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1) A skeleton in the cupboard – a dark or embarrassing secret of the past

2) A snake in the grass – a person who pretends to be friendly, a deceitful or treacherous person

3) The life and soul – essence, the most important part of

4) By fair means or foul means – by good or evil methods

5) A fly in the ointment – a cause for trouble, a small but irritating flaw that spoils the whole thing

6) A wet blanket – one who dampens the atmosphere, tries to spoil others’ fun

7) To have clean hands – to be innocent

8) To hold one’s head high – to be proud of

9) An eye opener – revealing, enlightening, informative

10) To be on the last legs – at the end of one's strength or resources; ready to collapse, fail, or die

11) To pull the leg of – to tease

12) An utopian scheme – excellent and ideal but impracticable

13) The bill of fare – the menu

14) By hook or crook – by any means, fair or unfair

15) To turn a deaf ear to – to ignore

16) A fish out of water – in strange circumstances, to feel out of place in a new place

17) To jeer at – to make fun of

18) A man of letters – someone who writes well

19) To die before one’s time – to die young

20) To put two and two together – to guess the truth about a situation from pieces of information

21) To be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth – to be born rich

22) To have an axe to grind – have a dispute to take up with someone or, to have an ulterior motive

23) To nip in the bud – put an end to something at an early stage

24) Cry over spilt milk – cry or complain about something that has already happened

25) By leaps and bounds – to grow larger very quickly, rapidly

26) A turning point – a crucial point

27) To read between the lines – to perceive or detect an obscure or unexpressed meaning

28) Spare the rod – not beating a young child, student

29) Own flesh and blood – to be related

30) To show the white feather – to show cowardice

31) To beat black & blue – to beat severely

32) To be in the pink – to be in perfect health

33) A turning point – a crucial point

34) Keep one’s head above water – to be free from debt

35) Go out of one’s head – go mad, act unpredictably

36) Throw one’s hat in the ring – to accept a challenge

37) Jack of all trades – one who knows something of everything

38) Black and white – simple, clear and understandable

39) To be well off – to be rich

40) The fourth estate – the press

41) A fool’s paradise – an illusionary world

42) To break the ice – to break the silence

43) A yeoman’s service – helping or serving

44) Between Scylla and charybdis – to choose between 2 unattractive choices/perils

45) To turn over a new leaf – change for the better

46) Hand and glove – intimate

47) At sixes and sevens – in disorder

48) At the eleventh hour – at the last moment

49) To make a slip of the tongue – an accidental and usually trivial mistake in speaking

50) To smell a rat – to suspect

51) To pick holes – to find fault with

52) To keep the ball rolling – to cause something that is in progress to continue

53) To fall a prey – to become a victim to

54) A storm in a tea-cup – much discussion about some unimportant thing

55) To bring to book – to punish

56) A cool head – being calm, composed

57) A child’s play – something easy

58) Chicken hearted – lacking courage

59) Dance to one’s tunes – follow blindly, to always do what someone tells you to do, whether you agree with it or not

60) A dead letter – a law no longer in use

61) Rain cats and dogs – to rain heavily

62) Not fit to hold candle to – person much inferior to or not to be compared withanother

63) Burn the midnight oil – to study late in the night

64) Burn candle at both ends – to regularly stay awake late and get up early

65) Burn one’s fingers – to get oneself into unexpected trouble due to rashness

66) Miss the bus – lose an opportunity

67) Keep body and soul together – remain alive

68) Blow hot and cold – to be enthusiastic one moment and not interested the next

69) Once in a blue moon – very rarely

70) Between the devil and deep sea – in an inescapable position

71) To make the best of a bad bargain – adapt as well as possible to a bad situation

72) Apple of one’s eyes – the favourite object of one’s love or affection

73) Lead to the altar – to marry

74) Like hot cakes – in much demand

75) A cake walk – an easy task

76) Birds of a feather – people of like character

77) The afternoon of life – beyond middle age

78) Achilles’ heel – a weak spot, a fatal weakness in spite of overall strength, actually or potentially leading to downfall

79) With all of one’s heart – sincerely

80) To break the news – to announce

81) Come off with flying colours – win credit, being successful

82) Cut coat according to cloth – adapt expenditure to income

83) A cock and bull story – fictious story

84) To keep one’s word - to keep one’s promise

85) To play with fire – to engage in dangerous activities

86) Out of the frying pan into the fire – get out of a bad situation only to find oneself in a worse situation

87) To let the cat out of the bag – to reveal a secret

88) A white paper – a government report

89) Castles in the air – daydreams, thinking or dreaming about something unattainable

90) To catch red handed – to catch in the act of stealing/ committing the crime

91) A red carpet welcome – a respectable welcome

92) A white elephant – an expensive thing

93) Palmy days – prosperous days

94) The fair sex – women

95) A live wire – dynamic, active

96) Sharp tongue – in the habit of using abusive language

97) The sixth sense – intuition

98) A vicious circle – a series of unwanted/unhappy/evil incidents

99) The zero hour – an important part of time for launching something

100) A feather in one’s cap – a symbol of honour and achievement

101) Pros & cons – for and against

102) To be in poor supply – scarcity

103) Hard words – harsh language

104) Alpha and omega – the beginning and the end

105) An iron will – a strong will

106) High life – aristocratic, rich life

107) A rope of sand – a promise easily broken

108) The golden rule – the best principle

109) An apple of discord – a cause of quarrel

110) A dead language – a language which is not spoken now

111) To be dead against – to oppose staunchly, strongly

112) Come to a bad end – to become a criminal

113) Big words – boasting

114) Dutch courage – courage shown by a drunken person

115) Hot news – new or sensational news

116) A rainy day – a time of financial difficulty

117) An open secret – a secret known to all

118) A bull in a china shop – a clumsy person, someone who upsets other people's plans

119) Bread and butter – food for livelihood

120) Kith and kin – close relatives, family

121) A big shot – an important person

122) A shortcut – easier/shorter way

123) A herculean task – an extremely difficult task

124) To pay homage to – to pay respects to

125) Plunge into – to fall into

126) Short and sweet – brief and impressive

127) The salt of the earth – those of great worth and reliability

128) Bag and baggage – with all belongings

129) Way and means – methods

130) By word of mouth – orally