Exercise-5

Directions: Each of the following idioms is followed by some alternatives. Choose the one which best expresses its meaning.

1.A storm in a teacup

(a) Unexpected event

(b) A danger signal

 (c) Much excitement trivial

(d) A great noise

2. To play fast and loose

(a) To beguile others

(b) To be winning sometimes and losing at other times

 (c) To play with someone’s feelings

(d) To play tricks

3. To tempt providence

(a) To invite punishment

(b) To achieve a fortune

(c) To take reckless risks

(d) To have God’s favour

4. To haul over the coals

(a) To put a hand in a wrong task

(b) To throw into the fire

(c) To put to task

(d) To say the wrong words

5. To put the cart before the horse

(a) To offer a person what he cannot eat

(b) To force a person to do something

 (c) To raise obstacles

 (d) To reverse the natural order of things

6. To accept the Gauntlet

(a) To accept defeat

(b) To accept a challenge

(c) To suffer humiliation

 (d) To accept an honour

7. To give currency

(a) To bestow importance

 (b) To misinterpret

(c) To make publicly known

 (d) To originate

8. French leave

(a) Long absence

(b) Leave on the pretext of illness

(c) Casual leave

 (d) Absence without permission

9. Castles in the air

(a) Romantic designs

(b) Perfect plans

(c) Ideal projects

 (d) Fanciful schemes

 (e) Visionary projects

10. To have a brush with (Railways, 1995)

(a) To start painting

 (b) To has good and pleasing terms

(c) To be impressed

 (d) To has a slight encounter

11. To lose face

(a) To looks angry

(b) To be humiliated

(c) To be helpless

 (d) To looks vacant

12. To turn the other cheek

(a) To sulk and suffer

(b) To responds to violence with violence

(c) To respond to violence with non-violence

(d) To be indifferent to peace overtures

13. To pull one’s socks up

(a) To prepare

(b) To try hard

 (c) To get ready

 (d) To depart

14. To bite one’s lips

(a) To be angry

 (b) To feel sorry

(c) To has doubt

(d) To laughs at others

15. within An Ace of

(a). Within one’s reach

 (b) Very near

(c) Within the hitting range

 (d) Narrowly

Answers:-

1.(c)                2. (d)

3. (c)              4. (c)

5. (d)              6. (b)

7. (C)              8. (d)

9. (e)              10. (d)

11. (b)            12. (c)

13. (b)            14. (a)

15. (d)

Download the above Idiom Exercise in PDF (Printable)