Crash and burn
To fail completely
(बुरी तरह असफल होना)
Sentence: His startup crashed and burned within a year.
Creature comforts
Things that make life comfortable and pleasant
(आराम की चीज़ें)
Sentence: He enjoys all the creature comforts of modern life.
Crocodile tears (7)
Tears or sadness that are not sincere
(दिखावटी या झूठा दुःख)
Sentence: She shed crocodile tears after being caught lying.
Cross one’s fingers
To hope that something will happen the way you want
(अच्छे परिणाम की कामना करना)
Sentence: I’m crossing my fingers for good results.
Cross someone’s mind
To come into someone’s thoughts
(ख़्याल आना)
Sentence: The idea never crossed my mind before.
Cross someone’s palm with silver
To pay someone for a service; to bribe
(किसी को पैसे देना; रिश्वत देना)
Sentence: He crossed the official’s palm with silver to get the work done.
Cross swords (4)
To compete or fight against someone
(प्रतियोगिता या मुक़ाबला करना)
Sentence: The two rivals crossed swords in the final match.
Cross the finish line
To complete a race or task
(किसी काम को पूरा करना)
Sentence: After months of effort, she finally crossed the finish line.
Cross the Rubicon (2)
To do something that cannot be undone
(ऐसा निर्णय लेना जिससे वापस न लौटा जा सके)
Sentence: By quitting his job, he crossed the Rubicon.
Crux of the matter (3)
The most important part of an issue
(मुद्दे की बात; मामले का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण पहलू)
Sentence: The crux of the matter is lack of proper planning.
Cry (or ask) for the moon (2)
To ask for something that is impossible to get
(असंभव चीज़ की इच्छा करना)
Sentence: Expecting a perfect score without studying is like crying for the moon.
Cry over spilt milk (13)
To waste time being upset about something that has already happened
(बीती बातों पर व्यर्थ पछताना)
Sentence: There’s no use crying over spilt milk after missing the exam.
Cry stinking fish
To say bad things about one’s own products or work
(अपनी ही चीज़ की बुराई करना)
Sentence: If you cry stinking fish about your own idea, no one will believe in it.
Cry wolf (5)
To raise false alarms or ask for help when it is not needed
(बार-बार झूठी चेतावनी देना)
Sentence: If you keep crying wolf, people won’t trust you in real emergencies.
Cudgel one’s brains (2)
To think very hard about something
(बहुत सोचना)
Sentence: He cudgelled his brains to solve the tricky puzzle.
Curry favour with (3)
To try to gain someone’s approval by flattering them
(चापलूसी करना)
Sentence: She tried to curry favour with the teacher by praising her constantly.
Cut a long story short (2)
To get to the point without unnecessary details
(संक्षेप में कहना)
Sentence: To cut a long story short, we lost the match.
Cut a sorry (or poor) figure (4)
To make a bad impression
(ख़राब छवि बनाना)
Sentence: He cut a sorry figure in the interview due to poor preparation.
Cut and dried (2)
Decided and unlikely to change
(पहले से तय)
Sentence: The plan is cut and dried, so no changes will be made now.
Cut both ways
To have both positive and negative effects
(फायदे और नुकसान दोनों होना)
Sentence: Social media cuts both ways—it informs but also distracts.
Cut corners (9)
To do something in the easiest or cheapest way
(गुणवत्ता से समझौता करना)
Sentence: Don’t cut corners while preparing for exams; it will hurt your results.
Cut from the same cloth (2)
Very similar in character
(स्वभाव में बिल्कुल एक जैसा होना)
Sentence: The two brothers are cut from the same cloth.
Cut it out
To stop doing something annoying
(परेशान करना बंद करना)
Sentence: Cut it out! Your constant talking is disturbing everyone.
Cut no ice (with someone) (4)
To have no influence or effect on someone
(प्रभावित न कर पाना)
Sentence: His excuses cut no ice with the strict teacher.
Cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth (3)
Live within your means; adapt to your circumstances
(आय के अनुसार खर्च करना)
Sentence: He avoided unnecessary expenses—cut your coat according to your cloth.
Cut one’s teeth on
To get one’s first experience of something
(अनुभव प्राप्त करना)
Sentence: She cut her teeth on small projects before handling big ones.
Cut someone dead
To deliberately ignore someone
(जानबूझकर अनदेखा करना)
Sentence: He cut me dead when I greeted him at the party.
Cut someone off without a shilling (or a penny)
To disinherit someone completely
(वसीयत से बेदखल करना)
Sentence: The old man cut his son off without a penny for his misbehavior.
Cut someone short (3)
To interrupt someone while they are speaking
(बीच में टोकना)
Sentence: The manager cut him short during the meeting.
Cut someone some slack
To be lenient with someone
(नरमी बरतना)
Sentence: The teacher cut him some slack because he was new.
Cut the cackle (2)
To stop talking nonsense and get to the point
(सीधे काम की बात पर आना)
Sentence: Cut the cackle and tell me what really happened.
Cut the Gordian knot (4)
To solve a difficult problem decisively
(जटिल समस्या का समाधान निकालना)
Sentence: The leader cut the Gordian knot by taking a bold decision.
Cut the mustard (2)
To meet expectations or perform satisfactorily
(मापदंड पर खरा उतरना)
Sentence: His performance didn’t cut the mustard in the finals.
Cut to the chase (7)
To get to the main point without delay
(सीधे मुद्दे पर आना)
Sentence: Let’s cut to the chase and discuss the main issue.
Cut to the quick (2)
To hurt someone’s feelings deeply
(गहरा मानसिक दुख पहुँचाना)
Sentence: His harsh words cut her to the quick.
Dance attendance on someone
To serve someone with excessive attentiveness
(जी-हुज़ूरी करना)
Sentence: He danced attendance on his boss to get a promotion.
Dance to someone’s tune (2)
To do exactly what someone else wants
(किसी के इशारों पर नाचना)
Sentence: He always dances to his friend’s tune instead of making his own decisions.
Day and night
Continuously; all the time
(निरंतर या हर समय)
Sentence: She studied day and night to crack the exam.
Dead in the water
Unable to make progress; failing
(योजना का विफल होना)
Sentence: Without funding, the project is dead in the water.
Dead meat
A person who is in serious trouble
(गंभीर मुसीबत में होना)
Sentence: If the teacher finds out, you’re dead meat.
Dead men’s shoes
A position available only after someone’s departure
(किसी के हटने/मरने पर मिलने वाला पद)
Sentence: He is waiting for his promotion, but it’s a matter of dead men’s shoes.
Dead set against
Strongly opposed to something
(पूरी तरह ख़िलाफ़ होना)
Sentence: She is dead set against the idea of moving abroad.
Deep pockets
Having a lot of money or financial resources
(धनी होना)
Sentence: Only companies with deep pockets can afford such investments.
Desperate times call for desperate measures (2)
In extreme situations, extreme actions may be necessary
(विपत्ति में कठोर निर्णय लेने पड़ते हैं)
Sentence: He sold his belongings to survive—desperate times call for desperate measures.
Dice with death
To put one’s life at risk
(जान जोख़िम में डालना)
Sentence: Driving so fast on a busy road is like dicing with death.
Die a dog’s death
To die in a shameful or miserable way
(शर्मनाक मृत्यु)
Sentence: The traitor died a dog’s death after being exposed.
Die in harness (5)
To die while still working or in service
(सेवाकाल में मृत्यु; काम करते हुए मरना)
Sentence: He worked tirelessly and died in harness at the age of 70.
Diehard
A person unwilling to change; stubbornly persistent
(दृढ़ या न झुकनेवाला)
Sentence: He is a diehard supporter of his team.
Dig up dirt on someone (2)
To discover damaging information about someone
(भेद पता करना)
Sentence: The journalist tried to dig up dirt on the politician.
Dine with Duke Humphrey
To go without food; remain hungry
(ख़ाना न मिलना)
Sentence: I forgot my lunch, so I had to dine with Duke Humphrey.