Completely Explained 📖51 Useful Idioms and Phrases for DMRC Exams - List of Idioms & Phrases Here!

The English language isn’t as easy as it might seem. Confusing as it may be, strings of random words stitched together are the essence of the language. Here we present you the 51 Useful Idioms and Phrases for DMRC and Bank Exams to boost up your preparation. Read this article and get to know the Top 51 Useful Idioms and Phrases with the meaning & usage in a sentence. 

25 Most Expected Idioms & Phrases in Exams :- 

Idiom	Meaning
Once in a blue moon	Something that happens very rarely
Use in Sentence – Once in a blue moon, the blue jay can be seen in these parts of the forest.
Beating around the bush	Avoiding the main topic
Use in Sentence – The President was beating around the bush when the citizens demanded a reason for the forgery of legal documents.
Chip on your shoulder	When someone is upset about something that happened a while ago
Use in Sentence – He has a chip on his shoulder for being abandoned by his parents in his childhood.
Cry over spilt milk	Complaining about a loss or failure from the past
Use in Sentence – He was mad because he couldn’t clear the cut off due to a silly mistake. But, then he realized there was no use crying over spilt milk and decided to become more careful.
Spill the beans	To disclose a secret
Use in Sentence – The little one spilled the beans about the surprise vacation we had planned.
Piece of cake	Something that is easy to understand or do
I thought that the problem would be tough, but it turned out to be a piece of cake!
Blessing in disguise	Something good and useful that did not initially seem that way
Use in Sentence – His accident was a blessing in disguise because it gave him a lot of time to think about his life while he was recovering, and as a result, he made some important decisions that improved his life.
Come hell or high water	Possible obstacles in your path (will not stop you)
Use in Sentence – I have decided that come hell or high water I will become an engineer.
Taste of your own medicine	When someone receives the same treatment, usually negative, that he/she gives to others
Use In sentence – She is always taunting others and hurting their sentiments. I just wish someone would give her a taste of her own medicine.
Golden handshake	A big sum of money given to a person when he/she leaves a company or retires
Use in Sentence – The management of the company wanted to decrease their workforce. They offered a golden handshake to their aged employees.
Mean business	Being serious/dedicated
Use in Sentence – The border is sealed by troops who mean business.
Apple of one’s eye	Being cherished more than others are
Use in Sentence – Sam is adored by his teacher for his childlike nature. He is the apple of her eye.
The best of both worlds	The benefits of widely differing situations enjoyed at the same time.
Use in Sentence – I had the best of both worlds since I worked as an ordinary member of the team but got to learn from the leaders.
Feeling a bit under the weather	Feeling slightly ill
Use in Sentence – I may not be able to jog today, as I am feeling a bit under the weather.
Icing on the cake	Something that turns good into great
Use in Sentence – India’s victory over England on India’s Independence Day was like icing on the cake.
Cost an arm and a leg	Be very expensive
Use in Sentence – His laziness made him miss his flight to Chandigarh. The next ticket cost him an arm and a leg.
Jump the bandwagon	To join a popular activity or trend
Use in Sentence – When he was detected with diabetes, he quickly jumped on the bandwagon and joined the Zumba dance class.
Ball is in your court	When it is up to you to make the next decision or step.
Use in Sentence – Now the ball is in your court; decide whether you want to reply or not.
Bite off more than you can chew	To take up a task which you may not be able to accomplish due to lack of ability.
Use in Sentence – I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to take up the 300-page research project.
Can’t judge a book by its cover	Cannot judge something primarily on appearance.
Use in Sentence – The house looked impressive in the advertisement. Still, I made a trip to the house to check everything. It is wise not to judge a book by its cover.
Hear it on grapevine	To hear rumors about something or someone
Use in Sentence – I heard it on grapevine that he had stiffed an old man asking for his pension.
It takes two to tango	Actions or communications need more than one person
Use in Sentence – Even though I thought I would be fired after the altercation with my manager, thankfully upper management realized that it takes two to tango.
Last straw	The final problem in a series of problems
Use in Sentence – My body was already in bad shape. The accident was the last straw. I am now on complete bed rest.
To be in the doldrums	To be in low spirits
Use in Sentence – Sam was in the doldrums after he was insulted by the boss in front of his colleagues.
To sit on the fence	To remain neutral
Use in Sentence – Since I wasn’t aware of the details, I decided to sit on the fence during the argument between my cousins.

Other Useful Idioms & Phrases

Idiom	Meaning
Break the ice	To initiate a social conversation or interaction
Use in Sentence – At the start of the lecture, the new professor tried to break the ice by telling a joke.
A bird’s eye view	A view from a very high place that allows you to see a very large area
Use in Sentence – The Singapore Big Wheel offers a bird’s eye view of the city.
A litmus test	A method that helps to know if something is correct
Use in Sentence – Taking up the job served as a litmus test for me to know how good I was at applying my knowledge.
At the drop of a hat	Willingness to do something instantly
Use in Sentence – She expects me to make dinner at the drop of a hat even if I am very busy with office work.
Afraid of one’s own shadow	To become easily frightened
Use in Sentence – Her creepy encounter with the supernatural had a devastating effect on her. She is now afraid of her own shadow.
A house of cards	A poor plan
The State’s new scheme was initially welcomed, but later turned out to be a house of cards when it was discovered how easy it was to perpetrate a scam.
Black and blue	Full of bruises
Use in Sentence – The young lad was all black and blue after a tiff with a raging senior.
Be on cloud nine	Be very happy
Use In Sentence – I will be on cloud nine when my first article gets published.
Bone of contention	A subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement
Use in Sentence – The examination system has long been a serious bone of contention in the HRD Ministry.
Eat humble pie	To apologize humbly
Use in Sentence – He will have to eat humble pie for the disrespect shown to the Captain
Fool’s paradise	A false sense of happiness or success
Use in Sentence – They were living in a fool’s paradise, refusing to accept that they were facing poverty.
Give cold shoulder	To ignore
Use in Sentence – I sent her a message to apologize for my misbehavior, but she gave me the cold shoulder.
Get a raw deal	To not be treated as well as other people
Use in Sentence – The fact is that students in government schools get a raw deal.
Hit the nail on the head	To do the correct thing
Use in Sentence – She hit the nail on the head when she laid out a list of justifiable grievances she had with the company.
Hand to mouth	live on only basic necessities
Use in Sentence – The severe drought led the farmers to live hand to mouth.
Hit the bull’s eye	To be exactly right about something or achieve the best result possible.
Use in Sentence – The detective hit the bull’s eye when he figured out that nobody but the doctor could have had access to the poison.
Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal the secret carelessly or by mistake
Use in Sentence – Now that she had let the cat out of the bag, she had no option but to confess.
Make a face	To show dislike or disappointment through facial expressions
Use in Sentence – Little Stella made a face at the sight of bitter gourd in her food.
Open Pandora’s Box	To find a source of great troubles and problems
Use in Sentence – Finding the wallet on the road opened up a Pandora’s box. I was arrested for stealing when I went to report it at the police station.
It’s Greek to me	Something that is not understandable
Use in Sentence – I failed my commerce test; it was all Greek to me!
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket	Do not put all your resources in one basket.
Use in Sentence – The boy put all his money into his dream startup that eventually failed. I had told him not to put all his eggs in one basket.
To call a spade a spade	To be brutally frank, outspoken, blunt in speech.
Use in Sentence – Let’s call a spade a spade – popular he may be, but that man is a liar.
To be a Good Samaritan	To be kind and compassionate to someone in distress
Use in Sentence – I was sure I would be stuck on the highway till the morning, but a Good Samaritan offered me a ride home.
To put in a nutshell	To say in a few words or to make something concise
Use in Sentence – The Textbook Development Committee decided to put the 30-page chapter, in a nutshell, to help save time for students during revision.
To pour oil on troubled waters	To make peace
Use in Sentence – I am always stuck pouring oil on troubled waters when my mother and wife start their bickering.
To move heaven and earth	To exert all efforts
Use in Sentence – He moved heaven and earth to ensure that his family was taken care of in the foreign land in his absence.

Now remember them and All the best for your upcoming Exams 👍🏻🤗