Idioms and Phrases CUET English

In the following questions, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the idiom/phrase.

Question: Never-never land
a) An imaginary utopian place or situation.
b) A place that is worse than hell.
c) A place that you know that you will never be able to visit.
d) A popular place about which you have heard such stories that you would not like to go there.

Answer: a

Question: Through thick and thin
a) To be scared of small dangers
b) Passing through a thick forest
c) Support under all circumstances
d) To be hard hearted in times of loss

Answer: c

Question: New kid on the block
a) New rules which are bound to fail
b) A junior
c) A new social trend
d) A newcomer

Answer: d

Question: Kitty-corner
a) Favourite place of cats
b) A place where ladies meet to party
c) A very small place
d) Things located diagonally opposite each other

Answer: d

Question: In a nutshell
a) Add nuts into something
b) Put everything in a shell
c) Packed very tightly
d) Express very briefly

Answer: d

Question: To go for broke
a) To risk everything in an all-out effort
b) Failure in relationship or partnership
c) Losing all money in an effort to revive a failing business
d) To start again after failing in a business

Answer: a

Question: Put your best foot forward
a) Take care to dress well
b) Walk very cautiously
c) Try as hard as one can
d) check every step

Answer: c

Question: Fixed in one’s ways
a) Not wanting to change how one does things
b) One will succeed if one does not change their path
c) Trapped in a particular unpleasant situation
d) A dilemma of two different paths

Answer: a

Question: Be in two minds
a) Behave smart at sometime and stupid at other.
b) Unable to decide
c) Having a split personality disorder.
d) Trying to do two things at the same time.

Answer: b

Question: Dance to someone’s tune
a) Argue with others on petty matters
b) Delay in making a decision
c) Do what others want you to do
d) Be engaged in an energetic activity

Answer: c

Question: At large
a) A very big opportunity
b) A criminal escaped or not yet captured.
c) To have a big heart
d) A big appetite

Answer: b

Question: Leave no stone unturned
a) Leave the path halfway
b) Not make enough efforts
c) Turn everything upside down
d) Try everything possible

Answer: d

Question: Variety is the spice of life
a) New experiences make life more interesting
b) Experimentation may be risky
c) Life is very beautiful
d) There is no life without excitement

Answer: a

Question: Rule the roost
a) To make all the decisions
b) To be prosperous but generous
c) To frequently pick a quarrel
d) To blindly follow others

Answer: a

Question: At somebody’s expense
a) Paid for by someone
b) To blame a crime on someone else
c) Theunlucky personswholosearace
d) If one person benefits it is always at the loss of another

Answer: a

Question: Actions speak louder than words
a) Achievers are better than those who talk big
b) No action can compensate for saying bad words
c) A pen is mightier than a sword
d) What someone does mean more than what they say they will do

Answer: d

Question: Acid test
a) A malicious way of taking revenge
b) A test that shows how to harm someone
c) Proof that an attack has been made
d) Definitive proof of truth or falsehood

Answer: d

Question: Bolt from the blue
a) Winning after losing a game many times
b) Something sudden that happens unexpectedly
c) Someone who runs fast and wins a race
d) Locking the doors to keep the rain out

Answer: b

Question: Be on the air
a) Broadcast over the radio or on TV
b) Float like a bird
c) To pass bodily gases
d) Be very arrogant

Answer: a

Question: At snail’s pace
a) Do something very carefully
b) Be very persistent
c) Do something very slowly
d) Keep your moves secret

Answer: c

Question: Hanging by a thread
a) In a sorry or humble estate
b) Be extremely weak
c) Unable to act as desired
d) Be in a dangerous situation

Answer: d

Question: Zero tolerance
a) Accuracy is paramount
b) Non-acceptance of antisocial behaviour
c) No return without risk
d) No problem at all

Answer: b

Question: Turn a deaf ear
a) To pay attention
b) To listen carefully
c) To make someone deaf
d) To pay no need

Answer: d

Question: Green thumb
a) To have talent in gardening
b) To be envious
c) To be angry
d) To have talent in painting

Answer: a

Question: A blessing in disguise
a) A misfortune that eventually has good results
b) A person who has changed so much that he is now unrecognisable
c) A prayer asking for God’s favour
d) A bad person hiding his face behind a mask

Answer: a

Question: Silver bullet
a) A very expensive solution used only as the last measure
b) A simple and seemingly magical solution to a complicated problem
c) A solution which is worse than the problem
d) A thing of beauty but which is actually deadly

Answer: b

Question: Take to task
a) To assign work
b) To rebuke
c) To praise
d) To give an award

Answer: b

Question: At arm’s length
a) Checking the length of fabric
b) As close as one can touch
c) Avoiding too much closeness
d) Using one’s arm to measure length

Answer: c

Question: Against the clock
a) To do a job fast to finish it before a deadline
b) Time is money
c) Man is a victim of time
d) It is useless to fight destiny

Answer: a

Question: Four corners of the earth
a) From the very beginning
b) From morning till night
c) From all parts of the world
d) From beginning to end

Answer: c

Question: Gift of the gab
a) Receive a precious gift
b) Achieve sudden greatness
c) Have the ability to adapt
d) Have the talent to speak well

Answer: d

Question: Red letter day
a) A very special day
b) A very hot day
c) A frightful day
d) A very cold day

Answer: a

Question: As the crow flies
a) To be uncertain
b) A long winding path
c) The shortest route
d) To be directionless

Answer: c

Question: A hot potato
a) A war like situation which could have been easily avoided
b) A common eatery but favoured by celebrities
c) A controversial situation which is awkward to deal with
d) A celebrity who keeps getting into some or the other controversy

Answer: c

Question: Pull the plug
a) Make a firm refusal
b) Save a situation by acting in the nick of time
c) To waste away somebody’s effort
d) Prevent something from continuing

Answer: d

Question: Ethnic cleansing
a) A social revolution where negative aspects of a culture are removed
b) To perform mass religious conversions
c) The mass killing of members of one ethnic group
d) Removal of all signs of culture from a society

Answer: c

Question: Pull the wool over someone’s eyes
a) To protect someone
b) To keep oneself warm
c) Deceive someone by telling lies
d) To pretend to be blind to the other person’s bad behaviour

Answer: c

Question: Head in the clouds
a) To daydream
b) To be very tal
c) To be very lazy
d) To feel giddy

Answer: a

Question: to shake off
a) To denounce
b) To get rid of
c) To recollect
d) To pass off

Answer: b

Question: Mind your language
a) To speak first and think later
b) To put a lot of efforts to understand what the other person is trying to say
c) Tell someone to speak politely
d) To speak grammatically incorrect language

Answer: c

Question: Face the music
a) Face the enemy
b) Enjoy the harmony
c) Get appreciation
d) Face the criticism

Answer: d

Question: Hand in glove
a) Working together in the same office
b) Wearing gloves while working
c) In partnership for something dishonest
d) Doing work in the garden

Answer: c

Question: To grease the palm
a) To give support
b) To bribe someone
c) To cheat someone
d) To give a massage

Answer: b

Question: Add fuel to the fire
a) Go from one bad situation to another
b) A cause becomes stronger when more people join
c) The flame will extinguish if it runs out of oil
d) Cause a situation to become worse

Answer: d

Question: Pass the hat
a) To sell something
b) To collect money
c) To play a game
d) To avoid work

Answer: b

Question: Make no headway
a) Check if the head can pass through
b) Unable to progress ahead
c) Unable to overtake anyone
d) Forced to fix a new goal

Answer: b

Question: Flesh and blood
a) A very gory murder scene
b) A lot of hard work
c) Loss of lives in battle
d) A person’s physical body and their needs and frailties

Answer: d

Question: Flea market
a) A market for semi-precious stones and jewellery
b) A market where stolen goods are sold
c) A street market selling second hand goods
d) A small but crowded and noisy place

Answer: c

Question: In a pickle
a) In great pain
b) In jubiliation
c) In trouble
d) In deep sorrow

Answer: c

Question: A walk of life
a) An easy comfortable life not necessarily prosperous
b) The most important day of your life
c) A person’s occupation or position within society
d) Walking is the best form of exercise

Answer: c