Bell the cat - To lead in danger (खतरे की अगवाई करना) : Every student dislikes the new principal, but nobody is ready to bell the cat by telling him so.
Blow one's own trumpet - To speak boastfully about oneself (अपनी बड़ाई करना) : A person who always blows his own trumpet, is not liked by anyone.
Bring to light - To make clear (स्पष्ट करना) : The manager tactfully brought to light the dishonesty of the clerk.
Bad blood - Enmity (दुश्मनी) : One should not create bad blood among relatives.
Bring home - To explain (समझाना) : She could not bring home the problem to me.
Bad Bargain - Improper compromise (अनुचित समझौता) : His marriage with a widow has proved a bad bargain for his daughters.
Between Scylla and Charybdis - Between two difficulties (दो मुश्किलों के बीच में) : If you take risk you will be in danger and if not then you will be called coward so you are between Scylla and Charybdis.
By chance - By luck (संयोगवश) : He met his old friend by chance on the road.
By degrees - By and by (धीरे धीरे) : He developed his knowledge by degrees.
Catch a Tartar - Someone more powerful or troublesome (किसी को आशा से अधिक बलवान पाना) : In attacking India, Pakistan caught a tartar.
Castles in the air - Visionary schemes (हवाई किले बनाना) : Do not waste your time in making castles in the air.
Carry coal to Newcastle - To provide something already present in abundance or foolhardy or pointless action(बेफिजूल कार्य): To carry water bottles in river areas is like carrying coal to Newcastle.
Cock and bull story - False story (झूठी बात) : The tale of his heroism is nothing but a cock and bull story.
Come true - Prove true (सत्य निकलना) : His dream about his success has come true.
Cry for the moon - Wish for an impossible thing (असम्भव वस्तु की आशा करना) : A beggar cries for the moon if he wishes to have a car.
Cut a sorry figure - To leave a poor impression (बुरा प्रभाव डालना) : Vimal stood up to speak but he was so nervous that he cut a sorry figure in the function.
Chicken-hearted - Cowardly (कायर) : He is so chicken-hearted that he can do nothing adventurous.
Child's play - Something very easy (आसान काम) : To pass the I.A.S. examination is not a child's play.
Call a spade a spade - To call a thing as it is (साफ़-साफ़ कहना) : Bold persons fearlessly call a spade a spade.
Cry over spilled milk - To feel sorry for the past (व्यर्थ पछताना) : You should not feel sorry for your failure, because it is only crying over spilled milk.
Cut the Gordian knot - Solve or remove a difficult problem (किसी कठिन समस्या को हल करना) : Let us hope that the prime minister will success in cutting the Gordian knot of black money and corruption in the country.
Call names - To abuse (गाली देना) : Do not call anybody names.
Call to account - To ask one to explain one's conduct (जवाब तलब करना) : The police officer called the bus driver to account for endangering passengers lives.
Crocodile tears - False tears or sorrow (दिखावटी आँसू या दुःख) : The student shed crocodile tears over the incomplete assignment of final term.
Catch red-handed - To catch while committing a crime (रंगे हाथों पकड़ना) : A thief entered my house last night but he was caught red-handed.
Cast pearls before swine - To offer something to someone who cannot understand the value of that thing (अंधे के आगे रोवे अपने नयना खोवे) : Giving some good advice to a stubborn person is like casting pearls before swine.
Cut and dried - Completely ready-made/ clear-cut (बिल्कुल तैयार) : I have got a cut and dried idea for solving your insurance premium problem.
Come off with flying colours - To be successful (सफल होना) : Sita came off with flying colours in the final year of engineering.
Call in question - To doubt (संदेह / शक करना) : How can you call in question the honesty of my office staff?
Dead as the doornail - Quite dead (पूर्ण रूप से मरा हुआ) : Due to no rain, the plants were dead as the doornail.
Die in harness - Die on duty (कर्तव्य या सेवा करते हुए मरना) : Many soldiers die in harness on the battlefield.
All in all - Whole and sole (सर्वेसर्वा ) : The District Magistrate is all in all in the district.
At sixes and sevens - In disorder (बेतरतीब) : Your children came into my room and left all my books at sixes and sevens.
Add fuel to fire - To make the matter worse (अग्नि में घी का कार्य करना) : The officer was already very angry but the discourteous answer of Rihana added fuel to fire.
All and sundry - Everyone without distinction (प्रत्येक बिना किसी भेदभाव के ) : My father invited all and sundry of the locality to the marriage party.
At one's wits' end - Totally confused (चकरा जाना ) : The theives were at their wits' end when they saw the police coming.
Above board - Honest and frank (ईमानदार तथा स्पष्ट ) : He is always above board in his dealing with his customers.
An apple of discord or a bone of contention - Cause of quarrel (झगड़े की जड़ ) : Kashmir is the apple of discrd or a bone of contention between India and Pakistan.
At daggers drawn - Open enmity, bitter enemies (घोर शत्रुता ) - Rana Pratap and Akbar were at daggers drawn with each other.
An apple of one's eye - Very dear (अति प्रिय होना ) : Hemant, the only son of his parents is an apple of his mother's eye.
Against the rainy day - For hard days (बुरे दिनों के लिए) : Every person should save something against the rainy day.
At an arm's length - At a distance (दूर) : The father advised his son to keep himself at an arm's length from bad boys.
An axe to grind - Personal end to survive (अपना स्वार्थ सिद्ध करना) : People do not trust those who have an axe to grind.
At the eleventh hour - At the last moment (अंतिम समय पर) : He requested to accept his help at the eleventh hour.
At a stone's throw - Near (पास) : Your uncle lives at a stone's throw from my house.
At large - Free (स्वतंत्र) : The prisoner is at large after tipping the jailor.
At hand - Near (पास) : My college is just at hand from my house.
At random - Without any aim (बिना किसी उद्देश्य के) : The soldiers fired their guns at random.
A bed of roses - Quite comfortable (फूलों की सेज) : The post of Pesident is not a bed of roses.
Apple-pie order - In perfect orderly arrangement (सुव्यवस्थित रूप में) : He keeps his clothes in apple-pie order.
All Greek and Latin - Very difficult to understand (समझने में बहुत कठिन) : His literary speech was all Greek and Latin to most of us.
A laughing stock - An object of ridicule (हसी का पात्र) : His foolish argument has made him a laughing stock of all.
At home in - Well-versed in, Perfect (दक्ष, निपुण) : Alok is at home in mathematics.
Account for - to be responsible (उत्तरदायी होना) : You must account for your loss.
A far cry - Very distant (दूर की) : For India to control increasing population is a far cry.
A good deal of - Very much (अत्यधिक) : You must finish a good deal of your course well before the examination.
According to - Consistent with (के अनुसार) : According to your medical report, you cannot survive.
As far as - So far as (जहाँ तक) : As far as I know, you are not going anywhere.
A bottle neck - Obstacle (बाधा ) : In spite of all the bottle necks created by his opponents, he got success in his mission.
Bag and Baggage - with all belongings (बिस्तर बोरिये के साथ ) : The English left India bag and baggage in 1947.
Beat about the bush - To come to the point in a round about way (घुमा फिरा कर बात करना) : Come to the main point, do not beat about the bush.
Birds of a feather - People of the same nature (एक ही स्वभाव के व्यक्ति) : Birds of a feather flock together.
By hook or by crook - By any means (उचित या अनुचित तरह से) : He wants to get success in the life by hook or by crook.
By and by - Gradually (धीरे-धीरे) : By and by, he will become a perfect saint.
By fits and starts - Irregularly (अनियमित रूप से) : Kumar failed in the examination because he studied by fits and starts.
Bread and butter - Livelihood (जीविका) : Every person is busy in his bread and butter problem due to dearness.
Breathe one's last - To die (अंतिम साँस लेना) : His father breathed his last leaving behind him four children.
Break the ice - To break the silence (मौन का वातावरण तोडना) : When all were silent for a long time I decided to break the ice.
Bolt from the blue - A great shock (बड़ा सदमा) : His father's untimely death came to him as a bolt from the blue.
Bear the brunt of - To bear main attack (मुख्य आक्रमण सहना) : Front soldiers always bear the brunt of the battle.
Bird's eye view - A general study at a glance (सरसरी नज़र से देखना) : We had bird's eye view of the government report on profiteering.
By all means - Certainly (निश्चय ही) : By all means he will be passed all subjects in exam.
Block-head - Fool (बेवकूफ) : I can not work with him as he is a block-head.
Beside the mark - Unsuitable (अनुपयुक्त) : I lost the case because my lawyer's arguments were beside the mark.
By leaps and bounds - Very rapidly ( दिन दूनी रात चौगुनी) : My country is making progress by leaps and bounds in manufacturing field.
Bury the hatchet - To forget the past enmity (पुरानी शत्रुता भुला देना) : It is wise for Ram and Mahesh to bury the hatchet and be friends again.
Beggars description - To be indescribable (वर्णन से बाहर) : The beauty of the Taj Mahal beggars description.
Bring to book - To punish (सजा देना) :The naughty boy was brought to book by the Principal.
Beat the air - Making useless efforts(हवा में हाथ पैर मारना) : When the lion was shot dead, it began to beat the air with its paws.
Black sheep - An undesirable member of a group (बुरा या अवांछनीय व्यक्ति) : He is the black sheep of my family.
Black and white - In writing (लिखित रूप में) : I can forgive you if you apologize in black and white.
