Under duress
Forced to do something by threats
(दबाव में)
Sentence: He signed the confession under duress.
Under fire
Being attacked or strongly criticized
(आलोचना या हमले का शिकार)
Sentence: The manager came under fire for the team’s poor performance.
Under someone’s nose (2)
Very close to someone but not noticed
(बिल्कुल सामने)
Sentence: The thief stole the wallet right under the guard’s nose.
Under someone’s thumb (4)
Completely under someone’s control
(किसी के नियंत्रण में)
Sentence: He is completely under his boss’s thumb.
Under the gun
Under great pressure to do something
(दबाव में; जल्दी करने के लिए मजबूर)
Sentence: We were under the gun to finish the project before the deadline.
Under the sun
Anywhere in the world
(इस दुनिया में; कहीं भी)
Sentence: She has traveled to almost every place under the sun.
Under the weather (24)
Not feeling well; slightly ill
(तबीयत ठीक न होना)
Sentence: I’m feeling a bit under the weather today.
Under the wire
To just barely complete something within a deadline
(ऐन वक़्त पर काम पूरा करना)
Sentence: He submitted the assignment right under the wire.
Under wraps (4)
To keep something secret or hidden until a later time
(गुप्त रखना)
Sentence: The company kept the new product under wraps until the launch.
United we stand, divided we fall
People are stronger together than apart
(एकता में बल है)
Sentence: The team succeeded because they believed united we stand, divided we fall.
Up against the wall (2)
In serious difficulty with no escape
(कोई चारा न होना; मुश्किल में फँसा हुआ)
Sentence: With no money left, he found himself up against the wall.
Up in arms (7)
Angry and ready to fight or argue
(नाराज़गी में)
Sentence: The workers were up in arms over the sudden policy change.
Up in the air (2)
Not yet settled or decided
(अनिश्चित)
Sentence: Our travel plans are still up in the air.
Up the ante
To increase the level of something, especially demands
(दाँव बढ़ाना; शर्तें कठिन करना)
Sentence: The company decided to up the ante by offering better salaries.
Up the creek (3)
In a difficult situation with no easy solution
(मुसीबत में फँसा हुआ)
Sentence: Without a backup plan, we were really up the creek.
Up to the mark (3)
Good enough; meeting expectations
(मानक के अनुरूप; उम्मीद के मुताबिक)
Sentence: His performance was not up to the mark this time.
Up to the minute
Completely current; having the very latest information
(एकदम ताज़ा जानकारी)
Sentence: This app keeps you up to the minute with news updates.
Ups and downs
Good and bad experiences; periods of success and failure
(अच्छे-बुरे दिन)
Sentence: Life is full of ups and downs.
Upset the apple cart (4)
To spoil someone’s plans or arrangements
(बनी-बनाई योजना बिगाड़ देना)
Sentence: The sudden rain upset the apple cart of our picnic plans.
Vanish (or disappear) into thin air (4)
To disappear suddenly and completely
(हवा में ग़ायब हो जाना)
Sentence: The magician made the coin vanish into thin air.
Vent one’s spleen
To express anger or frustration
(गुस्सा उतारना)
Sentence: She vented her spleen after hearing the unfair decision.
Vexed question (2)
A difficult question that has been discussed a lot without resolution
(विवादास्पद मुद्दा)
Sentence: Climate change remains a vexed question worldwide.
Vicious cycle (or circle) (4)
A situation where problems cause more problems
(दुश्चक्र में फँसना; समस्याओं का सिलसिला)
Sentence: Poverty often leads to a vicious cycle of debt.
Vote with one’s feet (2)
To show that you disapprove by leaving
(असहमति जताते हुए जाना)
Sentence: Customers voted with their feet and stopped visiting the store.
Vote with one’s pocketbook (or wallet)
To express preferences through spending or financial decisions
(अपने पैसे खर्च करके अपनी राय जताना)
Sentence: People vote with their pocketbook by buying eco-friendly products.
Wag school
To play truant; to skip school without permission
(स्कूल से गैरहाज़िर रहना)
Sentence: He got into trouble for wagging school with his friends.
Wait in the wings
To be ready to take action or appear when needed
(तैयार रहना)
Sentence: The substitute players waited in the wings for their chance to play.
Walk a tightrope (3)
To be in a difficult situation requiring careful balance
(नाज़ुक स्थिति में सावधानी)
Sentence: The manager is walking a tightrope between pleasing clients and keeping costs low.
Walk of life (2)
A particular area of work or way of living
(पेशा या सामाजिक स्तर)
Sentence: People from all walks of life attended the event.
Walk on air (5)
To feel very happy and excited
(अत्यधिक ख़ुश)
Sentence: She was walking on air after hearing the good news.
Walk on eggshells
To be very careful not to offend or upset someone
(फूँक-फूँक कर कदम रखना)
Sentence: He was walking on eggshells around his boss after the mistake.
Walk the talk
To do what one says one will do
(वचन निभाना)
Sentence: A true leader walks the talk.
Want to curl up and die (2)
To feel so embarrassed that you want to hide
(बेहद लज्जित)
Sentence: I wanted to curl up and die when I forgot my lines on stage.
Wash one’s hands of (2)
To refuse to be responsible for something anymore
(ज़िम्मेदारी से मुक्त होना)
Sentence: He washed his hands of the matter after repeated failures.
Watch grass grow
To be very bored or do something very boring
(अत्यंत उबाऊ काम करना)
Sentence: Sitting through that lecture felt like watching grass grow.
Water under the bridge (5)
Past events that cannot be changed and should be forgotten
(जो हो गया सो हो गया)
Sentence: Our past disagreements are just water under the bridge now.
Wax and wane
To grow stronger then weaker in alternating phases
(उतार-चढ़ाव होना)
Sentence: His interest in the project tends to wax and wane.
We must do lunch sometime
A polite but often insincere suggestion to meet for a meal
(औपचारिक निमंत्रण)
Sentence: He said “we must do lunch sometime,” but never followed up.
Weal and woe (5)
Good fortune and misfortune
(सुख और दुख)
Sentence: They stood by each other through weal and woe.
Wear and tear (3)
Damage that happens to something from normal use
(सामान्य उपयोग से होने वाली टूट-फूट)
Sentence: The old sofa showed signs of wear and tear.
Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve (8)
To make your feelings obvious to everyone
(खुले दिल से भाव दिखाना)
Sentence: She wears her heart on her sleeve and expresses emotions openly.
Wear out one’s welcome
To stay so long that the host no longer wants you
(इतना ठहरना कि मेज़बान तंग हो जाए)
Sentence: They stayed so long that they wore out their welcome.
Wear the green willow
To mourn for lost love
(प्रेम-वियोग में शोक मनाना)
Sentence: He wore the green willow after their breakup.
Weasel words
Deliberately misleading, vague, or evasive language
(गोलमोल वाली बातें)
Sentence: The politician avoided the issue with weasel words.
Weather the storm (3)
To successfully deal with a difficult situation
(कठिन दौर से गुजरना)
Sentence: The company managed to weather the storm during the crisis.
Wee (or small) hours
The very early hours after midnight
(आधी रात के बाद का समय)
Sentence: They worked till the wee hours to complete the project.
Wet behind the ears (7)
Too young and inexperienced to be reliable
(अनुभवहीन)
Sentence: He is still wet behind the ears for such a big responsibility.
Wet blanket (4)
A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm
(मज़ा किरकिरा करने वाला)
Sentence: Don’t be such a wet blanket and join the fun.
Wet one’s whistle
To have an alcoholic drink
(पीना)
Sentence: They stopped at the bar to wet their whistle.
What goes around comes around
Your actions eventually return to you
(जैसा करोगे, वैसा भरोगे)
Sentence: Be kind to others—what goes around comes around.