Meanings of Phrases -A
1. Meanings of Phrases -A
A list of Some Important Idioms and Phrases
A
ABC (primary knowledge, āĻĒā§āϰāĻžāĻĨāĻŽāĻŋāĻ āĻā§āĻāĻžāύ)&mdamdash;He does not know the ABC of politics.
A stitch in time saves nine- āϏāĻŽā§ā§āϰ āĻāĻ āĻĢā§ā§ āĻ āϏāĻŽā§ā§āϰ āĻĻāĻļāĻĢā§ā§-āĻŽā§āϞāϤāĻ timely action āĻŦāĻž āϏāĻŽā§āĻŽāϤ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāϰāĻž-Those people who follow the proverb a stitch in time saves nine succeed in life.
A bird in hand is worth two in bush-āĻ āύāĻŋāĻļā§āĻāĻŋāϤ āĻ āύā§āĻ āĻĒā§āϰāϤā§āϝāĻžāĻļāĻžāϰ āĻā§ā§ā§ āĻšāĻžāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāĻā§āĻž āĻāĻŽ āĻāĻŋāύāĻŋāϏāĻ āĻāĻžāϞā§- We know the significance of the proverb a bird in hand is worth two in bush.
A snake in the grass- a hidden enemy-āĻā§āĻĒā§āϤ āĻļāϤā§āϰā§- He dreads a snake in the grass.
Above all (more than anything else, āϏāϰā§āĻŦā§āĻžāĻĒāϰāĻŋ)—Above all, be careful of your health.
Above board (spontaneous, āĻ āĻāĻĒāĻ)—His activities are open and above board.
Abode of God-āĻā§āĻĻāĻžāϰ āĻāĻŦāĻžāϏāϏā§āĻĨāϞ- Heaven āĻŦāĻž āϏā§āĻŦāϰā§āĻ- Life is not a abode of heaven.
Achilles' heel (week point, āĻĻā§āϰā§āĻŦāϞāϤāĻž)—Falling in love with ladies is his Achilles' heel.
A dark horse- A person about whose past nothing is known-āϝ⧠āĻŽāĻžāύā§āώā§āϰ āĻ āϤā§āϤ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāϰā§āĻā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻžāύāĻž āϝāĻžā§ āύāĻž- Mr. Hasan is a dark horse of our office.
A bolt from the blue – āĻ āĻĒā§āϰāϤā§āϝāĻžāĻļāĻŋāϤ, āĻĻā§āĻāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻā§āϞā§āĻļ- an unexpected calamity- The incident occurred as a bolt from the blue.
A bed of roses– āϏā§āĻ-āϏā§āĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻāύā§āĻĻā§āϝāĻĒā§āϰā§āĻŖ-comfortable- Life is not a bed of roses.
A la mode – according to the current fashion -āĻāϧā§āύāĻŋāĻ āϰā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ āύā§āϏāĻžāϰā§-He dressed in a la mode.
After all (in spite of everything, āĻŽā§āĻā§āϰ āĻāĻĒāϰ)—After all, he is a good man.
After one’s own heart -āĻāĻžāϰ⧠āϏāϰā§āĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻŽ āĻĒāĻāύā§āĻĻā§āϰ āĻ āύā§āϰā§āĻĒ āĻāĻŋāĻā§- Reza did the work after his own heart.
Against strong opposition – āĻļāĻā§āϤāĻŋāĻļāĻžāϞ⧠āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāĻĒāĻā§āώā§āϰ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒāϰā§āϤā§- in the teeth of- we were able to have our project approved against strong oppositions.
All at once (suddenly āĻšāĻ āĻžā§)—All at once a tiger came out of the forest.
All on a sudden (suddenly, āĻšāĻ āĻžā§) -All on a sudden a tiger came out of the bush.
All of a sudden (suddenly, āĻšāĻ āĻžā§) –All of a sudden he came out.
All but (nearly, āĻĒā§āϰāĻžā§)—The poor villagers are all but ruined.
All in – āĻ āϤā§āϝāύā§āϤ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻļā§āϰāĻžāύā§āϤ- very tired- He feels all in the afternoon.
All in all (supreme, āϏāϰā§āĻŦā§āϏāϰā§āĻŦāĻž)-My father is all in all in his office.
Apple of discord (matter of dispute, āĻŦāĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻĻā§āϰ āĻŽā§āϞ āĻŦāĻŋāώā§)—The paternal property has become an apple of discord between the two brothers.
Apple of one’s eyes- extremely favorite-āĻ āϤāĻŋāĻĒā§āϰāĻŋā§ āĻŦā§āϝāĻā§āϤāĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāϏā§āϤā§- The boy is the apple of his mother's eyes.
As if (as it would be, āϝā§āύ) —He swims so beautifully as if he were the water-god.
As it were(āϝā§āύ)—The sun is, as it were, the lamp of the universe.
As usual (habitually, āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāύāĻŋā§āϤ)-He is late as usual.
As to (about, āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāϰā§āĻā§)-As to the matter I do not know anything.
At a loss (puzzled, āĻšāϤāĻŦā§āĻĻā§āϧāĻŋ)-He was at a loss and did not know what to do.
At all (primarily, āĻāĻĻā§)-He does not know French at all.
At all events (in all cases, āϝāĻžāĻšāĻžāĻ āĻšā§āĻ āύāĻž āĻā§āύ)-I shall stand by him at all events.
At a low ebb (declining, āĻāĻžāĻāĻŋāĻŽā§āĻā§/āĻāĻŽāĻž)-His fame is at a low ebb now.
At arm's length (at a distance, āĻ āϞā§āĻĒ āĻĻā§āϰāϤā§āĻŦā§)-Try to keep the bad boy at arm's length.
At a stretch (without break, āĻāĻāĻāĻžāύāĻž)-He can run ten miles at a stretch.
At bay (in a tight corner, āĻā§āĻŖāĻ āĻžāϏāĻž)—The tiger was at bay in the bush.
At best (āĻŦā§āĻā§āϰ-) I can give you five taka at best.
At one's finger ends (ready at hand, āύāĻāĻĻāϰā§āĻĒāύā§)-All these facts are at his finger ends.
At daggers drawn (at enmity, āĻā§āώāĻŖ āĻļāϤā§āϰ“āϤāĻžā§)—The two brothers are now at daggers drawn.
At home (skilled, āĻĻāĻā§āώ)—He is at home in Mathematics.
At home (comfortable, āĻāϰāĻžāĻŽāĻĻāĻžā§āĻ) I feel at home in your house.
At large (free, āϏā§āĻŦāĻžāϧā§āύāĻāĻžāĻŦā§)-Birds can fly in the sky at large.
At last (in the long run, āĻ āĻŦāĻļā§āώā§)-I got my missing book at last.
At least (at the lowest, āĻāĻŽāĻĒāĻā§āώā§) -At least one hundred boys will come to school today.
At one's wits end (puzzled āĻšāϤāĻŦā§āĻĻā§āϧāĻŋ)-He was at his wits end and did not know what to do.
At random (without any aim, āĻāĻĻā§āĻĻā§āĻļā§āϝāĻšā§āύāĻāĻžāĻŦā§)-He hit the ball at random.
A red letter day- A memorable day-āϏā§āĻŽāϰāύā§ā§ āĻĻāĻŋāύ- The 16 December is our red letter day.
At sixes and sevens (scattered, āĻāϞā§āĻŽā§āϞā§āĻāĻžāĻŦā§)- All the furniture in the room were at sixes and sevens.
At stake (in danger, āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒāĻĻā§)-His life is at stake now.
At one's back and call (obedient, āĻāĻā§āĻāĻžāĻŦāĻš) -He is always at my back and call.
At one with (āĻāĻāĻŽāϤ) — I am at one with you on this point.
At one's own sweet will (according to his wishes, āĻāĻā§āĻāĻžāύā§āϝāĻžā§ā§) -He still does it at his own sweet will
At the eleventh hour (at the last moment, āĻļā§āώāĻŽā§āĻšā§āϰā§āϤā§)— The doctor came to the patient at the eleventh hour.
At times (āĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻŽāĻžāĻā§) —He comes here at times.