Free Idioms and Phrases MCQs with Answers
292 Idioms and Phrases MCQs from English, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
Idioms and phrases are fixed groups of words whose meaning may differ from the literal meanings of their individual words. Questions focus on interpreting expressions such as “spill the beans,” selecting suitable idioms for a situation, and distinguishing idioms from ordinary phrases, proverbs and phrasal verbs.
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- A. Deliberately kill (a person or animal) by drowning
- B. Betray someone for personal profit or advantage
- C. Hate someone to an extreme level
- D. To destroy or get rid of someone
Explanation: To sell someone down the river means to betray or sacrifice that person for one’s own benefit.
Correct answer: Betray someone for personal profit or advantage- A. Turn on light in late night
- B. Work late into the night
- C. Work hard to achieve something
- D. Waste the resources
Explanation: To burn the midnight oil means to work or study late into the night. The idiom focuses on the late hour, not merely on working hard during…
Correct answer: Work late into the night- A. Wise to spend each penny carefully
- B. Careful about small amounts but careless about large amounts
- C. People who don't understand the importance of each penny
- D. A part of life
Explanation: “Penny wise and pound foolish” describes being careful with small amounts of money while being careless with larger amounts.
Correct answer: Careful about small amounts but careless about large amounts- A. Brief explanation
- B. When you complain about a loss from the past
- C. Express your feelings
- D. Be sad over little things
Explanation: “Cry over spilt milk” means becoming upset or complaining about a past loss that cannot be undone.
Correct answer: When you complain about a loss from the past- A. A stagnant pond
- B. Something that happened in the past and cannot now be changed
- C. Alter facts or figures dishonestly or illegally
- D. Unresolved issue or conflict
Explanation: “Water under the bridge” describes a past event whose consequences or details cannot now be changed.
Correct answer: Something that happened in the past and cannot now be changed- A. Being closely examined
- B. Be under the watchful eye
- C. Be under scrutiny
- D. All of Above
Explanation: To be under the scanner means to be closely examined or subjected to scrutiny.
Correct answer: All of Above- A. Monitor a dispute without becoming involved in it
- B. Become involved in a conflict
- C. Set the alarm
- D. Make new ringtones
Explanation: To hold the ring is to remain neutral while observing or managing a dispute without taking part in it.
Correct answer: Monitor a dispute without becoming involved in it- A. Alter facts or figures dishonestly or illegally
- B. Read or write a lot of books
- C. Give exact information
- D. Come to an agreement
Explanation: To cook the books means to falsify accounts, figures, or records, usually to deceive others or gain an illegal advantage.
Correct answer: Alter facts or figures dishonestly or illegally- A. Embarrass
- B. Strongly encourage
- C. Feel ashamed
- D. Make fool
Explanation: To egg someone on means to encourage or urge that person to continue an action, often a risky or aggressive one.
Correct answer: Strongly encourage- A. Threat of military force
- B. Military aid
- C. Unchecked financial support
- D. Coercive measures
Explanation: Sabre-rattling is a show of military power or a threat to use military force, usually intended to intimidate an opponent.
Correct answer: Threat of military force- A. Irritate or upset someone
- B. Do it with a lot of force and energy
- C. To meet and spend time with someone
- D. Say or do something that someone should not have
Explanation: To get under someone’s skin means to irritate, annoy, or upset that person.
Correct answer: Irritate or upset someone- A. Without wholly believing
- B. Eat with some extra salt
- C. Eat without salt
- D. Believe something completely
Explanation: To take something with a pinch of salt means to hear it skeptically rather than accept it as completely true.
Correct answer: Without wholly believing- A. Wasting time by being indecisive
- B. Becoming hasty in decision making
- C. Not cooperating with council
- D. Not respecting because of political interference
Explanation: Dilly-dallying means delaying or wasting time, especially because of indecision. It is the opposite of making a quick or hasty decision.
Correct answer: Wasting time by being indecisive- A. To make a mess
- B. To reveal a secret
- C. To tell a lie
- D. To start a fight
Explanation: To spill the beans means to reveal secret or confidential information, often accidentally or before the proper time.
Correct answer: To reveal a secret- A. To be making a profit
- B. To suffer loss
- C. To be in a situation
- D. To be a part of a group
Explanation: To be quids in means to be in a financially profitable position. “Quid” is British slang for a pound, linking the idiom to money and profit.
Correct answer: To be making a profit- A. Near to be finished
- B. Start to be ruined
- C. Going to start soon
- D. Ready to leave soon
Explanation: “Ready to roll” means ready to begin or proceed, so the series is going to start soon.
Correct answer: Going to start soon- A. Live for a long time
- B. To be dead
- C. Try hard for success
- D. Trying something irrelevant
Explanation: “Pushing up the daisies” is a humorous euphemism for being dead, suggesting that a buried person is beneath growing flowers.
Correct answer: To be dead- A. Happen very slowly
- B. Happen very soon
- C. Happen in hidden manner
- D. Happen slow and secretly
Explanation: To follow hot on someone’s heels means to follow very closely and soon after them.
Correct answer: Happen very soon- A. Exercise strict control over
- B. Reign masses by force
- C. Ride horse fast
- D. Make uncomfortable
Explanation: To keep a tight rein on something means to exercise strict control over it.
Correct answer: Exercise strict control over- A. Until evening time
- B. For a very long time
- C. Futile efforts everyday
- D. Sometimes in a day
Explanation: “Till the cows come home” means for a very long or indefinite time. It does not literally refer only to the evening, although cows…
Correct answer: For a very long time