Idioms and Phrases Questions and Answers

Answer: D

None of the above.

As fit as a fiddle means in excellent health. None of the three descriptions offered says that - each of them describes weakness or a pretence of fitness.

Answer: B

It means to be at strife.

To be at loggerheads is to be in dispute. A loggerhead was a long-handled iron ball used for heating pitch, and also served as a weapon in a brawl.

Answer: D

It means a cause of quarrel.

The apple of discord is the golden apple inscribed 'to the fairest' that Eris threw among the goddesses, setting off the quarrel that led to the Trojan War.

Answer: C

It means to be unable to decide.

To be at a loss is to be puzzled and unable to think what to do or say.

Answer: A

It means to have bitter enmity.

To be at daggers drawn is to be openly hostile, the weapons already out of their sheaths.

Answer: C

It means at liberty after escaping.

A criminal at large has not been caught. The phrase means unconfined, and is used of one who ought to be in custody.

Answer: A

It means baffled.

To be all at sea is to be bewildered, like a ship out of sight of land with no bearings.

Answer: A

It means more for your money.

A bigger bang for your buck is more value for the sum spent. The phrase came from American defence policy in the 1950s, meaning more destructive power for the budget.

Answer: D

It means careful.

Argus-eyed means vigilant, from Argus of Greek myth, who had a hundred eyes and never closed them all at once.

Answer: C

It means rubbish.

A load of cobblers is British slang for nonsense, from rhyming slang - cobbler's awls.