Enhance your English skills with 100 idioms and phrases MCQs with answers. Perfect for students, competitive exams, and English learners to improve vocabulary, comprehension, and grammar.
Idioms and phrases are an essential part of English vocabulary and grammar, helping learners understand figurative language and everyday expressions. Practicing Idioms and Phrases MCQs with answers is a highly effective way to improve comprehension, speaking, and writing skills. In this article, you will find 100 carefully designed multiple choice questions covering common and advanced idioms, their meanings, and correct usage in sentences. These English grammar MCQs are ideal for students, competitive exam aspirants, and anyone aiming to enhance fluency and confidence in both written and spoken English.
Idioms and Phrases – 100 MCQs with Answers
1. What does the idiom “a blessing in disguise” mean?
A. A hidden danger
B. A good thing that seemed bad at first
C. A false hope
D. A clear advantage
Answer: B
2. The idiom “break the ice” means:
A. Break something
B. Start a conversation
C. End a relationship
D. Feel cold
Answer: B
3. What does “once in a blue moon” mean?
A. Very often
B. Very rarely
C. Every night
D. Once a year
Answer: B
4. The idiom “hit the nail on the head” means:
A. Hit something hard
B. Be exactly right
C. Make a mistake
D. Hurt someone
Answer: B
5. What does “spill the beans” mean?
A. Waste food
B. Reveal a secret
C. Cook food
D. Make a mess
Answer: B
6. The idiom “cost an arm and a leg” means:
A. Very cheap
B. Very expensive
C. Free
D. Easy to get
Answer: B
7. What does “burn the midnight oil” mean?
A. Waste time
B. Study or work late at night
C. Sleep early
D. Turn off lights
Answer: B
8. The idiom “under the weather” means:
A. Happy
B. Sick
C. Angry
D. Busy
Answer: B
9. What does “the ball is in your court” mean?
A. You lost the game
B. It is your turn to act
C. You are winning
D. Game is over
Answer: B
10. The idiom “bite the bullet” means:
A. Get injured
B. Face a difficult situation bravely
C. Argue
D. Quit
Answer: B
11. What does “call it a day” mean?
A. Start work
B. End work
C. Waste time
D. Celebrate
Answer: B
12. The idiom “a piece of cake” means:
A. Something tasty
B. Something very easy
C. Something boring
D. Something expensive
Answer: B
13. What does “let the cat out of the bag” mean?
A. Release an animal
B. Reveal a secret
C. Create trouble
D. Get angry
Answer: B
14. The idiom “in hot water” means:
A. Taking a bath
B. In trouble
C. Feeling relaxed
D. Feeling cold
Answer: B
15. What does “beat around the bush” mean?
A. Speak directly
B. Avoid the main topic
C. Fight
D. Run fast
Answer: B
16. The idiom “cut corners” means:
A. Do something cheaply or carelessly
B. Cut paper
C. Take long routes
D. Work honestly
Answer: A
17. What does “once bitten, twice shy” mean?
A. Never afraid
B. Learn from bad experience
C. Make same mistake
D. Be careless
Answer: B
18. The idiom “at the drop of a hat” means:
A. Slowly
B. Immediately
C. Never
D. Secretly
Answer: B
19. What does “back to square one” mean?
A. Success
B. Starting again
C. Winning
D. Ending
Answer: B
20. The idiom “on cloud nine” means:
A. Very sad
B. Very happy
C. Very tired
D. Very angry
Answer: B
21. What does “a storm in a teacup” mean?
A. A serious problem
B. A small problem made big
C. A weather issue
D. A disaster
Answer: B
22. The idiom “face the music” means:
A. Enjoy music
B. Accept consequences
C. Dance
D. Ignore problems
Answer: B
23. What does “go the extra mile” mean?
A. Travel far
B. Make extra effort
C. Waste time
D. Take rest
Answer: B
24. The idiom “kill two birds with one stone” means:
A. Be violent
B. Achieve two things at once
C. Fail badly
D. Waste effort
Answer: B
25. What does “hit the sack” mean?
A. Hit someone
B. Go to sleep
C. Start work
D. Wake up
Answer: B
26. The idiom “jump the gun” means:
A. Start early
B. Finish late
C. Delay work
D. Stop suddenly
Answer: A
27. What does “keep an eye on” mean?
A. Ignore
B. Watch carefully
C. Hurt someone
D. Sleep
Answer: B
28. The idiom “the last straw” means:
A. First problem
B. Final problem that causes anger
C. A solution
D. A joke
Answer: B
29. What does “through thick and thin” mean?
A. Only in good times
B. In all situations
C. Rarely
D. Carefully
Answer: B
30. The idiom “off the hook” means:
A. In trouble
B. Free from blame
C. Angry
D. Busy
Answer: B
31. What does “throw in the towel” mean?
A. Clean
B. Give up
C. Celebrate
D. Start again
Answer: B
32. The idiom “on the same page” means:
A. Reading
B. Agreeing
C. Writing
D. Arguing
Answer: B
33. What does “turn a blind eye” mean?
A. Go blind
B. Ignore deliberately
C. Watch closely
D. Get angry
Answer: B
34. The idiom “fish out of water” means:
A. Comfortable
B. Uncomfortable
C. Strong
D. Lucky
Answer: B
35. What does “hit the road” mean?
A. Sleep
B. Begin a journey
C. Stop working
D. Get injured
Answer: B
36. The idiom “make ends meet” means:
A. Spend a lot
B. Manage financially
C. Waste money
D. Become rich
Answer: B
37. What does “add fuel to the fire” mean?
A. Calm down
B. Make a situation worse
C. Solve a problem
D. Ignore
Answer: B
38. The idiom “cry over spilled milk” means:
A. Waste food
B. Regret something unchangeable
C. Be happy
D. Complain loudly
Answer: B
39. What does “keep your fingers crossed” mean?
A. Wish for good luck
B. Hide hands
C. Be nervous
D. Cheat
Answer: A
40. The idiom “on thin ice” means:
A. Safe
B. In danger
C. Relaxed
D. Confident
Answer: B
41. What does “bark up the wrong tree” mean?
A. Be correct
B. Be mistaken
C. Be angry
D. Be happy
Answer: B
42. The idiom “by the skin of your teeth” means:
A. Easily
B. Barely
C. Quickly
D. Slowly
Answer: B
43. What does “cold feet” mean?
A. Feeling cold
B. Nervous to proceed
C. Angry
D. Confident
Answer: B
44. The idiom “in the same boat” means:
A. Traveling
B. In the same situation
C. Competing
D. Winning
Answer: B
45. What does “hit below the belt” mean?
A. Play fair
B. Act unfairly
C. Be honest
D. Help someone
Answer: B
46. The idiom “speak of the devil” means:
A. Talk badly
B. Someone appears while being discussed
C. Tell a secret
D. Get angry
Answer: B
47. What does “a drop in the ocean” mean?
A. A lot
B. A very small amount
C. A problem
D. A solution
Answer: B
48. The idiom “pull someone’s leg” means:
A. Hurt someone
B. Joke or tease
C. Help
D. Fight
Answer: B
49. What does “in black and white” mean?
A. Colorless
B. Clearly written
C. Confusing
D. Hidden
Answer: B
50. The idiom “out of the blue” means:
A. Planned
B. Suddenly
C. Slowly
D. Never
Answer: B
51. What does the idiom “cut to the chase” mean?
A. Waste time
B. Get to the point
C. Run away
D. Relax
Answer: B
52. The idiom “under your nose” means:
A. Hidden
B. In plain sight
C. Far away
D. Dangerous
Answer: B
53. What does “jump on the bandwagon” mean?
A. Start a trend
B. Join a popular activity
C. Reject something
D. Run away
Answer: B
54. The idiom “by and large” means:
A. Mostly
B. Rarely
C. Always
D. Never
Answer: A
55. What does “sit on the fence” mean?
A. Be undecided
B. Decide quickly
C. Avoid sitting
D. Fight
Answer: A
56. The idiom “jump the shark” means:
A. Take a risk
B. Decline in quality
C. Achieve success
D. Swim fast
Answer: B
57. What does “burn bridges” mean?
A. Build relationships
B. Destroy relationships
C. Travel
D. Relax
Answer: B
58. The idiom “wear your heart on your sleeve” means:
A. Be secretive
B. Show emotions openly
C. Be angry
D. Be confident
Answer: B
59. What does “the tip of the iceberg” mean?
A. Small part of a larger problem
B. Entire problem
C. Hidden solution
D. Obvious solution
Answer: A
60. The idiom “blow off steam” means:
A. Release anger or stress
B. Ignore problems
C. Save energy
D. Sleep
Answer: A
61. What does “cut someone some slack” mean?
A. Be lenient
B. Punish
C. Criticize
D. Ignore
Answer: A
62. The idiom “get a taste of your own medicine” means:
A. Receive the same treatment you give
B. Get sick
C. Eat medicine
D. Ignore someone
Answer: A
63. What does “go down in flames” mean?
A. Succeed
B. Fail spectacularly
C. Travel
D. Relax
Answer: B
64. The idiom “have a change of heart” means:
A. Change opinion or feelings
B. Get angry
C. Exercise
D. Sleep
Answer: A
65. What does “in the nick of time” mean?
A. Too late
B. Just in time
C. Never
D. Always
Answer: B
66. The idiom “keep something at bay” means:
A. Maintain distance
B. Attract
C. Ignore
D. Destroy
Answer: A
67. What does “let sleeping dogs lie” mean?
A. Avoid restarting old conflicts
B. Wake someone
C. Ignore rules
D. Sleep
Answer: A
68. The idiom “no pain, no gain” means:
A. Effort leads to success
B. Pain is unnecessary
C. Avoid challenges
D. Gain is automatic
Answer: A
69. What does “off the record” mean?
A. Publicly announced
B. Not officially recorded
C. Recorded carefully
D. Forgotten
Answer: B
70. The idiom “pull yourself together” means:
A. Calm down and behave normally
B. Run away
C. Ignore problems
D. Cry loudly
Answer: A
71. What does “rain on someone’s parade” mean?
A. Celebrate together
B. Spoil someone’s plans
C. Dance in rain
D. Travel
Answer: B
72. The idiom “see eye to eye” means:
A. Disagree
B. Agree
C. Ignore
D. Fight
Answer: B
73. What does “take it with a grain of salt” mean?
A. Believe fully
B. Be skeptical
C. Eat something
D. Ignore
Answer: B
74. The idiom “through thick and thin” means:
A. Only in good times
B. Support in all circumstances
C. Rarely
D. Slowly
Answer: B
75. What does “wear many hats” mean?
A. Have multiple responsibilities
B. Be stylish
C. Be lazy
D. Sleep
Answer: A
76. The idiom “bend over backwards” means:
A. Make great effort to help
B. Break something
C. Relax
D. Avoid work
Answer: A
77. What does “bite off more than you can chew” mean?
A. Eat too much
B. Take on too much responsibility
C. Relax
D. Share food
Answer: B
78. The idiom “bring home the bacon” means:
A. Cook food
B. Earn a living
C. Waste time
D. Sleep
Answer: B
79. What does “hit the jackpot” mean?
A. Win big
B. Lose everything
C. Travel
D. Sleep
Answer: A
80. The idiom “jump the gun” means:
A. Start too early
B. Finish late
C. Relax
D. Wait patiently
Answer: A
81. What does “keep your chin up” mean?
A. Stay positive
B. Cry
C. Sleep
D. Worry
Answer: A
82. The idiom “leave no stone unturned” means:
A. Be careless
B. Make every effort
C. Ignore
D. Hide
Answer: B
83. What does “miss the boat” mean?
A. Arrive on time
B. Miss an opportunity
C. Travel safely
D. Swim
Answer: B
84. The idiom “on pins and needles” means:
A. Nervous or anxious
B. Relaxed
C. Sleeping
D. Happy
Answer: A
85. What does “play it by ear” mean?
A. Plan carefully
B. Decide as events happen
C. Sing
D. Listen carefully
Answer: B
86. The idiom “pull the plug” means:
A. Stop something
B. Start something
C. Repair
D. Ignore
Answer: A
87. What does “rain cats and dogs” mean?
A. Heavy rain
B. Light rain
C. Sunny
D. Snowing
Answer: A
88. The idiom “rock the boat” means:
A. Cause trouble
B. Relax
C. Celebrate
D. Ignore
Answer: A
89. What does “sit tight” mean?
A. Wait patiently
B. Stand up
C. Relax completely
D. Move
Answer: A
90. The idiom “sweep under the rug” means:
A. Hide a problem
B. Clean
C. Solve openly
D. Ignore a person
Answer: A
91. What does “take the bull by the horns” mean?
A. Face a challenge boldly
B. Avoid a problem
C. Relax
D. Hide
Answer: A
92. The idiom “the whole nine yards” means:
A. Everything possible
B. Half of something
C. A small part
D. None
Answer: A
93. What does “time flies” mean?
A. Time moves quickly
B. Time stops
C. Travel
D. Sleep
Answer: A
94. The idiom “under the table” means:
A. Secretly
B. Publicly
C. Openly
D. Slowly
Answer: A
95. What does “up in the air” mean?
A. Decided
B. Undecided
C. Flying
D. Confident
Answer: B
96. The idiom “when pigs fly” means:
A. Very likely
B. Impossible
C. Unexpectedly
D. Slowly
Answer: B
97. What does “your guess is as good as mine” mean?
A. I know
B. I have no idea
C. I will guess
D. I am confident
Answer: B
98. The idiom “zip your lip” means:
A. Speak loudly
B. Keep quiet
C. Sing
D. Yell
Answer: B
99. What does “hit the books” mean?
A. Study hard
B. Destroy books
C. Read for fun
D. Ignore school
Answer: A
100. The idiom “bite the dust” means:
A. Fail or die
B. Eat
C. Win
D. Relax
Answer: A
