Idioms and Phrases part 2

A baker’s dozen	Thirteen
To run amuck	To run about in frenzy
To look down one’s nose at	To regard with half-hidden displeasure or contempt
Hard pressed	In difficulties
To be at one’s finger’s end	To be completely conversant with
To pull strings	To exert hidden influence
A green horn	An inexperienced man
To look sharp	To be quick
To pour oil in troubled water	To calm a quarrel with soothing words
To play on a fiddle	To be busy over trifles
To mind one’s P’s and Q’s	To be careful one one’s mind
To oil the knocker	To tip the office boy
To cut the crackle	To stop talking and start
To cool one’s heels	To be kept watching for sometime
By the rule of thumb	By practical experience which is rather rough
A fool’s errand	A useless undertaking
To put somebody in his place	To make him humble
To talk shop	To talk about business or professional affairs
To keep one’s head above eater	To keep out of debt
To live fast	To lead a life of dissipation
To hold a brief for	To defend someone
To pay off old scores	To harm someone because they have harmed you in the past
To take a leaf out of somebody’s book	To take him as a model
To set he Thames on fire	To try to do the impossible
To cast the pearl before a swine	To offer someone a thing which he cannot appreciate
To bear the palm	To win
To change the colour	To shift the allegations to
To cut the Gordian knot	to be victorious
To have one’s heart in one’s boots	To be deeply depressed
To strike one’s colours	To surrender
To cry wolf	To raise a false alarm
To give one’s ears	To listen carefully
To hang up one’s hat	To make oneself comfortable in another person’s home
To get the hang of thing	To understand the meaning of it
To make a shot	To make a guess

A man of weight	A man of importance
Pell-mell	In hurried disorder
To put one on one’s mettle	To rouse one to do one’s best
To ride hell for leather	To ride with furious speed
To speak daggers	To speak to a person with hostility
Be in the mire	Be in difficulties
To give a rap on the knuckles	To rebuke
Sum and substance	Summary
A drug in the market	Commodities no in demand
Mealy-mouthed	Cunning
Moot point	A debatable point
Give a wide berth	Keep away from
Brought to light	Disclose
Fits and stars	Irregularly
High and low	Everywhere
Intends and purposes	Practically
Rest on my laurels	Be complacent
Clinched the issue	Decided
Call a spade a spade	Be outspoken in language
Point-blank	Pointedly
Neck out	Invite trouble unnecessarily
Green eyes	Jealous
Bird’s eye view	General view
Goes to dog	Is ruined
Keep a level head	Remain cool and composed
Turned the corner	Passed the crisis
Fishing in trouble water	Talking advantage of troubled conditions for personal profit
In high sprit	Cheerful
To rock the boat	Upset the balance
Tooth and nail	With strength and fury
Wee hours of the day	At dawn
Put the foot down	Not to yield
In the blues	Depressed
On the wane	Growing less
Fair and square	Upright
Hole and corner method	Underhand
Scream blue murder	Make a great deal of noise and object vehemently