Close, but no cigar (2)
Used when someone almost succeeds but ultimately fails
(बहुत करीब होकर भी सफल न होना)
Sentence: He almost won the race—close, but no cigar.
Clouds on the horizon (4)
Signs of future trouble or difficulties
(आने वाली मुसीबत के संकेत)
Sentence: Rising prices are clouds on the horizon for the economy.
Cock a snook
To show disrespect or contempt, especially by a rude gesture
(खुलेआम अपमान करना)
Sentence: He cocked a snook at authority and broke the rules.
Conspicuous by one’s absence
Noticeably absent from a place where one would be expected to be
(अनुपस्थिति स्पष्ट होना)
Sentence: She was conspicuous by her absence at the meeting.
Country mile
A very long distance
(बहुत लम्बी दूरी)
Sentence: He lives a country mile away from the nearest town.
Crack a book (2)
To open a book to study
(पढ़ाई करना)
Sentence: You should crack a book before the exam.
Cross the stream where it is shallowest
Choose the easiest way to accomplish something
(सबसे आसान रास्ता अपनाना)
Sentence: He chose the simplest method to solve the problem—cross the stream where it is shallowest.
Cry halves
To demand an equal share
(आधा हिस्सा माँगना)
Sentence: He always cries halves when we order food.
Culture vulture
A person who is very interested in art and culture
(कला-संस्कृति का शौकीन)
Sentence: She’s a culture vulture who visits museums every week.
Cupboard love
An affection shown in order to get something
(फायदे के लिए दिखावटी स्नेह)
Sentence: The child’s affection was just cupboard love for chocolates.
Curiosity killed the cat
Being too curious can lead to trouble
(अत्यधिक जिज्ञासा हानिकारक हो सकती है)
Sentence: Don’t pry into others’ matters—curiosity killed the cat.
Curtain lecture (2)
A private scolding given by a wife to her husband
(पत्नी द्वारा पति को एकांत में दी गई फटकार)
Sentence: He got a curtain lecture after coming home late.
Cut and run
To make a quick escape; to leave hurriedly to avoid trouble
(भाग जाना)
Sentence: The thief cut and ran when the police arrived.
Cut the cord
To become independent; to break ties with someone or something
(आत्मनिर्भर बनना)
Sentence: It’s time for him to cut the cord and live on his own.
Cutting edge (2)
The most advanced or innovative stage of development
(अत्याधुनिक)
Sentence: This technology is at the cutting edge of science.
Daylight robbery
A blatant overcharging; charging far too much for something
(बहुत महँगा)
Sentence: Charging that much for a small meal is daylight robbery.
Dead men tell no tales
Dead people cannot reveal secrets
(मुर्दे राज नहीं खोलते)
Sentence: The villain thought he was safe because dead men tell no tales.
Death blow
An action or event that causes the end or failure of something
(घातक प्रहार)
Sentence: The financial crisis dealt a death blow to the company.
Die in the last ditch
To fight until the very end; to never surrender
(अंतिम साँस तक लड़ना)
Sentence: The soldiers were ready to die in the last ditch for their country.
Dig in one’s heels
To refuse to change one’s mind or give in; to be stubbornly determined
(जिद पर अड़े रहना)
Sentence: He dug in his heels and refused to apologize.
Discretion is the better part of valour
It’s wise to avoid unnecessary risks
(सावधानी बहादुरी का श्रेष्ठ हिस्सा है)
Sentence: He chose not to argue with his boss—discretion is the better part of valour.
Do good and good will come to you
Good deeds bring good results
(कर भला तो हो भला)
Sentence: Help others whenever you can—do good and good will come to you.
Dog days (4)
The hottest period of summer
(गर्मी के सबसे गर्म दिन)
Sentence: The dog days of summer make it hard to go outside.
Dog-tired (2)
Extremely tired
(बुरी तरह थका हुआ)
Sentence: After working all day, she was dog-tired.
Dollars to doughnuts
Almost certain
(लगभग निश्चित)
Sentence: I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that he will win the match.
Don’t give up the day job
A way of telling someone that they are not very good at a new activity
(तुम्हारे बस की बात नहीं)
Sentence: After hearing him sing, his friend joked, “Don’t give up the day job.”
Don’t pay for the promise, pay for the performance
Judge by results not promises
(वादे पर नहीं, काम पर भरोसा करें)
Sentence: We hired him based on his work, not his claims—don’t pay for the promise, pay for the performance.
Double-talk
A deliberately confusing or misleading speech
(भ्रामक भाषा)
Sentence: The politician’s double-talk confused the audience.
Doubting Thomas (2)
A person who refuses to believe something without direct personal evidence
(संदेहशील व्यक्ति)
Sentence: He’s a real Doubting Thomas when it comes to new ideas.
Down the hatch
Used as a toast (phrase) before drinking
(शराब पीने से पहले की अभिव्यक्ति)
Sentence: “Down the hatch!” he said before taking a sip.
Down to the wire
Until the last possible moment; to the very end
(अंतिम क्षण तक)
Sentence: The match went down to the wire.
Drink like a fish
To drink alcohol excessively
(बहुत अधिक शराब पीना)
Sentence: He drinks like a fish on weekends.
Drive a hard bargain
To negotiate aggressively for a favourable deal
(सख्ती से मोलभाव करना)
Sentence: She drove a hard bargain and got a great price.
Drop the ball
To make a mistake or fail at something
(गलती कर देना)
Sentence: He dropped the ball by missing the deadline.
Dyed-in-the-wool
Firmly fixed in beliefs or habits
(कट्टर)
Sentence: He is a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of that team.
Early bird (2)
A person who gets up or arrives early
(सुबह जल्दी उठने वाला; समय से पहले आने वाला)
Sentence: She’s an early bird who starts work at dawn.
Ebb and flow
A recurring pattern of coming and going; rising and falling; fluctuation
(उतार-चढ़ाव)
Sentence: Life has its ebb and flow of success and failure.
Elvis has left the building
A phrase used to signal that an event has completely finished and it’s time to go
(खेल खत्म; जाने का वक्त हो गया)
Sentence: The show is over—Elvis has left the building.
Empty bags cannot stand upright
A poor or hungry person cannot function properly
(खाली पेट इंसान ठीक से काम नहीं कर सकता)
Sentence: Feed the workers first—empty bags cannot stand upright.
Empty vessels make the most noise
Those with little knowledge talk the most
(कम ज्ञान वाले ज़्यादा बोलते हैं)
Sentence: He keeps bragging without knowing much—empty vessels make the most noise.
Even a worm will turn
Even the meekest will retaliate if pushed too far
(अत्याचार सहने की भी एक सीमा होती है)
Sentence: Don’t underestimate him—even a worm will turn.
Even Homer sometimes nods
Even the best make mistakes sometimes
(बड़े-बड़ों से भी चूक होती है)
Sentence: The expert made a small error—after all, even Homer sometimes nods.
Ever and anon
Now and then; occasionally
(कभी-कभार)
Sentence: He visits his hometown ever and anon.
Every day is not Sunday
Good times don’t last forever
(हर दिन अच्छा नहीं होता)
Sentence: Enjoy your success, but remember every day is not Sunday.
Every little helps
Even small contributions are valuable
(छोटी-छोटी मदद भी काम आती है)
Sentence: Donate whatever you can—every little helps.
Every man and his dog
A very large number of people; almost everyone
(बड़ी तादाद में लोग या लगभग सभी)
Sentence: Every man and his dog showed up at the sale.
Every trick in the book
Every possible method or technique
(हर संभव तरीका)
Sentence: He used every trick in the book to win the game.