Introduction: The Strategic Importance of Idioms in JKSSB Exams
In the highly competitive landscape of JKSSB recruitments—whether you are eyeing a post in the Patwari, Junior Assistant, Police Constable, or Finance Inspector cadres—every single mark is a step closer to your dream career. While most aspirants dedicate months to mastering Jammu & Kashmir GK and Mathematics, the General English section often remains the “silent separator” in the final merit list.
Among the various components of English, Idioms and Phrases frequently pose the greatest challenge. Unlike standard vocabulary, the meaning of an idiom cannot be deduced by looking at individual words. For instance, “crying over spilled milk” has nothing to do with dairy, and “beating around the bush” has nothing to do with gardening. In the heat of the examination hall, these figurative expressions can become “stumbling blocks” if you aren’t well-prepared.
However, mastering idioms is not about memorizing a dictionary; it is about recognizing patterns and understanding their contextual usage. This comprehensive guide is designed to simplify that process. We have filtered through Previous Year Questions (PYQs) and the official JKSSB syllabus to bring you a curated selection of idioms that are most likely to appear in your 2026 exams.
By the end of this post, you will not only understand the meanings of these phrases but also how to apply them accurately in “fill-in-the-blanks” and “sentence correction” formats. Let’s turn this “Herculean task” into a “piece of cake.”
Essential Idioms and Phrases: Categorized for JKSSB Aspirants
To make this section truly comprehensive, don’t just dump a list of words. Break them down into thematic categories. This helps the brain build associations, making it much easier to remember them during the high pressure of the exam.
| SN | Idiom / Phrase | Meaning |
| 601 | Get the upper hand | To get an advantage |
| 602 | Get up on the wrong side of the bed | Start the day in a bad mood, which continues all day long |
| 603 | Get wind of something | Hear about something // Come to know // To learn something secret |
| 604 | Get your act together | organise your work in a better way |
| 605 | Get your money’s worth | to pay and get something of good value |
| 606 | Get your own way | Persuade other people to let you do what you want |
| 607 | Getting a new lease of life | A chance to continue living or to become successful or popular again // Became energetic again |
| 608 | Getting in everyone’s hair | Annoying them |
| 609 | Gift of the gab | Ability to speak eloquently // Talks well and persuasively |
| 610 | Give a free hand | To exercise complete control over something // Complete liberty |
| 611 | Give a piece of one’s mind | To rebuke someone strongly // speaking sharply // scolding // To reprimand |
| 612 | Give a wide berth to | To stay away from |
| 613 | Give and take | Adjustment // Obliging each other mutually |
| 614 | Give in | Yield |
| 615 | Give it a shot | Try something |
| 616 | Give it a whirl | To try out something |
| 617 | Give me a hand with | Help me with // assist |
| 618 | Give oneself airs | Pretend to be good |
| 619 | Give somebody a ring | Call someone on the telephone |
| 620 | Give someone the cold shoulder | Deliberately ignore someone |
| 621 | Give up | stop doing it |
| 622 | Give up the ghost | To die // To stop working |
| 623 | Give way | Collapsed |
| 624 | Giving a false alarm | A situation when people wrongly think that something bad is going to happen |
| 625 | Gnash your teeth | Express rage |
| 626 | Go against the grain | Something in conflict with one’s value system // Doing things differently from what you usually do |
| 627 | Go at equal speed | Keep up with |
| 628 | Go belly up | Go bankrupt |
| 629 | Go bonkers | Become crazy |
| 630 | Go down in flames | fail completely |
| 631 | Go Dutch | Divide the costs |
| 632 | Go easy on something | Use only a small amount of |
| 633 | Go for a song | To be sold cheaply |
| 634 | Go for the jugular | Attack all out |
| 635 | Go getter | A real achiever |
| 636 | Go haywire | Became out of control |
| 637 | Go off | Stop working |
| 638 | Go over | Review |
| 639 | Go the extra mile | Going above and beyond whatever is required for the task at hand // To make an extra effort |
| 640 | Go through a rough patch | to experience problems |
| 641 | Go through fire and water | Undergo any risk // to experience many dangers in order to achieve something |
| 642 | Go through the roof | Rise very high |
| 643 | Go to rack and ruin | Get into a bad condition // destroyed |
| 644 | Go to the dogs | To be ruined // Deteriorate shockingly |
| 645 | Go to the wall | To fail |
| 646 | Go with the flow | Do what others are doing |
| 647 | God’s acre | A cemetery beside a church |
| 648 | God’s ape | A born fool |
| 649 | Goes about | Goes around |
| 650 | Going over one’s head | Beyond one’s capacity to understand |
| 651 | Got down to business | Began to work seriously |
| 652 | Got on well | Had a friendly relationship |
| 653 | Got the green light | Got permission to go ahead with something |
| 654 | Grease the palm | Bribe |
| 655 | Great minds think alike | Said when two people have the same opinion or make the same choice |
| 656 | Green thumb | To have a natural interest in gardening // to have talent in gardening |
| 657 | Green-eyed | Jealous |
| 658 | Grin/Beam from ear to ear | to smile a lot because of happiness |
| 659 | Had better | Should |
| 660 | Had gone down the drain | Was lost forever |
| 661 | Hadn’t a leg to stand on | Did not have much hope of getting it |
| 662 | Hale and hearty | Strong and healthy |
| 663 | Hand and glove | Very intimate terms |
| 664 | Hand in glove | In close association // in partnership for something dishonest |
| 665 | Hand in hand | Together |
| 666 | Hand over fist | Quickly and continuously |
| 667 | Handle with kid gloves | to treat someone with extreme care |
| 668 | Hands down | Easily and without doubt |
| 669 | Hang in there | Don’t give up // To persist in a difficult situation |
| 670 | Hang on every word | Listen very carefully |
| 671 | Hang one’s head | To be ashamed |
| 672 | Hang up one’s boots | To take retirement from a sport |
| 673 | Hanging by a thread/a hair | Be in a dangerous situation |
| 674 | Hard and fast | That cannot be altered // strict // Fixed |
| 675 | Hard cash | Notes and coins as opposed to cheques and ATM cards |
| 676 | Hard of hearing | To be deaf // partially deaf |
| 677 | Has a bee in her bonnet | Is an obsessed person |
| 678 | Has a face like thunder | is very angry |
| 679 | Haul over the coals | To scold |
| 680 | Have a bone to pick with somebody | Disagree or be annoyed with someone |
| 681 | Have a chip on one’s shoulder | Entertaining a grudge over a past event // nurse a grudge |
| 682 | Have a finger in every pie | To be meddlesome // to be involved in a large and varied number of activities or enterprises |
| 683 | Have a foot in the grave | Be close to death |
| 684 | Have a long face | Look unhappy or disappointed |
| 685 | Have a whale of a time | Have an exceptionally fun or exciting experience |
| 686 | Have an axe to grind | A private interest to serve // have a selfish interest // To have an ulterior motive |
| 687 | Have green fingers | To be good at gardening |
| 688 | Have one’s hands full | To be very busy |
| 689 | Have other fish to fry | Some important work to attend to |
| 690 | Have the ball at your feet | To be in the best position to do something |
| 691 | Have the last laugh | To be victorious at the end of an argument |
| 692 | Have your back to/against the wall | To be in a desperate situation with very few options |
| 693 | Have your heart set on something | To want something very much |
| 694 | Having a soft spot for | To like someone a lot // Being fond of |
| 695 | He who laughs last laughs loudest | He who focuses on winning in the long term is successful |
| 696 | Head in the clouds | To daydream // Cut off from reality |
| 697 | Head over heels | Madly in love |
| 698 | Heads will roll | Dismissed or forced to resign |
| 699 | Heart and soul | Completely // With all the effort you can put |
| 700 | Heart in the right place | Someone is good even if they sometimes behave in a wrong manner |
Conclusion: Turning Knowledge into Results
Mastering idioms and phrases is often described as a “Herculean task” by many JKSSB aspirants, but as we have seen, it is entirely manageable with the right approach. In the context of the OMR-based or CBT exams conducted by the Board, these questions are designed to test your “linguistic intuition” rather than just your memory.
The secret to scoring full marks in this section lies in context. Instead of rote learning, try to visualize the scenarios where these idioms are used. Whether you are sitting for the Patwari, Junior Assistant, or Constable exams, remember that the English section is your best opportunity to save time for more complex sections like Mathematics or Mental Ability.
Final Revision Strategy:
- The 5-a-Day Rule: Don’t try to learn 100 idioms in one sitting. Master five idioms every morning and try to use them in a sentence before the day ends.
- Analyze PYQs: JKSSB has a habit of repeating themes. Keep an eye on idioms related to “Hard Work,” “Success,” and “Conflict.”
Success in JKSSB exams is a marathon, not a sprint. By “burning the midnight oil” today and refining your vocabulary, you are ensuring that on the day of the result, you are not just a candidate, but a selected officer.
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