Idioms and Phrases Questions with Solutions

An idiom is a group of words whose meaning differs from the meanings of the individual words. For example, "to beat around the bush" means to avoid the main point, not literally to hit a bush. Phrases and phrasal verbs, such as "put up with" (tolerate) and "call off" (cancel), work the same way. Exam questions ask you to choose the correct meaning of an idiom or phrase, often within a sentence. Unlike most English topics, idioms can't be worked out from grammar rules. You have to know them. The most efficient approach is to learn commonly tested idioms in groups, such as idioms about money, time or effort, and to read them in example sentences. When you're unsure, the sentence context often rules out options that don't fit the situation. Practise the idioms and phrases questions below. Each solution gives the meaning and an example sentence.