Idioms and Phrases Worksheet

Vocabulary lesson 22: Idioms and phrases · Set 290 · 40 questions

Word tip (Not what the words say): Do not picture the words literally. Think of the situation where people use the idiom: “The test was a piece of cake” = it was very easy. Idioms are fixed — learn them whole, word for word.

1. 1.What does the idiom “in hot water” mean? (a) feeling warm (b) in trouble (c) taking a bath (d) very busy
2. 2.What does the idiom “spill the beans” mean? (a) cook badly (b) tell a secret (c) tell a lie (d) waste food
3. 3.What does the idiom “see eye to eye” mean? (a) stare angrily (b) look closely (c) see clearly (d) agree fully
4. 4.What does the idiom “hit the books” mean? (a) study hard (b) buy books (c) tear books (d) throw books
5. 5.What does the idiom “the apple of someone’s eye” mean? (a) a greedy person (b) a red fruit (c) a dearly loved person (d) an eye problem
6. 6.What does the idiom “get cold feet” mean? (a) need new socks (b) feel very cold (c) walk on ice (d) get nervous and back out
7. 7.Complete the idiom: Don’t cry over spilt ___. (a) water (b) tea (c) juice (d) milk
8. 8.What does the idiom “face the music” mean? (a) enjoy a song (b) sing on stage (c) accept the punishment (d) dance well
9. 9.What does the idiom “burn the midnight oil” mean? (a) waste oil (b) cook at night (c) light a lamp (d) work late into the night
10. 10.Complete the idiom: Don’t give up now; don’t throw in the ___! (a) bag (b) book (c) towel (d) ball
11. 11.What does the idiom “in the same boat” mean? (a) in the same trouble (b) on a holiday (c) in a ship (d) very rich
12. 12.What does the idiom “back to square one” mean? (a) starting all over again (b) winning a game (c) a new square shape (d) going backwards
13. 13.What does the idiom “over the moon” mean? (a) very far away (b) extremely happy (c) in outer space (d) very tired
14. 14.What does the idiom “cry over spilt milk” mean? (a) be very hungry (b) waste milk (c) cry loudly (d) worry about the past
15. 15.What does the idiom “keep an eye on” mean? (a) watch carefully (b) close one eye (c) wear glasses (d) stare rudely
16. 16.Complete the idiom: The news came out of the ___. (a) blue (b) pink (c) red (d) green
17. 17.What does the idiom “pull someone’s leg” mean? (a) trip someone (b) hurt someone (c) help someone walk (d) tease someone
18. 18.What does the idiom “when pigs fly” mean? (a) very soon (b) never (c) in summer (d) every morning
19. 19.What does the idiom “give the cold shoulder” mean? (a) feel very cold (b) hurt a shoulder (c) ignore someone (d) hug someone
20. 20.Complete the idiom: Can you keep an ___ on my bag for a minute? (a) eye (b) hand (c) arm (d) ear
21. 21.What does the idiom “on cloud nine” mean? (a) very happy (b) on a plane (c) very sleepy (d) in the rain
22. 22.Complete the idiom: After the argument, Zoya gave her brother the cold ___. (a) water (b) shoulder (c) foot (d) hand
23. 23.What does the idiom “a red-letter day” mean? (a) a special, happy day (b) a day of danger (c) a sad day (d) a postal holiday
24. 24.Complete the idiom: Yash burnt the midnight ___ before his exam. (a) candle (b) paper (c) lamp (d) oil
25. 25.What does the idiom “hold your horses” mean? (a) wait, be patient (b) hurry up (c) feed the horses (d) ride a horse
26. 26.What does the idiom “break the ice” mean? (a) feel very cold (b) break something cold (c) start a friendly talk (d) get very angry
27. 27.Complete the idiom: Rohan cannot decide; he is sitting on the ___. (a) wall (b) bench (c) fence (d) chair
28. 28.Complete the idiom: We are all in the same ___, so let us help each other. (a) car (b) house (c) boat (d) bus
29. 29.What does the idiom “the last straw” mean? (a) the end of a drink (b) a broken straw (c) a small gift (d) the final problem
30. 30.What does the idiom “once in a blue moon” mean? (a) very rarely (b) every night (c) very quickly (d) at midnight
31. 31.What does the idiom “bite the bullet” mean? (a) break a tooth (b) eat something hard (c) bravely do a hard thing (d) get angry
32. 32.What does the idiom “a piece of cake” mean? (a) very small (b) very tasty (c) very sweet (d) very easy
33. 33.What does the idiom “raining cats and dogs” mean? (a) animals are falling (b) a light shower (c) raining very heavily (d) pets are fighting
34. 34.Complete the idiom: The maths test was a piece of ___. (a) paper (b) cake (c) chalk (d) bread
35. 35.Complete the idiom: Our plan failed, so we were back to square ___. (a) two (b) one (c) ten (d) zero
36. 36.Complete the idiom: Kabir spilled the ___ about the surprise party. (a) rice (b) beans (c) tea (d) milk
37. 37.Complete the idiom: Shouting at him will only add fuel to the ___. (a) car (b) fire (c) stove (d) lamp
38. 38.What does the idiom “the tip of the iceberg” mean? (a) the top of a hill (b) a melting ice block (c) a cold place (d) only a small part
39. 39.What does the idiom “once bitten, twice shy” mean? (a) bitten by a dog (b) very shy (c) brave again (d) careful after a bad time
40. 40.Complete the idiom: Kavya is the apple of her grandfather’s ___. (a) eye (b) heart (c) hand (d) tree

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