Chapter 19 · Vocabulary
मुहावरे (Idioms) — 1
Idioms & Phrases — 1Idiom = शब्दों का ऐसा समूह जिसका अर्थ शब्दों के सीधे अर्थ से अलग हो। "It is raining cats and dogs" = मूसलाधार बारिश (बिल्लियाँ-कुत्ते नहीं!)। परीक्षा में: "Choose the meaning of the idiom …"
| Idiom | अर्थ | Idiom | अर्थ |
|---|---|---|---|
| A bed of roses | आरामदायक स्थिति (an easy, comfortable situation) | Beat about the bush | इधर-उधर की बातें करना (avoid the main point) |
| A bolt from the blue | अचानक आई (बुरी) ख़बर (a sudden, unexpected event) | Bell the cat | दूसरों के लिए ख़तरा उठाना (face risk for others) |
| A cock and bull story | मनगढ़ंत कहानी (an absurd, unbelievable story) | Bite the dust | हार जाना / मर जाना (be defeated, die) |
| A white elephant | महँगी पर बेकार चीज़ (a costly but useless possession) | Black sheep | कुल-कलंक (a disgrace to the family / group) |
| A wild goose chase | बेकार की खोज (a useless search) | Blow one's own trumpet | अपनी तारीफ़ ख़ुद करना (boast) |
| An apple of discord | झगड़े की जड़ (cause of a quarrel) | Break the ice | चुप्पी तोड़ना, बातचीत शुरू करना (start a conversation) |
| Apple of one's eye | आँखों का तारा (very dear) | Burn the midnight oil | देर रात तक पढ़ना / काम करना (work late into the night) |
| At sixes and sevens | अस्त-व्यस्त (in disorder) | Bury the hatchet | दुश्मनी ख़त्म करना (make peace) |
| At daggers drawn | कट्टर दुश्मनी (bitter enemies) | By hook or by crook | किसी भी तरह (by any means, fair or foul) |
| At a stone's throw | बहुत पास (very near) | Call a spade a spade | साफ़-साफ़ कहना (speak frankly) |
| At the eleventh hour | आख़िरी समय पर (at the last moment) | Crocodile tears | दिखावटी आँसू (false sorrow) |
| Bad blood | दुश्मनी (enmity) | Cry over spilt milk | बीती बात पर पछताना (regret what cannot be undone) |
"A bolt from the blue (a sudden shock / a blue sky / a lucky chance / a storm)" (a sudden shock) · "At sixes and sevens (in disorder / at 6 or 7 o'clock / very happy / in a hurry)" (in disorder) · "A white elephant (a rare animal / a costly but useless thing / a gift / a strong man)" (a costly but useless thing)
मुहावरे — 2 Idioms & Phrases — 2
| Idiom | अर्थ | Idiom | अर्थ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feather in one's cap | उपलब्धि, सम्मान की बात (an achievement) | Leave no stone unturned | कोई कसर न छोड़ना (make every possible effort) |
| Fish in troubled waters | मौक़े का फ़ायदा उठाना (profit from confusion) | Let the cat out of the bag | भेद खोल देना (reveal a secret) |
| French leave | बिना अनुमति छुट्टी (absence without permission) | Lion's share | सबसे बड़ा हिस्सा (the largest part) |
| Gift of the gab | बोलने की कला (talent for speaking) | Make a mountain of a molehill | राई का पहाड़ बनाना (exaggerate a small matter) |
| Go to the dogs | बर्बाद हो जाना (be ruined) | A man of letters | विद्वान (a scholar) |
| Hand in glove | घनिष्ठ मिलीभगत (closely united, often in wrongdoing) | A man of straw | कमज़ोर / बिना हैसियत का व्यक्ति (a person of no substance) |
| Hit the nail on the head | बिल्कुल सही बात कहना / करना (say or do exactly the right thing) | Nip in the bud | शुरू में ही ख़त्म करना (destroy at the start) |
| Hold one's tongue | चुप रहना (keep quiet) | Once in a blue moon | बहुत कम, कभी-कभार (very rarely) |
| In cold blood | बेरहमी से, जानबूझकर (deliberately and cruelly) | Out of the wood(s) | ख़तरे से बाहर (out of danger) |
| In hot water | मुसीबत में (in trouble) | Pay through the nose | बहुत ज़्यादा क़ीमत देना (pay too much) |
| Keep the wolf from the door | भूखों मरने से बचना (avoid starvation) | Play second fiddle | छोटी / सहायक भूमिका निभाना (take a subordinate role) |
| Kick the bucket | मर जाना (die) | Put the cart before the horse | उल्टा काम करना (do things in the wrong order) |
"To burn the midnight oil (waste oil / work late at night / set fire / sleep early)" (work late at night) · "To let the cat out of the bag (free a cat / reveal a secret / lose something / tell a lie)" (reveal a secret) · "Crocodile tears (false sorrow / deep grief / tears of joy / animal's cry)" (false sorrow)
मुहावरे — 3 Idioms & Phrases — 3
| Idiom | अर्थ | Idiom | अर्थ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain cats and dogs | मूसलाधार बारिश (rain heavily) | Turn a deaf ear | अनसुना करना (ignore) |
| Red-letter day | यादगार दिन (a memorable day) | Turn over a new leaf | सुधर जाना (change for the better) |
| Red tape | लालफ़ीताशाही, दफ़्तरी देरी (official delay) | Under a cloud | शक के घेरे में (under suspicion) |
| Rule the roost | हुक़्म चलाना (be in charge, dominate) | Up to the mark | संतोषजनक (satisfactory) |
| Show the white feather | कायरता दिखाना (show cowardice) | Get cold feet | घबराकर पीछे हटना (become nervous and back out) |
| Smell a rat | गड़बड़ का शक होना (suspect something wrong) | A dark horse | छुपा रुस्तम (an unexpected winner) |
| Spill the beans | राज़ खोल देना (reveal a secret) | Bring to light | प्रकट करना (reveal) |
| Take to one's heels | भाग जाना (run away) | Die in harness | काम करते हुए मरना (die while still working) |
| Through thick and thin | हर हाल में (in all circumstances) | Give the devil his due | बुरे की भी अच्छाई मानना (give credit where due) |
| Throw cold water on | उत्साह पर पानी फेरना (discourage) | Hold water | तर्कसंगत होना (be valid) |
| At one's wit's end | हैरान, कुछ न सूझना (puzzled, not knowing what to do) | Cut a sorry figure | बुरी छाप छोड़ना (make a poor impression) |
हल करने का तरीका: शब्दों का सीधा अर्थ वाला विकल्प अक्सर जाल होता है ("rain cats and dogs" ≠ जानवर बरसना)। वाक्य में रखकर देखो कि कौन-सा अर्थ बैठता है।
"To turn over a new leaf (read a book / change for the better / plant a tree / start a diary)" (change for the better) · "Once in a blue moon (every month / very rarely / at night / never)" (very rarely) · "To take to one's heels (run away / walk slowly / kick / dance)" (run away)
मुहावरे — 4 और जोड़े Idioms — 4 · Paired Phrases
| Idiom | अर्थ | Idiom | अर्थ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build castles in the air | हवाई किले बनाना (make impractical plans, daydream) | Face the music | नतीजा भुगतना (face the consequences) |
| Make both ends meet | मुश्किल से गुज़ारा करना (manage within one's income) | A blessing in disguise | छिपा वरदान (good that first looked bad) |
| A fish out of water | असहज, बेचैन (uncomfortable in a strange place) | In the same boat | एक जैसी (मुश्किल) हालत में (in the same situation) |
| See eye to eye | पूरी तरह सहमत होना (agree fully) | Eat humble pie | ग़लती मानकर झुकना (apologise humbly) |
| Pull someone's leg | मज़ाक करना, छेड़ना (tease) | Take the bull by the horns | डटकर मुक़ाबला करना (face a difficulty boldly) |
| Add fuel to the fire | आग में घी डालना (make things worse) | Hue and cry | शोर-शराबा, हंगामा (a loud public protest) |
| Achilles' heel | कमज़ोर नस (a weak point) | Part and parcel | अभिन्न अंग (an essential part) |
| A Herculean task | बहुत कठिन काम (a very difficult task) | Null and void | अमान्य, रद्द (legally invalid) |
| A fair-weather friend | मतलबी दोस्त (a friend only in good times) | By and large | कुल मिलाकर (on the whole) |
He tried hard to make both ends meet. · Losing that job was a blessing in disguise. · Cleaning the whole house in one day was a Herculean task. · Mathematics is his Achilles' heel. · By and large, the plan worked.
"To build castles in the air (to construct buildings / to daydream / to fly / to plan a city)" (to daydream) · "A fair-weather friend (a true friend / a friend only in good times / a sailor / a weather expert)" (a friend only in good times) · "Null and void (empty / legally invalid / zero / blank)" (legally invalid)
Phrasal Verbs — 1 Phrasal Verbs (Verb + Particle) — 1
Phrasal verb = verb + preposition / adverb (particle) — मिलकर नया अर्थ: give up = छोड़ना, look after = देखभाल करना। एक ही verb, particle बदला तो अर्थ बदला।
| Phrasal verb | अर्थ | Phrasal verb | अर्थ |
|---|---|---|---|
| bring up | पालना-पोसना · मुद्दा उठाना | make up | बनाना (गढ़ना) · सुलह करना · भरपाई (make up for) |
| call off | रद्द करना (cancel) | put off | टालना (postpone) |
| carry on | जारी रखना (continue) | put on | पहनना |
| carry out | पूरा करना, लागू करना | put out | बुझाना (extinguish) |
| come across | अचानक मिलना | put up with | सहन करना (tolerate) |
| give up | छोड़ देना (quit) | run out of | ख़त्म हो जाना |
| give in | हार मान लेना (surrender) | run into | अचानक मिलना · टकराना |
| go through | जाँचना · झेलना | set up | स्थापित करना (establish) |
| look after | देखभाल करना | take after | शक्ल / स्वभाव मिलना (resemble) |
| look into | जाँच करना (investigate) | take off | उतारना · (विमान) उड़ान भरना |
| look down upon | नीचा समझना (despise) | take up | शुरू करना (शौक़) · जगह घेरना |
| look up to | आदर करना (respect) | turn down | अस्वीकार करना (reject) |
| look forward to | उत्सुकता से इंतज़ार करना | turn up | पहुँचना, आना (appear) |
| make out | समझ पाना (understand) | break down | ख़राब होना · रो पड़ना |
The meeting was called off (रद्द). · I cannot put up with his rudeness. · The child takes after his father. · Please look into the matter. · We ran out of petrol.
"The match was ___ due to rain (called off / called on / called up)" (called off) · "I can't ___ with this noise (put up / put off / put on)" (put up) · "The police will ___ the case (look into / look after / look up to)" (look into)
Phrasal Verbs — 2 Phrasal Verbs (Verb + Particle) — 2
| Phrasal verb | अर्थ | Phrasal verb | अर्थ |
|---|---|---|---|
| break out | अचानक फैलना (आग, युद्ध, बीमारी) | back out | वादे से मुकरना |
| break into | सेंध लगाना | blow up | उड़ा देना, फटना |
| bring out | प्रकाशित करना | get over | उबरना (recover) |
| call on | मिलने जाना (visit) | bring about | पैदा करना, लाना (cause) |
| cut down | कम करना (reduce) | set off / set out | यात्रा शुरू करना |
| fall out | झगड़ा होना (quarrel) | give away | बाँट देना · भेद खोल देना |
| get along / on with | अच्छा संबंध होना | turn out | साबित होना, निकलना · भीड़ का आना |
| go off | फटना · बज उठना (alarm) | find out | पता लगाना |
| hand over | सौंपना | look for | ढूँढना |
| keep up with | बराबरी पर रहना | pass out | बेहोश होना · पढ़ाई पूरी करके निकलना |
| pass away | देहांत होना (die) | call up | फ़ोन करना · बुलाना (सेना) |
| see off | विदा करना | come round | होश में आना · मान जाना |
| stand by | साथ देना (support) | do away with | ख़त्म करना (abolish) |
| wind up | समेटना, बंद करना | drop in | अचानक मिलने आना |
एक verb, कई अर्थ: look after (देखभाल) · into (जाँच) · for (खोजना) · up to (आदर) · down upon (नीचा समझना) · forward to (इंतज़ार) | break down (ख़राब होना) · out (फैलना) · into (सेंध) | put on (पहनना) · off (टालना) · out (बुझाना) · up with (सहना) | give up (छोड़ना) · in (हार मानना)
Fire broke out in the market. · The car broke down on the way. · Thieves broke into the house. · My grandfather passed away last year. · We went to the station to see him off.
"Fire ___ in the building (broke out / broke down / broke into)" (broke out) · "The old man ___ last night; his funeral is today (passed away / passed out / passed by)" (passed away) · "He ___ his promise at the last moment (backed out of / backed up / backed down)" (backed out of)