Idioms and Phrases 79

1. face to face: directly opposite.

• The soldiers of two sides fight face to face against one another in the battlefield in a war.

2. (a) feather in one’s cap: an achievement to be proud of.

• The conquest of the Mount Everest by Hillary and his party was a feather in Hillary’s cap.

3. fellow-feeling: sympathy.

• All religions convey us the need of fellow feeling with one another.

4. figure of fun: ridiculous person.

• A clown, or joker is a figure of fun in a play, or film.

5. (a) fish out of water: in an uneasy state.

• Gandhiji felt like a fish out of water when he went to England for the study of law.

6. (by) fits and starts: irregularly.

• Good teachers and students do not go to their school by fits and starts.

7. (a) flag of truce: a desire for temporary peace.

• Seeing the heavy bloodshed and total massacre in the Kaling Battle Ashoka showed a flag of truce.

8. flesh and blood: human nature.

• The need of showing mercy to others is the natural instinct of flesh and blood.

9. (a) flight of fancy: imaginary thinking.

• It is only a flight of fancy for a common man to grow rich and prosperous by means of some magical power.

10. (a) flight of stairs: a staircase.

• There are thirteen flight of stairs to reach the last storey of the Secretariat Building in Chandigarh.

11. (a) flourish of trumpets: a noisy show.

• On the occasion of certain marriage a flourish of trumpets can be seen.

12. flood tide: highest degree of success, or failure.

• Janta Party in India achieved flood-tide success in the General Election of 1977 after defeating the ruling Congress Party.

13. flow of spirits: high gaiety.

• The period of youth is supposed to be dominated by the flow of spirits.

14. (a) fly in the ointment: a little defect in an important thing.

• It is just like a fly in the ointment to complain about Bedi’s behaviour as he is one of the greatest spin bowlers of the world. 

15. (a) fly into temper: become angry suddenly.

• It is really a fly into his temper that he easily grows angry on trifles.

16. food for reflection: matter for serious thinking.

• The Prime Minister of each country has definite food for reflection when there arises some problem in the country.

17. fool’s Paradise: imaginary world.

• A poor man only lives in a fool’s paradise to grow rich overnight without working hard honestly and regularly.

18. (a) fresh lease of life: recovery from life.

• The persons who escaped unhurt from the serious recent railway accident certainly got a fresh lease of their life.