Idioms and Phrases Questions and Answers

Answer: D

'To fly off the handle' means to lose one's temper.

The idiom describes someone who suddenly becomes very angry, often over something small: 'He flies off the handle whenever anyone questions his decisions.' It is thought to come from the head of an axe flying off a loose handle, sudden and out of control.

It does not mean being indifferent, which is the opposite of an angry outburst, or dislocating something. 'To take of' (as printed) is not a meaning at all; even read as 'take off', it means to leave the ground or to become successful, not to get angry.

Answer: B

The idiom is spill the beans.

Spill the beans means to reveal a secret, usually by accident or too early. The sentence describes exactly that: she did not mean to, but she revealed the details of a surprise party.

The other idioms mean different things. Break the ice means to ease the awkwardness when people first meet, hit the road means to set off on a journey, and cut corners means to do something cheaply or carelessly to save time or money. None of them is about revealing information.

Answer: B

The code is P U S T.

The four idioms are:

1. when pigs fly: never, so Luther will never take bribes (P);
2. till the cows come home: for a very long time (U);
3. hold your horses: wait, do not rush ahead (S);
4. a wild goose chase: a hopeless or pointless search (T).

Fishes and frogs (R and Q) complete none of these idioms, so every code that uses them is wrong.

Answer: C

'Out of the woods' means he is no longer in danger or difficulty.

The idiom pictures someone who has found his way out of a dark forest; it is used of a patient who has passed the critical stage of an illness or a business that has survived a crisis. 'I am out of the woods now' means the worst is over.

The other options read the words literally, as a real forest or real timber, which is the trap in any idiom question.

Answer: B

The idiom means to come to the point.

'To make a long story short' is said when a speaker skips the details and gives the essential conclusion, that is, comes to the point.

It does not mean to paraphrase (restate in other words), and it is the opposite of displaying composition skills or narrative excellence, which would lengthen the story.

Answer: D

The underlined part means I am busy.

The idiom to have one's hands full means to be fully occupied with work or responsibilities, with no time for anything else. The speaker cannot do the other person's work now because he is already busy.

The idiom says nothing about wealth or poverty, so 'I am rich' and 'I am poor' are wrong. 'I am at leisure' is the opposite of its meaning.

Answer: C

The sentence means the journalist got confused in his arguments.

To get tangled up in something is to become caught in it, like a thread in a knot. Said of an argument, it means the person became muddled in his own reasoning and could not get his points straight.

The other options say something the sentence does not. Nothing in it is about avoiding controversial topics, being praised for bravery, or finding the topic ridiculous; it describes confusion, not avoidance, praise or contempt.

Answer: C

To cut one short means to interrupt one.

To cut someone short is to stop them before they have finished speaking: I tried to explain, but he cut me short.

The idiom carries no sense of insulting, criticising or loving. It can be rude, but what it describes is the interruption itself.

Answer: C

By leaps and bounds means rapidly.

The idiom describes very quick progress or growth, as if jumping forward rather than walking. Prices going up by leaps and bounds are rising fast and sharply.

Gradually is the opposite, slowly and steadily. Irregularly and systematically describe the pattern of change, not its speed.

Answer: D

'To make headway' is to make progress.

The phrase comes from sailing, where headway is a ship's forward movement through the water. Figuratively, to make headway is to move forward or progress, especially against difficulties: The talks are finally making headway.

It does not mean making little progress, which is nearly the opposite, nor heading for a collision, nor simply setting out to travel.