SSC CGL (Prelims) General: Idioms and Phrases questions with solutions

Q1. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Get cold feet.

1. To lose courage at the last moment
2. To request urgent help
3. To act bravely under pressure
4. To accept failure politely

Answer: To lose courage at the last moment

"Get cold feet" means to become nervous or lose confidence just before an important event or decision. It does not mean asking for help or acting bravely.

Q2. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Bite the dust.

1. To win with ease
2. To fall or be defeated
3. To hide the truth
4. To complain loudly

Answer: To fall or be defeated

“Bite the dust” means to be defeated, fail, or fall down. It is commonly used in informal English to describe losing or being overcome.

Q3. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Down in the dumps

1. Moving at full speed
2. In a state of sadness or inactivity
3. About to achieve success
4. Working with intense enthusiasm

Answer: In a state of sadness or inactivity

“Down in the dumps” means feeling sad, depressed, or low in spirits. It can also imply a lack of energy or activity.

Q4. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Not fit to hold a candle to.

1. Equal in talent
2. Slightly better than
3. Much inferior to
4. Bright and capable

Answer: Much inferior to

The idiom “not fit to hold a candle to” means to be far worse or much inferior to someone or something else. It is used to show a strong comparison in quality or ability.

Q5. Choose the most suitable option: She took great pain to complete the research.

1. took pains
2. had pain
3. gave pain
4. took the pain

Answer: took pains

The idiomatic expression is "took pains to do something," meaning made great effort. "Took great pain" is not the standard usage in this context.

Q6. Choose the correct meaning of the given idiom: To cry stinking fish.

1. To praise oneself publicly
2. To underestimate one’s own value
3. To mock competitors
4. To exaggerate success

Answer: To underestimate one’s own value

"To cry stinking fish" means to depreciate or undervalue one’s own product, work, or worth. Therefore, the correct meaning is to underestimate one’s own value.

Q7. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Currying favour

1. Seeking approval through flattery
2. Seeking financial gain
3. Avoiding confrontation
4. Making public criticism

Answer: Seeking approval through flattery

“Currying favour” means trying to gain someone’s approval or goodwill, usually by flattery or excessive attention. It does not mean financial gain or criticism.

Q8. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Hand and glove

1. In open disagreement
2. In close association
3. Working reluctantly
4. Acting independently

Answer: In close association

The idiom "hand and glove" means being very closely connected or working together in a secretive or intimate way. Among the options, "In close association" matches this meaning best.

Q9. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Chapter and verse

1. With documented proof and exact details
2. With exaggerated emotion
3. Without logical coherence
4. By indirect suggestion

Answer: With documented proof and exact details

“Chapter and verse” means giving exact references, facts, or proof in support of a statement. It is used when someone provides detailed and documented evidence.

Q10. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: "Whistle in the dark".

1. Put on a brave front despite fear
2. Speak without clarity
3. Refuse to take sides
4. Enjoy solitude

Answer: Put on a brave front despite fear

"Whistle in the dark" means to act bravely or confidently when one is actually afraid. It refers to putting on a brave front despite fear.

Q11. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Eat crow

1. Enjoy luxurious food
2. Give lavish charity
3. Suffer physical punishment
4. Admit one's error and endure humiliation

Answer: Admit one's error and endure humiliation

"Eat crow" means to admit one’s mistake or defeat, often in a humiliating way. It does not refer to food or punishment.

Q12. Select the most accurate meaning of the idiom: By the skin of one's teeth

1. By means of cunning and deceit
2. With the barest possible margin
3. With great confidence and ease
4. By sheer inherited fortune

Answer: With the barest possible margin

The idiom 'by the skin of one's teeth' means to do something with the smallest possible margin, often narrowly avoiding failure. It does not refer to deceit, ease, or fortune. Hence, the correct meaning is 'With the barest possible margin'.

Q13. Identify the correct interpretation of the following idiom: Mad as a hatter

1. Excessively cautious and reserved
2. Deeply melancholic and withdrawn
3. Completely insane or eccentric
4. Highly ambitious and ruthless

Answer: Completely insane or eccentric

The idiom "mad as a hatter" means completely insane or eccentric. It is a fixed expression and does not refer to actual hatters in a literal sense.

Q14. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Sail close to the wind

1. Act within risky limits of rules
2. Move quickly across distances
3. Stay completely safe
4. Withdraw from challenges

Answer: Act within risky limits of rules

The idiom "sail close to the wind" means to behave in a risky way that comes very near to breaking rules or accepted limits. The correct option captures this meaning accurately.

Q15. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: To play the second fiddle

1. To disguise one's ambition behind apparent loyalty
2. To hold a subordinate position to another person
3. To take credit for another's accomplishments
4. To perform a task with deliberate mediocrity

Answer: To hold a subordinate position to another person

"To play second fiddle" means to be in a subordinate or less important position compared to someone else. It is commonly used when one person supports or follows another's lead.

Q16. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Break one’s duck

1. To withdraw from a competition midway
2. Achieve a first success after previous failures
3. To cause irreparable damage to a relationship
4. To revert to old unproductive habits

Answer: Achieve a first success after previous failures

'Break one’s duck' means to achieve a first success after a period of failure or no success. It is commonly used in sports and competitive contexts.

Q17. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: At sea.

1. Navigating a situation skillfully
2. Acting recklessly without regard for consequences
3. Seeking an adventurous escape from routine
4. Feeling confused or perplexed

Answer: Feeling confused or perplexed

'At sea' is an idiom meaning confused, puzzled, or uncertain about what is happening. It does not refer to literal sailing.

Q18. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Not in my line

1. Outside one's jurisdiction
2. Not related to my area of expertise
3. Against one's moral principles
4. Beneath one's dignity

Answer: Not related to my area of expertise

"Not in my line" means not related to one's profession, field, or area of expertise. It does not refer to law, morals, or dignity.

Q19. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: red herring.

1. A minor distraction
2. A false clue meant to mislead
3. A sign of danger
4. A contradictory statement

Answer: A false clue meant to mislead

A 'red herring' is an argument, clue, or piece of information intended to mislead or distract from the real issue. Hence, option B is correct.

Q20. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Go for a song.

1. Sold at a high price
2. Performed emotionally
3. Sold very cheaply
4. Sung badly

Answer: Sold very cheaply

The idiom "go for a song" means to be sold for a very low price or cheaply. It does not refer to singing or emotional performance.

Q21. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Not to mince matters.

1. To speak delicately
2. To speak without hesitation or euphemism
3. To avoid detail intentionally
4. To revise opinions often

Answer: To speak without hesitation or euphemism

"Not to mince matters" means to speak directly and plainly, without softening or disguising the truth. It implies frankness rather than delicacy.

Q22. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Kicked up a row.

1. Created chaos with calculated logic
2. Reacted aggressively in a social setting
3. Silently withdrew from a discussion
4. Avoided confrontation altogether

Answer: Reacted aggressively in a social setting

'Kicked up a row' means to create a disturbance, fuss, or quarrel. Among the options, 'reacted aggressively in a social setting' is the closest in meaning.

Q23. What does the idiom 'There is no gainsaying the fact that the country is in difficulties' mean?

1. There is no denying that the country is facing challenges.
2. The country is making significant progress.
3. The country is refusing to acknowledge its problems.
4. The country is avoiding difficult situations.

Answer: There is no denying that the country is facing challenges.

'There is no gainsaying' means 'there is no denying' or 'it cannot be disputed'. Therefore, the sentence means the country is indeed facing difficulties or challenges.

Q24. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: To send to Coventry.

1. To exile with state honours
2. To subject someone to deliberate social ostracism
3. To forgive after public disgrace
4. To appoint to ceremonial duties

Answer: To subject someone to deliberate social ostracism

'To send to Coventry' means to deliberately ignore or ostracize someone socially. It does not refer to honour, forgiveness, or ceremonial appointment.

Q25. What is the best meaning of the idiom "Birds of a feather flock together"?

1. People with similar interests or characteristics tend to associate with each other.
2. Birds always fly in groups.
3. Different people can never be friends.
4. Only rich people make friends with other rich people.

Answer: People with similar interests or characteristics tend to associate with each other.

The idiom means that people who are similar in character, interests, or behavior tend to be friends or associate with one another. It is not about actual birds only.

Q26. What does the idiom "burn the midnight oil" mean?

1. To work or study late into the night
2. To waste resources unnecessarily
3. To start a project with great enthusiasm
4. To give up on a difficult task

Answer: To work or study late into the night

"Burn the midnight oil" means to work or study late into the night. It comes from the old practice of using oil lamps for light while working at night.

Q27. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: at sixes and sevens.

1. A dilemma between two evils
2. A free and fair decision
3. In complete confusion
4. A selection made under duress

Answer: In complete confusion

"At sixes and sevens" means in a state of confusion or disarray. It does not refer to a dilemma or a forced choice.

Q28. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Leave no stone unturned

1. To keep shifting from one place to another repeatedly
2. To make every possible effort to achieve a goal
3. To remain quiet as a form of protest
4. To obey someone without questioning

Answer: To make every possible effort to achieve a goal

"Leave no stone unturned" means to try every possible means to achieve something or find something. It implies complete effort and thoroughness.

Q29. Choose the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom: "has a second string to his bow".

1. He frequently changes his decisions.
2. He keeps two relationships going at once.
3. He has an additional skill or backup option to fall back on.
4. He deceives people to achieve his goal.

Answer: He has an additional skill or backup option to fall back on.

The idiom means having an extra ability, plan, or resource to rely on if needed. It does not refer to changing decisions or relationships. The correct option captures the idea of a backup option.