40 Most important Idioms and Phrases in English grammar

An idiom is an expression peculiar to a language. Words and phrases sometimes have a different sense from what they literally mean. One's proficiency in a language is judged by the way he is using the idiomatic words and expressions fluently. 40 top most used English Idioms and their meanings are given below.

1. At a stone's through : At a small distance 
2. Cut a sorry figure : Make a poor impression
3. To end in smoke : To fail
4. To spill the beans : To reveal a secret
5. A left-handed compliment : An ambiguous compliment
6. To beat about the bush : To talk about irrelevant things
7. To get cold feet : To be feared
8. Maiden speech : First speech
9. To throw cold water : To discourage
10. Turned down : Reject
11. A wild-goose chase : A pointless search
12. A red-letter day : A day of importance
13. A house of cards : An insecure scheme
14. In the blues : Cheerless and Depressed 
15. To smell a rat : To suspect faul dealings
16. A dark horse : An unknown entry
17. Blow one's own trumpet : Praise oneself
18. Straw in the wind : An indication of what might happen
19. An axe to grind : Have a selfish interest
20. At sea : Perplexed
21. To put a spoke in one's wheel : To hinder
22. Feather one's own nest : Make money in an improper way
23. Nip in the bud : Stop something at the start
24. Add fuel to the fire : Make a bad situation worse
25. Beggar description : Cannot be described
26. At a snail's pace : Very slowly
27. To burry the hatchet : To make peace
28. Fish out of water : Out of the comfortable position
29. Selling like hot cakes : To have a very good sale
30. Donkey's years : A long time
31. A dead heat : In a tie
32. To take a French leave : To leave without permission
33. Sitting on the fence : Making no decision
34. Into the bargain : In addition
35. At arm's length : Not to be too friendly
36. The gift of the gab : The capacity to talk endlessly
37. No stone unturned : Did everything possible
38. Get into hot water : Get into trouble
39. Hitting below the belt : Taking an unfair advantage
40. Hit the nail on the head : Say the exact point