Inspector Baba – Top 400 Idioms asked by SSC

TOP 400 Idioms

Best 400 Idioms (Hard & Confusing)

Out of 2500+ Idioms asked in all SSC Exams.
(From 1999 to May 2025)

For more such relevant PDFs,

JOIN - https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official

YouTube –

https://youtube.com/@inspectorbabaofficial

Crux of 3000+ Spellings - https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES/4819?single

Crux of 2500+ OWS - https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES/5093

150 Most Repeated Phrasal Verb - https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES/5124

 Inspector Baba – Top 400 Idioms asked by SSC
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba Official

1. Buy the farm – stop living

2. Five-finger discount – to steal from a shop
3. Care a hang - Showing no interest
4. On the fence - Unable to decide between two options or positions
5. Bite the bullet - Face a difficult situation with courage
6. At a low ebb - In a depressed or weak state
7. Jaundiced eye - Resentment
8. A bitter pill - Facing a distressing situation
9. Cook one’s goose - To interfere with, disrupt or ruin something for
someone
10. Chip on shoulder - A tendency to be easily angered or resentful due to a
perceived grievance
11. When pigs fly – Something that will never happen
12. Babe in the woods — A young defenceless person
13. Queer pitch – Ruined the plan
14. Blowing smoke - To lie to perplex others
15. Have a bee in your bonnet - Be preoccupied or obsessed with something
16. like two peas in a pod - Very similar to each other
17. A bolt from the blue - A sudden and unexpected event
18. A sting in the tail - An unexpected, typically unpleasant or problematic
end to something
19. Back in saddle — Resume duty
2
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
20. A bull in a china shop — An extremely awkward, clumsy person
21. Casting pearls before swine — Offering good things to undeserving
people
22. Beat one’s brains out – to put forth one’s maximum efforts
23. Bells and whistles – Attractive but unnecessary features added to
products
24. Get the sack – be dismissed
25. Red herrings – Clever bluff
26. Rift in the lute – a small problem that spoils everything
27. Hornet's nest - A troublesome or hazardous situation
28. Throw in the towel - To give up or surrender
29. Pull someone’s leg - To tease or play a joke on someone
30. Pie in the sky – something not possible
31. Be in the air – when an emotion or idea is on everyone’s mind
32. Brust someone’s bubble – Destroy someone’s illusions or false beliefs.
33. Green thumb – to have a natural interest in gardening
34. Put my nose to the grindstone – to work very hard
35. Roll up my sleeves – prepare to work hard
36. Sacred cow – something that cannot be criticized
37. Bite someone’s head off — Speak angrily without any reason
38. Best thing since sliced bread - Most useful innovation in long time
39. As the crow flies — The shortest route
40. At a loss — Unable to decide
41. Catch 22 — A particular situation in which one cannot do any thing
42. Died in harness - To die while in service

3
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
43. Cut the mustard - To perform well
44. Take a rain check – to politely decline with the implication that they
may come at a later date
45. Yeoman’s service – Excellent and reliable service
46. A vicious cycle – a sequence of events that compound each other
47. At loggerheads – In disagreement
48. As genuine as a three-dollar bill - Completely fake
49. All wet – completely mistaken
50. By and large – in general
51. Cat’s in the cradle – complicated relationship
52. Burn my boats – to commit oneself to a course
53. Egg on - to Encourage
54. Damp squib - complete failure
55. Get down to brass tacks - to start discussing the important facts
56. Helter-skelter - in disorderly haste
57. Hang up your boots - to take retirement
58. Get itchy feet – to want to travel or do something new
59. Keep your pants on – be patient
60. In the fast lane – a life filled with great excitement
61. Have your head in the clouds – to be unrealistic
62. From cradle to grave – throughout one’s life
63. Drill into your heads – to emphasize repeatedly
64. Down for the count – feeling tired and give up
65. Blue blood – aristocratic lineage
66. At his disposal – available for use
67. In the soup - to be in trouble
4
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
68. Ivory towers - detachment and seclusion
69. Keep abreast of – keep oneself updated
70. Let your hair down - to take it easy and relax
71. Mack waves – to cause trouble
72. Nerves of steel – An absence of fear or anxiety
73. Receiving a kickback – getting an illegal payment
74. Slack off – to ease pressure on something
75. A cog in the machine - small part of big organisation
76. On the breadline - be very poor
77. A broth of a boy - energetic person
78. A brown study - a mood of deep thoughts
79. A bull market - market where prices are rising
80. Break a leg - To wish good luck
81. A pipe dream – an unreal hope
82. Poker face - An expressionless face that hides one's true feelings or
intentions
83. Aladdin’s cave - a place having many interesting objects
84. An olive branch - gesture of peace
85. As dead as a doornail - completely obsolete/out of trend
86. As phony as a 3 dollars bill - something that is fake
87. To shake in one’s shoes - To be afraid
88. Over and above - In addition to
89. Ace in the hole - A major advantage that one keeps hidden until an
ideal time
90. Dead ringer - An exact duplicate

5
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
91. Water under the bridge - Anything from the past that isn't significant or
important anymore
92. Out and Out - totally
93. Bad iron – bad luck
94. Be like chalk & cheese - completely different from each other
95. To hit the jackpot - To achieve great success or luck
96. Beside oneself - out of one’s senses
97. Bob’s your uncle - easily & quickly achievable
98. To beat around the bush - To avoid getting to the point
99. To take the bull by the horns - To confront a challenge directly
100. Jump on the bandwagon - to join others in doing something popular
101. Buy a lemon - to buy something worthless
102. Call the shots - to tell others what to do
103. Cast someone adrift - to leave someone without support
104. To get the hang of – to become familiar with something
105. A fly on the wall - to observe without being noticed
106. Charley horse - a painful cramp
107. Chew the fat – to gossip or chat casually
108. To go back to the drawing board - to start again with a new plan
109. To take a back seat - to assume a less prominent role
110. Crack someone up - to make someone laugh
111. Crossed the Rubicon – made an irreversible change
112. Sea change - Major transformation
113. Apropos of nothing - Having no relevance to any previous discussion or
situation
114. Dance attendance - obey someone’s every wish
6
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
115. Neck of the woods - Neighbourhood
116. At daggers drawn with - to be bitterly hostile towards each other
117. Down the tubes - failing completely
118. Drive someone up the wall - make someone extremely angry
119. Fly into a passion - to become angry suddenly
120. Go bananas – to become excited or angry
121. In black and white - In writing
122. Grasping at straws - desperate attempt to succeed
123. Bite the dust - To die
124. Grist to the mill - provide useful advantage
125. Have a bash - to make an attempt
126. To lay someone by the heels - To confine somebody in prison
127. Have egg on your face - to look foolish
128. In the flesh - In bodily form
129. Hit the hay - to go to bed
130. Hornet’s nest - Difficult situation/to raise controversy
131. I don’t buy it - I am not convinced
132. Spill the beans - Tell others secret information
133. In the groove - starting to perform very well
134. In Vogue - in fashion
135. Keep someone posted – keep sharing the latest information
136. Latin and Greek - incomprehensible
137. Have people rolling in the aisles - Make an audience laugh
uncontrollably
138. Lily Livered - not brave

7
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
139. To breast the tape - to win a race
140. Loaves and fishes - materialistic wealth
141. Good grief - An expression of surprise or frustration
142. Lose your marbles - go insane
143. Made a pig’s ear - made a mess
144. Penny wise and pound foolish - Careless with large amounts, but not
small
145. Memory like sieve – poor memory
146. Appeal to Caesar - Appeal to the highest possible authority
147. Mincing walk - small steps
148. To make a mountain out of a molehill - To give great importance to
trifles
149. Mumbo jumbo - nonsense speech
150. A piece of cake – a very easy task
151. A bite at the cherry - An attempt or opportunity to do something
152. No spring chicken - no longer young
153. On the ball - doing a job quickly/ alert
154. Burn your bridges - To eliminate the possibility of return or retreat
155. On the horizon - event that is likely to happen soon
156. Pell mell - Great confusion
157. A beast of burden - An animal that carries luggage
158. Cross out - Eliminate
159. Bite off more than one can chew = To take on more than one can
handle
160. Pig in a poke - bought without proper examination
161. Play it by ear – to perform without rehearsals
8
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
162. Queer Fish - Strange person
163. To take the veil - To become a nun
164. Queer Pitch - Spoil someone’s chance of doing something
165. Ruffle someone’s feathers - to annoy
166. Be my guest - Please do it
167. Butt in — Interrupt
168. To have a nodding acquaintance - Know somebody/something slightly
169. Rust bucket - an old vehicle
170. Scrape the barrel - to use one’s last resource
171. To pass the buck - To shift responsibility to someone else
172. Get a Second wind - Have renewed energy
173. To keep one’s nose to the grindstone - To work hard and consistently
174. Being better than before - Raise the bar
175. Hold your horses - be patience
176. Slap on the wrist - a mild punishment
177. Sly as a fox - smart and clever
178. Burn the midnight oil - Work late into the night
179. Sweat of his brow - hard work
180. To a To - Exactly
181. To dodge a bullet - to narrowly avoid a situation
182. To lay someone by heels - to confine somebody in poison
183. To meet one’s water loo - to be badly defeated
184. To the nine - to perfection
185. To twiddle one’s thumbs - to be idle
186. Toffee nosed - a person who thinks himself of high class

9
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
187. Up the creek – in trouble
188. Want to curl up & die - to feel sorry
189. To come round - To become conscious again
190. Went pear shaped - went terribly wrong
191. Cook the books - To falsify financial records
192. When the crunch comes – at the time of decision
193. Blue – blooded — Of noble birth
194. As bald as a cue ball — Completely bald
195. Thick as thieves - Having a close friendship
196. Pull something off - Make something happen
197. Getting butterflies in one's stomach - To be anxious and nervous
198. To make both ends meet - To have just enough money to live
199. Provide a blueprint - Give a detailed plan or scheme
200. All Greek to me - Something that is not understandable
201. A jack of all trades - Doing several different jobs instead of specialising
in one
202. Snowed under – busy
203. A mare’s nest - a confused situation
204. With a fine-tooth comb – carefully
205. The die is cast - the decision has been taken
206. Weal and woe - Prosperity and misfortune
207. To turn over a new leaf – to change one’s behaviour for better
208. To hit the sack - to go to sleep
209. Banana oil - Nonsensical talk
210. Bear the palm - To win
211. Springs to mind – dawns on
10
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
212. A blast from the past – something to perform very well
213. To pull the trigger – to commit a course of action
214. Go down like a lead ballon – to be received badly by an audience
215. Be at a crossroads – to make a very important decision
216. To get under one’s skin – to anger or irritate
217. Showed a clean pair of heels - Run away
218. Where the shoe pinches - Where the difficulty lies
219. At the drop of a hat - Do something immediately without hesitation
220. Pulling someone's leg - Teasing and making fun of people
221. Taste of your own medicine - Have the same bad treatment that you
have given to others
222. A Penelope’s web - An endless job
223. Wear your heart on your sleeve - Expressing emotions very openly
224. A chip off the old block - Similar to one's parents in behaviour
225. A skeleton in the cupboard - An embarrassing fact to be kept secret
226. Cut a poor figure - To put a bad impression
227. Yellow bellies – Cowards
228. Turn up – appear
229. A drop in a bucket – Insignificant compared
230. Get on like a house on fire – get on extremely well with someone
231. Out for the count – in a deep, insensible sleep
232. Big bucks - A lot of money
233. Your guess is as good as mine – to have no idea of the answer
234. Greenhorn - Inexperienced person
235. Speaks volumes - Conveys a great deal

11
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
236. Pat on the back - Praise or approval for doing something good
237. To be pushing up daisies - to be dead and buried
238. To rise like a phoenix - To emerge with a new life
239. To take up the gauntlet - To accept a challenge
240. To be off the hook - To escape a difficult situation
241. Palm off - to dispose off with the intent to deceive
242. Get someone’s goat - to irritate someone
243. Loose cannon – Someone who is unpredictable and liable to cause
244. In the blues - cheerless and depressed
245. Not mince matters – tell your opinion clearly
246. On Shank’s mare - on foot
247. Out at the elbows – poor
248. Parthian shot - an unpleasant remark at the end of a conversation
249. Pound the pavement - hunt for a job on street
250. Shooting fish in a barrel - very easy task
251. The bee’s knees – Extraordinary
252. Throw up the sponge - to surrender
253. In black and white - In writing
254. To flog/beat a dead horse – to attempt to do impossible/ a futile effort
255. At the drop of a hat/dime – without any hesitation/instantly
256. A red-letter day – an important day
257. To end in smoke – to come to nothing
258. Through thick and thin – In times of good and bad fortune
259. Back to the drawing board — plan it all over again
260. Barking up the wrong tree – Trying to do something in a way that will
not work
12
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
261. Pull someone’s legs - To tease someone
262. The bee’s knees – Extraordinary
263. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – don’t make plans based
on events that have not yet happened
264. Up in arms – in rebellion
265. A wolf in sheep’s clothing – hypocrite
266. Cut to the chase – come to the point
267. Clear someone of - Free from blame
268. To fish in troubled waters – to take advantage of a difficult situation
269. Chinks in the armour – a weakness that can be taken advantage of
270. To go nuts – to be crazy
271. Throw caution to the wind – behave in a reckless manner
272. In your birthday suit - Not wearing any clothes
273. Inflate a cow – to boast or brag
274. Showed the white flag – to surrender or admit defeat
275. Made a clean breast of – confessed his crime
276. Cut and dried – already decided
277. Look after – tack care of
278. To be off the hook - To escape a difficult situation
279. Between Scylla and Charybdis - Choice between two unpleasant
alternatives
280. To let someone off - To punish someone lightly
281. Under the weather - Slightly ill
282. Chicken hearted - Easily scared

13
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
283. The last straw - The final problem in a series of problems that makes the
situation intolerable
284. To blaze the trail - to start a movement
285. Bite someone’s head off - Respond to someone with anger that is often
sudden or unprovoked
286. A damp squib — A disappointment result
287. A fine state of affairs - An unpleasant situation
288. Cast a slur upon - Damaged
289. Eye wash - a deception
290. Fly off at a tangent – to start discussing something irrelevant
291. Go Dutch - divide the cost
292. Zero in on – to concentrate on
293. Fizzle out - to weaken gradually
294. Buy the farm – stop living
295. Pound the pavement - hunt for a job on street
296. Rose coloured glasses - a positive outlook on life
297. To end in smoke – to come to nothing
298. To be taken aback - to be surprised
299. To break a leg - to wish good luck
300. To carry the day - to succeed
301. Keeps up with the joneses – to try to match the lifestyle of one’s
neighbours
302. Like a cat on hot bricks – to be anxious
303. Like striking one’s colour – to surrender or give up
304. Diamond in the rough – An unsophisticated person with potential
305. Be a dab hand at something — Skilled in a particular area
14
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
306. That ship has sailed - too late to do something
307. Vis-à-vis - face to face
308. Turn turtle - turn upside down
309. Pull yourself together - To calm oneself down
310. Pull a fast one – to trick someone
311. Off the hook - out of trouble
312. Made out of whole cloth - entirely false & fabricated
313. Come rain or shine - Whatever happens
314. To be a penny pincher - To be very frugal or stingy
315. A lean patch - A period of poor performance
316. A moot point - Disputed
317. Batten down the hatches - Prepare for a difficult situation
318. Be off - To go away
319. Cold comfort - Slight satisfaction
320. A stick in the mud – a person who resist change
321. All agog – all the time; from the beginning
322. Beyond a shadow of a doubt – for certain
323. Digging around – investigating
324. Made his mark – to distinguish himself
325. Neck or nothing – under going great
326. Bear fruit — Produce positive results
327. A rainy day - A time when money might unexpectedly be needed
328. Salad days – adolescence
329. A storm in a teacup – Big fuss over a small matter

15
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
330. Let sleeping dogs lie – Do not bring up an old controversial issue/ To

leave things as they are in order to avoid trouble

331. To keep in abeyance - in a state of suspension

332. To nip in the bud – to stop something at the start

333. To sow the dragon’s teeth - to act foolishly

334. Lock, stock and barrel - completely

335. Keep a stiff upper lip - remained expressionless

336. Take your eye off the ball - To stop paying attention for a moment

337. To call in question – Challenge

338. Cat’s paw – a person used as a tool by another

339. Feast one’s eyes on – gaze at something with pleasure

340. To hold water – to be valid and reasonable

341. Pull strings – to use personal influence

342. By the skin of one’s teeth – barely managed to escape

343. Get the axe – lose the job

344. Elbow grease – hard physical effort

345. Get one’s dander up – lose one’s temper

346. Full of hot air – talking nonsense

347. Cut a sorry figure – create a poor impression

16
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
348. Sitting shotgun – riding in the front passenger seat of a car

349. Hit the nail on the head – say or do something exactly right

350. A state of reverie - Brown study

351. Tide someone over – give temporary help, usually financial

352. Gave up the ghost – stopped working

353. Get the hang of - learn how to use

354. Go belly up - to go bankrupt

355. God’s ape - a born fool

356. To flog a dead horse – to waste one’s energy on a lost cause
357. Let off steam - to work or play off excess energy
358. Of the first water – of the best quality
359. Put up with - Tolerate
360. To put all your eggs in one basket - To risk everything on a single venture
361. To put the cart before the horse - To reverse the proper order of things
362. Go for the jugular - attack all out
363. To turn the corner - To pass the critical stage
364. Strain every nerve – Work very hard
365. Shake off - to get rid of
366. Swollen headed - Pride
367. Pass the baton - Shift responsibility to others
368. Break the ice - To initiate conversation or social interaction in a situation
where people are uncomfortable
369. Bring down the house – to make the audience applaud enthusiastically
17
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES
370. Up the ante – to increase the stakes
371. Under her belt – having achieved or experienced something
372. Go for a song – at a cheap rate
373. To get cold feet – to be afraid
374. Put on ice – to postpone something
375. The seamy side - the unpleasant aspect
376. To be pushing up daisies - to be dead and buried
377. Run of the mill – average
378. Icing on the cake – something extra that makes a good thing even better
379. Bend over backwards – working hard to try to impress
380. Dodged a bullet – to narrowly avoid situation
381. Pen and ink – smells foul
382. A plum job – an easy and pleasant job
383. A quick buck – money that is earned or gotten quickly
384. Wag the dog - to divert attention from something important
385. Hue and cry – protest
386. Bite your tongue – to avoid saying something
387. To cut the crackle - to stop talking and start working
388. To grid up the loins - to prepare for the hard work
389. To make a pile - to make a lot of money
390. Familiarity breeds contempt – the better you know someone the less you
like him
391. When the crunch comes – at the moment of decision
392. A thorn in the flesh – annoying and irritating
393. Bell the cat – do the impossible task
394. To steal a march - to outshine
18
https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official
 395. Wet his whistle - to get drunk

396. In cahoots – in an alliance or partnership with

397. Down in the dumps - Feeling depressed or low in spirits

398. Carry the can - To take the responsibility of some misdemeanour

399. Turned out – to result in a particular way

400. Run into – meet unexpectedly

➢ Crux of 3000+ Spellings - https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES/4819?single

➢ Crux of 2500+ OWS - https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES/5093

➢ 150 Most Repeated Phrasal Verb - https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES/5124

Revise this PDF as many times as you can & share it with other
Aspirants.

For more such relevant PDFs,

Join - https://t.me/Inspectorbaba_Official

YouTube –

https://youtube.com/@inspectorbabaofficial

For All Important SSC Updates Join –

https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES

19
https://t.me/SSC_EXAMS_UPDATES