1. Make ends meet
👉 Meaning: Live within one’s income
💬 During college, I took tuitions to make ends meet.
2. Miss the boat
👉 Meaning: Miss an opportunity
💬 I missed the boat by not applying early for the visa.
3. Not see eye to eye
👉 Meaning: Disagree
💬 My dad and I don’t see eye to eye on career choices.
4. Off the cuff
👉 Meaning: Without preparation
💬 He gave an off-the-cuff answer and impressed everyone.
5. Off the record
👉 Meaning: Not official or confidential
💬 Off the record, she might be quitting next month.
6. On the ball
👉 Meaning: Quick to understand or react
💬 The new intern is really on the ball.
7. On thin ice
👉 Meaning: In a risky or dangerous situation
💬 He’s on thin ice after arriving late again.
8. Once in a blue moon
👉 Meaning: Very rarely
💬 I eat fast food only once in a blue moon.
9. Out of the blue
👉 Meaning: Unexpectedly
💬 Out of the blue, my old friend texted me.
10. Out of the woods
👉 Meaning: Out of danger or trouble
💬 He’s recovering, but not out of the woods yet.
11. Paint the town red
👉 Meaning: Celebrate wildly
💬 We painted the town red after finishing exams.
12. Pass the buck
👉 Meaning: Shift responsibility
💬 He always passes the buck when something goes wrong.
13. Pull a rabbit out of the hat
👉 Meaning: Do something unexpected or clever
💬 She pulled a rabbit out of the hat to win the match.
14. Pull the plug
👉 Meaning: End or cancel something
💬 They pulled the plug on the project due to costs.
15. Put all your cards on the table
👉 Meaning: Be honest and open
💬 I put all my cards on the table during the interview.
16. Put the cart before the horse
👉 Meaning: Do things in the wrong order
💬 Buying baby clothes before marriage is putting the cart before the horse.
17. Put your money where your mouth is
👉 Meaning: Support words with action
💬 If he really supports education, he should donate—put his money where his mouth is.
18. Raise eyebrows
👉 Meaning: Cause surprise or shock
💬 Her bold outfit raised eyebrows at the event.
19. Read between the lines
👉 Meaning: Understand the hidden meaning
💬 I could read between the lines that she was upset.
20. Rock the boat
👉 Meaning: Cause problems or change in a stable situation
💬 I didn’t complain as I didn’t want to rock the boat.
21. Roll up one’s sleeves
👉 Meaning: Prepare to work hard
💬 Once the meeting ended, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on the project.
22. Rule of thumb
👉 Meaning: General guideline or principle
💬 As a rule of thumb, I avoid junk food after 8 p.m.
23. Run out of steam
👉 Meaning: Lose energy or enthusiasm
💬 I was studying all night, but around 3 a.m., I completely ran out of steam.
24. Save face
👉 Meaning: Avoid embarrassment or shame
💬 He gave a half-apology just to save face in front of the team.
25. See the writing on the wall
👉 Meaning: Predict something bad is going to happen
💬 When the sales kept dropping, the manager saw the writing on the wall.
26. Set in stone
👉 Meaning: Fixed and unchangeable
💬 Our travel plans aren’t set in stone yet—we might adjust the dates.
27. Shoot yourself in the foot
👉 Meaning: Accidentally harm your own chances
💬 He shot himself in the foot by arguing with the examiner unnecessarily.
28. Sit tight
👉 Meaning: Wait patiently without taking action
💬 I was told to sit tight until the visa decision comes in.
29. Skeleton in the closet
👉 Meaning: Hidden or embarrassing secret
💬 Every family has a skeleton in the closet—they just don’t talk about it.
30. Sleep on it
👉 Meaning: Delay making a decision until the next day
💬 Before accepting the offer, I decided to sleep on it.
31. Smell a rat
👉 Meaning: Suspect something is wrong
💬 When she suddenly changed her story, I smelled a rat.
32. Spill the beans
👉 Meaning: Reveal secret information
💬 He accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.
33. Steal someone’s thunder
👉 Meaning: Take credit for someone else’s idea
💬 She stole my thunder by announcing the plan as her own.
34. Stick to your guns
👉 Meaning: Stay firm in your opinion
💬 Despite pressure, she stuck to her guns and didn’t change her stance.
35. Sweep under the rug
👉 Meaning: Hide or ignore a problem
💬 Instead of fixing it, the school just swept the issue under the rug.
36. Take a rain check
👉 Meaning: Postpone or delay an invitation
💬 I’d love to join, but I’ll take a rain check today—I’m exhausted.
37. Take with a grain of salt
👉 Meaning: Be skeptical about something
💬 I take social media reviews with a grain of salt—they’re not always real.
38. Test the waters
👉 Meaning: Try something to see how it goes
💬 Before launching the app, we tested the waters with a small group.
39. The ball is in your court
👉 Meaning: It's your turn or responsibility now
💬 I’ve given my opinion—now the ball is in your court.
40. The best of both worlds
👉 Meaning: Enjoy two benefits at the same time
💬 Living near the city and the beach gives me the best of both worlds.
41. The icing on the cake
👉 Meaning: An extra benefit
💬 The hotel upgrade was the icing on the cake during our trip.
42. The last straw
👉 Meaning: Final annoyance that causes a reaction
💬 When he missed my birthday, it was the last straw—I stopped talking to him.
43. The tip of the iceberg
👉 Meaning: A small part of a bigger issue
💬 The complaints we received are just the tip of the iceberg.
44. Throw caution to the wind
👉 Meaning: Take a risk or act carelessly
💬 I threw caution to the wind and booked a one-way ticket.
45. Turn a blind eye
👉 Meaning: Pretend not to notice
💬 The teacher turned a blind eye to the students whispering.
46. Under the table
👉 Meaning: Secretly or illegally
💬 He admitted to being paid under the table at his old job.
47. Up in the air
👉 Meaning: Not yet decided
💬 Our holiday plans are still up in the air because of my exams.
48. Water under the bridge
👉 Meaning: Something in the past that’s no longer important
💬 We had a fight, but it’s water under the bridge now.
49. Win hands down
👉 Meaning: Win very easily
💬 She won the singing competition hands down—no one came close!
50. Your guess is as good as mine
👉 Meaning: I don’t know either
💬 When will the results be announced? Your guess is as good as mine.
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