IDIOMS
clean as a whistle
The school thought their new teacher's record was as clean as a whistle because he hadn't told them about
a. his arrest for drunk driving
b. his dirty bathroom
c. his cheating at cards
a. his arrest for drunk driving
hang in there | hang on in there
My friends all called and told me to hang in there after I'd
a. left for my honeymoon
b. decided to go sky-diving
c. broken my leg in an accident
c. broken my leg in an accident
a couch potato
When he was out of work, Frank was a couch potato and he
a. put on a lot of weight
b. lost a lot of weight
c. lost a lot of height
a. put on a lot of weight
chew the fat
While I was chewing the fat with Graham, he
a. ate too much fat and got sick
b. told me all about his new job
c. got really tired and asked me to stop
b. told me all about his new job
a piece of cake
Her homework was a piece of cake because
a. the house was very quiet
b. it was filled with nuts
c. it was so easy to do
c. it was so easy to do
drink like a fish
even though uncle Barry drinks like a fish, he
a. never drinks alcohol
b. never looks drunk
c. never drinks much
b. never looks drunk
under wraps
The best way to keep something under wraps is to
a. put it into the refrigerator
b. stop thinking about it
c. let as few people as possible know about it
c. let as few people as possible know about it
You can say that again!
If someone says "You can say that again!", it means they
a. want you to repeat what you said
b. didn't understand what you said
c. agree with what you said
c. agree with what you said
playing with fire
People who keep loaded guns in the house are playing with fire because the guns
a. might be too heavy
b. could go off accidentally and kill someone
c. would go rusty
b. could go off accidentally and kill someone
read between the lines
If you read between the lines, you will
a. know what the writer really thinks
b. be able to read a lot quicker
c. make up the story for yourself
a. know what the writer really thinks
leave well enough alone | let well enough alone
Some staff think we need new packaging for our products, and others think we should leave well enough alone and
a. change to new packaging
b. go back to older packaging
c. keep the same packaging
c. keep the same packaging
quick on the trigger | quick on the draw
In business, it's often necessary to be quick on the draw, but sometimes it's better to
a. think carefully before doing something
b. do something faster than others
c. be slow to understand what's happening
a. think carefully before doing something
add insult to injury
After saying Beverly made too many mistakes, Bob added insult to injury by saying
a. they were small mistakes
b. she worked very slowly
c. her work was excellent
b. she worked very slowly
blessing in disguise
Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it meant I
a. got a much better job
b. lost my house
c. was unemployed for years
a. got a much better job
a recipe for disaster
Which of the following would most people say is a recipe for disaster?
a. educating poor people
b. reducing pollution from factories
c. destroying huge forests
c. destroying huge forests
a knuckle sandwich
Kenny gave me a knuckle sandwich and I said,
a. "No thanks, I'm not hungry.“
b. "Thanks, I needed that.“
c. "Ouch! That hurt!“
c. "Ouch! That hurt!“
go down a treat
The band came back on stage and played one last song and it went down a treat. Everybody
a. booed and hissed
b. clapped and cheered
c. yawned and nodded off
b. clapped and cheered
a flash in the pan
The company hopes that their new computer game won't just be a flash in the pan, but that it'll
a. be popular for a long time
b. be unpopular for a very long time
c. be very popular for a short time
a. be popular for a long time
(your) bread and butter
This job is my bread and butter, so
a. I don't really need it
b. I don't get paid for it
c. I can't afford to lose it
c. I can't afford to lose it
kill the goose that lays the golden egg
If people find something that makes them a lot of money, they often kill the goose that laid the golden egg because of
a. their kindness
b. their greed
c. their anger
b. their greed
put all your eggs in the one basket
His father told him not to put all his eggs in the one basket, so Arjuna
a. studied law as well as graphic design
b. bought several more baskets
c. invested all his money in his father's company
a. studied law as well as graphic design
take it with a pinch of salt
When your grandma tells stories about the past, you should take what she says with a pinch of salt because
a. she tells really funny stories
b. she doesn't always speak very clearly
c. she doesn't always remember things accurately
c. she doesn't always remember things accurately
the cream of the crop
Martin was always told by his parents and teachers that he was the cream of the crop, so he thought he was
a. worse than other kids
b. the same as other kids
c. better than other kids
c. better than other kids
the icing on the cake
Winning a Nobel prize is the icing on the cake after
a. earning so much money
b. being ignored for so long
c. such a long and rewarding career
c. such a long and rewarding career
whet your appetite
If I have one little chocolate it'll whet my appetite, and
a. that'll be enough
b. I'll eat chocolate all day
c. I'll never eat chocolate again
b. I'll eat chocolate all day