Idioms and Phrases for Competitive Exams — MCQs with Answers (Set 1)

The phrase specifically describes a temporary decline in singing ability, often due to illness.

The phrase possibly originates from sailors feeling seasick during rough weather, brought below deck to recover.

The phrase implies raising doubt about the validity or truth of something previously accepted.

The phrase describes the moment of settling on a definite decision after deliberation.

The phrase comes from a well-known parable about a traveller who helps an injured stranger from a different community.

The phrase describes something that triggers a memory or association.

The phrase originates from military contexts, where losing ground meant being pushed back by an advancing enemy.

The phrase draws on the image of the North and South Poles, the most distant points on Earth.

The image is of grabbing an animal’s horns directly, the most dangerous but most decisive approach.

The phrase implies an unreliable business likely to vanish suddenly, like someone fleeing at night.

The phrase describes a comment that misses or ignores the actual subject under discussion.

‘Pink’ here is used in its older sense of ‘the very best or highest degree’ of a quality.

The phrase implies creating an official, lasting account of a statement or fact.

The phrase recalls the medieval custom of throwing down a glove (gauntlet) to issue a challenge.

The phrase implies a steep, often irreversible, decline in quality or fortune.

The phrase is named after Thomas Hobson, a stable owner who let customers take only the horse nearest the door, or none.

The phrase derives from ‘umble pie’, a dish once made from less desirable animal parts, eaten by servants.

The phrase implies swift, decisive handling of a task or challenge.

The phrase echoes the biblical curse in Genesis, associating survival with laborious effort.

The phrase implies constantly attending to another person’s wishes, often to an excessive degree.

The phrase suggests trimming time or resources down to the smallest possible amount.

The phrase originates from horse racing, referring to a little-known horse that unexpectedly wins.

The image is of hiding dirt out of sight rather than actually removing it.

The phrase evokes two people ready to draw weapons against one another, implying open hostility.

The image is of someone poised on the balls of their feet, ready for quick movement.