English Idioms & Phrases with Hindi Meaning

a situation you cannot escape because each choice depends on the other — ऐसी हालत जिसमें दोनों तरफ़ से फँसे हों
No job without experience, and no experience without a job - a real Catch-22.

quite good; better than expected — काफ़ी अच्छा / बुरा नहीं, बढ़िया
Your drawing is not too shabby for a first try!

to have a complaint you want to discuss with someone — किसी से किसी बात की शिकायत होना
I have a bone to pick with you about the broken crayon.

completely loyal and genuine — पक्का, सच्चा और वफ़ादार
Our dog is a true blue friend - he waits for me every day.

a silence full of meaning, when everyone waits — मतलब-भरी चुप्पी
When she asked who ate the cake, there was a pregnant pause.

to praise yourself and your achievements — अपनी तारीफ़ ख़ुद करना / अपने मुँह मियाँ मिट्ठू बनना
She won three medals but never blows her own trumpet.

at some point in the future — आगे चलकर कभी न कभी
Somewhere down the line, you will thank yourself for reading daily.

complete freedom to do what you think is best — पूरी छूट / खुली आज़ादी
The principal gave the students carte blanche to decorate the hall.

a funny way to say someone does not have a quality at all — यह गुण तुममें बिल्कुल नहीं है (मज़ाक में)
You fell asleep in class? Energy is not your middle name today!

too difficult for me to understand — मेरी समझ के बाहर
The cricket rules went over my head at first.

ignoring a problem and hoping it goes away — समस्या देखकर भी आँखें बंद कर लेना
Hiding your report card is an ostrich mentality.

to start a conversation in an awkward situation — बातचीत की शुरुआत करना
He told a joke to break the ice.

to sense the mood of the people around you — माहौल को भाँपना
Read the room before cracking a joke.

to think in a new, creative way — हटकर/नए ढंग से सोचना
To win, we must think outside the box.

to stop working for the day — आज का काम यहीं रोकना
It's late; let's call it a day.

to agree or understand things the same way — एक राय/समझ पर होना
Let's make sure we're on the same page.

something very easy — बहुत आसान काम
The test was a piece of cake.

feeling slightly ill — तबीयत थोड़ी ख़राब होना
I'm feeling a bit under the weather.

to go to bed — सोने जाना
I'm tired; I'll hit the sack early.

to be very expensive — बहुत महँगा होना
That phone costs an arm and a leg.

to face a difficult situation bravely — हिम्मत करके मुश्किल काम करना
I bit the bullet and apologised.

to reveal a secret — राज़ खोल देना
Don't spill the beans about the party.

very rarely — कभी-कभार ही
He visits us once in a blue moon.

to be exactly right — बिल्कुल सही बात कहना
You hit the nail on the head!

it's your turn to decide or act — अब फ़ैसला तुम्हारे हाथ में है
I've made my offer; the ball is in your court.

to get to the main point quickly — सीधे मुद्दे पर आना
Let me cut to the chase: we won.

alert and quick to act — चौकस और फुर्तीला
She's really on the ball today.

to summarise quickly — संक्षेप में कहूँ तो
Long story short, we missed the train.

to learn how to do something — किसी काम में महारत आ जाना
Cycling is hard at first, but you'll get the hang of it.

to make brief contact / check in — थोड़ी देर बात करके हाल जानना
Let's touch base tomorrow morning.

a good thing that seemed bad at first — छिपा हुआ वरदान
Missing that bus was a blessing in disguise.

to tell someone angrily what you think — खरी-खोटी सुनाना
She gave him a piece of her mind.

to work late into the night — देर रात तक मेहनत करना
She burned the midnight oil before exams.

after a bad experience, you become careful — दूध का जला छाछ भी फूँक-फूँक कर पीता है
He won't lend money again — once bitten, twice shy.

what you do matters more than what you say — करनी, कथनी से बड़ी होती है
He helped quietly — actions speak louder than words.

those who start early get the best chances — जल्दी उठने/शुरू करने वाले को फ़ायदा मिलता है
She applied first — the early bird catches the worm.

don't decide by appearance alone — किसी को बाहरी रूप से मत आँको
He looks rough but is kind — don't judge a book by its cover.

doing something late is better than not at all — देर आए दुरुस्त आए
He apologised at last — better late than never.

to solve two problems with one action — एक पंथ दो काज
I shopped and met a friend — two birds with one stone.

something that will never happen — कभी नहीं होगा
He'll clean his room when pigs fly.

said when a person you were talking about appears — जिसका ज़िक्र, वही हाज़िर
Speak of the devil — here's Raj now!

asking what someone is thinking — क्या सोच रहे हो?
You're quiet — a penny for your thoughts?

to make a bad situation worse — आग में घी डालना
Shouting only added fuel to the fire.

to avoid saying the main point — इधर-उधर की बातें करना
Stop beating around the bush and tell me.

good luck (especially before a performance) — शुभकामनाएँ (प्रदर्शन से पहले)
It's your big show — break a leg!

to worry about something that can't be changed — बीती बात पर पछताना
It's done; don't cry over spilt milk.

there is something good in every bad situation — हर मुश्किल में कोई अच्छाई छिपी होती है
You failed once, but every cloud has a silver lining.

wait, slow down — ज़रा रुको, धीरज रखो
Hold your horses, let me finish.

to reveal a secret by mistake — राज़ खुल जाना
He let the cat out of the bag about the gift.

the final problem that makes you lose patience — सब्र का बाँध टूट जाना
His rude reply was the last straw.

to calm down and control your feelings — खुद को संभालो
Pull yourself together; we can fix this.

is extremely expensive — बहुत ज़्यादा महँगा
That ring costs the earth.

in the same difficult situation — एक ही मुसीबत में होना
We all failed the test; we're in the same boat.

to take on more than you can handle — क्षमता से ज़्यादा काम ले लेना
Taking five subjects, he bit off more than he could chew.

suddenly and unexpectedly — अचानक, बिना किसी सूचना के
She called me out of the blue.

being kind is free and easy — दयालु होने में कुछ ख़र्च नहीं होता
Smile at others — it costs nothing to be kind.

to look sad or sulky — मुँह लटका लेना
Don't make a long face; we'll go next time.

a sudden shocking event — अचानक चौंकाने वाली घटना
The news was a bolt from the blue.

to imagine how another person feels — किसी की जगह खुद को रखकर सोचना
Put yourself in her shoes before judging.

a small visible part of a much bigger problem — समस्या का छोटा सा हिस्सा (असली बड़ी है)
These complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.

to make more effort than expected — अपेक्षा से ज़्यादा मेहनत करना
She always goes the extra mile for students.

to watch carefully — नज़र रखना / ध्यान रखना
Keep an eye on the baby.

to accept the consequences of your actions — अपने किए का सामना करना
He broke the rule and had to face the music.

to do something cheaply or quickly, lowering quality — घटिया/जल्दबाज़ी में काम करना
Don't cut corners on safety.

to study hard — जमकर पढ़ाई करना
Exams are near; time to hit the books.

a very small amount compared to what is needed — ऊँट के मुँह में जीरा
My help was a drop in the ocean.

to give up — हार मान लेना
Don't throw in the towel so soon.

to avoid making a decision — फ़ैसला न लेना / दुविधा में रहना
Stop sitting on the fence and decide.

to cause a big loss or harm — महँगा पड़ना
Ignoring the warning cost him dearly.

to return to a topic later — बाद में फिर से चर्चा करना
Let's circle back to this after lunch.

to make a noticeable difference — ठोस बदलाव लाना
This campaign really moved the needle on sales.

easy tasks that give quick results — आसान और जल्दी फ़ायदा देने वाला काम
Let's grab the low-hanging fruit first.

a detailed, thorough study of something — गहराई से अध्ययन करना
Let's do a deep dive into the numbers.

something that changes a situation completely — खेल बदल देने वाली चीज़
This app is a real game changer.

an advance warning or notice — पहले से सूचना देना
Just a heads up, the meeting moved to 3 PM.

an easy and obvious decision — बहुत आसान फ़ैसला
Taking that job was a no brainer.

a rough estimate — अनुमानित आँकड़ा
Give me a ballpark figure for the cost.

undecided between two choices — दुविधा में होना
I'm on the fence about the new plan.

to set a higher standard — मानक ऊँचा करना
This team really raised the bar this year.

to use influence to get something — रसूख़ का इस्तेमाल करना
He pulled some strings to get the seat.

to face a difficulty bravely and directly — मुश्किल का डटकर सामना करना
She took the bull by the horns and resigned.

to understand something difficult — किसी मुश्किल बात को समझ पाना
I can't wrap my head around this math.

when everything is considered — आख़िरकार / कुल मिलाकर
At the end of the day, family matters most.

to start an activity or process — काम शुरू करना
Let's get the ball rolling on the project.

to start again after a failure — फिर से शुरू से शुरुआत करना
The design failed, so it's back to the drawing board.

to join a popular trend — लोकप्रिय चलन में शामिल होना
Everyone jumped on the fitness bandwagon.

an unpredictable person who may cause trouble — बेक़ाबू / अनिश्चित व्यक्ति
He's a loose cannon in meetings.

extremely happy — बेहद ख़ुश
She was over the moon about the result.

under great pressure to finish on time — समय के भारी दबाव में
We're under the gun to ship today.

uncertain or not yet decided — अनिश्चित / तय नहीं
Our travel plans are still up in the air.

doing something correctly toward success — सही राह पर होना
You're on the right track, keep going.

to focus closely on something — किसी बात पर ध्यान केंद्रित करना
Let's zero in on the main problem.

to lose an opportunity by being too late — मौक़ा चूक जाना
If you wait, you'll miss the boat.

to change direction or strategy — रणनीति बदलना
The startup had to pivot to survive.

to rise to higher positions at work — तरक़्क़ी की सीढ़ी चढ़ना
She climbed the ladder quickly.

to destroy relationships permanently — रिश्ते हमेशा के लिए ख़त्म करना
Don't burn bridges when you quit.

to blame someone to protect yourself — अपने को बचाने के लिए दूसरे को दोष देना
He threw me under the bus in the meeting.

to keep someone informed — जानकारी देते रहना
Please keep me in the loop on this.

to increase something quickly — तेज़ी से बढ़ाना
We need to ramp up production.

the time or energy to do something — काम करने का समय या क्षमता
I don't have the bandwidth for this now.

a situation good for everyone involved — सबके लिए फ़ायदेमंद स्थिति
This deal is a win-win for both of us.

the overall situation, not small details — बड़ी तस्वीर / समग्र स्थिति
Look at the bigger picture, not one bad day.

to start a task with full energy from the beginning — शुरू से ही पूरी रफ़्तार से लग जाना
She hit the ground running on day one.

to go beyond normal limits — सीमाओं से आगे बढ़ना
This design really pushes the envelope.

to discuss something later in private — बाद में अलग से बात करना
Let's take this offline after the call.

to examine the details of something — बारीकी में जाना
Let's drill down into the data.

combined effort that gives a greater result — तालमेल से बढ़ा हुआ परिणाम
There is great synergy between the teams.

from now on, in the future — आगे से / भविष्य में
Going forward, we'll meet weekly.

an easy success achieved fast — जल्दी मिलने वाली आसान सफलता
We need a quick win to boost morale.

my personal opinion — मेरी राय
Just my two cents, but I'd wait.

more advanced than others — दूसरों से आगे
Their tech is ahead of the curve.

the advantages of two different things at once — दोनों चीज़ों के फ़ायदे एक साथ
Working from home gives the best of both worlds.

very common and of little value — बहुत आम / दो कौड़ी का
Such phones are a dime a dozen now.

attractive things are not always valuable — हर चमकती चीज़ सोना नहीं होती
The job looked great, but all that glitters is not gold.

good habits keep you healthy — रोज़ एक सेब डॉक्टर को दूर रखता है
Eat fruit daily — an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

to follow a mistaken idea or blame the wrong person — ग़लत दिशा में कोशिश करना
If you blame me, you're barking up the wrong tree.

to waste effort on a finished matter — ख़त्म हो चुकी बात पर ज़ोर देना
Stop beating a dead horse, it's decided.

to fail or come to an end — नाकाम होना / ख़त्म होना
My old laptop finally bit the dust.

to work too hard with too little rest — हद से ज़्यादा मेहनत करना
You'll fall sick burning the candle at both ends.

to barely succeed or escape — बाल-बाल बचना
He passed by the skin of his teeth.

fake tears or false sadness — घड़ियाली आँसू
She cried crocodile tears at the meeting.

to be ignored — अनसुना कर दिया जाना
My warnings fell on deaf ears.

to ignore someone deliberately — जान-बूझकर अनदेखा करना
She gave me the cold shoulder all day.

to start again from the beginning — फिर से शुरुआत से शुरू करना
The plan failed, so it's back to square one.

not knowing something can make you happier — अनजान रहना भी सुख है
He doesn't know the news — ignorance is bliss.

both people share responsibility — ताली दोनों हाथ से बजती है
Don't blame only him — it takes two to tango.

to stay cheerful in a tough situation — हिम्मत बनाए रखना
Keep your chin up, things will improve.

to try everything possible — हर संभव कोशिश करना
We left no stone unturned to find him.

to avoid restarting an old problem — पुरानी बात को न छेड़ना
Don't mention it — let sleeping dogs lie.

two people very similar to each other — हमशक्ल / बहुत मिलते-जुलते
The twins are like two peas in a pod.

think carefully before acting — सोच-समझकर क़दम उठाना
Look before you leap into that deal.

to have just enough money to live — गुज़ारा करना
They struggle to make ends meet.

success needs hard work and effort — बिना मेहनत फल नहीं
Train daily — no pain, no gain.

in a risky situation that could go wrong — जोखिम भरी स्थिति में
After being late again, he's on thin ice.

to go from a bad situation to a worse one — आसमान से गिरे खजूर में अटके
He changed jobs and went from the frying pan into the fire.

to joke or tease someone playfully — मज़ाक करना / चिढ़ाना
Relax, I'm just pulling your leg.

to risk everything on a single plan — सब कुछ एक ही दाँव पर लगा देना
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

to understand a hidden meaning — छिपा अर्थ समझना
Read between the lines of her message.

great things take time and patience — बड़े काम समय माँगते हैं
Be patient — Rome wasn't built in a day.

to make a painful situation worse — जले पर नमक छिड़कना
Don't rub salt in the wound by laughing.

to pretend you didn't want something you cannot get — अंगूर खट्टे हैं
He says the prize was useless — sour grapes!

to act at the best possible moment — सही मौक़े पर वार करना
The market is up — strike while the iron is hot.

rumours usually have some truth — बिना आग धुआँ नहीं उठता
People talk; there's no smoke without fire.

in good times and bad times — सुख-दुख में साथ
They stayed together through thick and thin.

time passes very quickly — समय जल्दी बीत जाता है
Time flies when you're having fun.

to make a bad situation even worse — जले पर नमक छिड़कना / और बुरा करना
He was late, and to add insult to injury, he forgot the file.

to ignore something wrong on purpose — जान-बूझकर अनदेखा करना
The guard turned a blind eye to the rule.

to survive a difficult period — मुश्किल दौर से निकल जाना
The company weathered the storm of losses.

caught in the act of doing wrong — रंगे हाथों पकड़ा जाना
The thief was caught red-handed.

someone who feels out of place — अनजान माहौल में असहज
At the party, he felt like a fish out of water.

people cannot change their true nature — स्वभाव नहीं बदलता
He lied again — a leopard can't change its spots.

a big fuss over a small matter — छोटी बात का बतंगड़
It's just a storm in a teacup.

everyone is facing the same difficulty — सब एक ही नाव में सवार
We're all in the same boat with these exams.

very calm and relaxed — बेहद शांत और बेफ़िक्र
During the crisis she was as cool as a cucumber.

immediately, without any delay — तुरंत, बिना देर किए
She'll help at the drop of a hat.

anger or hatred between people — आपसी दुश्मनी / कड़वाहट
There's bad blood between the two families.

facing two equally difficult choices — दोनों तरफ़ मुश्किल
I'm between a rock and a hard place.

to keep changing your opinion — बार-बार मन बदलना
He blows hot and cold about the trip.

to raise a false alarm repeatedly — झूठा ख़तरा बार-बार बताना
He cried wolf so often no one believes him now.

to assume success before it happens — पहले से सफलता मान लेना
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

no matter what happens — चाहे कुछ भी हो
I'll be there, come rain or shine.

to set a limit on what you accept — सीमा तय करना
I draw the line at rudeness.

to try very hard to help someone — किसी के लिए बहुत मेहनत करना
She bent over backwards to help us.

to be very expensive — बहुत महँगा होना
That watch cost a pretty penny.

to be very lucky or successful suddenly — बड़ी सफलता या किस्मत पाना
With that deal, she hit the jackpot.

in trouble — मुसीबत में
He's in hot water with the boss.

to act too soon before the right time — समय से पहले क़दम उठाना
Don't jump the gun before the results.

to hope for good luck — अच्छी क़िस्मत की उम्मीद करना
Keep your fingers crossed for the result.

a rare and special chance — जीवन में एक बार मिलने वाला मौक़ा
This is a once in a lifetime chance.

benefits from two situations together — दोनों के फ़ायदे एक साथ
Part-time study gives the best of both worlds.

to help someone — मदद करना / हाथ बँटाना
Can you lend a hand with this box?

to start a journey or leave — सफ़र शुरू करना / निकलना
It's late, let's hit the road.

to be the one in control or making decisions — फ़ैसले लेना / कमान संभालना
The manager calls the shots here.

to become nervous and unsure before doing something — ऐन मौक़े पर घबरा जाना
He got cold feet before the speech.

to be too expensive or cost all your money — जेब ख़ाली कर देना
A small trip won't break the bank.

to deal with a problem only when it actually happens — समस्या आने पर ही उससे निपटना
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

everything, all of it, completely — पूरा का पूरा / सब कुछ
They decorated the whole nine yards.

extremely valuable or useful — सोने के भाव क़ीमती
Good advice is worth its weight in gold.

to become impossible to control — क़ाबू से बाहर हो जाना
The party got out of hand.

to commit fully with no way back — पीछे लौटने का रास्ता बंद कर देना
He burned his boats and started his own firm.

completely unacceptable behaviour — बिल्कुल अस्वीकार्य व्यवहार
His rude remark was beyond the pale.

to stop yourself from saying something — बोलते-बोलते रुक जाना
I had to bite my tongue in the meeting.

to be angry because you feel treated unfairly — मन में नाराज़गी पाले रखना
He has a chip on his shoulder about school.

to reduce something to the lowest possible level — घटाकर बिल्कुल कम कर देना
The budget was cut to the bone.

extremely happy and joyful — बेहद ख़ुश / ख़ुशी से फूले न समाना
She was on cloud nine after the win.

others' situations seem better than your own — दूर के ढोल सुहावने
He envies others, but the grass is always greener on the other side.

asked when someone is unusually silent — बोलती क्यों बंद हो गई
Why so quiet? Cat got your tongue?

to run or move extremely fast — हवा की तरह तेज़ दौड़ना
He ran like the wind to catch the bus.

to turn out or develop in a certain way — नतीजा निकलना / सिरे चढ़ना
Let's see how the plan pans out.

a real test that proves the true value of something — असली कसौटी
The match was the acid test of his skill.

fully equipped or prepared — पूरी तरह तैयार / लैस
She came to the exam armed to the teeth with notes.

almost successful but not quite — बस थोड़े में रह जाना
You almost won — close but no cigar.

to return to the simplest, most important things — मूल बातों पर लौटना
Let's go back to basics with grammar.

practical, humble and realistic — ज़मीन से जुड़ा / सरल स्वभाव
Despite his fame, he's very down to earth.

simpler to talk about than to actually do — कहना आसान, करना मुश्किल
Saving money is easier said than done.

to be treated the same bad way you treat others — जैसी करनी वैसी भरनी
He teased everyone, now he gets a taste of his own medicine.

to take a risk without worrying — बेफ़िक्र होकर जोखिम लेना
He threw caution to the wind and invested.

in a few words, briefly — संक्षेप में / कुल मिलाकर
In a nutshell, the plan failed.

to make sense logically — तर्कसंगत लगना / मेल खाना
His story doesn't add up.

fresh energy after feeling tired — नई ऊर्जा / दोबारा जोश
After coffee I got a second wind.

to take attention or credit meant for another — दूसरे का श्रेय छीन लेना
He stole my thunder by announcing first.

the most important point or final result — मूल बात / आख़िरी नतीजा
The bottom line is we must save money.

normal and expected in a situation — सामान्य और अपेक्षित बात
Delays are par for the course here.

It means quite good or better than expected. It sounds negative, but it is praise — "You got 90 out of 100? Not too shabby!"

Complete freedom to do what you think is best. It comes from French and means a blank card.