Save one’s breath
To not waste time saying something that will not be listened to
(व्यर्थ की बहस न करना)
Sentence: Save one’s breath; he won’t change his mind.
Saved by the bell (2)
Rescued from a difficult situation at the last moment
(बाल-बाल बचना)
Sentence: The teacher’s arrival saved him by the bell.
School someone in something
Train or instruct thoroughly
(किसी को अच्छी तरह सिखाना)
Sentence: The coach schooled the players in advanced techniques.
Scrape the bottom of the barrel (2)
To use the worst people or things because there is nothing better left
(मजबूरी में घटिया या अंतिम विकल्प अपनाना)
Sentence: The company is scraping the bottom of the barrel for candidates.
Scratch one’s head (2)
To be confused or unable to understand something
(असमंजस में)
Sentence: The puzzle left me scratching my head.
Sea change (4)
A complete and dramatic change
(कायापलट होना)
Sentence: The new policy brought a sea change in the system.
Second banana
A person in a secondary role
(दूसरे नंबर का)
Sentence: He is happy being the second banana in the team.
Second to none
The best; better than anyone or anything else
(सर्वश्रेष्ठ)
Sentence: Her skills are second to none in the industry.
See eye to eye (13)
To agree completely with someone about something
(पूरी तरह सहमत होना)
Sentence: They finally saw eye to eye on the issue.
See pink elephants
To hallucinate, especially due to intoxication
(नशे में भ्रम होना)
Sentence: After drinking too much, he started seeing pink elephants.
See the light of day (3)
To be published or made known to people; to be born
(सामने आना)
Sentence: His book finally saw the light of day after years of effort.
Sell like hotcakes (7)
To sell very quickly and in large quantities
(तेज़ी से बिकना)
Sentence: The new smartphone is selling like hotcakes in the market.
Send someone packing
To make someone leave quickly, often angrily
(नौकरी या जगह से निकाल देना)
Sentence: The manager sent him packing after repeated mistakes.
Send to Coventry (2)
To refuse to speak to someone as a punishment
(बातचीत बंद कर देना)
Sentence: After the argument, his colleagues sent him to Coventry.
Separate the wheat from the chaff (2)
To separate the good from the bad
(अच्छे-बुरे की पहचान)
Sentence: The interview process helps separate the wheat from the chaff.
Set at liberty
To free someone; to release
(आज़ाद करना)
Sentence: The prisoner was set at liberty after proving his innocence.
Set in one’s ways
Not willing to change habits or opinions
(अपनी आदतों में अड़ियल)
Sentence: My grandfather is set in his ways and dislikes change.
Set one’s face against
To be determined to oppose something
(डटकर विरोध करना)
Sentence: She set her face against the unfair decision.
Set one’s sights on
To decide to achieve a particular thing
(लक्ष्य निर्धारित करना)
Sentence: He has set his sights on becoming an IAS officer.
Set the record straight
To give the true facts about something that has been wrongly reported
(सच्चाई सामने लाना)
Sentence: The company issued a statement to set the record straight.
Set the Thames on fire (2)
To do something remarkable
(आश्चर्यजनक कार्य करना)
Sentence: He is talented but hasn’t set the Thames on fire yet.
Set the wheels in motion
To begin a process or course of action
(प्रक्रिया शुरू करना)
Sentence: The government has set the wheels in motion for new reforms.
Sharp as a tack
Very intelligent and quick to understand things
(बहुत बुद्धिमान)
Sentence: That student is sharp as a tack and solves problems quickly.
Sharp practices
Clever but dishonest business methods
(बेईमानी के तौर-तरीके)
Sentence: The company was accused of using sharp practices to gain profit.
Shed light on
To make something clearer and easier to understand
(स्पष्ट करना)
Sentence: The report sheds light on the causes of the issue.
Shoot the breeze
To talk in a relaxed, informal way
(गपशप करना)
Sentence: We sat at the café and shot the breeze for hours.
Shot in the arm (3)
Something that gives encouragement or new energy
(हौसला बढ़ाना)
Sentence: The award was a real shot in the arm for her confidence.
Shot in the dark (4)
A wild guess; an attempt that is unlikely to succeed
(अंदाज़ा लगाना)
Sentence: His answer was just a shot in the dark.
Show a clean pair of heels (6)
To run away quickly
(भाग जाना)
Sentence: The thief showed a clean pair of heels when the police arrived.
Show a leg
To get out of bed; to hurry up and get going
(बिस्तर छोड़ो, जल्दी करो)
Sentence: Come on, show a leg or we’ll miss the train!
Show of hands
A way of voting by raising hands
(खुला वोट)
Sentence: The decision was made by a show of hands.
Show the white feather (2)
To act in a cowardly way
(कायरता दिखाना)
Sentence: He showed the white feather in the face of danger.
Show the white flag
To show that you accept defeat and want to stop fighting
(आत्मसमर्पण करना)
Sentence: The team showed the white flag after losing badly.
Silver tongue
The ability to speak in a way that makes people do what you want
(वाक्पटुता; मीठी और प्रभावशाली बोली)
Sentence: With his silver tongue, he easily convinced the audience.
Sing a different tune (or change one’s tune)
To change your opinion or behaviour, especially when you were wrong
(अपना रवैया बदल लेना)
Sentence: After seeing the results, he began to sing a different tune.
Sit at the feet of
To be taught by someone as their student
(शिष्य बनना)
Sentence: He sat at the feet of a great गुरु to learn classical music.
Sit in judgment
To criticize or judge others
(फ़ैसला या आलोचना करना)
Sentence: It’s not your place to sit in judgment over others’ choices.
Sit on a gold mine
To own something that is worth a lot of money
(अनमोल चीज़ पास होना)
Sentence: That old land turned out to be a gold mine after development.
Sit on the fence (20)
To avoid taking sides or making a decision
(तटस्थ रहना; किसी का पक्ष न लेना)
Sentence: You can’t sit on the fence forever; make a decision now.
Sit tight
To wait and not take any action
(धैर्य रखना)
Sentence: The police asked everyone to sit tight until further notice.
Sitting duck
An easy target; someone who is easy to attack or criticize
(आसान निशाना; असुरक्षित व्यक्ति)
Sentence: Without proper security, the system became a sitting duck for hackers.
Skeleton in the cupboard (or closet) (3)
An embarrassing secret from someone’s past
(पुराना शर्मनाक राज़)
Sentence: Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard.
Slap on the wrist (6)
A gentle punishment that is not severe
(बहुत हल्की सज़ा)
Sentence: The company only got a slap on the wrist for breaking the rules.
Sleep like a log (or baby)
To sleep very deeply and soundly
(गहरी नींद)
Sentence: After the long journey, he slept like a log.
Sleep on it
To wait until the next day before making a decision
(सोच-विचार के लिए समय लेना)
Sentence: I’ll sleep on it before accepting the job offer.
Slip of the tongue (2)
An accidental error when speaking
(ज़बान फिसलना)
Sentence: Calling her by the wrong name was just a slip of the tongue.
Slip one’s mind (2)
To forget something temporarily
(भूल जाना)
Sentence: I’m sorry, your birthday slipped my mind.
Slow and steady wins the race
Being careful and consistent leads to success
(निरंतर प्रयास)
Sentence: He kept practicing daily—slow and steady wins the race.
Small potatoes (or beer)
Something or someone that is not important
(तुच्छ या महत्वहीन)
Sentence: Compared to bigger issues, this is just small potatoes.
Smell a rat (15)
To suspect that something is wrong or dishonest
(शक होना)
Sentence: I smell a rat in this deal; something isn’t right.