Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “J”,K,L,M,N,I,P,Q,R

Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “J”

Idioms and Phrases	Meaning	Sentence
Jump the gun	Do something too early, especially without thinking	The media jumped the gun and gave out their verdict of the scandal even before the investigation was complete
Jack of all trades	somebody who has many skills or who is versatile in every field.	Sandeep is the jack of all trades as he can teach, sung and do many different jobs at a time.
Jump to conclusion	form an opinion or judgement hastily.	Wait till we get the report; don’t jump to a conclusion.
Jam on the brakes	to press the brakes suddenly and in a hard way.	I had to jam on the brakes because a kid suddenly appeared from nowhere and crossed the road.
John Hancock	A person's signature.	Put your John Hancock at the bottom of the will.
Jump on the bandwagon	To profit from a craze; to join a trend.	After the incredible success of the new product, the company has jumped on the bandwagon and released a new version of it.
Jump the lights	Pass traffic lights, when they are red.	Don’t jump the lights as it may be fatal for you.
Justice is blind	This expression means that justice is impartial and objective.	No matter who you are, you must respect the law. Justice is blind!
Jangle someone’s nerves	Annoy someone or make them nervous.	The noise of the dog jangled my nerves.
Jump for joy	To be extremely happy:	The blood tests so far show my mother doesn't have cancer, but it's still too early to jump for joy because she has to have more tests
Just deserts	Get what one deserves.	After a lot of hard work, he got his just deserts

Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “K & L”

Idioms and Phrases	Meaning	Sentence
Keep the wolf from the door	To have enough money to be able to ward off poverty or hunger.	They were really very poor, but they had enough to keep the wolf from the door.
Kill two birds with one stone	accomplish two different things at the same time	I must go to the bank, and on the way back, I’ll pick up the groceries also, killing two birds with one stone.
Keep your chin up	be stalwart and courageous in a tough situation	Don’t let the difficulties intimidate you; keep your chin up.
Keep fingers crossed	hope that things will happen in the way you want them to.	I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my husband clears the written interview this Monday to join British Intelligence Bureau.
Keep at arm’s length	keep a distance, avoiding intimacy or familiarity.	He always had the feeling that she was keeping him at arm’s length.
Keep an eye on him	You should carefully watch him.	Carol asked me if I would mind keeping an eye on her houseplants while she was in Cuba.
Keep body and soul together	To earn a enough money in order to keep yourself alive.	He earns barely enough to keep body and soul together.
Knee Jerk reaction	A quick reaction that doesn’t allow you time to consider something carefully (It is always disapproving)	It was a typical knee jerk reaction when he immediately refused the offer which was given to him.
Knock on wood	Knuckle tapping on wood in order to avoid some bad luck.	My car has been running well this year. Knock on wood!
Kick the bucket	to die.	Sad news! He kicked the bucket.
Lend me your ear	To politely ask for someone’s full attention	Lend an ear to me and I will tell you a story. Lend your ear to what I am saying.
Let bygones be bygones	To forget about a disagreement or argument.	There is a feeling here that we should let bygones be bygones and move on to more important things.
Let the cat out of the bag	To share a secret that wasn’t supposed to be shared.	Amazingly, not one of the people who knew about the surprise let the cat out of the bag.
Level Playing field	A fair competition where no side has an advantage	If we started off with a level playing field, everyone would have an equal chance.
Long in the tooth	Rather Old	Don't you think she's a bit long in the tooth to be a romantic heroine?

Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “M”

Idioms and Phrases	Meaning	Sentence
Make a clean breast of	To confess	He made a clean breast of his crime.
Make one's way	Advance in life by one's own efforts.	He had to make his own way in the world as his family was very poor.
Man in the street	An ordinary person	Ram is a man in the street.
Man of his word	One who keeps his promises.	Sandeep by helping me proves that he is a man of his word.
Man of straw	A weak person.	When his wife needed his support, he runs away and left her facing all the problems all alone. That is why; she called him a man of straw after all.
Mark my words	Listen to me	Mark my words; this boy is going to become a great ruler.
Marry money	To marry a rich person	She married Sandeep Ambani and got rich.
Meet one's death	To die.	A friend of mine met his death when he got hit by a train.
Minting it	Earning a lot of money quickly.	The company is minting it is only due to the new manager.
Miss the boat	To fail to take advantage of an opportunity.	A good business opportunity comes in ram’s life but ram misses the boat.
Maiden voyage	The first voyage of a ship or boat	The maiden voyage of the Titanic ship was very popular
Make a beeline for	To hurry directly toward someone or something	When ram enters a party, he always makes a beeline for the dessert section.
Make a comeback	To return to one's former (successful) career or situation	Yuvraj Singh makes a comeback in world cup tournament after a lot of hard work.
Make a difference	To cause a change in a situation	It does not make a difference whether our boss comes to the meeting or not.
Make a fool out of	To make someone look foolish	The secretary made a fool out of her boss when she criticized him at the meeting.
Make a fuss	To worry about	My grandmother always makes a fuss over me when I visit her.
Make eyes at	To flirt with someone, to look at someone to try and attract him or her	The boy was making eyes at the girl in math class.
Make a mountain out of a molehill	Make a fuss	Don’t worry, it is just a small scratch, you are making a mountain out of a molehill.
Make ends meet	To have adequate money to survive on	We will need to start saving money in order to make ends meet

Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “N”

Idioms and Phrases	Meaning	Sentence
No spring chicken	Who is no longer young	Although Sachin Tendulkar is no spring chicken, he runs fast between the wickets.
Not hold water	Not true or relevant	Her reasons for her absent yesterday didn't hold water.
Nothing to sneeze at	Not bad, Acceptable	Their music may not be worthy of radio time, but it's nothing to sneeze at.
No love lost	A feeling of hatred or dislike	There is no love lost between two neighbors.
Night owl	Someone who is vigilant late at night	When exam started ram become a night owl.
Not give a damn	No care at all.	Most industrial houses don’t give a damn about the environment.
Null and Void	Not effective	Her speech in the seminar is null and void.
Neck and Crop	Completely	The mob destroyed the monument neck and crop.
Nuts and Bolts	Essential and important	Governor is the nuts and bolts of a state government.
Not my cup of tea	Dislike, not interested	Cricket is not my cup of tea.
Nitty-gritty	The most important aspects or practical details of a subject or situation	I am unable to understand the nitty-gritty of everyday politics.
Nip in the bud	End a problem in starting	Many serious illnesses can be nipped in the bud if they are detected early enough.
Nineteen to the dozen	Talking Very Quickly	Ram speech during the annual function is nineteen to dozen.
Necessary Evil	Something unpleasant but needs to be done in order to achieve a goal	Getting a good education is seen by some as a necessary evil to get a chance at a better life.
No man is an island	To not be able to live independent of others at all times	Having children has taught me that no man is an island.
Nest Egg	Saving for the future	The stock market has given me good returns and has helped me build a nest egg for my retirement

Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “O”

Idioms and Phrases	Meaning	Sentence
On the table	something being discussed or considered	The plan of opening a new branch of SBI in villages is on the table.
Once bitten, twice shy	Afraid of doing a thing again	After he left her she refused to go out with anyone else for a long time - once bitten, twice shy, I suppose.
Out of the blue	Something unexpected	The result of my exam comes out of the blue, as it is expected after 6 months.
Over the hill	Too old to perform as well as before	Some judges who are 80 may be over the hill, but others still have energy galore.
Off-hand	Without any preparation	Arjun Started the battle with off-hand.
Off the mark	Irrelevant, Incorrect	Your question in this debate is off the mark.
Olive branches	Offer of reconciliation.	Pakistan walked out with my olive-branch after I realized that victory was not possible anymore
Over and above	In addition to something	We spent Rs.1000 on the movie which is over and above of our budget.
On your toes	Alert	You must be on your toes if you want success in your exam.
Out of hand	Uncontrolled	The situation in the flooded area is out of hand.
On the cuff	On credit	He enjoyed his tour more as it was on the cuff.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	He visits his home once in a blue moon.
On the cards	Possible or likely	Our visits to London is on the on the cards.
Off color	Sick	Sandeep is feeling off color as he was suffering from viral fever.
Out and Out	Completely	He is lying out and out about his police case.
Out of woods	Out of problem	After he gives bribe to the officer, he is out of woods.

Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “P”

Idioms and Phrases	Meaning	Sentence
Pay your dues	Earn a position after a hard work	They want me to resign, but everybody knows that I paid my dues to get this post.
Play away from home	To have fun with someone else	She divorced her husband because he has a habit of playing away from home.
Play second fiddle	To acts as a subordinate to someone/be treated as less important than someone	Ram plays the second fiddle in his own company.
Put the cart before the horse	To put a thing in the wrong order.	Mohit always puts the cart before the horse, when he practices maths.
Put one's shoulder to the wheel	To do a lot of hard work	In constructing this house labors put their shoulder to the wheel.
Put the cat among the pigeons	Create a disturbance in a calm situation	The company put the cat among the pigeons when it announced the new policy.
Put years on	To look old	The family problem put years on Mohit.
Part and Parcel	Unavoidable part	Ram is the part and parcel of this company.
To play fast and loose	Betray someone	Mohit has a habit of playing fast and loose.
Past master	Expert in something	Ram is the past master in maths.
Petticoat government	Rule of a woman	The “petticoat government” under Maham Anaga did triumph.
Piece of cake	A very easy task	To clear SSC is not a piece of cake.
Pie in the sky	Fictional, impracticable	Going to the moon is not pie in the sky.
Put down	Reduce instantly	After army operation, the numbers of terrorist are put down.
Pick holes in another’s coat	To find fault in someone else	We should refrain ourselves from the habit of picking holes in another’s coat.

Important Idioms and Phrases starting with “Q & R”

Idioms and Phrases	Meaning	Sentence
Queer fish	Strange person	Mohan is a queer fish for the persons in this area.
Quite the thing	Very fashionable and popular	Baggy jeans have become quite the thing among teenager these days.
Question of time	Something will surely happen.	The terrorist will be killed; it’s a question of time.
Quake in one's boots	To be frightened or nervous	The thought of climbing Mount Everest make quake in his boot.
Rags to riches	Start as poor but after sometimes become rich.	He was homeless and went on to create the largest and most successful service company in the country. It's really a rags-to-riches story.
Rain cats and dogs	To rain heavily.	It was raining cats and dogs, so all flights were cancelled.
Red-handed	Caught while doing crime	She was caught red-handed when she is stealing a diamond ring.
Red-letter day	An Important Day	Monday is a red letter day for Mohan as he got his joining letter.
Root and branch	Completely	They have shifted their business root and branch to India.
Rough time	Hard or difficult time	The time of illness is rough time for him
Run out of steam	Lose energy or enthusiasm	After a lot of hard works he runs out of steam.
Running battle	An argument that continues for an extended period	He is fired from the company as he has a running battle with his boss.
Run helter-skelter	Carelessly hurried; confused, disorderly	Books and papers were scattered on the desk in a helter-skelter manner.
Red Tape	Official rule which acts as hurdle	My application for the driving license was held by red tape.
Rule the roost	Acts as dominant over other, or act as boss	Ram might be the boss in office, but at home, his wife rules the roost.