Idioms and Phrases MCQs
What does 'Pull your socks up' mean?
- A. To get ready
- B. To finish
- C. To start
- D. To improve
What does 'Cap it all' mean?
- A. To cover everything
- B. To seize everything
- C. To finish
- D. To occur
What does 'Never-never land' refer to?
- A. An ideal place
- B. Dream land
- C. A worthless place
- D. A useless situation
What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?
- A. Often
- B. Rarely
- C. Rapidly
- D. Slowly
What does 'Hornet’s nest' imply?
- A. A bee’s house
- B. A violent situation
- C. A good situation
- D. A dangerous place
To 'make a clean breast of' something means:
- A. To gain prominence
- B. To praise oneself
- C. To confess fully
- D. To destroy prematurely
To 'have an axe to grind' means:
- A. A private motive
- B. To lose interest
- C. To be unproductive
- D. To work both sides
To 'cry wolf' means:
- A. To listen eagerly
- B. To give false alarm
- C. To turn pale
- D. To avoid starvation
To 'end in smoke' means:
- A. To make clear
- B. To fail completely
- C. To excite applause
- D. To defeat someone
To 'put one’s hand to the plough' means:
- A. To start farming
- B. To take on hard work
- C. To get entangled
- D. To pursue technology
To 'pick holes' means:
- A. To find petty faults
- B. To destroy something
- C. To criticize severely
- D. To cut parts off
To 'leave someone in the lurch' means:
- A. To compromise
- B. To annoy
- C. To comfort
- D. To abandon in trouble
A 'man of straw' is:
- A. A person with no substance
- B. A very active person
- C. A worthy fellow
- D. An unreasonable person
To 'smell a rat' means:
- A. To sense danger
- B. To smell badly
- C. To suspect wrongdoing
- D. To be in bad mood
To 'hit the nail on the head' means:
- A. To say exactly the right thing
- B. To ruin reputation
- C. To state fixed views
- D. To teach a lesson
To 'set one’s face against' something means:
- A. To oppose firmly
- B. To judge by looks
- C. To escape difficulty
- D. To stare at someone
In 'tipped off' the police were:
- A. Overturned
- B. Bribed
- C. Warned in advance
- D. Threatened
To give 'the cold shoulder' means:
- A. To scold
- B. To insult
- C. To abuse
- D. To ignore
To 'pass oneself off' as someone means:
- A. To be regarded as
- B. To pretend to be
- C. To be thought to be
- D. To be looked upon as
To 'die in harness' means:
- A. To die on horseback
- B. To die in battle
- C. To die while still in service
- D. To die honorably
One who 'blows his own trumpet' does what?
- A. Flatters others
- B. Praises others
- C. Scolds others
- D. Praises himself
To 'put a spoke in my wheel' means:
- A. To cause an accident
- B. To assist success
- C. To thwart a plan
- D. To destroy the plan
To be 'like a sitting duck' means:
- A. Lazy
- B. Fat
- C. Sleepy
- D. Defenseless
A 'bitter pill' means:
- A. Something causing trouble
- B. An awkward situation
- C. An unpleasant necessity
- D. A failed attempt
A 'hot potato' is:
- A. A trivial flaw
- B. To sleep
- C. To find fault
- D. A controversial issue
An 'ace in the hole' is:
- A. A hidden advantage
- B. A fatal weakness
- C. A source of discord
- D. Without hesitation
An 'Achilles’ heel' is:
- A. To begin a task
- B. A fatal weakness
- C. A secret strength
- D. An unavoidable hardship
The 'elephant in the room' is:
- A. An obvious issue avoided
- B. Good health
- C. Perceiving outside vision
- D. Learning by rumor
An 'arm and a leg' costs:
- A. Full speed
- B. Very cheap
- C. Very expensive
- D. Powerless state
The 'apple of discord' is:
- A. A cause of jealousy
- B. A foolish person
- C. To worsen a situation
- D. To speak bluntly
A 'basket case' is someone:
- A. Vulnerable
- B. Barely escaped
- C. Avoids main points
- D. Powerless from panic
To 'beat a dead horse' means:
- A. To dwell uselessly
- B. An obvious unaddressed issue
- C. To bluntly speak truth
- D. To work late
The 'best of both worlds' means:
- A. Never satisfied
- B. Judge by actions
- C. Enjoy two opportunities
- D. Insufficient information
'Bird brain' refers to:
- A. A foolish person
- B. A very smart person
- C. A lazy person
- D. An angry person
To 'chew the fat' means:
- A. To start a task
- B. To stop talking
- C. To get annoyed
- D. To chat idly
To 'drop a dime' means:
- A. To inform
- B. To be cheap
- C. To quit early
- D. To leave
To 'get your goat' means:
- A. To pacify
- B. To irritate
- C. To soothe
- D. To hug
To 'spill the beans' means:
- A. Perform trivial tasks
- B. Reveal a secret
- C. Quit early
- D. Perform trivial tasks
'Far cry from' means:
- A. To counterargue
- B. A task too big
- C. Show is over
- D. Very different from
'Your guess is as good as mine' means:
- A. Join a trend
- B. Hear from source
- C. Know the answer
- D. Have no idea
At the 'drop of a hat' means:
- A. As soon as spoken
- B. Without preparation
- C. Immediately
- D. After something
To 'keep at bay' means:
- A. Keep in mind
- B. Keep away
- C. Keep thinking
- D. Stay on shore
'Raining cats and dogs' means:
- A. Raining heavily
- B. An easy option
- C. Very rarely
- D. Presenting counterargument
'When pigs fly' means:
- A. Something easy
- B. Raining hard
- C. Never happens
- D. Miss the chance
'Icing on the cake' means:
- A. An ugly but essential addition
- B. An ugly removal
- C. Being expensive
- D. An attractive but extra bonus
A 'litmus test' is:
- A. A decisive test
- B. False happiness
- C. Unintelligible
- D. Show disappointment
'Black and blue' means:
- A. Covered in bruises
- B. A poor plan
- C. False happiness
- D. Unintelligible
'Go Dutch' means:
- A. One pays for all
- B. Split the bill equally
- C. Enjoy two opportunities
- D. Do something cheaply
'Fender bender' refers to:
- A. A massive crash
- B. A huge crash
- C. A minor accident
- D. A major crash
'Feel blue' means:
- A. Feel sad
- B. Feel happy
- C. Feel energetic
- D. Feel angry
'Off and on' means:
- A. Frequently
- B. Rarely
- C. Occasionally
- D. Sometimes
'At sea' means:
- A. Happy
- B. Sad
- C. Confused
- D. Triumphant
'Couch potato' describes someone who is:
- A. Active
- B. Busy
- C. Lazy
- D. Angry
To 'turn heads' means:
- A. Be too pleased
- B. Get angry
- C. Attract attention
- D. Be speechless
A 'cock and bull story' is:
- A. A true story
- B. A lengthy tale
- C. A nonsense story
- D. An unbelievable tale
To 'catch a tartar' means:
- A. To meet disaster
- B. To catch a dangerous person
- C. To face one’s match
- D. None of the above
To 'hold one’s horses' means:
- A. Maintain expectations
- B. Keep a gift
- C. Be patient
- D. Be energetic
'Apple-pie order' means:
- A. Neat and tidy
- B. Disordered
- C. Mismanaged
- D. Ornamental
A 'one-trick pony' is someone with:
- A. A single special skill
- B. Dishonest work
- C. Illegal propaganda
- D. Clever scheming
A women-led government is called a:
- A. Petticoat government
- B. Corporatocracy
- C. Patriarchy
- D. None of these
To 'tie the knot' means:
- A. Friendship
- B. Getting married
- C. Enmity
- D. Criticism
The phrase 'de jure' means:
- A. By law
- B. Successful
- C. Illegal
- D. Compromising
Complete the saying: 'Hell hath no fury like a ____.'
- A. woman scorned
- B. burned woman
- C. woman forgotten
- D. devil’s advocate
To 'bury the hatchet' means:
- A. To make peace
- B. To make a foolish choice
- C. To err
- D. To lose something
'Brain drain' refers to:
- A. A mad person
- B. Skilled migration
- C. Intellectual emigration
- D. None
To 'make amends for' means:
- A. Make effort
- B. Compensate damage
- C. Change something
- D. None
'En route' means:
- A. One-way
- B. On the way
- C. Long distance
- D. None
'Inter alia' means:
- A. Among others
- B. By fact
- C. Under focus
- D. At the end
'De novo' means:
- A. Calm
- B. New
- C. Prominent
- D. To any extent
To 'cut a long story short' means:
- A. Tell briefly
- B. Get to the point
- C. Miss main points
- D. None
'A slap on the wrist' means:
- A. Severe punishment
- B. Beating
- C. Mild punishment
- D. Make sad
'All hours' means:
- A. At regular times
- B. At odd times
- C. Every hour
- D. None
Busy 'up to the neck' means:
- A. In and out
- B. Neck deep
- C. Fully armed
- D. Kinship
'Banton' means:
- A. Again
- B. Good manners
- C. Farewell
- D. Authority
'Prosaic' means:
- A. Good
- B. Dull
- C. Beautiful
- D. None
'Clique' refers to:
- A. Animal group
- B. Bird group
- C. People group
- D. None
A 'swan song' is:
- A. A final work
- B. A first work
- C. A middle work
- D. An early work
'Rank and file' refers to:
- A. Ordinary members
- B. Official machinery
- C. Majority
- D. Cabinet ministers
To 'jazz up' means:
- A. Speed up
- B. Make exciting
- C. Make noise
- D. Be strong
A 'short story' is:
- A. Long prose
- B. Figurative tale
- C. Many characters
- D. Brief prose fiction
A 'novel' is:
- A. Short prose
- B. Long fictional prose
- C. Short narrative
- D. Stage work
'Spick and span' means:
- A. Wise and foresight
- B. Watch weather
- C. Spotlessly clean
- D. Deceive
To 'beat about the bush' means:
- A. Meet George Bush
- B. Avoid main topic
- C. Make noise
- D. Jungle walk
To 'have an axe to grind' means:
- A. Use axe
- B. Selfish motive
- C. Have dispute
- D. Be fair
A 'rule of thumb' is:
- A. Legal thumb mark
- B. Rough estimate
- C. Easy choice
- D. Unknown rule
To 'face the music' means:
- A. Be insulted
- B. Be welcomed
- C. Sit front row
- D. Accept consequences
To 'eat someone’s salt' means:
- A. Be someone’s guest
- B. Cook well
- C. Catch disease
- D. None
To 'ride the high horse' means:
- A. Gamble
- B. Buy a horse
- C. Behave superior
- D. None
'Weal and woe' means:
- A. Ups and downs
- B. Joys and sorrows
- C. Wholeheartedly
- D. Extreme hate
'Mala fide' means:
- A. Bad intention
- B. Genuine
- C. Trustworthy
- D. Generous
To 'egg on' means:
- A. To advise
- B. To ask
- C. To urge
- D. To warn
'To be at loggerheads' means:
- A. Cooperate with enemies
- B. Be in strong dispute
- C. Face stiff opposition
- D. Strain mind/body
The 'birds and the bees' refers to:
- A. Depression and low spirits
- B. Undecided state
- C. Reciprocal favors
- D. Sex education basics
'Fortnight' means:
- A. 14 days
- B. 18 days
- C. 20 days
- D. 22 days
'As the crow flies' means:
- A. Indirectly
- B. Impossible
- C. Straight-line distance
- D. None
To be 'champing at the bit' means:
- A. Hard to accept
- B. Extremely impatient
- C. Pessimistic
- D. None
To 'spill the beans' means:
- A. Become uncertain
- B. Avoid someone
- C. Reveal secrets
- D. Something difficult
To 'peddle one’s own canoe' means:
- A. Good behavior
- B. Handle one’s own affairs
- C. Match aims to circumstances
- D. Be successful
To 'play one’s cards right' means:
- A. Do something risky
- B. Take advantage of an opportunity
- C. Change sides
- D. Improve oneself
To be in 'the blue funk' means:
- A. To get rid of
- B. To be terrified
- C. To oppose wishes
- D. To challenge
Between 'Scylla and Charybdis' means:
- A. Between two dangers
- B. Between two opportunities
- C. In confusion
- D. None
To 'break a lance with' someone means:
- A. Entertain friends
- B. Fail badly
- C. Engage in competition
- D. Get involved
To be 'star-crossed' means:
- A. Unlucky
- B. Lucky
- C. Hardworking
- D. None
To 'beat the air' means:
- A. Make progress
- B. Sound logical
- C. Act futilely
- D. None
To be 'at one’s wit’s end' means:
- A. To understand fully
- B. To be puzzled
- C. To be stupid
- D. To act irrationally
To do something 'by leaps and bounds' means:
- A. Very slowly
- B. Very quickly
- C. Irregularly
- D. Systematically
The 'pros and cons of' something means:
- A. Measure ingredients
- B. Observe etiquette
- C. Consider all facts
- D. Postpone action
To 'get the sack' means:
- A. Resign
- B. Get rid of
- C. Be demoted
- D. Be dismissed
'No love lost' means:
- A. Stop loving
- B. Not like each other
- C. Forming a group
- D. Have understanding
A 'red letter day' is:
- A. Dangerous day
- B. An important day
- C. Eventful day
- D. Formidable day
'Nod off' means:
- A. Take rest
- B. Fall asleep
- C. Sit down
- D. Turn off
To 'read between the lines' means:
- A. To suspect
- B. To grasp hidden meaning
- C. To concentrate
- D. To read carefully
To 'pour cold water on' means:
- A. To discourage
- B. To encourage
- C. To calm
- D. To deceive
'Above-board' means:
- A. Clever
- B. Overconfident
- C. Honest
- D. Moral
'All and sundry' means:
- A. Specific
- B. Everyone
- C. Experienced
- D. Relevant
To 'kick the bucket' means:
- A. To kill
- B. To achieve
- C. To die
- D. To succeed
To 'let the grass grow under one’s feet' means:
- A. To loiter
- B. To stay out
- C. To sit idle
- D. To move away
A 'bolt from the blue' is:
- A. Good news
- B. Unexpected misfortune
- C. Expected misfortune
- D. Sudden news
Complete: 'Better ______ than never.'
- A. Late
- B. Once
- C. Sometime
- D. Repeat
'Hitting the nail on the head' means:
- A. Doing something exactly right
- B. Hurting someone secretly
- C. Taking dangerous risk
- D. Scolding someone
To 'keep one’s temper' means:
- A. To get hungry
- B. To stay calm
- C. To save energy
- D. To be aloof
If you 'have a finger in the pie', you are:
- A. Interested
- B. Involved
- C. Puzzled
- D. None
To 'pass the buck' means:
- A. To keep something
- B. To evade responsibility
- C. To warn
- D. To uncover secrets
'Yeoman’s services' refers to:
- A. Free services
- B. Great help
- C. Government services
- D. None
A group of apes is called a:
- A. Pod
- B. Herd
- C. Shrewdness
- D. Drove
A group of asses is called a:
- A. Pace
- B. Gang
- C. Colony
- D. Drove
A group of buffaloes is called a:
- A. Pack
- B. School
- C. Gang
- D. Herd
'Pipe dream' means:
- A. A pleasant dream
- B. A bad dream
- C. An impractical plan
- D. None
'Feel good' means:
- A. Show goodwill
- B. Become happy
- C. Sense something
- D. Move carefully
To 'flog a dead horse' means:
- A. Repeat a request
- B. Convince someone
- C. Beat around the bush
- D. Waste effort
To 'see eye to eye' means:
- A. Disagree
- B. Agree
- C. Meet
- D. Dislike
To 'be all ears' means:
- A. Having long ears
- B. Listening eagerly
- C. Suspecting
- D. Being a good listener
'Be poles apart' means:
- A. Two poles apart
- B. Completely different
- C. Leading the race
- D. Affect greatly
To 'beat around the bush' means:
- A. Hide in bush
- B. Make excuses
- C. Avoid main issue
- D. Talk nonsense
'Fair field and no favour' means:
- A. Equal chance for all
- B. Perfection
- C. Indifference
- D. Popularity
To 'take down notes' means:
- A. To hide
- B. To remove
- C. To publish
- D. To write down
To 'have your hands full' means:
- A. Be sinful
- B. Be very busy
- C. Be wealthy
- D. Be ready to fight
To 'call it a day' means:
- A. Stop working
- B. Start working
- C. Delay work
- D. Refuse work
To 'run across' someone means:
- A. Look around
- B. Meet by chance
- C. Cross sides
- D. Ignore someone
A 'bed of roses' is:
- A. Many roses
- B. A tricky option
- C. A difficult option
- D. An easy option
To 'play away from home' means:
- A. Conduct a game far from home/town
- B. Conduct a home game
- C. Have affair outside partnership
- D. Have affair within partnership
A 'month of Sundays' means:
- A. No time
- B. A long time
- C. A special Sunday
- D. A short period
To 'take someone to task' means:
- A. Reward
- B. Resign
- C. Entrust a job
- D. Reprimand
A 'forlorn hope' is:
- A. A desperate venture
- B. False hope
- C. Good initiative
- D. None
One who praises oneself is a:
- A. Fascist
- B. Nazi
- C. Narcissist
- D. None
What 'makes the mare go'?
- A. Gold
- B. Silver
- C. Money
- D. Copper
A 'dark horse' is:
- A. A wicked person
- B. An unexpected winner
- C. A criminal who dirties water
- D. None
To 'smell a rat' means:
- A. To spill secrets
- B. To sense something wrong
- C. To talk nonsense
- D. To gain momentum
A 'donkey’s years' means:
- A. A short time
- B. A very long time
- C. Both
- D. None
To 'bring forward' means:
- A. To present
- B. To reveal
- C. To clarify
- D. None