English Language

Idioms and Phrases

680 Questions
All Idiom/Phrase Meaning 431 Error Detection in Idioms 73 Synonymous Idiom Replacement 58 Idiom Completion 46 Contextual Usage 22 Foreign Origin Phrase Meaning 1 One-Word Substitution 1 Prepositional Phrase Selection 1

Idioms and Phrases Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom which is underlined.

The nagging of my wife always makes me lose my train of thought.

  1. lose my patience

  2. forget the order

  3. lose my temper

  4. lost my time
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

'To lose one's train of thought' means to forget the sequence of ideas one was thinking about or saying. When something interrupts your focus (like nagging), you lose the continuous chain of reasoning. Option B 'forget the order' correctly captures losing the sequence of connected thoughts.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom which is underlined.

We had to spin a yarn to hide the fact.

  1. tell a long story

  2. tell lie

  3. keep quiet

  4. divert attention
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'To spin a yarn' means to tell a long, often fanciful story. When someone 'spins a yarn,' they're telling a tale that may be exaggerated or fabricated. In this context, they created a story (Option A) to hide the truth - the idiom specifically refers to storytelling, not merely lying.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom which is underlined.

He always acts in defiance of his parents' wishes.

  1. according to

  2. in disregard of

  3. fulfilling

  4. having differences
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

'In defiance of' means in open resistance to, or willful disregard of, something. When someone acts 'in defiance of' their parents' wishes, they're deliberately ignoring or opposing those wishes. Option B 'in disregard of' correctly captures this meaning of intentional opposition and disrespect.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom which is underlined.

Our dog may look fierce but he wouldn't hurt a fly.

  1. unlikely to cause harm

  2. unlikely to bite

  3. unlikely to bark

  4. unlikely to touch
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Wouldn't hurt a fly' is an idiom used to describe someone who is completely harmless and gentle, despite perhaps having an appearance that suggests otherwise. It emphasizes that the person would not cause harm to even the smallest, most insignificant creature. Option A 'unlikely to cause harm' correctly captures this metaphorical expression of harmlessness.

Multiple choice

What does the idiom (the) pros and cons mean?

  1. Changes of life

  2. Arguments urged for and against a thing

  3. Irregularly

  4. Repeatedly
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The idiom 'pros and cons' refers to arguments or reasons both for (pro) and against (con) something - essentially advantages and disadvantages. It comes from Latin 'pro et contra.' It's used when weighing different sides of an issue before making a decision, not about life changes or doing things repeatedly.

Multiple choice

Explain the idiomatic expression: To break one's heart.

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following data.

Her father, Edward Moulton Barren, was, as Elizabeth later wrote, a very peculiar person.  "Heir to a fortune, educated at Harrow and Cambridge, he was nevertheless a complete domestic tyrant".  After bearing him twelve children, his gentle wife had little strength left for struggle against  him, and  the children never dared oppose  his wishes.

Yet Elizabeth's childhood was happy. She romped and studied with her eldest brother, learnt Greek and French, read widely and wrote poetic tragedies.  Her own tragedy began at fifteen with a cough and an injury to her back, which resulted in increasingly bad health.  Then her mother died.

Four years later, her father decided to sell the country home. The large family moved from house to house until her father bought No. 50 Wimpole Street.  There Elizabeth's health grew worse, and she became a creature of the shadows and silence.

As the years passed, the family grew used to her withdrawn life. She had a certain independence, for an uncle had left her a small income.  But her brothers and sisters were at the mercy of Mr. Barren's harsh rules, which hung over the household like thunder in heavy weather.  Chief among them was the absolute refusal to let his daughters marry.  He prevented the marriage of Elizabeth’s gay, dance-loving sister, Henrietta, and the scenes that followed broke Elizabeth’s heart. Yet she remained devoted to her father. It was a devotion that served to strengthen the walls of her prison.

  1. To become sorrowful

  2. To feel weak and uneasy

  3. To get angry

  4. To crush with grief
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In context to the given passage, the correct answer is option (4) and not option (1) because her physical and emotional condition is described with 'crush with grief' as it is extreme case and 'become sorrowful' is a mild term.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the correct meaning of the idiom given in the following question.

To play the devil's advocate

  1. To argue for arguments sake

  2. To worship devil

  3. To gamble

  4. To be rude to people as a rule

  5. .
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct meaning of the given idiom. A devil's advocate is one who argues against a cause or position, not as a committed opponent but simply for the sake of argument or to determine the validity of the cause or position. For example: As much as it pains me to play devil's advocate in this case, the accused doesn't have any rational people defending him.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the correct meaning of the idiom given in the following question.

Sitting on the fence

  1. To remain an onlooker only

  2. To go outside on a sunny day

  3. To make a rational decision

  4. To avoid making a decision

  5. .
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This idiom is used when someone does not want to choose or make a decision. For example: The official stance of the US was to sit on the fence whilst they thought that China might still back down.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the correct meaning of the idiom given in the following question.

To let the cat out of the bag

  1. To reveal a secret

  2. To feel very self satisfied

  3. To praise something excessively

  4. To watch someone carefully

  5. .
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as the meaning of the idiom 'to let the cat out of the bag' is to reveal a secret. For example: I told him what gift you have bought him for his birthday. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag."

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the correct meaning of the idiom given in the following question.

To have a leg up

  1. To wish someone good luck

  2. To have an advantage

  3. To be very tired

  4. The physical work accompanying a task

  5. .
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The meaning of the idiom to have a leg up is to have an advantage. For example: When you graduate, you have been in many different hospitals and have a leg up on job openings if you impressed those that you trained under.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the correct meaning of the idiom/ phrase from the four alternatives.

To cross one's mind

  1. To ignore

  2. To ga against one feeling

  3. To occur to oneself

  4. To be lost in thought
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

To cross one's mind means for a thought to suddenly occur or come into someone's mind. 'To occur to oneself' matches this meaning perfectly. 'To ignore' is the opposite, 'To be lost in thought' is different, and option B has a typo and doesn't match the meaning.