Idioms and Phrases

The idiom 'a close shave' means a narrow escape from danger or a difficult situation, barely avoiding something bad. It originates from shaving - if you have a 'close shave,' you narrowly miss cutting yourself. 'Shaving daily' and 'not hygienic' are literal interpretations, while 'real encounter' doesn't capture the idiom's meaning of escaping harm.

The idiom 'egg on' means to urge, encourage, or prompt someone to do something, often something foolish or risky. It doesn't relate to eggs literally - it comes from 'edge on' meaning to push or spur. 'Shrewd' (clever), 'renounce' (give up), and 'trivial' (unimportant) don't capture the meaning of encouraging or instigating action.

The idiom 'eat one's heart out' means to suffer in silence, often from envy, longing, or unfulfilled desire. It doesn't mean being hungry ('voraciously hungry'), taking action ('decisive step'), or providing insight. The expression comes from the idea of consuming oneself with emotion. Note: the question uses 'one`s' with a backtick instead of a proper apostrophe, but this is a minor typographical issue that doesn't affect comprehension.

The idiom 'end in smoke' means to come to nothing, produce no results, or end in failure - like smoke that vanishes without a trace. It doesn't mean victory ('finished victorious'), hostility ('openly hostile'), or getting rid of something ('dispense with'). The imagery is of something insubstantial and disappearing.

The idiom 'fly in the face of' means to openly defy, contradict, or go against conventions, authority, or accepted wisdom. It doesn't mean embarrassment ('feel embarrassed'), influence ('influence somebody'), or progress ('make progress'). The imagery suggests something flying directly into or against something else, openly opposing it.

The idiom 'show the white feather' originates from the belief that a white feather in a gamecock's tail indicated cowardice. Thus, it means to display fear or act cowardly, particularly when facing danger or difficulty.

'Go haywire' refers to wire used in hay baling that sometimes tangled or snapped. When something goes haywire, it becomes chaotic, disorganized, or stops functioning properly. Option A correctly captures this meaning of becoming disordered.

'Fish in troubled waters' means to exploit a confusing or difficult situation for personal gain. Just as fish might be easier to catch in disturbed waters, some people take advantage of chaotic circumstances. Option B correctly identifies this exploitative meaning.

'Cut no ice' means to be ineffective or fail to impress someone. Option D correctly states it means having no effect or influence. The idiom likely comes from ice cutting not working when conditions aren't right, signifying futile effort.

'Make head or tail of something' means to understand or comprehend it. Option A is correct. The idiom suggests that if you can't distinguish the top (head) from the bottom (tail) of something, you can't make sense of it at all.

A happy-go-lucky person is cheerful, unconcerned, and often leaves things to chance rather than worrying or planning ahead. Option A ('careless' in the sense of 'free from care or anxiety') is the intended answer, though 'careless' in modern usage often implies negligence.

'Have an axe to grind' means to have a selfish or ulterior motive or personal interest in a situation. Option B is correct despite the typo ('secret to motive' should be 'secret motive'). It comes from a story where someone flattered a boy to turn the grindstone for his axe.

'Fight shy of' means to deliberately avoid, evade, or keep away from something. Option A is correct. The phrase suggests an active attempt to steer clear of a person, situation, or task, often due to discomfort or reluctance.

The idiom "go to the dogs" means to deteriorate, decline in quality, or be ruined. This expression originated from the idea of leftover or unwanted food being thrown to dogs, symbolizing something that has lost its value or fallen into a state of neglect.

The phrasal verb "call off" means to cancel an event, arrangement, or action that has been planned, particularly before it has started. For example, "The match was called off due to rain." This is the standard English expression for cancelling something that hasn't yet begun.

"Come off" is a phrasal verb that means to succeed, happen as planned, or turn out well. When we say a plan "came off," it means it was successfully executed. The other options don't fit: "cut on" is not a standard phrasal verb, "come round" means to regain consciousness or change opinion, and "crop up" means to appear unexpectedly.

"Drop in" (or "drop by") means to pay a brief, informal visit without an appointment or prior arrangement. The other options are incorrect: "drop out" means to withdraw or quit, "full back" appears to be a typo (likely for "fall back"), and "full In" contains a capitalization error.

"Get away" means to escape, leave, or break free from a place or situation. It can also mean to free oneself from obligations or responsibilities. The other options have different meanings: "get about" means to move around or travel (often when someone has mobility issues), "get over" means to recover from something, and "get off" means to leave a vehicle or stop touching something.

"Give in" means to yield, surrender, or cease resisting after pressure or opposition. When someone "gives in," they stop opposing something and agree to demands or circumstances. The other options don't fit: "come round" means to change one's opinion or regain consciousness, "hang on" means to wait or persist, and "grow out of" means to become too large for something or lose a childhood habit.

"Pull off" means to succeed in doing something difficult, tricky, or challenging. For example, "She pulled off a stunning victory" or "They pulled off the impossible." The other phrasal verbs have unrelated meanings: "put away" means to store something, "put on" means to wear or deceive, and "put out" means to extinguish or inconvenience someone.

"Go round" (or "go around") can mean to be sufficient or adequate for everyone's needs. For example, "There's enough food to go round" means the food will suffice for all present. This is the only option that conveys the meaning of being adequate or sufficient.