Idioms and Phrases Questions and Answers

Answer: B

It means to take for granted.

To beg the question is to assume the very point that is in dispute - a translation of the Latin petitio principii. It does not mean to raise a question, though it is now often used so.

Answer: E

None of these.

A black sheep is a disreputable member of a family or group - the one lamb in a white flock whose fleece could not be dyed. None of the four descriptions offered says that.

Answer: A

It means a man of no substance.

A man of straw is a person of no worth or standing, or a figure set up merely to be knocked down - the same image as a straw man in argument.

Answer: C

It means to suspect foul dealings.

To smell a rat is to sense that something is wrong, as a dog scents vermin behind the wainscot.

Answer: A

It means to do the right thing.

To hit the nail on the head is to say or do exactly what the situation requires, striking squarely rather than glancing off.

Answer: A

It means to oppose with determination.

To set one's face against something is to resolve firmly against it - the face turned steadily towards what one resists.

Answer: A

The proverb 'Still waters run deep' means that people who are quiet and calm on the surface often have profound thoughts or strong feelings. Deep water often looks calm, which is the picture behind it. The second option takes the words literally, the third says that introverts have no friends, which the proverb does not claim, and the fourth is a literal remark about bathing. So the first option gives the meaning.

Answer: C

The idiom is "make heads or tails of", which means to understand something. The sentence then reads: I can't make heads or tails of what you are saying because the telephone connection is bad. It replaces the underlined word understand and keeps the meaning.

The other options, make hands or legs of, make front or back of, and make left or right of, are not idioms in English. They imitate the pattern of the real idiom with different body or position words but have no set meaning.

Answer: D

The idiom is hanging by a thread, which means to be in a very uncertain or dangerous position. His future at the company has been hanging by a thread for the last couple of months.

A jailbird is a person who is often in prison, high and dry means left in a helpless position, and off colours means unwell. High and dry is the closest wrong option but it speaks of being stranded, not of danger.

Answer: D

The proverb Fools rush in where angels fear to tread means that people who lack good sense will take rash decisions without much thought, in matters in which wise people are careful. It is a line from Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism.

The other options explain it as anger, blessings or the angels avoiding fools, but the proverb is about rash action in the face of risk.