English Vocabulary: 100 Idioms, One-Word Substitutions, and Synonyms/Antonyms

English vocabulary questions appear in every PSC exam — typically 5-10 questions on idioms, one-word substitutions, synonyms, and antonyms. This note covers the most frequently tested items.

Part 1: 100 Important Idioms and Phrases

A-D

#	Idiom	Meaning
1	A bed of roses	An easy, comfortable situation
2	A bolt from the blue	A sudden, unexpected event
3	A bone of contention	A subject of dispute
4	A burning question	An urgent issue
5	A cock and bull story	An unbelievable, fabricated tale
6	A dark horse	An unknown person with hidden abilities
7	A feather in one’s cap	An achievement to be proud of
8	A fish out of water	Someone uncomfortable in their surroundings
9	A green-eyed monster	Jealousy
10	A hard nut to crack	A difficult problem or person
11	A red letter day	A memorable, important day
12	A white elephant	A costly but useless possession
13	Add fuel to the fire	Worsen an already bad situation
14	At the eleventh hour	At the last possible moment
15	Beat around the bush	Avoid the main topic
16	Bite the bullet	Endure a painful situation bravely
17	Blue blood	Aristocratic or noble birth
18	Break the ice	Initiate conversation; ease tension
19	Burn the midnight oil	Study or work late into the night
20	Bury the hatchet	Make peace; end a conflict
21	By hook or by crook	By any means necessary
22	Call a spade a spade	Speak frankly and directly
23	Carry coals to Newcastle	Do something unnecessary
24	Crocodile tears	False, insincere tears
25	Cry over spilt milk	Regret something that cannot be undone
26	Cut corners	Do something cheaply or in a shortcut way

E-K

#	Idiom	Meaning
27	Eat humble pie	Apologize or admit error
28	Every cloud has a silver lining	There is hope in every difficulty
29	Face the music	Accept the consequences
30	Fall on deaf ears	Be ignored
31	Feather one’s own nest	Enrich oneself at others’ expense
32	From pillar to post	From one place to another without purpose
33	Get cold feet	Lose courage at the last moment
34	Give someone the cold shoulder	Deliberately ignore someone
35	Go the extra mile	Make additional effort
36	Hand in glove	In close association (often secretly)
37	Harp on the same string	Repeat the same point tediously
38	Hit the nail on the head	Say exactly the right thing
39	In a nutshell	Briefly; in summary
40	In the limelight	Centre of public attention
41	Iron will	Very strong determination
42	Jack of all trades	Someone who can do many things (but master of none)
43	Keep the ball rolling	Maintain progress
44	Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two goals with one action
45	Kith and kin	Friends and relatives

L-P

#	Idiom	Meaning
46	Leave no stone unturned	Try every possible means
47	Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret
48	Lion’s share	The largest portion
49	Lock, stock, and barrel	Completely; entirely
50	Make hay while the sun shines	Take advantage of opportunity
51	Move heaven and earth	Try everything possible
52	Nip in the bud	Stop something at an early stage
53	No stone unturned	Every effort made
54	Null and void	Having no legal force
55	Off the cuff	Without preparation; spontaneous
56	Once in a blue moon	Very rarely
57	Out of the frying pan into the fire	From a bad to a worse situation
58	Over the moon	Extremely happy
59	Paddle one’s own canoe	Be self-reliant
60	Pay through the nose	Pay an excessive amount
61	Penny wise, pound foolish	Careful with small amounts but wasteful with large
62	Pull someone’s leg	Joke with or tease someone
63	Put all eggs in one basket	Risk everything on one venture

R-Z

#	Idiom	Meaning
64	Rain cats and dogs	Rain very heavily
65	Read between the lines	Understand the hidden meaning
66	Rome was not built in a day	Great things take time
67	Run of the mill	Ordinary; nothing special
68	See eye to eye	Agree completely
69	Sell like hot cakes	Sell quickly in large quantities
70	Sit on the fence	Remain neutral; not take sides
71	Slip of the tongue	An unintentional verbal mistake
72	Smell a rat	Suspect something wrong
73	Spill the beans	Reveal secret information
74	Stab in the back	Betray someone
75	Storm in a teacup	A fuss over a trivial matter
76	Straight from the horse’s mouth	From a reliable source
77	Swan song	A final performance or act
78	Take the bull by the horns	Face a difficulty boldly
79	The ball is in your court	It is your turn to take action
80	Through thick and thin	Through good and bad times
81	Throw in the towel	Give up; surrender
82	Tip of the iceberg	A small visible part of a much larger problem
83	To bark up the wrong tree	Direct efforts in the wrong direction
84	To have an axe to grind	Have a personal or selfish motive
85	To turn over a new leaf	Make a fresh start
86	Under the weather	Feeling ill
87	Up in arms	Very angry; ready to fight
88	Walk on eggshells	Be very cautious
89	Wash one’s hands of	Refuse to take responsibility
90	Wild goose chase	A futile pursuit
91	With flying colours	With great success
92	Wolf in sheep’s clothing	A dangerous person disguised as harmless
93	Word of mouth	Oral communication
94	Year in, year out	Continuously over many years
95	Zero hour	The crucial moment
96	Apple of one’s eye	A cherished person
97	Achilles’ heel	A weak point in someone strong
98	Pandora’s box	A source of many unforeseen troubles
99	Herculean task	An extremely difficult task
100	Midas touch	Ability to make money in every venture

Part 2: One-Word Substitutions (50 Most Asked)

#	Phrase	One Word
1	One who hates mankind	Misanthrope
2	One who loves mankind	Philanthropist
3	One who knows many languages	Polyglot
4	One who eats human flesh	Cannibal
5	Government by the people	Democracy
6	Government by one person	Autocracy
7	Government by the rich	Plutocracy
8	Government by the military	Stratocracy
9	Government by a small group	Oligarchy
10	Rule by women	Gynecocracy
11	Killing of one’s father	Patricide
12	Killing of one’s mother	Matricide
13	Killing of an infant	Infanticide
14	Killing of a king	Regicide
15	Killing of oneself	Suicide
16	Killing of a large group	Genocide
17	One who walks in sleep	Somnambulist
18	One who cannot be corrected	Incorrigible
19	A thing that cannot be seen	Invisible
20	A thing that cannot be avoided	Inevitable
21	A person who writes beautifully	Calligrapher
22	Study of birds	Ornithology
23	Study of insects	Entomology
24	Study of skin diseases	Dermatology
25	Study of the mind	Psychology
26	Study of tumours	Oncology
27	Study of earthquakes	Seismology
28	Study of weather	Meteorology
29	A speech made for the first time	Maiden speech
30	A speech delivered without preparation	Extempore
31	Words written on a tombstone	Epitaph
32	A short poem on the death of someone	Elegy
33	A lover of books	Bibliophile
34	One who does not believe in God	Atheist
35	One who believes in God	Theist
36	One who doubts the existence of God	Agnostic
37	One who lives on others	Parasite
38	A collection of poems	Anthology
39	A person who lives alone	Recluse
40	Fear of heights	Acrophobia
41	Fear of water	Hydrophobia
42	Fear of closed spaces	Claustrophobia
43	Fear of strangers/foreigners	Xenophobia
44	Fear of open spaces	Agoraphobia
45	An animal that lives in water	Aquatic
46	An animal that lives on land and water	Amphibian
47	One who eats only vegetables	Vegetarian
48	One who eats everything	Omnivore
49	A place where dead bodies are kept	Mortuary
50	Medicine that kills germs	Antiseptic

Part 3: Frequently Tested Synonyms

Word	Synonym
Abandon	Forsake, Relinquish
Audacious	Bold, Daring
Benevolent	Kind, Generous
Candid	Frank, Honest
Diligent	Industrious, Hard-working
Eloquent	Fluent, Articulate
Frugal	Thrifty, Economical
Gregarious	Sociable, Outgoing
Haughty	Arrogant, Proud
Immense	Vast, Enormous
Jubilant	Elated, Joyful
Lethargic	Sluggish, Lazy
Meticulous	Thorough, Careful
Notorious	Infamous, Disreputable
Obsolete	Outdated, Antiquated
Prudent	Wise, Cautious
Replenish	Refill, Restore
Serene	Calm, Peaceful
Trivial	Insignificant, Petty
Unanimous	In complete agreement

Part 4: Frequently Tested Antonyms

Word	Antonym
Accept	Reject
Ancient	Modern
Benign	Malignant
Bold	Timid
Conceal	Reveal
Create	Destroy
Deficit	Surplus
Dwarf	Giant
Extravagant	Frugal
Fiction	Fact
Genuine	Fake
Hostile	Friendly
Inferior	Superior
Majority	Minority
Optimist	Pessimist
Permanent	Temporary
Rigid	Flexible
Transparent	Opaque
Voluntary	Compulsory
Zenith	Nadir