Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
1. What is an Idiom?
An idiom is a fixed group of words whose overall meaning is different from the literal meaning of the individual words.
Example:
“A piece of cake”
- Literal meaning: A piece of a cake.
- Idiomatic meaning: Something very easy.
Sentence:
The English test was a piece of cake.
More examples
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A piece of cake | Very easy | The exam was a piece of cake. |
| Break the ice | Start a friendly conversation | The teacher told a joke to break the ice. |
| Hit the nail on the head | Say exactly the right thing | You hit the nail on the head. |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely | He visits us once in a blue moon. |
| Under the weather | Feeling ill | I am feeling under the weather today. |
| Spill the beans | Reveal a secret | Don't spill the beans. |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive | That car costs an arm and a leg. |
| A blessing in disguise | Something that seems bad but turns out good | Losing that job was a blessing in disguise. |
| Call it a day | Stop working | We have finished our work, so let's call it a day. |
| In hot water | In trouble | He is in hot water because he was late. |
| Beat around the bush | Avoid the main point | Stop beating around the bush and answer me. |
| Barking up the wrong tree | Following the wrong idea/person | If you think I took it, you are barking up the wrong tree. |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work/study late at night | She burned the midnight oil before the exam. |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret accidentally | Ravi let the cat out of the bag. |
| Kill two birds with one stone | Accomplish two things with one action | I killed two birds with one stone by shopping and visiting my friend. |
| Better late than never | Doing something late is better than not doing it | He finally completed the course—better late than never. |
| Actions speak louder than words | What you do is more important than what you say | Remember, actions speak louder than words. |
| Add fuel to the fire | Make a bad situation worse | His angry words added fuel to the fire. |
| On cloud nine | Extremely happy | She was on cloud nine after winning the prize. |
| Keep an eye on | Watch carefully | Please keep an eye on the children. |
2. Important Types of Idioms
Idioms can express different ideas.
A. Idioms related to emotions
- On cloud nine – extremely happy
- Down in the dumps – unhappy
- Green with envy – very jealous
- Lose one's temper – become angry
- Have butterflies in one's stomach – feel nervous
Example:
I had butterflies in my stomach before giving my speech.
B. Idioms related to money
- Cost an arm and a leg – very expensive
- Make ends meet – manage financially
- Break the bank – cost too much
- Bring home the bacon – earn money for the family
C. Idioms related to work/study
- Burn the midnight oil – work/study late
- Learn by heart – memorize
- Pull one's socks up – improve one's performance
- Get the ball rolling – start something
- Go the extra mile – make an additional effort
3. What is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb + adverb/preposition (or both) that creates a new meaning.
Structure:
Verb + particle = Phrasal verb
Examples:
- give + up = give up
- look + after = look after
- put + off = put off
- find + out = find out
The meaning of the phrasal verb is often different from the original verb.
Example:
Give
- Give = hand something to someone
- Give up = stop trying
Sentence:
Never give up your dreams.
4. Common Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Give up | Stop trying | Never give up. |
| Look after | Take care of | She looks after her mother. |
| Look for | Search for | I am looking for my book. |
| Look into | Investigate | The police will look into the matter. |
| Look up | Search for information | Look up the word in the dictionary. |
| Put off | Postpone | The meeting was put off. |
| Call off | Cancel | The match was called off. |
| Carry on | Continue | Carry on with your work. |
| Find out | Discover | I found out the truth. |
| Bring up | Mention / raise | She brought up an important issue. |
| Take off | Remove / leave the ground | Take off your shoes. |
| Put on | Wear | Put on your jacket. |
| Turn on | Start a machine | Turn on the fan. |
| Turn off | Stop a machine | Turn off the lights. |
| Turn down | Reject / reduce | He turned down the offer. |
| Turn up | Arrive / increase | He turned up late. |
| Break down | Stop functioning | The car broke down. |
| Break out | Start suddenly | A fire broke out. |
| Break into | Enter forcibly | Someone broke into the house. |
| Get up | Rise from bed | I get up at 6 a.m. |
| Get over | Recover from | She got over her illness. |
| Get along | Have a good relationship | We get along well. |
| Get rid of | Remove | Get rid of the old books. |
| Run out of | Have no more left | We have run out of milk. |
| Come across | Find unexpectedly | I came across an old photo. |
| Come back | Return | Come back soon. |
| Go through | Experience / examine | She went through a difficult time. |
| Go on | Continue | Please go on reading. |
| Make up | Invent / reconcile | They made up after the argument. |
| Pick up | Collect / learn | I will pick you up at 5. |
| Put away | Store | Put away your books. |
| Take after | Resemble | She takes after her mother. |
| Take over | Take control | The new manager took over. |
| Work out | Solve / exercise | We worked out the problem. |
| Set up | Establish / arrange | They set up a new school. |
| Check in | Register at a hotel/airport | We checked in at the hotel. |
| Check out | Leave a hotel / examine | We checked out at noon. |
| Hang up | End a phone call | Don't hang up. |
| Hold on | Wait | Hold on for a minute. |
| Hurry up | Do something faster | Hurry up! We are late. |
5. Difference Between Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
| Idioms | Phrasal Verbs |
|---|---|
| Fixed expressions | Verb + particle |
| Meaning is usually figurative | Creates a new verb meaning |
| Often cannot be understood literally | Often functions as a verb in the sentence |
| Example: Break the ice | Example: Give up |
| Means: Start a conversation | Means: Stop trying |
Example:
Idiom:
“Don't spill the beans.”
Meaning: Don't reveal the secret.
Phrasal verb:
“Please turn off the fan.”
Meaning: Stop the fan.
6. Important Phrasal Verb Rules
A. Some phrasal verbs can be separated
Example:
Turn off the light.
Turn the light off.
Both are correct.
With a pronoun, separation is generally required:
Turn it off. ✅
Turn off it. ❌
B. Some phrasal verbs cannot be separated
Example:
Look after the child. ✅
Look the child after. ❌
Other examples:
- look into
- look for
- run into
- deal with
- depend on
7. Common Idioms for Competitive Exams
These are particularly useful for CTET, TET, SSC, banking and other English examinations.
- At the eleventh hour – At the last moment
- A bed of roses – An easy/comfortable situation
- A storm in a teacup – A big fuss about a small matter
- By leaps and bounds – Very rapidly
- In black and white – In writing
- In a nutshell – In brief
- In the long run – Eventually
- Keep one's fingers crossed – Hope for good luck
- Make both ends meet – Manage expenses
- Miss the boat – Miss an opportunity
- No stone unturned – Make every possible effort
- On the spur of the moment – Without planning
- Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning
- See eye to eye – Agree completely
- Take it with a grain of salt – Not completely believe something
- The last straw – Final problem that makes a situation unbearable
- Through thick and thin – In good and bad times
- To be in the same boat – Be in the same situation
- Turn a deaf ear – Refuse to listen
- Weather the storm – Survive a difficult situation
8. Important Phrasal Verbs for Exams
With GET
- get up – rise
- get in – enter
- get out – leave
- get over – recover
- get through – finish/succeed
- get along with – have a good relationship
- get rid of – remove
- get away – escape
With TAKE
- take off – remove / leave the ground
- take on – accept responsibility
- take over – assume control
- take up – begin a hobby/activity
- take after – resemble
- take back – return / withdraw a statement
With PUT
- put on – wear
- put off – postpone
- put out – extinguish
- put up with – tolerate
- put away – store
- put down – place / criticize
- put forward – suggest
With LOOK
- look after – take care of
- look for – search
- look at – examine
- look into – investigate
- look up – search for information
- look down on – consider inferior
- look forward to – eagerly await
With TURN
- turn on – start
- turn off – stop
- turn up – increase / arrive
- turn down – decrease / reject
- turn into – transform
- turn out – result/prove to be
9. Idiom vs Literal Meaning
Understanding the difference is very important.
“Break the ice”
❌ Literal: Break a piece of ice.
✅ Idiomatic: Start a friendly conversation.
Example:
The teacher told a funny story to break the ice with the new students.
“Hit the books”
❌ Literal: Hit books.
✅ Idiomatic: Study seriously.
Example:
I have an exam tomorrow, so I need to hit the books.
“Piece of cake”
❌ Literal: A piece of cake.
✅ Idiomatic: Something very easy.
Example:
The first question was a piece of cake.
10. Practice Questions
Choose the correct meaning.
1. “Spill the beans” means:
A) Waste food
B) Reveal a secret
C) Cook food
D) Make a mistake
Answer: B – Reveal a secret
2. “Give up” means:
A) Continue
B) Stop trying
C) Start
D) Collect
Answer: B – Stop trying
3. “Once in a blue moon” means:
A) Every day
B) Frequently
C) Very rarely
D) At night
Answer: C – Very rarely
4. “Look after” means:
A) Search
B) Take care of
C) Ignore
D) Investigate
Answer: B – Take care of
5. “At the eleventh hour” means:
A) Very early
B) At midnight
C) At the last moment
D) Every hour
Answer: C – At the last moment
6. “Call off the meeting” means:
A) Start the meeting
B) Cancel the meeting
C) Attend the meeting
D) Postpone the meeting
Answer: B – Cancel the meeting
7. “Burn the midnight oil” means:
A) Waste electricity
B) Work or study late at night
C) Sleep early
D) Cook at night
Answer: B – Work or study late at night
8. “Put off” means:
A) Wear
B) Remove
C) Postpone
D) Start
Answer: C – Postpone
Quick Revision
⭐ 10 Must-Know Idioms
- A piece of cake – Very easy
- Break the ice – Start a conversation
- Spill the beans – Reveal a secret
- Once in a blue moon – Very rarely
- Under the weather – Ill
- Hit the nail on the head – Say exactly the right thing
- Burn the midnight oil – Study/work late
- Cost an arm and a leg – Very expensive
- Kill two birds with one stone – Achieve two things at once
- In a nutshell – In brief
⭐ 10 Must-Know Phrasal Verbs
- Give up – Stop trying
- Look after – Take care of
- Look for – Search
- Find out – Discover
- Put off – Postpone
- Call off – Cancel
- Carry on – Continue
- Run out of – Have no more left
- Get over – Recover
- Put up with – Tolerate
Evaluation Summary
Performance analysis and comprehensive answer rationales
