Introduction
Idioms and phrases usually contribute three to five questions, and one-word substitution two to four more. Idioms cannot be worked out from their literal words, so they must be learned as units. Phrasal verbs change meaning with the preposition, so learn each combination separately. One-word substitutions become easy once you know a few Greek and Latin word parts.
Important idioms and their meanings
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A blessing in disguise | something that seems bad but turns out well | Failing the exam was a blessing in disguise. |
| A piece of cake | very easy | The exam was a piece of cake. |
| A white elephant | an expensive but useless possession | The old machine is a white elephant. |
| Apple of discord | a cause of quarrel | The land became the apple of discord. |
| At sixes and sevens | in confusion | The room was at sixes and sevens. |
| Beat about the bush | avoid the main point | Do not beat about the bush; speak directly. |
| Bite the bullet | endure a painful situation bravely | He had to bite the bullet and accept the loss. |
| Break the ice | ease the tension at a first meeting | He told a joke to break the ice. |
| Burn the midnight oil | study or work late at night | She burns the midnight oil before exams. |
| By hook or by crook | by any means | He wants to win by hook or by crook. |
| Call it a day | stop working | Let us call it a day. |
| Cock and bull story | an unbelievable story | His excuse was a cock and bull story. |
| Cost an arm and a leg | be very expensive | The car cost an arm and a leg. |
| Cry over spilt milk | regret what cannot be undone | It is no use crying over spilt milk. |
| Cold shoulder | deliberate coldness | She gave me the cold shoulder. |
| Fish in troubled waters | profit from a confused situation | Politicians fish in troubled waters. |
| Green-eyed monster | jealousy | Jealousy is the green-eyed monster. |
| Hand in glove | in close and often secret cooperation | The two officials are hand in glove. |
| Hit the nail on the head | say exactly the right thing | You have hit the nail on the head. |
| In a nutshell | in brief | Tell me the story in a nutshell. |
| Kick the bucket | die | The old man kicked the bucket. |
| Let the cat out of the bag | reveal a secret | He let the cat out of the bag. |
| Once in a blue moon | very rarely | He visits us once in a blue moon. |
| Rain cats and dogs | rain very heavily | It is raining cats and dogs. |
| Red-letter day | a memorable day | 16 December is a red-letter day. |
| Spill the beans | reveal a secret | Who spilled the beans? |
| The last straw | the final event that makes a situation unbearable | His rudeness was the last straw. |
| Throw in the towel | give up | He threw in the towel after three defeats. |
| Turn over a new leaf | start afresh | He turned over a new leaf. |
| Under the weather | slightly ill | I am feeling under the weather. |
| Achilles' heel | a weak point | His pride is his Achilles' heel. |
| Bolt from the blue | a complete surprise | The news came as a bolt from the blue. |
| By and large | on the whole | By and large, the plan was a success. |
Phrasal verbs
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| put up with | tolerate | I cannot put up with this noise. |
| put off | postpone | They put off the meeting. |
| call off | cancel | The match was called off. |
| give up | quit | He gave up smoking. |
| turn down | reject | She turned down the offer. |
| bring up | raise a child | She was brought up by her aunt. |
| carry out | perform | The police carried out an inquiry. |
| run out of | have none left | We ran out of water. |
| make up for | compensate | He worked hard to make up for lost time. |
| take after | resemble | She takes after her mother. |
| break out | start suddenly | A fire broke out. |
| come across | find by chance | I came across an old friend. |
| get along with | have good relations | He gets along with everyone. |
| look down upon | despise | Do not look down upon the poor. |
| look after | take care of | She looks after her parents. |
| look into | investigate | The committee will look into the matter. |
| set off | begin a journey | We set off at dawn. |
| fall through | fail | Our plan fell through. |
| pass away | die | His grandfather passed away last year. |
| show off | boast | He likes to show off. |
One-word substitution
| Meaning | Word |
|---|---|
| a person who cannot read or write | illiterate |
| government by the people | democracy |
| government by a few | oligarchy |
| government by one person with total power | autocracy |
| government by the rich | plutocracy |
| government by religious leaders | theocracy |
| government by officials | bureaucracy |
| a lover of mankind who helps others | philanthropist |
| a hater of mankind | misanthrope |
| a hater of women | misogynist |
| study of birds | ornithology |
| study of human beings | anthropology |
| study of ancient remains | archaeology |
| study of the mind | psychology |
| killing of a king | regicide |
| killing of a father | patricide |
| killing of a mother | matricide |
| killing of a brother or sister | fratricide |
| killing of oneself | suicide |
| killing of an infant | infanticide |
| that which cannot be read | illegible |
| that which cannot be heard | inaudible |
| that which cannot be believed | incredible |
| that which cannot be avoided | inevitable |
| that which cannot be cured | incurable |
| that which cannot be defeated | invincible |
| a person who speaks many languages | polyglot |
| a person who walks in sleep | somnambulist |
| a doctor who treats eyes | ophthalmologist |
| a house for bees | apiary |
| a house for birds | aviary |
| a person who eats human flesh | cannibal |
| a life story written by oneself | autobiography |
| a life story written by another | biography |
| a speech made to oneself | soliloquy |
| beautiful handwriting | calligraphy |
| present everywhere | omnipresent |
| all-powerful | omnipotent |
| all-knowing | omniscient |
| one who does not believe in God | atheist |
| one who doubts everything | sceptic |
| fear of open spaces | agoraphobia |
| fear of closed spaces | claustrophobia |
| fear of heights | acrophobia |
| fear of water | hydrophobia |
| a person who cares for others before self | altruist |
| a person who thinks only of himself | egoist |
| a person of few words | taciturn |
| a beginner | novice |
Word parts that unlock many answers
- -cide means killing: regicide (king), patricide (father), matricide (mother), fratricide (brother), suicide (self).
- -cracy means rule: democracy (people), autocracy (one), oligarchy (few), plutocracy (rich), theocracy (religion).
- -phobia means fear: agoraphobia (open), claustrophobia (closed), acrophobia (height), hydrophobia (water).
- -logy means study: ornithology (birds), anthropology (man), archaeology (ancient), psychology (mind).
- omni- means all: omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient.
- in- + -able often means cannot be done: inevitable, incredible, illegible, inaudible.
Common exam traps
- Never read an idiom literally. Kick the bucket has nothing to do with a bucket. It means die.
- Changing the preposition changes the meaning: look after (care for), look into (investigate), look down upon (despise).
- Matricide and patricide are easy to swap. Remember mat for mother and pat for father.
- Biography is written by another person. Autobiography is written by oneself.
- An atheist denies God's existence. An agnostic says it cannot be known.
Memory tips
- Picture the idiom. Rain cats and dogs is a picture of very heavy rain.
- Group by theme. Death: kick the bucket, pass away. Secrets: spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag.
- REG, PAT, MAT, FRAT: king, father, mother, brother.
- Aviary has birds, apiary has bees. Avi is bird and api is bee.
Solved examples
Example 1. His failure in the first attempt proved a blessing in disguise. This means the failure eventually led to something good.
Example 2. She is under the weather today. This means she is slightly unwell.
Example 3. One word for a person who walks in sleep: somnambulist.
Example 4. One word for a government by the few: oligarchy.
Example 5. The meeting was ____ because of the storm. Options: put up with, called off, taken after, come across. Answer: called off.
Practice problems
- To spill the beans means: (a) to waste food (b) to reveal a secret (c) to cook (d) to fail
- Once in a blue moon means: (a) frequently (b) very rarely (c) at night (d) every month
- Look down upon means: (a) respect (b) despise (c) admire (d) investigate
- One word for fear of closed spaces.
- One word for killing of a king.
- One word for that which cannot be avoided.
Answers: 1. (b). 2. (b). 3. (b). 4. claustrophobia. 5. regicide. 6. inevitable.
Practice MCQs with solutions
Note: these are practice questions written in the style of past NTRCA/BCS preliminary papers. Please cross-check with the official question bank.
Question 1. A blessing in disguise means
- (a) a curse
- (b) a hidden good fortune
- (c) a holy person
- (d) a costly gift
Correct answer: (b) a hidden good fortune
Explanation: Something bad at first that turns out to be good.
Question 2. To beat about the bush means
- (a) to hunt
- (b) to speak evasively
- (c) to hit someone
- (d) to clear a garden
Correct answer: (b) to speak evasively
Explanation: It means avoiding the main point.
Question 3. To kick the bucket means
- (a) to get angry
- (b) to die
- (c) to fight
- (d) to play
Correct answer: (b) to die
Explanation: It is an informal idiom for dying.
Question 4. Put off means
- (a) postpone
- (b) wear
- (c) extinguish forever
- (d) arrive
Correct answer: (a) postpone
Explanation: Put off means to delay something.
Question 5. Take after means
- (a) follow orders
- (b) resemble
- (c) remove
- (d) steal
Correct answer: (b) resemble
Explanation: It means to look or behave like a relative.
Question 6. One word: a person who hates mankind
- (a) philanthropist
- (b) misanthrope
- (c) misogynist
- (d) egoist
Correct answer: (b) misanthrope
Explanation: Miso means hate and anthrop means human.
Question 7. One word: government by the people
- (a) autocracy
- (b) democracy
- (c) theocracy
- (d) oligarchy
Correct answer: (b) democracy
Explanation: Demos means people and -cracy means rule.
Question 8. One word: all-knowing
- (a) omnipotent
- (b) omnipresent
- (c) omniscient
- (d) omnivorous
Correct answer: (c) omniscient
Explanation: Omni means all and sci means know.
Key takeaways
- Learn idioms as whole units and never translate them word by word.
- Phrasal verbs change meaning with the preposition, so learn each one separately.
- Word parts such as -cide, -cracy, -phobia, -logy and omni- solve many one-word questions.
- Revise a small set every day instead of a long list once a week.