MCQ: Phrases and Idioms- 3 - SSC CGL MCQ

Leave in the lurch: to leave in an uncomfortable or desperate situation; desert in time of trouble.
Cut corners: do something perfunctorily so as to save time or money.
Leave hanging: keep undecided, uncertain, or in suspense.
Above board: legitimate, honest, and open.
Hence, the correct answer is option C. 

Tongue in cheek: a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner; in an ironic, flippant, or insincere way.
Above someone’s station: higher than suitable for position or rank.
Agitate the gravel: to get angry.
Be thin on the ground: exist in small numbers or amounts.
Hence, the correct answer is option A. 

Up to one’s eyes/eyeballs (Idiom): to have a very large amount of something to do or be very busy with something; to emphasize the extreme degree of some undesirable or unwanted thing.
Tune up (Idiom): to prepare for something.
Dig in (Idiom): to start eating, esp. eagerly.
Crunch up (Idiom): to break someone or something up into piece.
It is obvious that ‘up to our eyes’ makes perfect sense in the given blank.
Hence, the correct answer is option D. 

Rolling in dough (Idiom): exceptionally wealthy; having large amounts of money to spend.
Bestow on (Idiom): to give something to someone; to present something to someone.
Eke out (Idiom): to make up for the deficiencies of.
To be closefisted (Idiom): someone who doesn’t want to spend money. Similar to being stingy.
It is obvious that ‘rolling in dough’ makes perfect sense in the given blank.
Hence, the correct answer is option C. 

Bear fruit (Idiom): to yield a positive result; to produce a desired result.
Play possum (Idiom): 1. pretend to be asleep or unconscious (as an opossum does when threatened). 2. feign ignorance.
Get the hard sell (Idiom): a way of trying to get someone to buy or do something by being very forceful.
Get the slip (Idiom): to escape (someone) ; to get away from (someone).
It is obvious that ‘bears fruit’ makes perfect sense in the given blank.
Hence, the correct answer is option B. 

Freak of nature (Idiom): something or someone that is unusual, rare, or abnormal in some way; beyond or outside the natural world.
Funny feeling (Idiom): an intuition or premonition about something; a sense of foreknowledge about a situation, condition, or set of circumstances.
Talk shop (Idiom): discuss matters concerning one's work, especially at a social occasion when this is inappropriate.
Wear off (Idiom): lose effectiveness or intensity.
It is obvious that ‘freak of nature’ makes perfect sense in the given blank.
Hence, the correct answer is option B. 

Safety in numbers (Idiom): being in a group offers security and protection.
Sporting chance (Idiom): a reasonable chance of winning or succeeding.
Square deal (Idiom): an instance of being treated fairly.
Standing joke (Idiom): something that regularly causes amusement or provokes ridicule.
It is obvious that ‘safety in numbers’ makes perfect sense in the given blank.
Hence, the correct answer is option A. 

Rank and file: the ordinary workers in a company or the ordinary members of an organization, and not the leaders.
Apples and oranges: used with reference to two things that are fundamentally different and therefore not suited to comparison.
Apples and pears: stairs; the set of steps leading from one floor of a building to another.
Odds and ends: various items of different types, usually small and unimportant or of little value.
Hence, the correct answer is option D. 

Straw in the wind: something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event.
Shot in the arm: something that has a sudden and positive effect on something, providing encouragement and new activity.
Stroke of luck: a fortunate occurrence that could not have been predicted or expected.
Plain sailing: smooth and easy progress in a process or activity.
Hence, the correct answer is option A. 

Fell foul of: to get into trouble because of failing to do what is required by (the law, a rule, etc.).
Run the rule over: examine cursorily for correctness or adequacy.
Strike a chord: cause someone to feel sympathy, emotion, or enthusiasm.
Stir up a hornets' nest: to do something which causes a lot of controversy or produces a situation which is extremely difficult to deal with.
Hence, the correct answer is option B. 

Come to grips with: begin to deal with or understand. This idiom does not fit in the given context of the sentence.
Turning over a new leaf: start to act or behave in a better or more responsible way. This idiom fits in the given context of the sentence correctly.
Hit the ground running: start something and proceed at a fast pace with great enthusiasm. This idiom fits correctly in the sentence as well.
Hence, the correct answer is option B. 

"Keep one’s cool" means to stay calm and composed in a difficult or stressful situation. The sentence is about how it is difficult for most people who become nervous during a conflict to remain calm, making "keep their cool" the most suitable idiom to replace the underline part of the sentence.
"Break a leg" is an idiom used to wish someone good luck,
"let the cat out of the bag" means to reveal a secret, and "hit the nail on the head" means to accurately identify or solve a problem.
Thus, the correct answer is option A.

The idioms "over the moon", which means to be very happy and excited and “as happy as a clam” which means to be extremely happy describe Tom's emotions accurately.
Option A, "In the pink", means to be in good health, and is not applicable in this context.
Thus, the correct answer is option D. 

Belle of the ball: the most beautiful woman in a gathering.
The usage of the idiom in statement I is absolutely correct.
Make a beeline: to go straight for something.
The usage of the idiom in statement II is absolutely correct.
Break one’s neck: get through the hardest part of something.
The idiom is incorrectly used in the sentence and the correct idiom will be ‘do not have a clue’.
Not have a clue: to not know something.
Hence, the correct answer is option C. 

The idiom is incorrectly used in the sentence I and the correct idiom will be ‘bat an eye’.
Cross paths: encounter or meet someone by chance.
Bat an eye: to avoid expressing surprise, fear, or shock.
The usage of the idiom in statement II is absolutely correct.
Fall on deaf ears: to disregard or ignore.
The usage of the idiom in statement III is absolutely correct.
Clarion call: a clarion is a high-pitch bugle.
Hence, the correct answer is option D.