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Learning Objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

Understand that an idiom's meaning is figurative, not literal — and choose the correct meaning in MCQs.
Recognize common idiom families: body parts, animals, colours, time, money & work.
Use and identify phrasal verbs (verb + particle) and prepositional phrases correctly.
Pick the right idiom for the context of a sentence.

What Are Idioms & Phrases?

An idiom is a group of words whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. The meaning is figurative (implied), not literal (word-for-word).

"He let the cat out of the bag." → No real cat or bag. It means he revealed a secret.

A phrase is a small group of words acting as a unit. A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a particle (preposition/adverb) that creates a new meaning — give up (quit), look after (care for).

🔑 Golden rule for MCQs: Never take an idiom literally. The correct option is almost always the figurative meaning; literal-sounding options are usually traps.

1. Body-Part Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Example
To play it by ear	To improvise / decide as you go	We had no plan, so we played it by ear.
To keep an eye on	To watch / supervise	Keep an eye on the baby.
To turn a blind eye	To deliberately ignore	The manager turned a blind eye to the mistake.
To cost an arm and a leg	To be very expensive	That phone cost an arm and a leg.
To get cold feet	To lose courage at the last moment	He got cold feet before the interview.
To pull someone's leg	To joke / tease playfully	Relax, I'm just pulling your leg.
To put your foot in your mouth	To say something embarrassing	I put my foot in my mouth at the party.
To get something off your chest	To confess / relieve worry by speaking	I needed to get it off my chest.
To have a heart of gold	To be very kind	She has a heart of gold.
To break someone's heart	To cause deep sadness	The news broke her heart.
To keep your chin up	To stay cheerful in difficulty	Keep your chin up, things will improve.
To be all ears	To listen attentively	Tell me — I'm all ears.
To bite your tongue	To stay silent to avoid trouble	I bit my tongue during the meeting.
To stick your neck out	To take a risk for someone	He stuck his neck out to defend me.
To see eye to eye	To agree completely	We don't see eye to eye on this.
To give a cold shoulder	To ignore / be unfriendly	She gave him the cold shoulder.

2. Animal Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Example
To let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret	He let the cat out of the bag about the party.
To kill two birds with one stone	To solve two problems with one action	I killed two birds with one stone on the trip.
A bird's eye view	A broad / overall view from above	The hill gives a bird's eye view of the city.
To take the bull by the horns	To face a difficulty boldly	She took the bull by the horns and quit.
To smell a rat	To suspect something is wrong	I smell a rat in this deal.
To beat a dead horse	To waste effort on a settled matter	Arguing now is beating a dead horse.
To have a whale of a time	To enjoy greatly	We had a whale of a time at the fair.
A wolf in sheep's clothing	A dangerous person who seems harmless	He's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
To go on a wild goose chase	A pointless, fruitless search	The clue sent us on a wild goose chase.
To hold your horses	To wait / be patient	Hold your horses, we're not ready.
To have ants in your pants	To be restless / unable to keep still	The kids had ants in their pants.
To make a mountain out of a molehill	To exaggerate a small problem	Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
To let sleeping dogs lie	To avoid restarting an old conflict	Let sleeping dogs lie.
To be the black sheep	The odd / disreputable one of a group	He's the black sheep of the family.
To rain cats and dogs	To rain very heavily	It's raining cats and dogs outside.

3. Colour Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Example
To be caught red-handed	To be caught in the act of wrongdoing	The thief was caught red-handed.
To be in the red	To be in debt / losing money	The company is in the red this quarter.
To be in the black	To be making a profit	After cuts, they're back in the black.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	He visits once in a blue moon.
To feel blue	To feel sad	She's feeling blue today.
Out of the blue	Suddenly / unexpectedly	He called out of the blue.
To have a green thumb	To be skilled at gardening	She has a green thumb.
To be green with envy	To be very jealous	He was green with envy.
To give the green light	To grant permission to proceed	The boss gave the green light.
A grey area	An unclear / undefined situation	The rule is a grey area.
To see red	To become very angry	He saw red when he was insulted.
A white lie	A harmless / polite lie	I told a white lie to spare her feelings.
To show the white flag	To surrender	They finally showed the white flag.
To be tickled pink	To be very pleased	She was tickled pink by the gift.
To roll out the red carpet	To welcome someone grandly	They rolled out the red carpet for the guest.

4. Time-Related Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Example
In the nick of time	Just in time / at the last moment	We arrived in the nick of time.
Against the clock	Rushing to meet a deadline	We worked against the clock.
To call it a day	To stop work for the day	Let's call it a day.
Better late than never	Late action is better than none	He apologized — better late than never.
To beat the clock	To finish before time runs out	They beat the clock and won.
Around the clock	All day and night, without stopping	Doctors worked around the clock.
In the long run	Over a long period / eventually	It will pay off in the long run.
At the eleventh hour	At the last possible moment	The deal was saved at the eleventh hour.
To take a rain check	To postpone an invitation	Can I take a rain check on dinner?
Time flies	Time passes quickly	Time flies when you're busy.
The crack of dawn	Very early morning	We left at the crack of dawn.
Days are numbered	Little time left / near an end	His days at the firm are numbered.
To live on borrowed time	To survive longer than expected	The old car is on borrowed time.
Behind the times	Old-fashioned / outdated	His methods are behind the times.

5. Money & Work Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Example
To make ends meet	To manage with limited money	They struggle to make ends meet.
To bring home the bacon	To earn a living	She brings home the bacon.
To tighten your belt	To spend less / economize	We had to tighten our belts.
To cost a fortune	To be very expensive	The wedding cost a fortune.
To break the bank	To use up all your money	A small treat won't break the bank.
To save for a rainy day	To keep money for future needs	Save some for a rainy day.
To be worth its weight in gold	To be extremely valuable	A good mentor is worth its weight in gold.
To go the extra mile	To make extra effort	She always goes the extra mile.
To learn the ropes	To learn how a job is done	It takes time to learn the ropes.
To pull your weight	To do your fair share of work	Everyone must pull their weight.
To burn the midnight oil	To work/study late into the night	He burned the midnight oil before exams.
To get the sack / be fired	To lose one's job	He got the sack last week.
To call the shots	To be in charge / make decisions	The director calls the shots.
To be snowed under	To be overloaded with work	I'm snowed under this week.
A dead-end job	A job with no prospects	She quit her dead-end job.
To cut corners	To do something cheaply/carelessly	Don't cut corners on safety.

6. Common Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb = verb + particle, with a new meaning you can't get from the verb alone.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
Give up	To quit / stop trying	Don't give up so easily.
Look after	To take care of	She looks after her grandmother.
Look into	To investigate	Police will look into the matter.
Look forward to	To anticipate with pleasure	I look forward to meeting you.
Put off	To postpone	They put off the trip.
Put up with	To tolerate	I can't put up with the noise.
Carry out	To perform / execute	They carried out the plan.
Call off	To cancel	The match was called off.
Break down	To stop functioning / collapse	The car broke down.
Bring up	To raise (a child) or mention a topic	He brought up an old issue.
Get along (with)	To have a friendly relationship	They get along well.
Run out of	To use up the supply of	We ran out of fuel.
Turn down	To reject / refuse	She turned down the offer.
Turn up	To arrive / appear	He turned up late.
Take after	To resemble (a relative)	She takes after her mother.
Find out	To discover	I found out the truth.
Make up	To invent (a story) / reconcile	They made up after the quarrel.
Set up	To establish	They set up a company.
Hold on	To wait	Hold on a moment.
Come across	To find by chance	I came across an old photo.

⚠️ Tested pairs: Look after (care for) vs look into (investigate) vs look forward to (anticipate). Same verb, different particle, different meaning.

7. Prepositional Phrases

Fixed word groups beginning with a preposition, used as a single unit.

Prepositional Phrase	Meaning	Example
In spite of	Despite / regardless of	In spite of the rain, we went.
On behalf of	Representing / for	I speak on behalf of the team.
In accordance with	According to / following	Acted in accordance with the rules.
By means of	Using / with the help of	Solved by means of teamwork.
In the event of	If something happens	In the event of fire, exit calmly.
At the expense of	Sacrificing / at the cost of	Success at the expense of health.
For the sake of	For the benefit/purpose of	For the sake of peace, he agreed.
With regard to	Concerning / about	With regard to your query…
In addition to	As well as / besides	In addition to maths, she teaches science.
On account of	Because of	The match stopped on account of rain.
In favour of	Supporting / in support of	They voted in favour of the bill.
In charge of	Responsible for	She is in charge of sales.
At the mercy of	Under the power of	Sailors at the mercy of the storm.
In view of	Considering	In view of the delay, we rescheduled.
By virtue of	Because of / by reason of	By virtue of his rank, he led.

8. Idiomatic Expressions in Context

This is how idioms are tested most often: a sentence is given, and you choose what the bold idiom means in that context.

Worked Examples

1. After failing twice, he decided to throw in the towel. → Meaning: to give up / quit. → (Trap option: "to wash a towel" — literal, wrong.)

2. The exam was a piece of cake for her. → Meaning: very easy.

3. Don't beat around the bush — tell me directly. → Meaning: to avoid the main point / speak indirectly.

4. He passed the test by the skin of his teeth. → Meaning: only just / barely.

5. The two issues are a different ball game altogether. → Meaning: an entirely different situation.

More High-Frequency Idioms (Context Set)

Idiom	Meaning
To bite the bullet	To face something difficult bravely
To hit the nail on the head	To say exactly the right thing
To add fuel to the fire	To make a bad situation worse
To spill the beans	To reveal a secret
To be on cloud nine	To be extremely happy
To be under the weather	To feel unwell
To get the ball rolling	To start something
To cut to the chase	To get to the point
A blessing in disguise	A misfortune that turns out well
To go down the drain	To be wasted / lost
To turn over a new leaf	To start afresh / reform
Once bitten, twice shy	Caution after a bad experience
To burn your bridges	To destroy relationships permanently
To sit on the fence	To stay neutral / undecided
To bury the hatchet	To make peace / end a quarrel
To jump on the bandwagon	To join a popular trend

Quick Reference Summary

Family	Watch For	Sample
Body-part	Figurative body actions	get cold feet = lose courage
Animal	Creature ≠ literal animal	smell a rat = suspect wrongdoing
Colour	Colour = emotion/state	in the red = in debt
Time	Clock = deadline/speed	in the nick of time = just in time
Money & work	Cash = effort/value	learn the ropes = learn a job
Phrasal verbs	Particle changes meaning	put off = postpone
Prepositional phrases	Fixed openers	in spite of = despite
In context	Pick figurative, reject literal	piece of cake = very easy

Most-Confused Idioms & Phrasal Verbs (Quick Revision)

Expression A	Expression B	Difference
In the red	In the black	losing money vs making profit
Look after	Look into	care for vs investigate
Turn down	Turn up	reject vs arrive/appear
Bring up	Break down	raise/mention vs stop working/collapse
Make ends meet	Break the bank	manage on little vs use up all money
To see red	To feel blue	become angry vs feel sad

Idioms & Phrases

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