English is rich in idioms, and many of them are inspired by everyday objects—one of the most common being the stone. Whether it’s about determination, hardship, or action, stone-related idioms beautifully express complex situations with few words. In this blog post, we bring you the most popular stone idioms in English, complete with Hindi meanings and practical example sentences to boost your spoken English and vocabulary.
Stone Idioms in English for Daily Use with meaning
1. Leave no stone unturned
English Meaning: To make every possible effort
Hindi Meaning: कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ना
Example: She left no stone unturned to prepare for the IAS exam.
उसने IAS परीक्षा की तैयारी में कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ी।
2. A rolling stone gathers no moss
English Meaning: A person who does not settle in one place rarely prospers
Hindi Meaning: जो स्थिर नहीं रहता, वह कुछ नाम नहीं कर पाता
Example: He keeps changing jobs; a rolling stone gathers no moss.
वह बार-बार नौकरी बदलता है; जो स्थिर नहीं रहता, वह कभी नाम नहीं कमा पाता।
3. Cast the first stone
English Meaning: To be the first to criticize or blame
Hindi Meaning: सबसे पहले दोष लगाना
Example: Before you cast the first stone, remember your own mistakes.
किसी पर उंगली उठाने से पहले अपनी गलतियां याद करो।
4. Set in stone
English Meaning: Fixed, unchangeable
Hindi Meaning: जो बदला नहीं जा सकता
Example: Our wedding date is not set in stone yet.
हमारी शादी की तारीख अभी पक्की नहीं हुई है।
5. Kill two birds with one stone
English Meaning: To accomplish two tasks with a single effort
Hindi Meaning: एक तीर से दो निशाने लगाना
Example: By visiting my uncle, I killed two birds with one stone—I delivered the gift and got free lunch.
चाचा के यहाँ जाकर मैंने एक तीर से दो निशाने लगाए।
6. Stone-cold
English Meaning: Completely cold or emotionless
Hindi Meaning: पूरी तरह ठंडा या भावहीन
Example: His hands were stone-cold in the freezing weather.
ठंड में उसके हाथ पूरी तरह से बर्फ जैसे ठंडे हो गए थे।
7. Heart of stone
English Meaning: A person who is very cold or cruel
Hindi Meaning: कठोर दिल वाला व्यक्ति
Example: He didn’t even flinch at her tears—he has a heart of stone.
वह उसकी आँखों के आँसू देखकर भी नहीं पसीजा—उसका दिल पत्थर का है।
8. Carved in stone
English Meaning: Something that is permanent or unchangeable
Hindi Meaning: जो हमेशा के लिए तय हो चुका है
Example: These rules are not carved in stone—we can change them later.
ये नियम पत्थर पर नहीं लिखे हैं—बाद में बदले जा सकते हैं।
9. Drop like a stone
English Meaning: To fall or decrease suddenly and sharply
Hindi Meaning: तेजी से गिरना
Example: Stock prices dropped like a stone during the market crash.
बाजार क्रैश में शेयर की कीमतें तेजी से गिर गईं।
10. Stone’s throw (away)
English Meaning: Very close or nearby
Hindi Meaning: बहुत पास या नज़दीक
Example: The station is just a stone’s throw from here.
स्टेशन यहाँ से बस कुछ ही दूरी पर है।
11. Stone deaf
English Meaning: Completely deaf
Hindi Meaning: पूरी तरह बहरा
Example: Grandpa is almost stone deaf, you have to speak loudly.
दादाजी लगभग पूरी तरह बहरे हैं, आपको जोर से बोलना होगा।
12. Stone dead
English Meaning: Completely dead or lifeless
Hindi Meaning: पूरी तरह मरा हुआ
Example: The snake was stone dead when we found it.
जब हमने साँप को पाया, तब वह पूरी तरह मरा हुआ था।
13. To be stoned (informal)
English Meaning: To be under the influence of drugs/alcohol
Hindi Meaning: नशे की हालत में होना
Example: He looked completely stoned at the party.
वह पार्टी में पूरी तरह नशे में लग रहा था।
14. Turn to stone
English Meaning: To be frozen with fear or shock
Hindi Meaning: डर या सदमे से जम जाना
Example: When she saw the snake, she turned to stone.
जैसे ही उसने साँप देखा, वह डर से जम गई।
15. Not worth a stone
English Meaning: Completely worthless
Hindi Meaning: एकदम बेकार
Example: That broken watch is not worth a stone.
वह टूटी हुई घड़ी बिल्कुल बेकार है।
16. Break stones
English Meaning: To do very hard manual labor
Hindi Meaning: बहुत कठिन मेहनत करना
Example: In the village, people still break stones for a living.
गाँव में लोग आज भी मजदूरी के लिए पत्थर तोड़ते हैं।
17. Cold as a stone
English Meaning: Lacking warmth or feeling (can refer to body or emotions)
Hindi Meaning: ठंडा और भावशून्य
Example: Her hands were as cold as stone.
उसके हाथ पत्थर जैसे ठंडे थे।
18. Stone-faced silence
English Meaning: Silence with no visible emotion
Hindi Meaning: बिना किसी भाव के चुप्पी
Example: He listened with a stone-faced silence.
वह बिना किसी प्रतिक्रिया के चुपचाप सुनता रहा।
Conclusion
Using stone idioms in English helps you add depth and richness to your conversation. Whether you’re preparing for competitive exams, improving spoken English, or just enhancing your vocabulary, these idioms offer valuable insights. Mastering these idioms related to stone with Hindi meaning will make your English sound more fluent, expressive, and impressive.
