Idioms & Phrases MCQs

Correct Answer: To refuse to listen

To turn a deaf ear is deliberately to refuse to listen to a plea or request.

Correct Answer: Start a conversation

To break the ice is to ease social awkwardness by starting a conversation, especially with strangers.

Correct Answer: End a quarrel

To bury the hatchet is to make peace and end a quarrel (from the Native American custom of burying weapons as a peace gesture).

Correct Answer: Get to the main point

To cut to the chase is to get directly to the main point without preliminaries (from film editing, cutting to the chase scene).

Correct Answer: To live within one's income

To make both ends meet is to live within one's income, managing on what one earns.

Correct Answer: To avoid the main topic

To beat about the bush is to avoid saying what one means, going around the topic instead of addressing it directly.

Correct Answer: He was cheerful

To be in high spirits is to be cheerful and lively.

Correct Answer: Accusing the wrong person or pursuing a mistaken idea

The correct answer is Accusing the wrong person or pursuing a mistaken idea, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: To pay money, often unwillingly

The correct answer is To pay money, often unwillingly, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: To increase the stakes or demands

The correct answer is To increase the stakes or demands, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: To be depressed or in low spirits

The correct answer is To be depressed or in low spirits, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: To improvise without a plan

The correct answer is To improvise without a plan, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: Ability to turn things to gold & make ventures successful

The correct answer is Ability to turn things to gold & make ventures successful, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: Not a valid idiom

The correct answer is Not a valid idiom, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: Extremely good, wild, or unrestricted

The correct answer is Extremely good, wild, or unrestricted, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: An obvious problem everyone ignores

The correct answer is An obvious problem everyone ignores, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: Not clear at all; confusing

The correct answer is Not clear at all; confusing, as asked in this question on Idioms & Phrases.

Correct Answer: To be extremely angry

This renders the Chinese idiom qi qiao sheng yan (seven orifices emitting smoke), used for someone so furious that smoke seems to pour from every opening.

Correct Answer: To talk tough but not back it up

'Selling wolf tickets' is African-American slang for boasting, threatening or talking tough with no intention (or ability) of following through.

Correct Answer: The situation is hopeless

From the French 'les carottes sont cuites' (the carrots are cooked): it is all over, the situation is beyond saving and cannot be changed.

Correct Answer: A short nap or brief period of sleep

'Forty winks' is a short, light sleep - a brief nap, not a full night's sleep.

Correct Answer: Something that is very clear and easy to understand

From the German 'klar wie Klossbruhe' (clear as dumpling broth), listed in idiom collections as meaning crystal clear.

Correct Answer: run deep

The proverb 'Still waters run deep' implies that quiet or calm people often have deep, hidden passions or complexities.

Correct Answer: To tolerate

The phrasal verb 'to put up with' means to tolerate or endure someone or something unpleasant.

Correct Answer: To make peace

To 'bury the hatchet' is an idiom meaning to end a conflict and become friendly or make peace.

Correct Answer: Close together

The idiom 'neck and neck' comes from horse racing and means that competitors are perfectly level or too close to call.

Correct Answer: To improve

This idiom means to make an effort to improve one's performance, behavior, or standard of work.

Correct Answer: Die

'Pass away' is a common euphemism used to indicate that a person has died.

Correct Answer: Leave without any intimation

'Taking French leave' is an idiom meaning to depart from a gathering or duty abruptly without notice or permission.

Correct Answer: An important day

A 'red-letter day' refers to a particularly significant, memorable, or happy occasion, often marked in red on calendars.

Correct Answer: to retreat

The phrasal verb 'back out' means to withdraw from an agreement, commitment, or promise.

Correct Answer: Prevent it at the start

The idiom means to halt something at an early stage before it can develop into a larger problem.

Correct Answer: Crying for the moon

The idiom 'crying for the moon' means to desire something that is unattainable or completely unrealistic.

Correct Answer: Upper half of the front page of newspaper

'Above the fold' is a graphic design and journalism term for the upper half of a newspaper's front page, visible when folded.

Correct Answer: Lazy person

A 'couch potato' is a person who takes little or no exercise and watches a lot of television.

Correct Answer: Bottled up

The idiom 'bottled up' refers to holding back or suppressing emotions rather than expressing them.

Correct Answer: Completely

'Out and out' is an idiom that means entirely, thoroughly, or completely.

Correct Answer: Living a miserable life

Being 'sick of life' implies extreme dissatisfaction, unhappiness, or enduring a miserable existence.

Correct Answer: Extremely long time

'A month of Sundays' is an idiom used to describe a very long period of time.

Correct Answer: Sign

To 'say the word' means to give permission, an order, or a sign to proceed with an action.

Correct Answer: To die while still working

The idiom 'die in harness' historically refers to horses working until their last day, meaning to die before retiring.

Correct Answer: Whisker

The phrase 'by a whisker' is an idiom meaning by a very small margin.

Correct Answer: By

'Lay by' is an idiom meaning to save money or resources for future use or emergencies (a rainy day).

Correct Answer: Good for Circumstances

It signifies that something is merely passable or adequate for the immediate required purpose, without being outstanding.

Correct Answer: One's college

Alma Mater is a Latin phrase translating to 'nourishing mother,' commonly used to refer to a school, college, or university which one has attended.

Correct Answer: A brief discussion

'Small talk' refers to polite, brief conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters.

Correct Answer: To come to nothing

The idiom 'to end in smoke' means that a plan or effort yields no positive results; it comes to nothing.

Correct Answer: Packages

'Good things come in small packages' is a well-known English idiom suggesting that size does not dictate value.

Correct Answer: To get into trouble

The idiom 'to get into hot water' means to get into a difficult situation or trouble where one might face punishment.