These exercises will certainly enrich your English
Exercises on Idioms – Part 1Exercise 11-There are times when you must decide and take the bull by the horns.a)make the right decision b) make the wrong decisionc) make a bold decision d) make a final decision 2-He leads a dog's life really because his freedom is always curtailed.a) never knows what to do b) never goes outc) sometimes does something wrong d) never does what he wants 3-No-one ever mentions him because he's regarded as the black sheep of the family.a) the one with a sense of humour b) the one with a bad reputationc) the one who is always late d) the one who never washes 4-I shouldn't go outside without a raincoat because it's raining cats and dogs.a) it's just started to rain b) it's going to rainc) it's raining very heavily d) it's raining a little 5-You shouldn't sign there I think he's about to make a monkey out of you.a) to make a fool of you b) to make you lose moneyc) to make you feel stupid d) to make you lose interest 6-It's a lovely house and very big but nobody uses it so it's a bit of a white elephant.a) something very beautiful and useful b) something very big and usefulc) something very cheap and useless d) something very expensive and useless 7-When the business folded, he took the lion's share of the assets.a) the easiest part b) the smallest partc) the biggest part d) the only part 8-Without my glasses I can't see where I'm going in fact I'm as blind as a bat.a) very short sighted b) very long sightedc) very far sighted d) very clear sighted 9-I get very irritated sometimes because they're always up with the lark and I like to lie in.a) up very easily b) up very early c) up very often d) up very noisily 10-I would advise you to do that as well and in that way you'll kill two birds with one stone.a) get things done twice b) get something done two timesc) get two things done at the same time d) get two things done twice Exercise 2 1-The opposition party dismissed the government's proposal out of hand.a) without further consideration b) with some hesitationc) without thinking d) with reluctance 2-Since she started work on the stock exchange she has been making money hand over fist.a) in moderation b) in large quantities c) to a certain extent d) to some extent 3-They have lost all their money and now lead a sort of hand to mouth existence.a) impoverished b) simplified c) leisurely d) indifferent 4-It's no good asking anybody in that shop to help you because they won't lift a finger.a) show you the way b) carry your goodsc) take your order d) do anything at all for you 5-In the obituary about the millionaire all his enterprises were listed and it looked as if he had had a finger in every pie.a) a control over many activities b) an involvement in many activitiesc) an interference in many activities d) a belief in many activities 6-I've just bought a brand new car with all the latest gadgets and quite honestly it has cost me an arm and a leg.a) a reasonable amount of money b) a fair amount of moneyc) a huge amount of money d) a good deal of money 7-I don't want to have to twist your arm but I hope you realize that your refusal to comply could be harmful.a) allow you to agree b) force you to agreec) beg you to agree d) ask you to agree 8-Have a look at the benefits that the society can offer you and then you may feel like dipping your toe in the water.a) deciding to try membership straightawayb) deciding to try membership quite soonc) deciding to try membership for a yeard) deciding to try membership for a trial 9-If you do join a political party then you are expected to toe the line on every occasion.a) say what you like b) stick to the rulesc) follow your conscience d) speak your mind 10-I wouldn't say I never see eye to eye with my employers but sometimes they can make extraordinary demands.a) totally side b) totally work c) totally agree d) totally disagree Exercise 3 1-Alex had lost a lot of money and as a consequence was feeling down in the dumps.a) lonely b) miserable c) uncomfortable d) uneasy 2-He had given in to a longstanding weakness of his and pinned his hopes on the favourite winning the race.a) made a wish about b) tried his luck withc) made a promise d) put a lot of faith in 3-This horse in all honesty didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning.a) a chance in a million b) a chance worth takingc) a chance of success d) a chance of a lifetime 4-Alex said he had had a dream about the horse winning but most people regarded this story with a pinch of salt.a) with enthusiasm b) with caution c) with care d) with luck 5-What happened was that the stupid animal took fright halfway through the course and without batting an eyelid decided to go back to the start.a) taking a chance b) turning roundc) looking d) worrying at all 6-As far as Alex was concerned this was the last straw and he vowed he would never risk money on a horse ever again.a) the final decision b) the final momentc) the final disaster d) the final occasion 7-The trouble was that he didn't have a bean not even enough to pay for the fare home.a) didn't have a wallet b) didn't have a pennyc) didn't have any change d) didn't have a ticket 8-He decided he would swallow his pride and try and hitchhike.a) take his medicine b) take no interest in other peoplec) not worry what people thought d) forget about himself 9-Fortunately it wasn't long before he got a lift with an old man who had a heart of gold and gave him some money.a) was very generous b) was very wise c) was very old d) was very ill 10-He told him to invest it wisely, which Alex did. He bought a ticket for the lottery and his ship came home because he won the jackpot.a) his mind changed b) his opinion changedc) his luck changed d) his views changed Exercise 4 1-Most people like to come home after work and put their feet up.a) take their socks off b) take their shoes off c) relax d) sit down 2-Mary was exactly the same as everybody else but this particular night she wanted to let her hair down.a) wash her hair b) comb her hairc) really enjoy herself d) really comb her hair 3-She put her favourite CD on and turned it up full blast.a) to complete volume b) to exact volumec) to fine volume d) to maximum volume 4-As soon as she had done that, all hell was let loose.a) there was loud hum b) there was sound of thunderc) there was a huge noise d) there was an enormous flame 5-Her next door neighbour soon got fed up to the back teeth with the noise.a) grew hungry with b) grew angry withc) grew mad about d) grew very tired of 6-He started hammering on the adjoining wall but Mary carried on regardless.a) took little interest b) took some noticec) took not the slightest notice d) took the most interest 7-In the end her neighbour decided to speak his mind.a) say exactly what he thought b) have a chatc) say a few words d) express a point of view 8-Although he had never met her, he was determined to read her the riot act.a) tell her off b) tell her a story c) tell her straight d) tell her the truth 9-Mary opened the door and as soon as they saw each other they fell head over heels in love with each other.a) quickly b) utterly c) easily d) slowly 10-A few months later they decided to knock down the adjoining wall and now everything in the garden is lovely.a) the flowers are growing b) everything is perfectc) everything is growing ` d) everything is flowering Exercise 5 I take my hat off to all those people who worked hard to get the contract.a) respect b) encourage c) congratulate d) welcome 2-Some of you worked on until the small hours to make it a successful project.a) it was dark outside b) it was early in the morningc) it was late in the evening d) it was late in the day 3-I'm sure sometimes you all wanted to call it a day and go home.a) stop work b) start work c) continue working d) do it later 4-The important thing is that as soon as you saw the advantages, you got your teeth stuck into it.a) started to eat b) wanted to swallowc) got very interested in d) wanted to digest 5-I'm also very proud of the way you stuck to your guns.a) wouldn't go away b) wouldn't give upc) wouldn't shoot d) wouldn't fire 6-There are times in life when it's very important to keep your chin up.a) be smart b) be careful c) be brave d) be cheerful 7-There are of course those who very easily throw in the towel.a) give up b) give into c) give over d) give out 8-We can best describe someone like that as a person who is weak-kneed.a) having no resolution b) having no supportc) having no ideas d) having no legs 9-It only remains for me to express my admiration for all those of you who stayed at your posts.a) waited for your letters b) kept your lettersc) remained loyal d) stayed waiting 10-I must not forget either all those very important people, without whom none of us could operate, who work behind the scenes.a) in the dark b) at the backc) in the evenings d) in the background Exercise 6 1-Frank was an old soldier and lived through many wars.a) seen b) tasted c) enjoyed d)experienced 2-He had joined the army as a young man because he wanted to live it up a bit.a) see the world b) experience the disciplinec) have a good time d) learn new skills 3-He wanted excitement and travel and the army lived up to its reputation.a) came up to b) came near to c) went near d) went beyond 4-He certainly travelled and there was plenty of excitement, which made it possible for him to live out his dream.a) show b) find c) follow d) name 5-He also managed to live off his pay without any problems.a) put up with b) exist easily on c) just get by on d) take care of 6-He lived on the simple food provided by the army.a) ate only b) digested c) consumed d) just managed 7-For some years he lived in because he liked to be among his comrades.a) stayed in bed b) stayed in barracksc) stayed indoors d) stayed behind 8-He never really enjoyed living out.a) staying in other accommodation b) waiting outsidec) staying away from home d) staying alone 9-He never did anything wrong and so he didn't have to live down any bad reputation.a) make others remember b) make others forgetc) make others recall d) make others listen 10-He lived out his final days in a small cottage overlooking the barracks.a) numbered b) endured c) counted d) ended Exercise 7 1-What are you up to?a) trying now b) doing now c) achieving now d) starting now 2-What are you into?a) capable of b) proud of c) familiar with d) interested in 3-I'm off on Monday.a) having a holiday b) having an extra dayc) having a long day d) having a short day 4-Are you in on the latest developments?a) kept informed about b) kept attached toc) kept told about d) kept written to 5-You're on next.a) It's your opportunity b) It's your momentc) It's your time d) It's your turn 6-Are you in on Tuesdays?a) at home b) in touch c) in the house d) in the area 7-I'm certainly up for it.a) willing to try b) ready to take 8-You should know that I'm all for it.a) completely taken with b) in complete agreement withc) wholly interested in d) in complete satisfaction with 9-I'm through with that company.a) completed with b) finished with c) tired of d) sick of 10-I'm after a new car.a) searching for b) looking for c) aiming for d) trying for Exercise 8 1-When he heard that he had lost his job, it was cold comfort to learn that he could keep his car.a) a lot of help b) some help c) a little help d) little help 2-The selection of candidates was done in a hit or miss manner so that nobody knew why they were chosen.a) friendly b) happy c) easy d) casual 3-She had got herself in a pickle by trying to please everyone at the same time.a) into confusion b) into trouble c) into difficulties d) into problems 4-I'm afraid that my poor old car has finally breathed its last.a) stopped working b) stopped tryingc) stopped flying d) stopped turning 5-You're living in a fool's paradise if you think they're going to pay you for nothing.a) under an illusion b) under a dreamc) under a cloud d) under a delusion 6-It was a total mystery as apparently there was neither rhyme nor reason why he did it.a) no logical reason b) no real reasonc) no particular reason d) no special reason 7-There is clearly a sea change in the way people now look at crime today.a) a little change b) a huge changec) a fine change d) a small change 8-They looked everywhere for the lost passport but it seems to have vanished into thin air.a) disappeared slowly b) disappeared graduallyc) disappeared completely d) disappeared quickly 9-When it comes to a crisis, Charles is a tower of strength.a) very tall b) very reliable c) very strong d) very trusting 10-Whenever he has been treated badly, he always demands his pound of flesh.a) total recompense b) total satisfactionc) total agreement d) total acceptance Exercise 9 1-Charlie's in hot water again, he forgot to lock up last night.a) in the bath b) very wet c) in the shower d) in trouble 2-Forget it, that's water under the bridge now.a) best forgotten b) best learnt c) best understood d) best remembered 3-That's always the trouble if she doesn't like it, she simply throws cold water on it.a) washes it completely b) discourages it completelyc) cleans it completely d) drowns it completely 4-You must realize the gravity of the situation because you are in deep water now.a) an embarrassing situation b) a stupid situationc) a serious situation d) a strange situation 5-He is like a fish out of water whenever he goes to a party.a) feels uncomfortable b) feels dryc) feels thirsty d) feels silly 6-Don't ever lend him money, he spends it like water.a) very slowly b) very often c) very freely d) very carefully 7-We think in the present circumstances the best policy is to tread water for a while.a) take sudden steps b) take quick decisionsc) take little action d) take firm action 8-My original plan has been so watered down that I don't recognize it now.a) reduced in importance b) increased in sizec) made more fluid d) made much clearer 9-Your ideas are usually sound but this one won't hold water, I'm afraid.a) float b) be practical c) stay up d) sink 10-He'll be all right soon because any criticism is usually like water off a duck's back to him.a) of no importance b) of some importancec) of great importance d) of such importance Exercise 10 1-You will be in a very difficult situation now that he's let the cat out of the bag.a) told a story b) let the animal goc) revealed the truth d) told a lie 2-If I were you, I would not raise the subject again and my best advice is to let sleeping dogs lie.a) leave the dogs alone b) not touch the dogsc) not say any more d) keep away from the dogs 3-Remember if you go into that meeting without being prepared with some answers, you will simply be a sitting duck.a) a bird with no wings b) a ready targetc) a steady aim d) a sick animal 4-I'm afraid he didn't take my advice and they made him look a complete fool because he was unprepared and he ended up a dead duck.a) a person with no feelings b) a person with no problemsc) a person with no future d) a person with no ideas 5-Mind you as I have said many times before I don't know how he's lasted so long in the job because he's always been the lame duck in the team.a) the lazy person b) the inefficient personc) the slow person d) the wrong person 6-The older generation always maintains that in their day things were better and nowadays the country is going to the dogs.a) is having a good time b) is becoming lazyc) is losing its standards d) is becoming weaker 7-If you're unsure about which way the cat is going to jump, I suggest you hang on for a bit longer.a) how much it will cost b) when your turn comesc) how you can succeed d) what will happen next 8-There is no need to apologize about your remarks as I can assure you it's like water off a duck's back to me.a) of some concern b) of a little concernc) of little concern d) of less concern 9-Once more he is in the doghouse but I couldn't possibly tell you why.a) out of the way b) out of favour c) out of order d) out of trouble 10-As so many people are coming to a party at their house, they're running around preparing food like scalded cats.a) in a nervous state b) in a delighted statec) in a hurried state d) in a hilarious state Exercise 11 1-The one thing a public figure hates is when he loses face in front of all his admirers.a) loses good looks b) loses photos c) loses respect d) loses expressions 2-At the crucial moment the climber lost her nerve and had to be brought down the mountain.a) became excited b) became concernedc) became scared d) became upset 3-The latest opinion polls show that the government is losing ground to the opposition party.a) losing its time b) losing its opinionc) losing its votes d) losing its advantage 4-There was a time when everybody would believe her totally but after this episode I'm afraid she's losing her touch.a) losing her skill b) losing her mindc) losing her contact d) losing her friends 5-Under the new pay agreement many employees feel that they are losing out on allowances.a) at a deficit b) at a disadvantagec) at a problem d) at a difficulty 6-I'm afraid that kind of humour is totally lost on him so you'll have to explain it more simply.a) without effect b) without reasonc) without sense d) without impression 7-After only a few weeks as a teacher of very badly behaved children she realized she was losing her grip.a) losing her point b) losing her purposec) losing her control d) losing her feelings 8-He suddenly started shouting and screaming and people could plainly see that he had lost his cool.a) become angry b) become rude c) become stupid d) become loud 9-I've tried very hard indeed to understand your argument step by step but I must confess I've now lost the thread.a) I now can't follow the answer b) I now can't follow the pointc) I now can't follow the reason d) I now can't follow the reasoning 10-After the traffic accident she lost her head and drove the car into a brick wall.a) behaved strangely b) behaved foolishlyc) behaved oddly d) behaved quietly Exercise 12 1-We told him to keep his hair on because he was getting angrier and angrier.a) to stand still b) to remain calmc) to speak quietly d) to sit down 2-I can't really explain it but the moment she walks into the room and asks me a question she gets in my hair.a) pulls my hair b) terrifies me c)criticizes me d) irritates me 3-Now that he's passed his exams and got his qualifications he's decided to let his hair down.a) behave informally b) behave noisilyc) behave easily d) behave fully 4-When I opened the door and saw this white figure in front of me, it really made my hair stand on end.a) upset me b) disappointed me c) terrified me d) surprised me 5--After the boss had given her the sack, she just walked out of the office without turning a hair.a) showing some feeling b) showing no feeling at allc) showing a little feeling d) showing a lot of feeling 6-Quite frankly you're splitting hairs. Does it matter whether it's the past simple or the perfect tense?a) arguing about small points b) arguing about tensesc) arguing about grammar d) arguing about grammatical points 7-I saw him last November and since then I have seen neither hide nor hair of him.a) seen little of him b) seen him once or twicec) not seen him at all d) not seen much of him 8-Don't worry if she doesn't say much because she says she's having a bad hair day.a) she's experiencing a lot of problems b) she's doing too muchc) she's discovering horrible things d) she's been eating too much 9-I was really scared when I saw him because he was tearing his hair out about the new management decision.a) extremely excited b) extremely worriedc) extremely angry d) extremely depressed 10-They were very lucky they didn't get themselves killed because they came within a hair's breadth of falling down the mountain.a) very near to b) very nearer toc) very nearly to d) very next to Exercise 13 1-The auditors made a thorough check on all aspects of the company and decided to give it a clean bill of health.a) confirm it was satisfactory b) decide it was hygienicc) believe it was clean d) agree it was organized 2-Now that all the problems have been sorted out he is able to go back to work with a clean slate.a) making no more mess b) making things cleanc) making a fresh start d) making things up 3-After a great deal of questioning he decided to come clean and tell the truth.a) agree b) decide c) admit d) confess 4-The enquiry into allegations of fraud against the minister proved in the end that her hands were clean.a) she was willing b) she was busy c) she was innocent d) she was careful 5-With the appointment of a new director it was decided to make a clean sweep and create a new board of governors.a) remove all obstacles b) remove all chairsc) remove all symbols d) remove all problems 6-Some of the members of the board are under some suspicion but he is regarded as Mr Clean.a) well mannered b) trustworthy c) punctual d) tidy 7-I was taken to the cleaners well and truly last week: I saw the same computer for sale today at half the price I paid.a) lost some money b) lost a lot of moneyc) lost too much money d) lost more money 8-We tried to catch the thief who'd snatched the handbag but he showed us a clean pair of heels.a) lost his shoes b) fell over his shoesc) ran away quickly d) picked up his shoes 9-At the end of a lengthy police investigation he emerged as squeaky clean.a) totally clean b) totally free c) totally tired d) totally innocent 10-After several hours of cleaning the children had made the kitchen clean as a whistle before their parents came home.a) spotless b) pure c) tidy d) neat Exercise 14 1-He worries too much about his appearance and now he says he's going thin on top.a) going crazy b) going mad c) going bald d) going deaf 2-She lost her job last year and since then she's been having a thin time of it.a) finding it difficult without friends b) finding it difficult without helpc) finding it difficult without support d) finding it difficult without money 3-He really must start eating properly because at the moment he's as thin as a rake.a) very thin b) very tired c) very sleepy d) very light 4-If you know of a good plumber, let me know as they're a bit thin on the ground around here.a) difficult to see b) difficult to find 5-Although he only asked me to lend him EUR 5, I could see this was the thin end of the wedge.a) start of something financial b) start of something easyc) start of something worse d) start of something difficult 6-Since we put that advertisement in the local newspapers, replies have been coming in thick and fast.a) quickly in large numbers b) slowly in small numbersc) quickly in small numbers d) slowly in large numbers 7-You'll be lucky if you get more than two words out of him because I'm afraid he's as thick as two short planks.a) very quiet b) very slow c) very wooden d) very stupid 8-They've settled their argument at long last and now they're as thick as thieves.a) very clever b) very friendly c) very careful d) very cautious 9-In view of the way she behaved I thought it was a bit thick when she asked him to apologize to her.a) more than I could wish b) more than I could believec) more than I could stand d) more than I could follow 10-There are certain members in the party who will stand by their leader through thick and thin.a) whatever the times b) whatever the climate c)whatever the day d) whatever the difficulties www.english-test.net
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