About Idioms and Phrases
An idiom is a fixed group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the words themselves. To bury the hatchet has nothing to do with hatchets or with burying; the whole expression means to make peace after a quarrel. Because the meaning belongs to the group and not to the individual words, an idiom has to be learned as one piece, and the questions test whether you know it as one piece.
What you need to understand
- The wording is fixed. Changing a word, or swapping one preposition for another, destroys the idiom rather than varying it.
- The meaning is not the sum of the parts. A piece of cake means something easy, and nothing about cake or pieces is involved.
- Many idioms come from a trade or a habit that has passed out of use — hatchets, boats, horses, cards — which is exactly why the literal reading no longer works.
- Some expressions have both a literal and an idiomatic reading. He paid through the nose does not mean he paid with his nose.
- An idiom often has a tone as well as a meaning: some are formal, some are conversational, and a few are used only in complaint or only in praise.
- Two idioms can look alike and mean different things, which is why learning them in pairs is more useful than learning them one at a time.
How to work through these questions
- Read the expression as one unit. Do not try to interpret the words one by one, because that is the trap.
- Ask what situation the expression is used in. An idiom is a label for a situation: ending a quarrel, revealing a secret, refusing to listen.
- Match the situation to the options rather than matching the words. The right option describes the situation; the wrong ones describe other situations.
- Reject any option that simply paraphrases the literal words. That reading is the commonest wrong answer offered.
- If two options seem close, look for the one that fits the tone as well as the sense.
- Keep a list of the idioms you meet, with the situation rather than the wording written beside each one.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Reading the words literally and choosing the option that describes the literal scene.
- Confusing two idioms that share a word: to be in hot water is to be in trouble, not to be comfortable.
- Assuming an expression is an idiom when it is not, and looking for a hidden meaning in a plain sentence.
- Choosing an option that gives the meaning of a different idiom that you half remember.
- Treating a formal idiom as though it were conversational, or the other way round, and picking a meaning that belongs to the other register.
Worked example
What does the expression to let the cat out of the bag mean?
- Read the expression as one unit rather than as a scene involving a cat and a bag.
- Ask what situation it labels. It is used when something that was meant to be kept quiet becomes known.
- That is the sense of revealing a secret, and it is the sense the expression has had for centuries.
- The literal reading — actually releasing an animal — is not what the expression means, and an option describing it would be the trap.
- The answer is: to reveal a secret, usually by accident.
Answer: To reveal a secret, usually by accident.
Practice questions with answers
A few Idioms and Phrases questions with the full solution shown, so you can see
how the method is applied before you attempt the timed set.
Question 1
What does the expression 'to go the extra mile' mean?
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A
to be almost but not quite able to remember something
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B
to be abandoned when one needs help most
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C
to be very unhappy and without hope
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D
to make more effort than is expected
Answer: Option D — with explanation
'to go the extra mile' means to make more effort than is expected.
Each of the other options is the meaning of a different expression, so none of them belongs to this one.
Common mistakes
- this is the meaning of 'to be on the tip of one's tongue', not of 'to go the extra mile': to be almost but not quite able to remember something
- this is the meaning of 'to be left in the lurch', not of 'to go the extra mile': to be abandoned when one needs help most
- this is the meaning of 'to be down in the dumps', not of 'to go the extra mile': to be very unhappy and without hope
Question 2
Which of these gives the meaning of the expression 'to be a dark horse'?
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A
to make an angry situation worse
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B
to be a person whose abilities are not yet known
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C
to use one's position to make oneself rich
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D
to face a task that will be hard to finish
Answer: Option B — with explanation
'to be a dark horse' means to be a person whose abilities are not yet known.
Each of the other options is the meaning of a different expression, so none of them belongs to this one.
Common mistakes
- this is the meaning of 'to have one's work cut out', not of 'to be a dark horse': to face a task that will be hard to finish
- this is the meaning of 'to feather one's own nest', not of 'to be a dark horse': to use one's position to make oneself rich
- this is the meaning of 'to add fuel to the fire', not of 'to be a dark horse': to make an angry situation worse
Question 3
Which of these gives the meaning of the expression 'to go Dutch'?
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A
to learn how a particular job is done
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B
to refuse to face an unpleasant fact
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C
to share the cost of something equally
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D
to be extremely happy
Answer: Option C — with explanation
'to go Dutch' means to share the cost of something equally.
Each of the other options is the meaning of a different expression, so none of them belongs to this one.
Common mistakes
- this is the meaning of 'to learn the ropes', not of 'to go Dutch': to learn how a particular job is done
- this is the meaning of 'to be over the moon', not of 'to go Dutch': to be extremely happy
- this is the meaning of 'to bury one's head in the sand', not of 'to go Dutch': to refuse to face an unpleasant fact
Question 4
Which of these gives the meaning of the expression 'to play one's cards close to one's chest'?
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A
to be something that gives new strength or confidence
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B
to keep one's plans secret
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C
to be a very small amount compared with what is needed
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D
to organise oneself and begin to work properly
Answer: Option B — with explanation
'to play one's cards close to one's chest' means to keep one's plans secret.
Each of the other options is the meaning of a different expression, so none of them belongs to this one.
Common mistakes
- this is the meaning of 'to be a drop in the ocean', not of 'to play one's cards close to one's chest': to be a very small amount compared with what is needed
- this is the meaning of 'to be a shot in the arm', not of 'to play one's cards close to one's chest': to be something that gives new strength or confidence
- this is the meaning of 'to get one's act together', not of 'to play one's cards close to one's chest': to organise oneself and begin to work properly
Question 5
What does the expression 'to be at loggerheads' mean?
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A
to be in open disagreement with somebody
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B
to doubt the truth of what one is told
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C
to spend whatever one earns with nothing left over
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D
to tease someone by saying something untrue as a joke
Answer: Option A — with explanation
'to be at loggerheads' means to be in open disagreement with somebody.
Each of the other options is the meaning of a different expression, so none of them belongs to this one.
Common mistakes
- this is the meaning of 'to take with a pinch of salt', not of 'to be at loggerheads': to doubt the truth of what one is told
- this is the meaning of 'to live from hand to mouth', not of 'to be at loggerheads': to spend whatever one earns with nothing left over
- this is the meaning of 'to pull someone's leg', not of 'to be at loggerheads': to tease someone by saying something untrue as a joke
Frequently asked questions
Can I work out an idiom from its words?
Almost never. The meaning belongs to the whole expression, and trying to read the words literally is the mistake these questions are built to catch.
Is it worth learning long lists of idioms?
Yes, but learn each one with the situation it describes rather than as a definition. One idiom understood as a situation is easier to recognise than ten learned as phrases.
How many idioms are there?
Several thousand are in use, but a few hundred account for nearly everything that appears in exams. Practising the common ones is the efficient route.
What if two options seem to mean the same thing?
One of them will belong to a different expression. Compare the tone and the exact situation, and pick the one that matches the expression you were asked about.
