IDIOMS/PHRASES
  l  They are good customers who             l Your work isn’t really up to the         gordion knot without going
     always pay on the nail.                   mark.                                    through the bureaucracy.
     The best option is pay prompt-            The best option is according to          The best option is to perform a
     ly.                                       the required standard.                   difficult task.
602. (2) go to the dogs : to get into a   611. (3) all moonshine : silly talk ;    620. (1) a beehive (N.) : a place where
     very bad situation.                       nonsense                                 busy people are assembled ; a
  l He was a marvellous actor, but           l That’s just moonshine! I don’t           crowded, busy place.
     his drinking problems caused his          believe a word.                        l Where ever you go an airport a
     career to go to the dogs.                 concocted (V.) : to make up              railway station, etc. – all seem
     The best option is to be ruined.          The best option is concocted             to be a beehive.
603. (2) eat like a horse : to eat a lot. 612. (1) show a clean pair of heels :         The best option is a busy place
  l John works like a horse and eats           to run away fast; to flee swiftly.  621. (2) to draw the line : to set a
     like a horse, so he never gets          l Bobby showed them all a clean            limit.
     fat.                                      pair of heels as he raced for the      l We would have liked to invite all
     The best option is eats a lot of          finishing line.                          our relatives, but you have to
     food.                                     The best option is ran away              draw the line somewhere.
                                          613. (1) tooth and nail : with all            The best option is fix a limit.
604. (3) Make a mockery of some-
                                               strength.                           622. (4) in the soup : in trouble
     thing : to make something seem
                                             l The residents are fighting tooth       l We’re all in the soup now.
     ridiculous or useless.
  l The film made a mockery of a
                                               and nail to stop the new devel-          The best option is to be in trou-
     serious illness.                          opment                                   ble
     The best option is there was no           The best option is with all their   623. (4) laurels : honour and praise
     serious outcome                           might                                    given to somebody because of
                                          614. (4) give away : distribute               something that they have
605. (3) an about turn : a complete                                                     achieved
                                             l The mayor gave away the prizes
     change of opinion, plan or behav-
                                               at the school sports day.              l She won laurels for her first
     iour etc.                                                                          novel.
  l The government did an about
                                               The best option is distributed
                                          615. (4) give somebody a piece of             The best option is to earn great
     turn over nuclear energy.
                                               your mind : to tell somebody             prestige.
     The best option is complete
                                               that you disapprove of their be-    624. (4) a bird’s eye view : a view of
     change of opinion.                        haviour or are angry with them.          something from a high position
606. (4) for good : permanently              l There’s the car that almost hit          looking down
  l This time she’s leaving for good.          us this afternoon- I’m going to       l From the top of the church tow-
     The best option is permanently            give those people a piece of my          er you get a splendid bird’s eye
                                               mind.                                    view of the village.
607. (3) to grease the palm : to give
                                               The best option is scolding              The best option is a general view
     somebody money in order to per-                                                    from above.
     suade them to do something dis-      616. (1) beside the mark : not to be
                                               accurate, hence irrelevant.         625. (1) lay it on thick : to talk about
     honest; bribe.
                                             l That’s very interesting, but be-         somebody/something in a way
  l Some of those candidates spent
                                               side the mark.                           than they really are; exaggerate
     money greasing the palms of
                                               The best option is irrelevant         l Praise them when necessary,
     local political bosses.
                                                                                        but don’t lay it on too thick.
     The best option is to bribe          617. (1) in black and white : in writing
                                                                                        The best option is an exaggera-
                                             l I never thought they’d put it in
608. (2) black sheep : a person who                                                     tion
      is considered bad or embarrass-          black and white on the front
                                               page.                               626. (4) be taken aback : to be
      ing.                                                                              shocked surprised and confused
   l He is the black sheep of the fam-
                                               The best option is in writing
                                                                                     l She was completely taken aback
      ily.                                618. (2) a hard nut to crack : a diffi-
                                                                                        by his anger.
      The best option is person with           cult situation or problem to deal
                                               with.                                    The best option is shocked
      bad reputation
                                             l A company whose product has
                                                                                   627. (2) play ducks and drakes : to
609. (4) a red letter day : an impor-                                                       waste/squander
      tant day.                                sold well in the states may find
                                               the European market a tougher         l He lost his job for playing ducks
   l Independence Day is a red let-
                                               nut to crack.                            and drakes with the fund of cor-
      ter day in Indian History.
                                               The best option is difficult             poration.
      The best option is an important
                                          619. (1) to cut the Gordian knot : to         The best option is spent lavish-
      day
                                               solve a problem by taking action.        ly
610. (3) up to the mark/up to snuff/
                                             l I’m trying to devise some kind of   628. (2) to eat humble pie : to say
      up to scratch : as good as it
                                               way by which we can cut the              sorry for mistakes.
      should be.
                                                        SEE–775