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Arup Roy, Lecturer in English Language & Literature, Kanchkura University College

                                                                         J
To get the jitters (To get nervous):
  • He got the jitters on being questioned by the police.
To hit the jackpot (To win a big prize):
  • He became rich overnight as he hit the jackpot.
A jack of all trades (A person who can do many different kinds of work):
  • He is a jack of all trades.
Jam-packed (Full to capacity):
  • The hall was jam-packed.

                                                                        K

To kowtow with someone (to behave slavishly):
  • The honest man refused to kowtow with anyone.
Next of kin (Nearest relative): 
  • The railways announced compensation to the next of kin. 
Killer instinct (A ruthless nature):
  • The Indians lacked the killer instinct to win the match.
Dressed to kill (To dress impressively):
  • She was dressed too at the party.
To keep body and soul together (To manage to exist somehow):
  • The poor people barely can keep their bodies and soul together.
To keep the pot boiling (To keep things going):
  • He asked him to keep the pot boiling till he returned from the hospital. 
Keyed up (Roused, excited):
  • He was all keyed up till the interview was over. 

                                                                  L

To win Laurels (To win glory):
  • He won laurels for his school at the interschool athletic championship. 
To toe the line (To follow instructions exactly): 
  • The press decided to toe the line of the government during the emergency.
To laugh in one's sleeve (To be secretly amused):
  • He was laughing in his sleeves when he saw his opponents quibbling among themselves. 
The long and the short (The substance of):
  • The long and the short of the story is that honesty is the best policy. 
Pull (someone's) leg (Make fun of someone): 
  • He got angry for his friend kept pulling his leg. 
There's a many a slip twixt the cup and the lip (Thing can go wrong anytime):
  • He thinks he will win the election but there is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.


                                                                   M

To make a mountain out of a molehill (To exaggerate an unimportant matter):
  • The newspapers have a habit of making a mountain out of a molehill.
A man of letters (A scholar):
  • He is a man of letters.
Made to order (Made to individual requirement):
  • His dress was made to order. 
To make or mar (To succeed or fail):
  • the youth can make or mar their future. 
To steal a march upon (To gain an advantage over):
  • By launching their popular program the star channel stole a march over their rivals.
To put words in one's mouth (To tell one what to say):
  • The judge restrained the lawyer from putting words in the mouth of the witness. 

                                                                 N

In a nutshell (Briefly):
  • He told him the incident in a nutshell. 
To get on one's nerves (To make one irritated) :
  • The crafty boy gets on my nerves.
To save one's neck (To save one's life):
  • He told a lie to save his neck. 
To lead someone by the nose (To make one do whatever he wants):
  • She led her husband by the nose. 
Null and void (Invalid):
  • The court struck down the order as null and void.
To pay through the nose (To pay an excessive price) :
  • The five-star hotel makes you pay through the nose. 
Tooth and nail (Fiercely):
  • They fought tooth and nail till the last man. 

                                                  O

The order of the day (The current fashion): 
  • Corruption has become the order of the day.
A tall order (An unreasonable demand):
  • Accepting the union's demand was a tall order for the management.  
One-track mind (A mind preoccupied with one subject):
  • He refuses to be serious for he has a one-track mind. 
On and off (At intervals) :
  • It has been snowing on and off for several days.
A tall order (A difficult request): 
  • It was indeed a tall order to achieve the target.
Out of the woods (Free from troubles): 
  • The economy is still not out of the woods. 
     Part Two                                                                                                           Part Four                                                                  

References

Singh, M., & Singh, O. P. (2002). Art of Effective English Writing (New Edition, pp. 202–204). S. Chand & Company Limited.

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