take time by the forelock	Seize opportunity	अवसर का लाभ उठाना	Take time by the forelock.
The eleventh hour	Last moment	अंतिम क्षण	They reached a deal at the eleventh hour.
Hit the hay	Go to sleep	सोना	I’m tired. I’ll hit the hay.
Hit the sack	Go to sleep	सोना	Time to hit the sack.
All in good time	Eventually	सही समय पर	All in good time.
At the eleventh hour	At last minute	अंतिम समय	He signed the contract at the eleventh hour.

SET 8: Action Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
Bite off more than you can chew	Take on too much	बहुत अधिक काम लेना	You’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
Break the ice	Start conversation	बातचीत शुरू करना	I broke the ice with a joke.
Get the ball rolling	Start something	शुरू करना	Let’s get the ball rolling.
Jump on the bandwagon	Follow popular trend	रुझान में शामिल होना	Many jumped on the bandwagon.
Make a mountain out of a molehill	Exaggerate	तिल का ताड़ बनाना	Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
Out of the blue	Unexpected	अचानक	He arrived out of the blue.
Read between the lines	Understand hidden meaning	छिपा अर्थ समझना	You need to read between the lines.
Sit on the fence	Stay neutral	तटस्थ रहना	He is sitting on the fence.
Take the bull by the horns	Face challenge bravely	हिम्मत से सामना करना	Take the bull by the horns.
Throw in the towel	Give up	हार मान लेना	He threw in the towel.
Turn a blind eye	Ignore	अनदेखा करना	He turned a blind eye.
Up in arms	Angry/Protesting	नाराज़	The workers are up in arms.

SET 9: Common Idioms (Miscellaneous)

Idiom	Meaning	Hindi	Example
Burning the midnight oil	Working late at night	देर रात तक काम करना	He is burning the midnight oil.
Apple of discord	Cause of dispute	विवाद का कारण	This property is the apple of discord.
Bag and baggage	With all belongings	सारा सामान लेकर	He left bag and baggage.
Birds of a feather	Similar people	एक जैसे लोग	Birds of a feather flock together.
Blow one’s trumpet	Praise oneself	आत्म-प्रशंसा	He is always blowing his own trumpet.
Bone of contention	Dispute point	विवाद का मुद्दा	Money is the bone of contention.
By hook or by crook	By any means	किसी भी तरह	He will succeed by hook or by crook.
Cat and dog life	Constant fighting	झगड़े की ज़िन्दगी	They lead a cat and dog life.
Dark horse	Unexpected winner	अप्रत्याशित विजेता	He proved to be a dark horse.
Flesh and blood	Family	परिवार/रिश्तेदार	He is my flesh and blood.
Gift of the gab	Speaking skill	वाकपटुता	She has the gift of the gab.
In a nutshell	Briefly	संक्षेप में	In a nutshell, he is the best.
Kith and kin	Friends and family	रिश्तेदार और दोस्त	We invited all our kith and kin.
Leave no stone unturned	Try everything	हर संभव प्रयास करना	The police left no stone unturned.
Make a bee-line for	Go straight towards	सीधे जाना	He made a bee-line for the exit.
Odds and ends	Small leftover items	टुकड़े-टुकड़े	We collected all the odds and ends.
Pass with flying colours	Succeed brilliantly	बहुत अच्छा परिणाम लाना	He passed with flying colours.
Rise and shine	Wake up and be energetic	उठो और ऊर्जावान बनो	Rise and shine, it’s a new day!
Stir up a hornet’s nest	Create trouble	मुसीबत खड़ी करना	He stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Take to task	Criticize severely	डाँटना	The manager took him to task.
Under the table	Secretly/Illegally	गुप्त रूप से	He was paid under the table.
Wear one’s heart on sleeve	Express openly	खुलकर कहना	She wears her heart on her sleeve.

📝 OLD EXAM QUESTIONS (पुराने प्रश्न पत्र)

SET 1: Meaning of Idioms

Q.1 What is the meaning of “A piece of cake”? (SSC GD 2020)

(a) Very difficult (b) Very easy (c) Expensive (d) Delicious

Answer: (b) Very easy ✅

Q.2 What does “Under the weather” mean? (SSC CHSL 2021)

(a) Happy (b) Ill/Sick (c) Excited (d) Angry

Answer: (b) Ill/Sick ✅

Q.3 What is the meaning of “Once in a blue moon”? (SSC MTS 2022)

(a) Every day (b) Very often (c) Very rarely (d) Once a year

Answer: (c) Very rarely ✅

Q.4 What does “Cost an arm and a leg” mean? (NDA 2018)

(a) Very cheap (b) Very expensive (c) Very hard (d) Very easy

Answer: (b) Very expensive ✅

Q.5 What is the meaning of “Hit the nail on the head”? (SSC CPO 2020)

(a) Miss the point (b) Say exactly right (c) Hit someone (d) Make a mistake

Answer: (b) Say exactly right ✅

SET 2: Fill in the Blanks

Q.6 This project was a ______ for me. (SSC CGL 2019)

(a) piece of cake (b) under the weather (c) once in a blue moon (d) cost an arm and a leg

Answer: (a) piece of cake ✅

Q.7 She has been ______ since last night. (Bank PO 2018)

(a) hitting the nail (b) under the weather (c) beating the bush (d) turning a blind eye

Answer: (b) under the weather ✅

Q.8 He visits his grandparents ______. (SSC CHSL 2022)

(a) a piece of cake (b) once in a blue moon (c) under the weather (d) cost an arm and a leg

Answer: (b) once in a blue moon ✅

Q.9 This luxury car ______. (SSC MTS 2021)

(a) costs an arm and a leg (b) is a piece of cake (c) hits the nail (d) is under the weather

Answer: (a) costs an arm and a leg ✅

Q.10 She ______ with her brilliant idea. (SSC GD 2020)

(a) hit the nail on the head (b) was under the weather (c) was a piece of cake (d) once in a blue moon

Answer: (a) hit the nail on the head ✅

SET 3: Identify the Meaning

Q.11 What does “Beat around the bush” mean? (SSC CGL 2022)

(a) Speak directly (b) Avoid the main topic (c) Speak loudly (d) Speak softly

Answer: (b) Avoid the main topic ✅

Q.12 What does “Let the cat out of the bag” mean? (Bank PO 2021)

(a) Hide a secret (b) Reveal a secret (c) Keep a secret (d) Ignore a secret

Answer: (b) Reveal a secret ✅

Q.13 What does “Kill two birds with one stone” mean? (SSC CHSL 2023)

(a) Achieve two things at once (b) Harm two people (c) Waste time (d) Work hard

Answer: (a) Achieve two things at once ✅

Q.14 What does “Hold your horses” mean? (CDS 2022)

(a) Be patient (b) Be fast (c) Be angry (d) Be sad

Answer: (a) Be patient ✅

Q.15 What does “Spill the beans” mean? (SSC CPO 2023)

(a) Hide the truth (b) Reveal the secret (c) Keep quiet (d) Listen carefully

Answer: (b) Reveal the secret ✅

SET 4: Advanced Idioms

Q.16 What does “Crocodile tears” mean? (SSC GD 2022)

(a) Genuine crying (b) Fake crying (c) Happy crying (d) Silent crying

Answer: (b) Fake crying ✅

Q.17 What does “Black sheep” mean? (Bank PO 2019)

(a) Good person (b) Disgraceful person (c) Rich person (d) Poor person

Answer: (b) Disgraceful person ✅

Q.18 What does “White elephant” mean? (SSC CGL 2020)

(a) Valuable thing (b) Costly/useless thing (c) Beautiful thing (d) Dangerous thing

Answer: (b) Costly/useless thing ✅

Q.19 What does “Raining cats and dogs” mean? (SSC CPO 2021)

(a) Heavy rain (b) Light rain (c) Snowfall (d) Storm

Answer: (a) Heavy rain ✅

Q.20 What does “Dark horse” mean? (CDS 2022)

(a) Expected winner (b) Unexpected winner (c) Loser (d) Player

Answer: (b) Unexpected winner ✅

SET 5: Idioms in Context

Q.21 The teacher’s explanation was so clear that everyone understood. It was ______. (SSC MTS 2023)

(a) a piece of cake (b) a hot potato (c) a dark horse (d) a white elephant

Answer: (a) a piece of cake ✅

Q.22 He has been feeling tired and unwell lately. He is ______. (NDA 2021)

(a) under the weather (b) on top of the world (c) in a blue moon (d) at the eleventh hour

Answer: (a) under the weather ✅

Q.23 This diamond ring is extremely expensive. It ______. (SSC CHSL 2023)

(a) costs an arm and a leg (b) is a piece of cake (c) is a dark horse (d) is a hot potato

Answer: (a) costs an arm and a leg ✅

Q.24 He visits his hometown very rarely. He visits ______. (Bank PO 2020)

(a) once in a blue moon (b) a piece of cake (c) under the weather (d) hit the nail

Answer: (a) once in a blue moon ✅

Q.25 Her speech was perfect. She ______ with her arguments. (SSC CGL 2021)

(a) hit the nail on the head (b) was under the weather (c) was a piece of cake (d) cost an arm and a leg

Answer: (a) hit the nail on the head ✅

📊 QUICK REVISION TABLE

Idiom	Meaning	Example
A piece of cake	Very easy	This job is a piece of cake.
Hit the nail on the head	Exactly right	You hit the nail on the head.
Under the weather	Ill/Sick	He is under the weather.
Once in a blue moon	Very rare	We meet once in a blue moon.
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive	This costs an arm and a leg.
Beat around the bush	Avoid main topic	Stop beating around the bush.
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal secret	She let the cat out of the bag.
Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two things	We killed two birds with one stone.
Hold your horses	Be patient	Hold your horses!
Spill the beans	Reveal secret	He spilled the beans.
Black sheep	Disgraceful person	He is the black sheep.
White elephant	Costly/useless	This is a white elephant.
Crocodile tears	Fake crying	Shedding crocodile tears.
Raining cats and dogs	Heavy rain	It’s raining cats and dogs.
Dark horse	Unexpected winner	He is a dark horse.

🎯 SUPER TRICKS SUMMARY

TRICK 1: Visual Association Method

Piece of Cake → 🍰 = Easy (Cake खाना easy लगता है)
Under the Weather → 🌧️ = Sick (Weather change से बीमारी)
Once in a Blue Moon → 🌕 = Rare (Blue moon कभी नहीं दिखता)
Cost an Arm and a Leg → 💰 = Expensive (Arm/leg की कीमत बहुत है)

TRICK 2: Story Method

Let the cat out of the bag = Imagine cat को bag से निकालना → Secret बाहर आ गया
Hit the nail on the head = Nail पर सटीक Hammer मारना → Exactly right
Beat around the bush = Bush के चारों ओर घूमना → Main point से बचना

TRICK 3: Category Method

Category	Idioms
Easy/Hard	Piece of cake, Bite off more than you can chew
Expensive/Cheap	Cost an arm and a leg, Break the bank
Rare/Often	Once in a blue moon, Every now and then
Health/Sickness	Under the weather, Fit as a fiddle
Secret/Truth	Let the cat out, Spill the beans

TRICK 4: Opposite Idioms

Idiom	Opposite
Once in a blue moon	Every day / Very often
Under the weather	Fit as a fiddle / Healthy
Cost an arm and a leg	Cheap / Affordable
A piece of cake	A hard nut to crack

💪 COMMON EXAM TRAPS

Trap 1: Literal Meaning लेना

❌ “A piece of cake” = केक का टुकड़ा (Wrong)
✅ “A piece of cake” = Very easy task (Correct)

Trap 2: Similar Idioms confuse करना

❌ “Spill the beans” और “Let the cat out of the bag” dono secret reveal करते हैं → Interchangeable
✅ But कुछ exams में difference पूछते हैं

Trap 3: Partial Knowledge

❌ “Under the weather” को सिर्फ “sick” समझना
✅ “Under the weather” = slightly ill / not feeling well

📌 MOST IMPORTANT FOR EXAMS:

A piece of cake → 1-2 questions (पक्का!)
Under the weather → 1-2 questions
Once in a blue moon → 1-2 questions
Cost an arm and a leg → 1-2 questions
Hit the nail on the head → 1 question
Beat around the bush → 1 question
Let the cat out of the bag → 1 question
Spill the beans → 1 question
Kill two birds with one stone → 1 question

💪 Practice Tips:

Idioms को Story/Image से जोड़ें → याद रखना आसान होगा
Category-wise learn करें (Body, Animal, Colour, Food)
Previous Papers (SSC, Bank, NDA, CDS) solve करें
Daily 5-10 idioms practice करें
Make flashcards → One side idiom, other side meaning
Use idioms in sentences → अपनी sentences बनाएँ

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