Some proverbs/idioms are given below together with their meanings. Choose the correct meaning of proverb/idiom.
Flash in the pan
Answer: A
It means a sudden success.
A flash in the pan is a brilliant start that comes to nothing, from a flintlock in which the priming powder flares in the pan without firing the charge.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Fly off the handle
Answer: C
It means to lose one's temper.
To fly off the handle is to lose control suddenly, as an axe-head flies off its shaft.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Fabian policy
Answer: D
It means a policy of delaying decisions.
Fabian policy avoids decisive action and wears the opponent down, from Fabius Maximus, who defeated Hannibal by refusing to give battle.
Please log in or register to report this question.
To flog a dead horse
Answer: C
It means to revive interest in an old matter.
To flog a dead horse is to waste effort on something already settled or finished, the horse being past all urging.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Fly in the face of
Answer: B
It means to defy.
To fly in the face of something is to act in open defiance of it, as a hawk flies at the face of its handler.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Full tilt
Answer: A
It means with maximum energy.
Full tilt means at full speed and force, from the charge of a knight in a tilting match.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Gain ground
Answer: C
It means to succeed slowly.
To gain ground is to make gradual progress, from an army advancing over the field yard by yard.
Please log in or register to report this question.
To play the giddy goat
Answer: C
It means to act foolishly.
To play the giddy goat is to behave in a silly, frivolous way. Giddy here means light-headed.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Give up the ghost
Answer: C
It means to pass away.
To give up the ghost is to die, ghost meaning the spirit - the phrase comes from the older English of the Bible.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Good Samaritan
Answer: C
It means a person who helps a stranger in need.
From the parable in Luke, where the Samaritan - a foreigner and a despised one - stops for the injured traveller whom the priest and the Levite pass by.
Please log in or register to report this question.
