Paper tiger (2)
A person or thing that appears threatening or powerful but is actually weak
(दिखने में मजबूत लेकिन कमजोर)
Sentence: The rival team looked strong but turned out to be a paper tiger.
Pass oneself off as
To pretend to be someone or something else
(फर्जी पहचान देना)
Sentence: He passed himself off as a doctor to gain people’s trust.
Pay over the odds
To pay more than something is worth
(अधिक कीमत चुकाना)
Sentence: She paid over the odds for that designer dress.
Pearls of wisdom (3)
A wise or supposedly wise remark (often used ironically)
(ज्ञान की बात)
Sentence: Grandpa shared a few pearls of wisdom about life during dinner.
Pick a fight
To deliberately start an argument or confrontation
(जानबूझकर झगड़ा करना)
Sentence: He always tries to pick a fight over trivial issues.
Pick up the pace
To start doing something faster; to increase speed
(रफ्तार तेज़ करना)
Sentence: We need to pick up the pace if we want to finish on time.
Pillar of the society (or community)
A respected and important member of society
(सम्मानित व्यक्ति)
Sentence: She is considered a pillar of the community for her social work.
Pin back one’s ears
To listen very carefully or to pay close attention
(ध्यान देना)
Sentence: The students pinned back their ears to understand the complex topic.
Pinch pennies
To be very careful with money; to be frugal
(कंजूसी करना)
Sentence: He pinches pennies to save for his future.
Play hell with
To cause damage or confusion to something
(भारी नुकसान पहुँचाना)
Sentence: The storm played hell with the farmers’ crops.
Point the finger at
To blame or accuse someone
(दोष लगाना)
Sentence: It’s easy to point the finger at others instead of accepting your mistakes.
Possession is nine-tenths of the law
Having something in your possession is a strong claim to ownership
(जिसके पास कब्जा होता है, वही मालिक माना जाता है)
Sentence: He kept the property documents safe because possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Practice makes perfect
Regular practice leads to mastery
(निरंतर अभ्यास से ही कुशलता आती है)
Sentence: She improved her English speaking skills—practice makes perfect.
Pride comes before a fall
Arrogance leads to downfall
(अहंकार इंसान के विनाश का कारण बनता है)
Sentence: He ignored advice due to overconfidence—pride comes before a fall.
Pull oneself up by one’s bootstraps
To improve one’s situation through one’s own efforts
(अपने बल पर उठना)
Sentence: He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and built a successful career.
Punching bag
A person who is repeatedly criticized, attacked, or bullied
(अनुचित आलोचना का शिकार व्यक्ति)
Sentence: He became the team’s punching bag after a few poor performances.
Push one’s luck
To take a risk by asking for or doing too much
(किस्मत को जरूरत से ज्यादा आजमाना)
Sentence: You’re pushing your luck by asking for another favor.
Push someone’s buttons
To deliberately annoy someone
(किसी को उकसाना)
Sentence: He knows exactly how to push my buttons.
Push the boat out (2)
To spend money freely, especially to celebrate
(खूब खर्च करना)
Sentence: They pushed the boat out for their anniversary celebration.
Push the envelope
To go beyond established limits; to innovate or try something new and risky
(सीमाओं को तोड़ना)
Sentence: This new technology pushes the envelope of what is possible.
Put a sock in it
Tell someone to stop talking or be quiet
(चुप रहने को कहना)
Sentence: He told his noisy friends to put a sock in it during the movie.
Put one’s oar in
To give unwanted advice or interfere in something
(बिना माँगे सलाह देना; दखल देना)
Sentence: She always puts her oar in when others are discussing their plans.
Put one’s shoulder to the wheel
To work hard at something
(जी-जान लगाकर काम करना)
Sentence: If we all put our shoulders to the wheel, we can complete the project quickly.
Put out to pasture
To force to retire or stop working, often due to age
(जबरन सेवानिवृत्त करना)
Sentence: The company put him out to pasture after years of service.
Put the screws on
To pressure or coerce someone strongly
(दबाव डालना)
Sentence: The manager put the screws on the team to meet the deadline.
Pyrrhic victory
A victory that comes at such great cost it is not worth winning
(ऐसी जीत जिसमें बहुत कुछ खोना पड़े)
Sentence: Winning the case drained all his savings, making it a Pyrrhic victory.
Raise someone’s hackles (2)
To make someone angry
(किसी को गुस्सा दिलाना)
Sentence: His rude comments really raised her hackles.
Raring to go
Very eager and enthusiastic to start
(शुरू करने को बेताब)
Sentence: The players were raring to go before the match began.
Reach an accord
To achieve agreement
(समझौता करना)
Sentence: After hours of discussion, both parties finally reached an accord.
Reap the harvest
To receive the results or consequences of one’s actions
(मेहनत का फल पाना)
Sentence: After years of hard work, she is now reaping the harvest of her efforts.
Return the favour
To do something nice for someone who has done something nice for you
(एहसान का बदला चुकाना)
Sentence: He helped me in my time of need, and I was happy to return the favour.
Ride the gravy train
To earn money easily without much effort
(बिना मेहनत लाभ उठाना)
Sentence: Some people ride the gravy train by exploiting loopholes in the system.
Rob Peter to pay Paul
To take from one to give to another, solving nothing
(एक की जेब से निकालकर दूसरे को देना)
Sentence: Taking another loan to repay the first is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Great things take time to accomplish
(महान कार्य में समय लगता है)
Sentence: Be patient with your progress—Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Rub shoulders with
To associate with important people
(बड़े लोगों के साथ उठना-बैठना)
Sentence: At the event, he rubbed shoulders with top business leaders.
Rule of thumb
A practical guideline based on experience rather than exact measurement
(व्यावहारिक अनुभव के आधार पर)
Sentence: As a rule of thumb, you should save at least 20% of your income.
Run for the hills
To flee or escape quickly from a dangerous situation
(खतरे से बचने के लिए भागना)
Sentence: When the alarm sounded, everyone ran for the hills.
Run like the wind
To run very fast
(बहुत तेज दौड़ना)
Sentence: The athlete ran like the wind to win the race.
Run the gauntlet (2)
To go through a dangerous or hostile situation
(कठिनाइयों या खतरों से गुजरना)
Sentence: The new policy had to run the gauntlet of public criticism.
Save face (3)
To avoid humiliation or embarrassment
(इज़्ज़त बचाना; मान रखना)
Sentence: He apologized publicly to save face after his mistake.
Save someone’s bacon
To rescue someone from a difficult situation
(किसी को मुसीबत से बचाना)
Sentence: Her quick thinking saved his bacon during the crisis.
Say one’s piece
To express one’s opinion
(अपनी बात कहना)
Sentence: Let him say his piece before you respond.
Screw up one’s courage
To force oneself to be brave
(हिम्मत जुटाना)
Sentence: She screwed up her courage and spoke in front of the audience.
See red (2)
To become very angry
(गुस्से से लाल होना)
Sentence: He saw red when he heard the false accusations.
Separate the sheep from the goats
To distinguish between good and bad people or things
(अच्छे और बुरे में अंतर करना)
Sentence: The final exam will separate the sheep from the goats.
Set by the ears
To cause people to quarrel or fight
(झगड़ा भड़काना)
Sentence: His careless remark set the whole group by the ears.
Set in stone
To be fixed and unchangeable; not able to be altered
(जो बदला न जा सके)
Sentence: The plan is not set in stone and can be revised.
Shallow brooks are noisy
Those with little knowledge often talk the most
(कम ज्ञान वाले ज़्यादा बोलते हैं)
Sentence: He keeps bragging without real knowledge—shallow brooks are noisy.
Sheet anchor (3)
A reliable or principal support
(मुख्य सहारा)
Sentence: His family has always been his sheet anchor in difficult times.
Shoot from the hip
To speak or act without careful thought or consideration
(बिना सोचे बोलना)
Sentence: He tends to shoot from the hip, which often gets him into trouble.