Top 100 Idioms & Phrases for CUET
Idioms and phrases carry significant weightage in the CUET UG English Language section. Memorizing this curated list of the 100 most frequently asked idioms will help you eliminate wrong options and secure maximum marks in vocabulary-based questions.
📌 Note: For your convenience, a free PDF version of these 100 idioms is available for offline study. Please scroll to the bottom of the page to download your copy.
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| # | Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A blessing in disguise | A good thing that seemed bad at first |
| 2 | A dime a dozen | Something common and easy to get |
| 3 | Beat around the bush | Avoid saying what you mean directly |
| 4 | Better late than never | Better to arrive late than not at all |
| 5 | Bite the bullet | To force yourself to do something unpleasant |
| 6 | Break a leg | Good luck! |
| 7 | Call it a day | Stop working on something |
| 8 | Cut corners | To do something badly or cheaply to save time/money |
| 9 | Get out of hand | Get out of control |
| 10 | Hang in there | Don't give up |
| 11 | Hit the sack | Go to sleep |
| 12 | It's not rocket science | It's not complicated |
| 13 | Let someone off the hook | To not hold someone responsible for something |
| 14 | Make a long story short | Tell something briefly |
| 15 | Miss the boat | It's too late |
| 16 | No pain, no gain | You have to work hard for what you want |
| 17 | On the ball | Doing a good job; being alert |
| 18 | Pull someone's leg | To joke with someone |
| 19 | So far so good | Things are going well so far |
| 20 | Speak of the devil | The person we were just talking about showed up |
| 21 | Burn the midnight oil | To stay up late studying or working |
| 22 | Go the extra mile | Make an extra effort |
| 23 | Keep your chin up | Remain cheerful in a difficult situation |
| 24 | Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret |
| 25 | Piece of cake | A task that is very easy |
| 26 | Spill the beans | Reveal secret information |
| 27 | Take it with a grain of salt | Don't take it too seriously |
| 28 | Under the weather | Feeling ill |
| 29 | A penny for your thoughts | Tell me what you're thinking |
| 30 | Add insult to injury | To make a bad situation worse |
| 31 | Barking up the wrong tree | Looking in the wrong place or accusing the wrong person |
| 32 | Bite off more than you can chew | Take on a task that is way too big |
| 33 | Costs an arm and a leg | Very expensive |
| 34 | Cry over spilled milk | Complain about a loss from the past |
| 35 | Don't put all your eggs in one basket | Don't risk everything on one venture |
| 36 | Every cloud has a silver lining | Good things come after bad things |
| 37 | Give the benefit of the doubt | Believe someone's statement without proof |
| 38 | Hit the nail on the head | Describe exactly what is causing a situation |
| 39 | Jump on the bandwagon | Follow a trend |
| 40 | Kill two birds with one stone | Solve two problems at once |
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| 41 | Once in a blue moon | An event that happens infrequently |
| 42 | See eye to eye | Agreeing with someone |
| 43 | Steal someone's thunder | Take the attention away from someone else |
| 44 | Taste of your own medicine | Being treated the same bad way you treat others |
| 45 | The whole nine yards | Everything; all of it |
| 46 | Wild goose chase | A hopeless pursuit |
| 47 | You can't judge a book by its cover | Don't judge based primarily on appearance |
| 48 | A drop in the ocean | A very small part of something much bigger |
| 49 | Actions speak louder than words | What you do is more important than what you say |
| 50 | Add fuel to the fire | Make a conflict worse |
| 51 | The ball is in your court | It's your decision now |
| 52 | Bite the dust | To die or fail |
| 53 | Break the ice | Make people feel more comfortable |
| 54 | By the skin of your teeth | Just barely |
| 55 | Close, but no cigar | Almost successful, but not quite |
| 56 | Cross that bridge when you come to it | Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary |
| 57 | Cry wolf | Call for help when it's not needed |
| 58 | Curiosity killed the cat | Being inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant situation |
| 59 | Cut to the chase | Get to the point |
| 60 | Down in the dumps | Sad or depressed |
| 61 | Elephant in the room | An obvious problem that people avoid discussing |
| 62 | Fit as a fiddle | In very good health |
| 63 | Go down in flames | Fail spectacularly |
| 64 | Good things come to those who wait | Be patient |
| 65 | Have your cake and eat it too | Have it both ways (usually impossible) |
| 66 | Ignorance is bliss | You're better off not knowing |
| 67 | It takes two to tango | Actions or communications need more than one person |
| 68 | Keep your friends close and your enemies closer | Watch your enemies carefully |
| 69 | Let sleeping dogs lie | Stop discussing an issue that is already resolved |
| 70 | Look before you leap | Calculate the risks before acting |
| 71 | Not playing with a full deck | Someone who lacks intelligence |
| 72 | Out of the blue | Completely unexpected |
| 73 | Out of the frying pan and into the fire | Going from a bad situation to a worse one |
| 74 | Play devil's advocate | To argue the opposite side just to test an idea |
| 75 | Put your best foot forward | Try your absolute best |
| 76 | Rain on someone's parade | To spoil a moment |
| 77 | Read between the lines | Find the hidden meaning |
| 78 | Rule of thumb | A general, unwritten rule |
| 79 | Saved by the bell | Rescued from difficulty at the last moment |
| 80 | Sick as a dog | Very physically ill |
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| 81 | Sit on the fence | Cannot make up your mind |
| 82 | Snowball effect | Events have momentum and build upon each other |
| 83 | Step up your game | Start performing better |
| 84 | Straight from the horse's mouth | Hearing something directly from the source |
| 85 | Take a rain check | Postpone a plan |
| 86 | The best of both worlds | An ideal situation combining two good things |
| 87 | The early bird catches the worm | The first people to arrive will get the best stuff |
| 88 | The tip of the iceberg | A small, visible part of a much larger problem |
| 89 | Through thick and thin | Being loyal no matter what |
| 90 | Throw caution to the wind | Take a risk |
| 91 | Time flies when you're having fun | You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun |
| 92 | To get cold feet | To become too scared to do something |
| 93 | Up in the air | Uncertain or undecided |
| 94 | Wear your heart on your sleeve | Express your emotions freely |
| 95 | Weather the storm | Survive a difficult situation |
| 96 | When pigs fly | Something that will never happen |
| 97 | Wrap your head around something | Understand something complicated |
| 98 | You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours | If you help me, I'll help you |
| 99 | Zip your lip | To stop talking |
| 100 | A picture is worth a thousand words | Visuals explain things better than text |
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