IDIOM AND SAYING 1

1. He kept beating around the ______ and did not get to the point.
(A) street
(B) wood
(C) bush
(D) grass
2. Let's be patient and continue to work at it. Every cloud has a silver ______.
(A) lining
(B) spark
(C) streak
(D) line
3. It's a trivial matter. Don't make a mountain out of a ______.
(A) hill
(B) peak
(C) molehill
(D) hillock
4. The news was like a bolt from the ______. I never expected it to happen to me.
(A) blue
(B) shock
(C) sky
(D) cloud
5. He arrived in the ______ of time to save her from a lot of embarrassment.
(A) crux
(B) nick
(C) tip
(D) tick
6. The cat disappeared in the dark in the twinkling of a/an ______.
(A) star
(B) eye
(C) light
(D) flash
7. Romeo takes up two jobs to make ends ______.
(A) meet
(B) stay
(C) float
(D) burn
8. He is a Jack of all ______ but master of none.
(A) sorts
(B) trades
(C) things
(D) tricks
9. He turned ______ and ran away immediately.
(A) head
(B) feet
(C) tail
(D) back
10. Let's bury the ______ and be friends again.
(A) hatchet
(B) weapon
(C) gun
(D) knife

1C 2A 3C 4A 5B 6B 7A 8B 9C 10A


IDIOM AND SAYING 2
1. Leave them alone ! You simply can't teach old ______ new ______.

(A) dogs ... tricks
(B) men ... magic

(C) cats ... moves
(D) parrots ... words

2. He pulled up his ______ and started all over again.

(A) collar
(B) gun

(C) socks
(D) sleeves

3. You should set a good example and practice what you ______.

(A) teach
(B) preach

(C) reach
(D) act

4.

I know ______ was not built in a day, but we have been spending too
much time on this.

(A) Singapore
(B) Britain

(C) Rome
(D) China

5.

Although he offers a lot of ideas, there is little substance. After all, empty
______ make the most noise.

(A) tins
(B) vessels

(C) bowls
(D) bottles

6. Do not be so hard on him. To ______ is human, to forgive is divine.

(A) fail
(B) err

(C) fault
(D) mistake

7. It is better to ask for their help because many hands make ______ work.

(A) easy
(B) light

(C) efficient
(D) more

8. The grand building is nothing but a white ______.

(A) dog
(B) tiger
(C) elephant
(D) rabbit

9.

It was like jumping out of the ______ pan into the fire when he changed
his job.

(A) sizzling
(B) frying
(C) hot
(D) heated

10.

You were hitting him below the ______ when you asked his sister for his
project plans.

(A) face
(B) belt
(C) waist
(D) chin






1A 2C 3B 4C 5B 6B 7B 8C 9B 10B

IDIOM AND SAYING 3
1.

You should keep him at _____ length because he may have a bad
influence on you.

(A) arm's
(B) foot's

(C) hand's
(D) shoulder's

2. He is sitting on the ______, trying to see which side he should cheer for.

(A) ledge
(B) fence

(C) edge
(D) gate

3.

He is willing to play second ______ although he obviously has much
better skills.

(A) hand
(B) fiddle

(C) thought
(D) chance

4. Do not worry. I have the whole plan at my ______.

(A) mind
(B) heart

(C) hands
(D) fingertips

5. Get the job first. A bird in the hand is worth two in the ______.

(A) cage
(B) wood

(C) bush
(D) forest

6. I paid through the ______ for the over-priced video game.

(A) blood
(B) nose

(C) head
(D) heart

7. Janet broke the ______ and started a conversation with the shy boy.

(A) quiet
(B) snow

(C) air
(D) ice

8. We have to nip the problem in the ______ or it will grow out of control.

(A) bud
(B) root
(C) stalk
(D) seed

9. He held his ______ and managed to keep the secret to himself.

(A) lips
(B) tongue
(C) mouth
(D) teeth

10.

She is a ______ and it takes time for her to learn all the skills needed for
the job.

(A) green leaf
(B) greenhorn
(C) green finger
(D) green grass






1A 2B 3B 4D 5C 6B 7D 8A 9B 10B

IDIOM AND SAYING 4
1. I am ______ sure that he is the one who did it.

(A) cock
(B) stark

(C) dog
(D) star

2.

You may like it but he may not. After all, one man's meat is another man's
______.

(A) vegetable
(B) flesh

(C) poison
(D) sugar

3.

By hook or by ______, we have to submit the assignment by the end of
this month.

(A) crook
(B) stroke

(C) cook
(D) book

4.

You must not put all your eggs in one ______. Try to find some
alternatives.

(A) nest
(B) basket

(C) clutch
(D) bucket

5. His words carry ______ because he is well respected.

(A) force
(B) weight

(C) substance
(D) influence

6. Be grateful for what you get. Half a ______ is better than none.

(A) pie
(B) cake

(C) loaf
(D) bowl

7. He took he ______ into his own hands and killed the robber.

(A) revenge
(B) challenge

(C) law
(D) judgment

8. He was like a dog with two ______ when he won the final game.

(A) heads
(B) masters
(C) tails
(D) tongues

9. To impress his boss, Colin put his best ______ forward in the project.

(A) leg
(B) hand
(C) idea
(D) foot

10.

My grandfather firmly believes in the saying, "Spare the ______ and spoil
the child'.

(A) rod
(B) club
(C) stick
(D) bat






1A 2C 3A 4B 5B 6C 7C 8C 9D 10A

IDIOM AND SAYING 5
1.

A rolling stone gathers no ______, so one should stick to what one is
doing.

(A) dust
(B) moss

(C) weeds
(D) dirt

2.

You do not need to argue because ______ always speak louder than
words.

(A) actions
(B) ideas

(C) performances
(D) results

3.

Birds of a feather ______ together. So, it is not surprising to see the two
hang around all the time.

(A) go
(B) fly

(C) hatch
(D) flock

4. You must draw a _______ between what you can and cannot do.

(A) distinction
(B) parallel

(C) difference
(D) line

5.

New ______ sweep clean, but I doubt if the new boss can sustain this
pace.

(A) brooms
(B) laws

(C) cloths
(D) mops

6.

Granny used to ______ yearns about her experiences during the Japanese
Occupation.

(A) tell
(B) knit

(C) speak
(D) spin

7. She pulled _____ in order to get the job.

(A) plugs
(B) strings

(C) threads
(D) connections

8. He stayed calm and did not turn a ______.

(A) head
(B) nose
(C) hair
(D) foot

9.

There is no ______ and fast rule to do the job. The most important thing
is to finish it as fast as you can.

(A) fit
(B) hard
(C) far
(D) hold

10. He let the ______ out of the bag and announced the new plan to the staff.

(A) cat
(B) dog
(C) bunny
(D) mouse




1B 2A 3D 4D 5A 6D 7B 8C 9B 10A

IDIOM AND SAYING 6
Fill in the blanks with phrases from the box.
Each phrase can be used only once.
have an axe to grind = make up your mind
=
burning the midnight oil = final straw =
cold feet = forty winks =
in the bag = back to square one =
in a nutshell = bed of roses =


1. Edwin has gone to catch ______ at the teacher's lounge as the briefing doesn't
start for another two hours.

2. Amanda's fianc had ______ at the last minute and did not show up at the
church on their wedding day.

3. When the landlady found out that the boys had left the house unlocked for the
third time in the same week, that was the ______. She told them to find
somewhere else to rent.

4. "Can't you just ______ ? I have not slept in two days. I really can't go on like
this," said the seamstress to the customer who kept changing her mind about the
designs.

5. University life is not a ______. There are many times when you will have to
sacrifice your social life and sleep just to get an assignment done in time.

6. By the time Jodie was done with her presentation, she knew that the client's
project was already ______.

7." ______, if you don't make your house payment by the end of the week, we
will have to evict you," said the bank representative to the widow.

8. Bella is ______ for her bar exam tomorrow.

9. The dissatisfied woman returned the next day with her two sisters and
demanded to see the manager. "We ______ with Mr. Baker," they said loudly
for all to hear.

10. "Barry lost all of our savings in the stock exchange. We are ______," said a
distraught Mrs. William.




1. forty winks
2. cold feet
3. final straw
4. make up your mind
5. bed of roses
6. in the bag
7. in a nutshell
8. burning the midnight oil
9. have an axe to grind
10. back to square one


IDIOM AND SAYING 7
Fill in the blanks with phrases from the box.
Each phrase can be used only once.
split second = up his sleeves =
true colors = under the weather =
teacher's pet = in the clear =
many hands make light work = pay through their
noses =
easy as pie = let the cat out of the bag =

1. "I'm feeling a bit ______. I need to go home and get some rest," said Bill's
secretary.

2. "I can't remember the mugger's face. It all happened in a ______," said the
woman who was robbed at gunpoint.

3. The look on Cook's face tells me that he has something ______.

4. The test was ______ but I still couldn't score full marks for it.

5. "Come on, men. We need all the help we can get as ______," said the village
chief as he led the men in the direction of the broken bridge.

6. When I was in school, I was the ______. That's why I was always elected as
the class monitor.

7. After marriage, the young bride began to show her ______ and started
demanding expensive things from her husband.

8. "Are we ______ yet ?" Roger asked his lookout, nervously.

9. "I think it is time to ______ and tell Boyle who the car is really for," said
Mrs. Simpson to her husband.

10. Carl's parents had to ______ for his medical degree but instead of studying
hard, he was partying away with his mates.



1. under the weather
2. split second
3. up his sleeves
4. easy as pie
5. many hands make light work
6. teacher's pet
7. true colors
8. in the clear
9. let the cat out of the bag
10. pay through their noses







IDIOM AND SAYING 8
Fill in the blanks with phrases from the box.
Each phrase can be used only once.

read between the lines = bite your tongue=

work against the clock= give it a rest =
bites the dust = backseat driver =
slap on the wrist = kick the bucket =

once in a blue moon = an arm and a leg =


1. My father is a horrible ______, which is why none of us like driving him
around.

2. Aunt Rosie comes to visit only ______. We love having her around to make
jokes about Mum.

3. "Another one ______," says Emma as she received news that Tracy was
going to be the third one in her clubbing gang to get married.

4. "Can you ______ ? I'll get to it when I get to it," said Benny to his wife who
was asking him to fix the washing machine for the umpteenth time.

5. The house was going to cost Leslie ______ but he didn't care. He said that it
was his dream house.

6. Kerry ______ and understood that the 'early' retirement his manager was
hinting at meant they had found his replacement.

7. "The help do not speak ill of their mistresses, so ______, Emerald," said the
duchess to her daughter's new maid.

8. The two lecturers, who were found guilty of plagiarism, were only suspended
by the dean for their actions. Many viewed the punishment as a mere ______.

9. The workers have to ______ to produce enough ammunition for their men
who are going to war.

10. "You'd better get your will in order before you ______ or things will be very
chaotic with your five sons and their wives fighting over your property," Mike's
friend advised him.


1. backseat driver
2. once in a blue moon
3. bites the dust
4. give it a rest
5. an arm and a leg
6. read between the lines
7. bite your tongue
8. slap on the wrist
9. work against the clock
10. kick the bucket





IDIOM AND SAYING 9

Fill in the blanks with phrases from the box. Each
phrase can be used only once.
pull the plug = like clockwork =
lesser of two evils = pop the question =

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree= step in her
shoes=
stopped in her tracks = elephant in the
room=
keep your distance = lost the will =


1. "Your mother never complains about working and taking care of you girls.
You have to ______ to understand what she goes through every day," advised
Jolie's aunt.

2. You should learn to ______ from these loan sharks who keep tempting you to
take a loan from them. They have awful means in getting you to pay back their
money.

3. "I think Matt is going to ______ to Lisa tonight when they have dinner at the
Japanese restaurant," said Matt's sister to Lisa's brother.

4. "That's it. I'm going to ______ on this operation," said the hero when he
found out the location of the illegal sweat shop.

5. Elena exited at her floor and ______ when she saw her front door ajar.

6. From the moment Sybil woke up, she went about her house chores ______.

7. Edison's son, who has no fear of anything, wants to be a treasure hunter like
him. I guess ______.

8. Noel ______ to carry on when his wife of 13 years asked for a divorce.

9. Between Diana pursuing an acting career and marrying a man twice her age,
in my opinion, I'd rather she pick the _____ and at least have a career.

10. "Mark, let's address the ______. You kept your criminal records a secret
from us. How are we to trust you with the CEO job ?" said Ben at the start of
this crucial meeting.

1. step in her shoes
2. keep your distance
3. pop the question
4. pull the plug
5. stopped in her tracks
6. like clockwork
7. the apple doesn't fall far from the tree
8. lost the will
9. lesser of two evils
10. elephant in the room





IDIOM AND SAYING 10
Fill in the blanks with phrases from the box.
a drowning man will clutch at straws =
charity begins at home =
barking dogs seldom bite =
a picture paints a thousand words =
a leopard cannot change its spots =
business before pleasure =
a rolling stone gathers no moss =
a poor workman always blames his tools =
children should be seen not heard =
better to light a candle than to curse the darkness =


1. Loki is a ______ type of guy. He prefers to get his affairs out of the way first
before he goes sightseeing in a new town.

2. Fred openly blames his co-workers or the computer, or sometimes the intern
whenever a mistake turns up in any of his reports; ______.

3. Phillip is so desperate for money that he is going around borrowing from loan
sharks, ______.

4. When Johnson's colleagues asked him why he did not protest to the news of
their retrenchment, Johnson merely replied, "______," and continued looking
for jobs using his company computer.

5. "You have to start spending more time with the children, ______. The more
time you spend helping out at the orphanage, the less time you have with your
own family," said Bruce's wife.

6.Within a month of his release from jail, Darwin had begun stealing again;
_______.

7. Missy is not worried about the threats from the school bully. She thinks that
______ and furthermore, she has a black belt in karate.

8.When Daisy showed the audience her flow chart, everyone immediately got
her idea; ______.

9. Nancy rejected the second candidate's application as he has changed six jobs
in the last two years. " ______," she said simply.

10. My old uncle Bill is old-fashioned and terribly stern. He still thinks that
______.
1. business before pleasure
2. a poor workman always blames his tools
3. a drowning man will clutch at straws
4. better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
5. charity begins at home
6. a leopard cannot change its spots
7. barking dogs seldom bite
8. a picture paints a thousand words
9. a rolling stone gathers no moss
10. children should be seen not heard