Important Idioms and phrases for Banking exam: 28th July 2019

Out of the wood
Meaning: Free from difficulties and danger
Usage: Pine martens could be out of the woods, albeit in limited areas, and may they flourish.

Under his thumb
Meaning: Under his control
Usage: Manish guides his team in the best way. All the teammates are under his thumb.

Between the devil and the deep sea
Meaning: Between two dangers
Usage: Until I got this job I was between the devil and the deep blue sea—borrowing from one credit card to make the minimum payment for several others.

Call a spade a spade
Meaning: To say something frankly and directly
Usage: Why not call a spade a spade and say that she’s incompetent, if that what you’re thinking.

Hoping against hope
Meaning: Without hope
Usage: One after another the aircraft came back and we would count them, hoping against hope that they would all return.

To play ducks and drakes
Meaning: To act foolishly and inconsistently
Usage: He lost his job for playing ducks and drakes with the fund of a corporation.


Rain Cats and dog
Meaning: Raining heavily
Usage: It’s raining cats and dogs I am worried about how my kids will reach home.

Like a cat on hot bricks
Meaning: Very nervous
Usage: No need to teeter along like a cat on hot bricks if you’ve got summat to foil the ice.

Cat and dog life
Meaning: Life full of quarrels
Usage: The man and his wife lead a cat-and-dog life, and both are miserable.

Show a clean pair of heels
Meaning: Runaway
Usage: As soon as chain snatcher saw a policeman, he showed a clean pair of heels