Idioms & Phrases for the Assam Police Constable (AB & UB) Exam
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the meanings of the separate words, and a phrase is a short group of words that does the work of a single part of speech. In the General English paper the examiner gives an idiom in a sentence or in a question and asks for its meaning, or gives a meaning and asks for the idiom, or asks the candidate to replace an underlined phrase with a single word or with a fixed expression. Because the meaning of an idiom is settled by usage and not by the words, no amount of reasoning from the dictionary will help, and only a remembered list and a habit of reading will. This page explains how the question is set, groups the idioms by theme so that they are easier to remember, gives the meanings of the idioms that repeat most often, and shows the traps that cost marks. The material is prepared from standard English usage references and is reviewed before publication.
How This Portion Is Set
Most questions ask for the meaning of an idiom printed in bold, and the four options are four different meanings of which only one is right. Some questions give the meaning and ask which idiom expresses it. A few ask the candidate to choose the sentence in which the idiom has been used correctly, and here the answer depends on the grammatical form of the idiom and on the company it keeps. In every form, the candidate who has learnt the idiom as a single unit answers at once, and the candidate who tries to guess from the words is led to a wrong option that matches the literal sense.
Why Idioms Cannot Be Guessed
Consider the idiom to let the cat out of the bag. The words mention a cat and a bag, but the meaning is to reveal a secret. Because no rule connects the words with the meaning, the only way to answer is to have learnt the idiom before. This is why a list arranged by theme, such as animals, parts of the body, colours or time, helps: the mind stores idioms in groups and recalls them in groups. When a new idiom is met while reading, it should be written down with a sentence of its own, because an idiom learnt inside a sentence is remembered far better than one learnt as a pair of bare words.
Idioms Drawn from Animals
- To let the cat out of the bag means to reveal a secret.
- To bell the cat means to take the risk of doing a dangerous task first.
- A wild goose chase means a search that has no chance of success.
- To kill two birds with one stone means to gain two ends by a single action.
- To flog a dead horse means to waste effort on a lost cause.
- To smell a rat means to suspect something is wrong.
Idioms Drawn from the Body
- To keep one's fingers crossed means to hope for a good result.
- To turn a deaf ear means to refuse to listen.
- To have an axe to grind means to have a private purpose in mind.
- To put one's foot down means to be firm in refusing something.
- To pull someone's leg means to make fun of a person in jest.
- To lose one's head means to lose self-control in a crisis.
Idioms Drawn from Colours and Nature
- Once in a blue moon means very rarely.
- To show the white feather means to act like a coward.
- To see red means to become very angry.
- A green horn means a person without experience.
- To be in the clouds means to be lost in thought.
- To be under the weather means to feel unwell.
Idioms of Everyday Action
- To make both ends meet means to live within one's income.
- To burn the candle at both ends means to spend energy wastefully on two sides.
- To break the ice means to begin a conversation after an awkward silence.
- To be in hot water means to be in trouble.
- To take the bull by the horns means to face a problem boldly.
- To hit the nail on the head means to say or do exactly the right thing.
Phrases and Their Single-Word Equivalents
Many phrase questions ask for a single word that replaces a group of words, and these are learnt together with one word substitution. A person who is at home everywhere is cosmopolitan, one who breaks the law is a criminal, a thing that cannot be avoided is inevitable, and a speech made without preparation is extempore. When a phrase is underlined, the candidate must read the whole sentence and ask which single word would do the work of the whole phrase without changing the sense.
A Method for Answering Idiom Questions
- Read the whole sentence to see how the idiom is used before you look at its meaning.
- Decide whether the idiom is being used in its fixed sense or merely as a set of ordinary words.
- Reject every option that gives only the literal, word-by-word meaning.
- Among the remaining options, choose the one that fits the sense of the whole sentence.
- For phrase replacement questions, keep the part of speech of the phrase in mind.
- If two options seem close, choose the one that is complete and does not add a new idea.
High-Yield Idioms to Memorise
- A blessing in disguise means something that seems bad but turns out to be good.
- To add fuel to the fire means to make a quarrel worse.
- To be all ears means to listen with full attention.
- To be in the same boat means to face the same difficulty.
- To call a spade a spade means to speak plainly and without flattery.
- To keep one's word means to fulfil a promise.
- To make a mountain of a molehill means to treat a small matter as very big.
- To turn over a new leaf means to begin a better life.
Traps That Cost Marks
- Choosing the literal meaning of the words instead of the settled meaning of the idiom.
- Confusing two idioms that look alike, such as to lose one's head and to lose heart.
- Using an idiom in the wrong grammatical form, such as to pull leg instead of to pull someone's leg.
- Mistaking a proverb for an idiom when the question asks for an idiom.
- Ignoring the sentence and matching the option to the dictionary meaning alone.
A Revision Plan for This Block
- Learn twenty idioms a week and write one sentence with each.
- Arrange them by theme so that animals, body, colour and action idioms sit together.
- Read a short English column daily and mark every idiom you meet.
- Revise the previous weeks before adding a new set, so that nothing is dropped.
- Attempt a mixed idiom set once a week and review every wrong meaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is an idiom different from a phrase?
An idiom is a group of words with a settled meaning that cannot be guessed from the separate words, while a phrase is a group of words that works as a single part of speech and whose meaning is usually plain.
Why can an idiom not be translated word by word?
Because the meaning of an idiom belongs to the whole group and not to the words, a word-by-word translation gives a wrong sense, as to let the cat out of the bag gives reveal a secret and not anything about a cat.
What is the best way to remember idioms?
Learn them in themed groups and always inside a full sentence, then revise the old groups before adding new ones.
Are proverbs the same as idioms?
No. A proverb is a complete sentence that gives advice, such as honesty is the best policy, while an idiom is a group of words used as a unit inside a sentence.
How do I answer phrase replacement questions?
Read the whole sentence, note the part of speech the underlined phrase does, and choose the single word that replaces it without adding or dropping any idea.