Important Idioms & Phrases starting with letter ‘A’

Important idioms and phrases which start with the letter ‘A’

1. A Bad Egg

• Meaning – A dishonest or an ill-behaved person
• Meaning (Hindi) – एक बेईमान या खराब व्यवहार वाला व्यक्ति
• Example – He’s been in a prison several times for all sorts of crimes; he’s a bad egg.

2. A Bee in one’s bonnet

• Meaning – An obsession, often with something that is strange or a source of agitation/ to keep talking about something again and again in a way that other people may find annoying because you think it is very important
• Meaning (Hindi) – किसी चीज़ के बारे में लगातार बात करते रहना
• Example – She never stops talking about dieting – she’s got a real bee in her bonnet about it.

3. A bolt from the blue

• Meaning – a sudden and an unexpected event/something important or unusual that happens suddenly or unexpectedly
• Meaning (Hindi) – अचानक और अप्रत्याशित घटना
• Example – The resignation of the chairman came like a bolt from the blue.

4. A close shave

• Meaning – A narrow escape from something or avoidance of a situation, often an unfavorable or a dangerous one
• Meaning (Hindi) – बाल – बाल बचना
• Example – I had a close shave this morning when a speeding car passed by, only a few inches from me.

5. A Cat and Dog life

• Meaning – A life in which partners are constantly frequently quarreling/Of spouses or romantic partners, a life together typified by arguments, fights, and disagreements.
• Meaning (Hindi) – हमेशा झगड़ते रहने वाला जीवन
• Example – My uncle and aunt lead a cat and dog life, I do not know why they are staying together.

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6. A chicken-hearted Person

• Meaning – A Coward.
• Meaning (Hindi) – कायर व्यक्ति
• Example – He is a chicken-hearted man; he cannot go with you in the darkroom.

7. A chink in someone’s armor

• Meaning – A weak point in someone’s character or arguments that makes them vulnerable to attacks.
• Meaning (Hindi)- किसी की कमजोरी
• Example – Yeah, he’s brilliant, but his violent temper has destroyed many business relationships—it’s really the chink in his armor.

8. A chip on your shoulder

• Meaning – to seem angry all the time because you think you have been treated unfairly or feel you are not as good as other people
• Meaning (Hindi) – हर समय गुस्सा आना क्योंकि आपको लगता है कि आपके साथ गलत तरीके से व्यवहार किया गया है या आपको लगता है कि आप अन्य लोगों के समान उतना ही अच्छे नहीं हैं
• Example – She won’t admit it, but Kate has a chip on her shoulder when it comes to discussing her career.

9. A close-fisted man

• Meaning – to be very reluctant to give or spend money, miser
• Meaning (Hindi) – पैसे देने या ख़र्च करने के लिए बहुत ही अनिच्छुक रहना
• Example – There’s no point in asking Harry for a donation; you know how close-fisted he is.

10. A cog in the Machine

• Meaning – Someone or something that is functionally necessary but of small significance or importance within a larger operation or organization.
• Meaning (Hindi) – कार्य के लिए आवश्यक लेकिन कम महत्व का
• Example – I’m tired of working in this thankless IT support job. I don’t want to be just a cog in the machine anymore!

11. A cold shoulder

• Meaning – A display or appearance of disinterest
• Meaning (Hindi) – उदासीनता का प्रदर्शन
• Example – I tried to be pleasant to her but she gave me the cold shoulder.

12. A Dark Horse

• Meaning – Unexpected winner, a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds.
• Meaning (Hindi) – अप्रत्याशित विजेता
  
• Example – Nobody thought Cheryl could win the race after breaking her leg last year, but she turned out to be a dark horse and took the first place.

13. A dime a dozen

• Meaning – very common and of no particular value, Ubiquitous
• Meaning (Hindi) – बहुत आम
• Example – There is nothing new in this book. Books like this are a dime a dozen.

14. A feather in one’s cap

• Meaning – an achievement to be proud of.
• Meaning (Hindi) – गर्व करने लायक उपलब्धि
• Example – Getting a nomination for the Padma Shri award is really a feather in her cap.

15. A fool’s paradise

• Meaning – a state of happiness based on a person’s not knowing about or denying the existence of potential trouble.
• Meaning (Hindi) –हवाई महल
• Example – Raman is confident that he’ll get a big raise this year, but I think he’s living in a fool’s paradise.

16. A go-getter

• Meaning – A highly motivated and ambitious person.
• Meaning (Hindi) – एक बेहद प्रेरित और महत्वाकांक्षी व्यक्ति
• Example – We want interns who are go-getters, not timid kids who need to be told what to do.

17. A going concern

• Meaning – a business that is making a profit
• Meaning (Hindi) – लाभ कमाता हुआ व्यवसाय
• Example – They had a difficult start, but they’ve turned the restaurant into a going concern.

18. A good turn

• Meaning – An action that is beneficial to another person in some way, help
• Meaning (Hindi) – एक ऐसा कार्य जो किसी अन्य व्यक्ति से किसी तरह से लाभकारी है
• Example – Angela did me a good turn by sharing her notes with me while I was out sick from school.

19. A hot potato

• Meaning – a controversial issue or situation that is difficult to deal with and causes a lot of disagreement
• Meaning (Hindi) – एक विवादास्पद मुद्दा या स्थिति जो निपटने में कठिन है और बहुत ही असहमतियो से युक्त है|
• Example – The abortion issue is a political hot potato in the United States.

20. A jack of all trades

• Meaning – A person who is skilled in many different areas
• Meaning (Hindi) – कई अलग अलग क्षेत्रों में कुशल व्यक्ति
• Example – My father can fix cars, build furniture, and program computers—he is a jack of all trades.

21. A leap in the dark

• Meaning – a daring step or enterprise whose consequences are unpredictable/A chance that one takes despite being uncertain of the consequences or outcome.
• Meaning (Hindi) – साहसिक कार्य
• Example – I had very little information about the company, so writing to them was a leap in the dark.

22. A left-handed compliment

• Meaning – An insult in the guise of an expression of praise
• Meaning (Hindi) – प्रशंसा की आड़ में एक अपमान
• Example – She said she liked my hair, but it turned out to be a left-handed compliment when she asked how long I’d been dyeing it.

23. A queer fish

• Meaning – a person whose behavior seems strange or unusual.
• Meaning (Hindi) – सनकी व्यक्ति
• Example – Everyone could tell he was a queer fish as soon as he walked into the party with his mismatched clothing.

24. A red rag to a bull

• Meaning – an object, utterance, or act that is certain to provoke someone.
• Meaning (Hindi) – साँड़ को लाल कपड़ा दिकाने के समान
• Example – It was like a red rag to a bull when Samantha heard John say that men should be paid more than women.

25. A sight for sore eyes

• Meaning – a person or thing that one is extremely pleased or relieved to see.
• Meaning (Hindi) – आँख की ठण्डक
• Example – After being away from home for so long, my friends and family were a sight for my sore eyes.

26. A stone’s throw of

• Meaning – a very short distance
• Meaning (Hindi) – बहुत पास में
• Example – The apartment is just a stone’s throw from the sea.

27. A storm in a tea-cup

• Meaning – A disproportionate reaction of anger, concern, or displeasure over some minor or trivial matter.
• Meaning (Hindi) – बात का बतंगड़
• Example – If you ask me, these protests are nothing but a storm in a teacup that’s been stoked by a media campaign of misinformation.

Also, check

Important Idioms, Phrases & Phrasal Verb Starting with Letter ‘B’

Important Idioms, Phrases & Phrasal Verb Starting With Letter ‘G’

28. A taste of your own medicine

• Meaning – The same unpleasant experience or treatment that one has given to others.
• Meaning (Hindi) – जैसे को तैसा
• Example – Don’t be rude to others. You won’t like it when you get a taste of your own medicine.

29. A wild goose chase

• Meaning – a foolish and hopeless search for or pursuit of something unattainable.
• Meaning (Hindi) – निरर्थक खोज
• Example – Physicists searching for the hypothetical particle may be on a wild goose chase.

30. At the end of one’s tether

• Meaning – having no strength or patience left
• Meaning (Hindi) – और ज्यादा कष्ट सहने में असमर्थ
• Example – By six o’clock after a busy day, I’m at the end of my tether.

Word of the day: Man

1. A man in a million

• Meaning – uncomparable
• Meaning (Hindi) – लाखो में एक
• Example – Mahatma Gandhi was a man in a million.

2. A man of his words

• Meaning – A man who can be expected to keep or follow through with his promises or intentions; a truthful, trustworthy, or reliable person.
• Meaning (Hindi) – अपनी बात का पक्का
• Example – Bob is a man of his word. If he tells you that he’ll be at your house tomorrow morning at 10, then that’s when he’ll be there.

3. A man of letters

• Meaning – A man who is well-versed in literature and related scholarly pursuits.
• Meaning (Hindi) – साहित्यिक व्यक्ति
• Example – As a man of letters, the professor could easily speak for hours on the works of Shakespeare.

4. A man of means

• Meaning – A wealthy man
• Meaning (Hindi) – अमीर आदमी
• Example – His extravagant spending habits led everyone to believe that he was a man of means.

5. A man of mettle

• Meaning – Determined
• Meaning (Hindi) – दृढ़-संकल्प का व्यक्ति
  
• Example – A man of mettle mostly succeeds in life.

6. A man of parts

• Meaning – a man with great ability in many different areas/Smart person
• Meaning (Hindi) – कई अलग-अलग क्षेत्रों में महारथ वाला
• Example – Steve is a man of parts—he’s a good student, a talented musician, and a great football player.

7. A man of straw

• Meaning – A weak person
• Meaning (Hindi) – एक कमजोर व्यक्ति
  
• Example – She thought he was strong and honest, but he turned out to be nothing more than a man of straw.

8. A man of spirit

• Meaning – A courageous one
• Meaning (Hindi) – साहसिक व्यक्ति
• Example – Bhagat Singh was a man of spirit.

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