English Vocabulary and Idioms

Common English idioms

An idiom is a fixed group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the literal meanings of its individual words. Candidates must learn each idiom as a unit, because a literal reading usually leads to a wrong answer. Many idioms come from history, mythology, sport, or everyday objects, and some are informal and belong to spoken English. In objective questions, the correct option is usually the figurative meaning, and the distractors are often literal readings or the opposite sense.

The idioms below are grouped by the kind of meaning they carry, with a short example for each. The examples are new sentences for practice.

Idioms of conduct and behaviour

• Overstep the mark — to go beyond what is acceptable in speech or behaviour, thereby causing offence. E.g., 'His joke about her weight clearly overstepped the mark.'
• Pull your socks up — to make an effort to improve your work or conduct, usually after a period of poor performance. E.g., 'After the warning, he finally pulled his socks up and finished every assignment.'
• Pull up — to check or stop oneself, or to rebuke someone for their conduct. E.g., 'She pulled herself up before saying something she would regret.'
• Lock horns — to argue or contend with someone over a matter, as if two animals were fighting head to head. E.g., 'The two ministers locked horns over the budget.'
• Get under somebody's skin — to irritate or annoy a person, often persistently. E.g., 'The constant humming in the office got under my skin.'
• Raise hackles — to provoke anger, irritation, or resentment in people. E.g., 'The new rule raised hackles among the older members.'
• Show your hand — to reveal your own intentions, plans, or position openly. This comes from card games, in which a player reveals the cards held. E.g., 'The company showed its hand by announcing its expansion plans.'
• Level with someone — to speak frankly and honestly to a person, without concealing the truth. E.g., 'Let me level with you: the project will not be finished this year.'
• Sit on the fence — to refuse to take a side in a dispute or choice, and so remain undecided. E.g., 'Voters are tired of politicians who sit on the fence.'

Idioms describing people

• Palsy-walsy — an informal term for people who are very friendly and close, that is, good friends.
• A queer fish — an eccentric or strange person whose behaviour is odd. It refers to oddness, not to moral quality.
• A man of letters — a learned person, such as a writer or scholar, devoted to literature.
• A bag of bones — a person who is extremely thin, with the body appearing to consist of little more than bones.
• Feet of clay — a hidden weakness or flaw in a person who is otherwise admired. E.g., 'The coach seemed flawless, but his dishonest dealings revealed feet of clay.'
• Under the weather — slightly ill or not feeling well. It is a figurative expression about health, not weather.
• Eat like a bird — to eat very little, as small birds take only tiny amounts of food.
• Learning from the school of hard knocks — learning through difficult experiences and hardship, rather than through formal education.

Idioms of activity, speed, and change

• Once-over — a brief, rapid look or quick inspection, not a thorough one. E.g., 'The mechanic gave the car a quick once-over before the trip.'
• Talking twenty to the dozen — speaking very quickly and rapidly, and concerns speed rather than the amount or content of speech.
• Turn topsy-turvy — to change something completely, so that its normal order is overturned or disrupted. Topsy-turvy itself means upside down or in complete disorder.
• Be out of action — to be no longer working or operational, that is, dysfunctional.
• At sixes and sevens — in a state of total confusion or disorganisation. E.g., 'After the manager resigned, the whole department was at sixes and sevens.'
• Muddy the waters — to confuse an issue or make a situation more complicated, from the image of stirring up mud in a clear stream.
• Open a Pandora's box — to start an action that unleashes many unforeseen problems. The idiom comes from the Greek myth in which Pandora released evils from a jar.
• Like chalk and cheese — very different from each other, with nothing in common.
• Once in a blue moon — very seldom, since a blue moon is an uncommon event. This means 'rarely', not 'often' or 'occasionally'.

Idioms of attitude, outcome, and evaluation

• Fire in the belly — a strong, persistent inner drive to achieve something, that is, powerful ambition.
• A clarion call — a stirring public appeal that urges people to act or support a cause. A clarion was originally a loud trumpet, but the figurative sense is a strong request.
• Hunky-dory — an informal adjective meaning that everything is satisfactory and in good order.
• Counting your chickens (before they hatch) — assuming a future result is certain and planning on that basis, that is, being confident of success before it is secured.
• The icing on the cake — an extra benefit added to something already good.
• A stitch in time (saves nine) — timely action that prevents a larger problem or negative outcome later.
• Through thick and thin — through both good and bad times, that is, through difficult times. It expresses loyalty.
• Fire in the belly — see above; it is not a negative emotion.

Sentence arrangement and error spotting In jumbled-sentence questions, first identify the opening element. A phrase such as 'even to someone with' introduces a prepositional phrase that must come before its noun, so the qualifying words that follow the noun must come after it. Look for connectors such as 'but', which often link two clauses, and proverbs whose parts must remain in their fixed order. A sentence such as 'he doesn't look very intelligent, but you can't judge a book by its cover' shows how a clause and a proverb combine. In error-spotting questions, check the conditional clause and the verb agreement carefully. A sentence that is grammatically and logically correct has no error, so the answer is 'no error'.

Common English adjective vocabulary

Adjective vocabulary questions in the NDA General Ability Test usually ask for one of three things: a synonym (the word closest in meaning), an antonym (the word opposite in meaning), or the adjective that fits a blank or a collocation. Because most adjectives have a clear opposite, learning each word as a pair with its antonym doubles its value. A student should also check the sense of the word in context, since many common adjectives shift meaning depending on the noun they modify.

The main traps are near-synonyms that look like opposites and words with more than one sense. A word that expresses size or extent, such as vast or expansive, is usually a synonym of a word meaning very large, not its opposite. Words of intensity follow the same rule: deep, profound and extreme all point towards great degree, while shallow and superficial point towards lack of depth.

• contagious — capable of spreading from one person to another; in figurative use, spreading readily through a group, as with feelings or laughter. Synonym: catching. Ex) Her laughter was so contagious that the whole room joined in.
• sardonic — grimly or bitterly mocking, with scornful humour. Synonym: mocking, sneering. Ex) His sardonic remarks made the meeting uncomfortable.
• attractive — pleasing and appealing to the senses or emotions. Antonym: repulsive, meaning causing strong disgust. Ex) The smell of the burnt food was repulsive.
• boundless — having no limits. Antonym: finite, meaning having a definite limit. Vast and expansive are synonyms of boundless, not antonyms. Ex) The desert seemed finite only because the horizon was visible.
• clear (in the sense of transparent) — allowing light or sight to pass through. Antonym: opaque, meaning not transparent. Ex) The opaque glass hid the room behind it.
• deep — extending far below the surface. Antonym: shallow, meaning having little depth. Ex) The shallow pond dried up in summer.
• generous — willing to give or share freely. Antonym: stingy, meaning unwilling to spend or give. Ex) A stingy host rarely offers his guests a second helping.
• plenty (noun) — a large or sufficient amount. Antonym: scarcity, meaning a shortage. Ex) Scarcity of water forced the village to move.
• industrious — hardworking and diligent. Antonym: lazy, meaning unwilling to work. Active and productive are near-synonyms, not antonyms. Ex) The industrious farmer worked from dawn to dusk.
• grow / shrivel — grow means to increase in size or amount; shrivel means to shrink, dry up or wither, so it is the opposite sense. Ex) Without rain, the crops began to shrivel.
• rarely (adverb, used for frequency) — not often. Antonym: frequently, meaning often. Seldom is a synonym of rarely. Never and always are extremes of frequency rather than its direct opposite. Ex) He frequently visits the library on weekends.
• dynamic — full of energy, activity or constant change. In the options, evolutionary (developing or changing over time) is the nearest sense, while enduring and attentive describe permanence and care, which are different ideas. Ex) The dynamic economy kept adapting to new markets.
• crooked — dishonest or fraudulent in conduct. Antonym: straightforward, meaning honest and direct. Crooked also means bent in shape, so the meaning depends on context. Ex) The straightforward manager reported every error to the board.
• organic — developing naturally from within, without outside force. Synonym: natural. Ex) The village grew in an organic way, one family at a time.
• -ed and -ing participles — a participle ending in -ed describes a person who feels an emotion, while an -ing participle describes the thing that causes it. Disappointed fits a person whose expectations were not met, and disappointing describes the cause. Ex) I was amazed by the performance, which was amazing.
• terrifying / terrified — terrifying describes something that causes terror, so it can modify a noun such as experience. Terrified and horrified describe the person who feels the emotion. Ex) The terrified child hid under the table during the terrifying storm.
• gullible — easily deceived or too ready to believe others. Fallible means liable to make mistakes, sensible means showing good judgement, and credible means believable, so none of these fits a person who trusts everyone. Ex) A sensible buyer checks the facts before paying.
• staunch — firm, loyal and unwavering. The fixed collocation is a staunch believer or a staunch supporter. Powerful and hopeful do not express the same firmness of conviction. Ex) She was a staunch supporter of public education.
• lowbrow — having little interest in refined culture. Coarse means crude or lacking refinement, which is the nearest sense. Ex) His coarse jokes offended the audience.
• maleficent — causing harm or evil; having a wicked intent. Among the options, criminal, meaning doing harmful or wicked acts, is closest in sense. Generous and friendly are positive qualities and are opposites. Ex) The maleficent plot was discovered before it could be carried out.
• lopsided — unevenly weighted or heavier on one side. Antonym: balanced, meaning evenly weighted or proportioned. Ex) A balanced diet includes all major food groups.
• praiseworthy — deserving praise. Synonyms: admirable, commendable, creditable. Antonym: condemnable, meaning deserving blame. Ex) The condemnable act drew strong criticism from the press.
• retrograde — moving backward or relating to decline or reversion to an earlier, worse state. Antonym: progressive, meaning moving forward or improving. Ex) Progressive reforms gradually improved the schools.
• palatable — agreeable to the taste, or acceptable to the mind. Antonym: unacceptable, meaning not able to be accepted. Ex) The unacceptable price ended the negotiation.
• microscopic — extremely small or narrow in scope. Antonym: broad-based, meaning covering a wide range. Minute and fine are close in meaning to microscopic. Ex) A broad-based survey covered every district of the state.
• obdurate — stubborn and unwilling to change one's attitude. Antonym: flexible, meaning willing to adapt or yield. Callous and insensible describe a lack of feeling, and obnoxious means unpleasant, so none of these is the opposite. Ex) A flexible manager adjusts the plan when new facts appear.
• profound — deep, intense or of great degree. Antonym: superficial, meaning shallow or lacking depth. Ex) Her superficial understanding of the topic was clear from her answers.
• turbulent — marked by disorder, violence or unrest. Antonym: calm, meaning peaceful and free from disturbance. Stormy is a synonym of turbulent. Ex) After the calm years of growth, the region entered a turbulent period.
• dogmatic — inclined to state opinions as certain, without willingness to consider others' views. Antonym: amenable, meaning willing to be guided or persuaded. Rigid is a synonym of dogmatic. Ex) An amenable student accepts correction gracefully.
• fickle — changing often and without good reason. Antonym: stable, meaning steady and unchanging. Capricious, mercurial and vacillating are synonyms that express the same changeability in different ways. Ex) The stable market recovered quickly after the shock.
• vacillating — wavering between opinions or courses of action. It is the nearest synonym of fickle in meaning, while consistent is its opposite. Ex) A consistent leader keeps to a decision once it is made.
• calamitous — causing great harm, damage or misfortune. Synonym: catastrophic, meaning causing widespread destruction. Encouraging and welcome describe favourable situations and are opposites. Ex) The earthquake was catastrophic for the coastal towns.
• honorary — held as a mark of distinction, usually without payment or the usual duties. Unpaid is the nearest meaning, and paid is its opposite. Ex) The honorary consul received no salary for his work.
• insidious — harmful in a way that is hidden or gradual, often with deliberate intent to deceive. Deceitful is the nearest meaning. Pious and naive describe faith and innocence, and inadvertent means unintentional, so none of these fits. Ex) The insidious rumour spread through the town for months before anyone checked it.
• intrinsic — belonging to the essential nature of something. Inherent is the nearest synonym, meaning existing as a natural, built-in part. Peripheral is an opposite of essential, as it means on the outer edge or of minor importance. Ex) Honesty is inherent in a good relationship.

English antonym vocabulary

Antonym questions ask you to identify the word that is opposite in meaning to a given or underlined word. The key method is to fix the exact sense of the target word first, and then eliminate the choices that are synonyms or near-synonyms, because distractors are usually close in meaning to the target. Only one choice expresses the reverse quality, degree or action. Many NDA items use pairs of contrasting ideas, such as strength against weakness, honesty against deceit, or abundance against scarcity, so learning these pairs as a set is efficient. Always read the word in its sentence, since a word such as sartorial or perspicacity is easily misread when its precise sense is unknown.

Words of character and quality. Crude means lacking refinement or good manners, so its antonym is refined, meaning cultured and polished. Integrity means adherence to strong moral principles, and its antonym is dishonesty. Dependability is close to integrity and is therefore a trap. Benevolent means kind and well-meaning, and its antonym is malevolent, which means wishing harm to others. Authentic means genuine and not a copy, so its antonym is fake, meaning counterfeit. Confidence is a strong belief in one's own abilities, and its antonym is diffidence, meaning shyness or lack of self-assurance. Dedication is devoted commitment, and its antonym is apathy, a lack of interest or concern. Perspicacity is keen mental insight, and its antonym is dullness, meaning slowness of understanding. Sartorial relates to clothing and style of dress, so the reverse in a dress-sense context is unstylish, meaning lacking elegance. Ostentatious means deliberately showy, and its antonym is modest, meaning unassuming and not showy. Hapless means unlucky, and its antonym is fortunate. Eccentric means odd and unconventional, and its antonym is normal, meaning conforming to usual standards.

Words of feeling, attitude and value. Craving is a strong, persistent desire, and its antonym is dislike, which denotes aversion. Irrefutable means impossible to disprove, and its antonym is questionable, meaning open to doubt. Certain and undeniable are close in meaning and should be rejected. Deplorable means extremely bad or regrettable, and its antonym is commendable, meaning deserving praise. Excruciating means causing intense pain, and its antonym is mild, meaning not severe. Refreshing means giving new energy, and its antonym is wearying, meaning causing exhaustion. Revivifying and rejuvenating are synonyms of refreshing, not antonyms. Persevere means to continue steadily despite difficulty, and its antonym is give up. Persist and carry on are synonyms.

Words of clarity and appearance. Obscure means not clearly expressed or hard to understand, and its antonym is obvious, meaning easily perceived. Murky, vague and uncertain are synonyms of obscure. Bleak means dreary, cold and lacking in cheer, and its antonym is verdant, meaning lush and green. Dazzling means brilliantly bright, and its antonym is murky, meaning dark and dim. Clandestine means kept secret or done in concealment, and its antonym is public, meaning open to view. Covert and sneaky are synonyms.

Words of physical state, size and quantity. Frail means physically weak, and its antonym is sturdy, meaning strongly built. Parched means very dry, and its antonym is wet. Desiccated and scorched share the sense of dryness and are not antonyms. Smooth describes an even surface, and its antonym is rutted, meaning marked with deep grooves. Plenitude means a full or abundant quantity, and its antonym is insufficiency, meaning a shortage. Ample and plethora are synonyms. Fortify means to make stronger or more secure, and its antonym is weaken, meaning to reduce strength. Monumental means great in size or significance, and its antonym is unimpressive, meaning not remarkable. A deluge is a great flood, and its antonym is drought, a long shortage of rain. A cloudburst is similar in meaning, and a drizzle is still rainfall. Exponential growth is a rapid, accelerating increase, and its antonym is meager, meaning scanty or small in amount.

Words of process, judgment and action. Abatement means a reduction in intensity, and its antonym is accumulation, meaning a gradual building up. Subsidence and mitigation are synonyms of abatement. Sagacity means keen judgment, and its antonym is ignorance, meaning lack of knowledge. Prudence, wisdom and sapience are close in meaning. Neglect means to fail to give proper attention, and its antonym is regard, meaning to give attention or consideration. Disregard, ignore and overlook all mean to pay no attention, so they match neglect rather than oppose it. Commotion means a noisy disturbance, and its antonym is quietude, meaning stillness. Uproar, tempest and stir are close in sense to commotion. Audacity means bold disregard for convention, and its closest opposite among common choices is politeness, meaning courteous and restrained behaviour. Boldness and temerity are synonyms. Counteract means to act against something so as to neutralise its effect, and its antonym is exacerbate, meaning to make a condition worse. Foil and thwart are similar in meaning to counteract.

Exam strategy. First, decide the part of speech and the context, such as clothing, weather or behaviour. Second, cross out any option that is a synonym of the target. Third, check the remaining options for the reverse of the central quality, degree or action. Watch for words that look like opposites but mean the same thing, such as ignore and disregard, or cloudburst and deluge, and for words that share only a topic, such as local with eccentric. Building a list of antonym pairs through examples, rather than memorising single words, is the most reliable preparation.

English synonym vocabulary

A synonym question asks you to choose the word whose meaning is closest to a given word. The method has three steps. First, identify the part of speech and the sense in which the word is used, because many English words have more than one meaning. Second, reject options that are opposite in meaning, since opposites are the most common distractors. Third, choose the option that carries the same core idea, not merely a word from the same topic. Context decides the sense: the word 'compliment' as a noun means praise, while as a verb it may mean the same thing but its noun sense is the one tested.

Words of liking and approval. Penchant means a strong liking or fondness for something, so tendency and affinity are the closest in sense, and dislike is its reverse. A compliment, used as a noun, is an expression of praise or admiration, and praise is its nearest synonym, while a tip is money given for service and is a different sense. Laudable means deserving praise, and praiseworthy carries the same idea. Competent means having the skill or knowledge to do a task well, so capable is the nearest synonym, while exceptional overstates the quality. Diligent means showing steady, careful and persistent effort, and conscientious expresses the same idea of thoroughness. Dilly-dallying and procrastinating mean delay, which is the opposite of diligence.

Words of temperament and manner. Reticent describes a person who is reserved and unwilling to reveal thoughts, so withdrawn, which describes a reserved and shy disposition, is closer than silent, which only describes not speaking at all. Jovial means good-humoured and cheerful, so cheerful is a direct synonym, and garrulous (excessively talkative) and callous (insensitive) are different qualities. Morose means gloomy and habitually bad-tempered, and sullen, which means silently resentful or gloomy, is its nearest synonym. Reluctant means unwilling or hesitant, so unwilling is the direct synonym, while eager and enthusiastic are opposites. Optimistic means expecting a favourable outcome, and sanguine, meaning confident and hopeful, is the closest word, while pessimistic is its antonym. Cooperative means willing to act with others, and complaisant, meaning eager to please or comply, is the nearest synonym; complacent is a different word meaning smugly satisfied with oneself. Vexed means annoyed or irritated, so displeased is the nearest synonym, whereas calm is its opposite. Captious means inclined to find fault, especially over trivial matters, and faultfinding carries this meaning exactly. Indolence means habitual laziness or disinclination to exert effort, so laziness is its direct synonym.

Words of speech, reputation and removal. To malign someone is to damage their reputation by speaking or writing against them, and slander, meaning false spoken statements that harm a person's good name, is the nearest word, while benign (kind) is its opposite. To rebuff someone is to reject an offer or suggestion in an unfriendly way, so rejected is the closest meaning. Redemption, in the sense of recovering a lost position, is matched by retrieval, meaning getting something back, while forfeiture means losing something as a penalty and is the opposite sense. To disown something is to give up any claim or connection to it, so abandoned, meaning given up or renounced, is the nearest word. To banish is to send a person away from a place, usually as a punishment, and deported, meaning formally expelled from a country, has this sense of forced removal. To excommunicate is to exclude a person formally from membership of a religious community, and expel, meaning to remove a person from a group, is the nearest synonym.

Words of belief, judgement and certainty. A preconception is an opinion formed before evidence or experience, and notion, meaning an idea or belief held about something, is its synonym; conceit, meaning excessive pride, is a different word. To ascertain something is to find it out with certainty, and verify, meaning to confirm its truth, is the closest verb. Contention, in the sense of a competition for a prize, means a continuing chance of winning, not a quarrel or agreement. Mortal, in the sense of subject to decay and ending, is matched by temporal, meaning lasting only for a limited time, and immortal is its opposite.

Words of wealth, quantity and degree. Indigent means lacking the money needed for a basic standard of living, so very poor is its nearest synonym, while opulent, solvent and prosperous all describe wealth or financial health. Inordinate means excessive or beyond what is reasonable, and exorbitant, meaning going beyond reasonable limits, is the closest synonym; temperate and moderate describe restraint and are opposites. To deplete something is to reduce its amount by using it up, so exhaust, meaning use up completely, is the nearest word, while replete, meaning well supplied, is the opposite.

Words of quality, feeling and appearance. Lunacy means extreme folly or madness, so insanity is its nearest synonym, whereas prudence (caution) and sanity are opposite in sense. Meticulous means showing great attention to detail, and scrupulous, meaning careful and exact in every detail, has the same sense. Exhilarating means making one feel lively and thrilled, so exciting is the nearest synonym, while dreary and humdrum mean dull and are opposites. Astonishment is a strong feeling of surprise, so wonderment, which expresses amazement, is the nearest synonym. Dazzling describes something extremely impressive or outstanding, so brilliant, meaning exceptionally impressive, is the closest word. Paraphernalia refers to the equipment or miscellaneous gear needed for an activity, so accessories is the nearest synonym. To dismember is to cut a body part away from the rest of the body, and dissect, meaning to cut apart into parts, is the closest verb among common options. Jovial also matches mirthful, which means full of merriment and laughter, and this is the synonym to choose when a cheerful mood is contrasted with anger.

Common traps. Do not select a word merely because it appears in the same topic, such as choosing a 'container' for a word about equipment. Do not confuse words that share a theme but differ in direction, such as praise and reproach or prosperity and poverty. Learn each word with its opposite, because eliminating the opposite is often the fastest route to the answer. Finally, practise synonyms in pairs, for example preconception with notion, or indolence with laziness, so that the meaning is linked to a familiar word rather than memorised alone.

Common English idioms

An idiom is a fixed group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the literal meanings of its individual words. Candidates must therefore learn each idiom as a single unit and recognise its figurative sense, often by using the context of the sentence as a clue. Many idioms come from sport, trade, history, or literature, and knowing the original image helps memory.

The following idioms are frequently tested in the General Ability Test. Each entry gives the figurative meaning followed by a new example sentence.