GRADE 12 -IDIOMS

1. It finally _____home to me that it was time to buy a place of my own.

A. arrived  B. came  C. hit  D. reached
2. Well, it’s 7 p.m. I’d better hit the_______if I want to get home before it’s dark
A. roof  B. headlines  C. newspaper  D. road
3. She’s the type who can’t sit on holiday and is always ________the move.
A. in  B. on  C. at  D. by
4. She had never been to Prague before, and she ________in love with it straight away.
A. dropped  B. fell  C. tripped  D. crashed
5. He didn’t speak a word of French when he first moved to France. He had to pick up the language from
_________.
A. scratch  B. start  C. nought  D. nil
6. Tamara has set her__________on becoming a ballet-dancer.
A. head  B. feet  C. brain  D. heart
7. Why not buy the dress on _________then you can take it back if it doesn’t fit your mother?
A. agreement  B. approval  C. affirmation  D. affection
8. We’re free most of the weekend, but we’ve got a few bits and ____________to do on Sunday morning.
A. things  B. stuff  C. pieces  D. ends
9. It was so exciting! I was on the____________of my seat!
A. side  B. edge  C. end  D. front
10. Insects and bugs ________.
A. make my skin run  B. make my skin walk C. make my skin crawl D. make my skin march
11. There are about twenty________so people waiting in the outer office.
A. but  B. and  C. or  D. so
12. Whether or not you like some kinds of modern furniture is a matter of ___________.
A. comparison  B. taste  C. favor  D. vogue
13. Clare was __________her homework when her boyfriend called.
A. at the centre  B. in between C. halfway through  D. in the middle of
14. I’m starving! I could eat like a _________.
A. cow  B. horse  C. house  D. pig
15. You must have your head in the_________if you think you’re going to succeed without hard work.
A. ground  B. clouds  C. sky  D. air
16. How much longer do we have to wait? This is starting to get on my ___________.
A. mind  B. back  C. nerves  D. nose
17. “I’m____________to listen to your pathetic excuses,” she said.
A. sick and tired  B. having enough C. in no mood  D. sick to death
18. The fact of the__________that we have a government that will do what it wants to do for the next two
years.
A. matter  B. problem  C. point  D. situation
19. _______! You deserved to win.
A. Unfair luck  B. Nasty luck  C. Hard luck  D. Bad fortune
20. Mary wanted to give Nigel a present that was a little bit out of the ____________.
A. normal  B. ordinary  C. average  D. everyday
21. I know it’s early but I thought we ought to leave _______.
A. timely  B. on time  C. at the time  D. in good time
22. The nearest town was 80 km away, I mean really in the middle of __________.
A. everywhere  B. somewhere  C. anywhere  D. nowhere
23. I need to get some cash. Do you think we might pass a bank ____________?
A. in the way  B. to the way  C. on the way  D. at the way
24. I couldn’t finish the exam because I was just too __________time.
A. run out of  B. wasted  C. spent  D. short of
25. “Did you sleep well?” “Yeah, like a __________”.
A. drunk  B. log  C. horse  D. fish
26. Phillips offered Joan a to cry on after her husband’s death.
A. shoulder  B. arm  C. hand  D. leg
27. There were a few small villages______________, but no major city for miles around.
A. on and off  B. here and there C. back and forth  D. up and down
28. During the match, someone _______fire to the stadium.
A. opened  B. put  C. set  D. caught
29. Several angry drivers shook their_______at me as I drove away
A. elbows  B. arms  C. hands  D. fists
30. Each time I sneezed, everyone said: “_______you!”
A. Cough  B. Bless  C. Cold  D. Thank
31. I need an assistant – I’m up to _________with work.
A. my eyes  B. my ears  C. here  D. All are correct
32. Stop making that noise! You’re getting on my __!
A. muscles  B. brains  C. nerves  D. blood
33. I don’t have any cash just now. I’m___________.
A. flat broken  B. flat broke  C. no money  D. less money
34. She’s won the lottery! She’s _________the moon!
A. across  B. over  C. along  D. through
35. I know your name is Jim. When I called you Tim it was just a ___________of
A. slip  B. skid  C. skim  D. slight
36. After a six-year-relationship, Martha and Billy have decided to __________.
A. break the bank  B turn the page C. make the grade  D. tie the knot
37. If he thinks he’s capable of building a house on his own, he’s living _____________.
A. in a fantasy world  B. in the clouds C. on the moon  D. in the sky
38. She may seem unapproachable when you first meet her, but the truth is she has a(n) __________
of gold.
A. heart  B. soul  C. attitude  D. feeling
39. On first coming to England, I fell________in love with a girl who lived in the flat below mine.
A. feet over hands  B. elbow to toe C. foot in mouth  D. head over heels
40. He’s such a ________! Just when everyone is having a good time he starts moaning about being
tired.
A. dry bone  B. soft touch  C. wet blanket  D. drop kick
41. The suspect was seen________with intent outside of the jewellery store.
A. lying  B. loitering  C. waiting  D. standing
42. I could tell from her face that she was on the _________of bursting into tears.
A. limit  B. edge  C. verge  D. border
43. “Did you enjoy the party?”. Well, kind ________.
A. off  B. of  C. like  D. or
44. Let’s settle this argument once and for ________.
A. all  B. ever  C. always  D. once
45. I _____in love with her the first time, I saw her and we’ve just celebrated our 50th anniversary.
A. fell  B. stumbled  C. tripped  D. tie the knot
46. “Can you tell me where Portsmouth Road is?
“Sorry, I haven’t got a_________.”
A. idea  B. faintest  C. clue  D. knowledge
47. I don’t want to listen to any more of your half- ___________ideas. Come back when you have some
ideas that aren’t impractical and stupid.
A. mashed  B. peeled  C. rinsed  D. baked
48. Students sometimes support themselves by _________of evening jobs.
A. efforts  B. methods  C. means  D. ways
49. She’s a very ________person, so her friends often ask her for advice.
A. practiced  B. basic  C. earthy  D. down-to-earth
50. You should take notice of warnings which state that guard dogs are on ____________.
A. alert  B. patrol  C. defence  D. watch
51. I revised my views ______comments from colleagues.
 A. against  B. further to C. in the light of  D. consequent upon
52. Eating a bar of chocolate from time___________time won’t do you any harm.
A. in  B. to  C. at  D. with
53. In most countries, driving tests are available on___________.
A. demand  B. requesting  C. question  D. asking
54. What a heavy fog we have! I’m sure our flight will surely fall behind ___________.
A. plan B. shipment C. time D. schedule
55. Mr. Henry was given a medal in ________of his service to his country.
A. response B. gratitude C. recognition  D. knowledge
56. I won’t buy that car because it has too much ________on it.
A. ups and downs  B. adds and ends C. wear and tear  D white lie
57. She passed the National High School Graduation Exam with _________colours.
A. bright  B. flying  C. red  D. true
58. Taxis don’t follow any schedule; they come and go ____________.
A. in sequence  B. chronologically C. at random  D. punctually
59. I shall do the job to the best of my____________.
A. ability  B. knowledge  C. talent  D. capacity
60. Can you deliver this letter ___________hand?
A. in  B. with  C. to  D. by
61. I’m opting out of the _________race and going to live on a small farm in the countryside.
A. horse  B. dog C. rat D. cat and mouse
62. You can talk to him until you are _____in the face, but he still won’t understand.
A. white  B. green  C. yellow  D. blue
63. He has been caught in the rain, and has been wet ____________.
A. over and over  B. once for all C. to and fro  D. through and through
64. I’m very lazy. I only go to the gym once in a __________moon.
A. full  B. black  C. new  D. blue
65. Of course an encyclopedia is not a book you read _________.
A. from cover by page  B. from cover to cover C. from the start to the stop D. from the top to the end
66. Mr. Simkins is the big ________in the company as he has just been promoted to the position of
Managing DireCtor.
A. bread  B. cheese  C. meat  D. ends and odds
67. My English is progressing__________.
A. odds and ends  B. leaps and bounds C. bounds and leaps  D. ends and odds
68. When you do something, you should ____________.
A. get through to  B. turn over a new leaf C. weigh up the pros and cons D. go down well with
69. We regret to tell you that the materials you ordered are _____________.
A. out of reach  B. out of practice C. out of stock  D. out of work
70. In the rush hour, the traffic ________ its way over the bridge into the city.
A. crawled  B. inched  C. forced  D. wormed
71. He put the two letters into the wrong envelopes___________mistake.
A. on  B. by  C. with  D. in
72. I read the contract again and again ___________avoiding making spelling mistakes.
A. in terms of  B. by means of C. with a view to  D. in view of
73. Everyone can join our club,_________age and sex.
A. in place of  B. regardless of C. in case of  D. not mention
74. When you use the Internet, you have so much information at your______________.
A. fingers  B. hands  C. thumbs  D. fingertips
75. Without written evidence, we don’t have a _______on.
A. leg to stand  B. foot to stand C. leg to lean  D. foot to lean
76. Human beings have driven rare animals and plants____________of extinction in the past 100 years
A. on the verge  B. to the verge C. under the verge  D. at the verge
78. You can’t just bury your________in the sand and hope that this problem goes away.
A. book  B. hand  C. head  D. foot
79. He’s sometimes bad-tempered but he’s a good fellow _________.
 A. in heart  B. by heart  C. at heart  D. with heart
80. Stop ________about the bush, John! Just tell me exactly what the problem is.
A. rushing  B. hiding  C. beating  D. moving
81. The director and the producer don’t see _______on certain aspects of products.
A. face to face  B. heart to heart C. mind to mind  D. eye to eye
82. Mary Smith decided to give up her job for the ____________of her children.
A. reason  B. concern  C. care  D. sake
83. According to a recent survey, most people are on good _________with their neighbours.
A. relations  B. terms  C. acquaintance  D. relationships
84. I just took it ________that held always be available.
A. for granted  B. into consideration C. easy  D. into account
85. She clearly joined the firm with a(n) __________to improving herself
professionally.
A. view  B. aim  C. plan  D. ambition
86. Stefania’s decision to give up her job came as a _________to all her colleagues.
A. surprise  B. delight  C. pleasure  D. concern
87. It’s a good idea in theory, but it’s going to be hard to put it into__________.
A. practice  B. trial  C. test  D. examination
88. If you take into _____stopping for lunch on the way, the journey should
take about four hours.
A. thought  B allowance  C. reminder  D. account
89. The opposition will be elected into government at the next election, without a __________ of a doubt.
A. shade  B. shadow  C. benefit  D. hue
90. I’ve never really enjoyed going to the ballet or the opera; they’re not really my ___________.
A. piece of cake  B. sweets and candy C. biscuit  D. cup of tea
91. In the _______of security, personnel must wear their identity badges at all time.
A. interests  B. demands C. assistance  D. requirement
92. Vietnam’s Got Talent is the game show that has taken audiences ___________.
A. by storm  B. by wind  C. by night  D. by heart
93. When I got my case back, it had been damaged ____________repair.
A. over  B. further  C. above  D. beyond
94. We need to discuss the________and bolts of the proposal before going any further.
A. component  B. nuts  C. summary  D. details
95. Mr. Nixon refused to answer the questions on the ________that the matter was confidential.
A. reasons  B. excuses  C. grounds  D. foundations
96. Jo was shocked when I disagreed with her. She’s so used to getting her own ________.
A. mind  B. way  C. opinion  D. views
97. After listening to all arguments I am now of the _________that there should be no new road.
A. opinion  B. idea  C. thought  D. attitude
98. He left the country_________arrest if he returned.
A. with threat of  B. in fear of C. with fear of  D. under threat of
99. He was a natural singer with a voice that was as clear as _______________.
A. a mirror  B. a lake  C. a bell  D. a water fall
100. He may be shy now, but he will soon come out of his ________when he meets the right girl.
A. shell  B. shoe  C. shed  D. hole
101. Luggage may be placed here _______the owner’s risk.
A. at  B. by  C. under  D. with
102. The police are ___________certain who the culprit is.
A. in some ways  B. here and there C. more or less  D. by and by
103. Don’t quote me. what I am about to say is _________ the record.
A. on  B. above  C. off  D. without
104. I’ve been doing my best to reduce the backlog, but I must admit that I’ve hardly put __________ in
the problem so far.
A. a foot  B. a dent  C. a brave face  D. damper
105. We may win, we may lose – it’s just the luck of the __________.
 A. draw  B. odd  C. fate  D. chance
106. They are having serious problems. Their relationship is on the__________.
A. rocks  B. cliffs  C. stones  D. grass
107. Unemployment threat has been _____________for a while now.
A. daunting on the lookout  B. intimidating on the air
C. overwhelming on the wing  D. looming on the horizon
108. I don’t like turning down work, but I’ll have to, I’m afraid I’ve got far too much _____________
at the moment.
A. on my plate  B. in effect  C. on my mind  D. up my sleeve
109. William is an authority ___________ medieval tapestries.
A. on  B. with  C. about  D. in
110. My grandfather can’t remember anything about his life because he has lost his _____________.
A. head  B. brain  C. memory  D. mind
111. Losing my job was a _______. I never would have found this one if it hadn’t happened.
A. bleeding heart  B. breath of fresh air C. blessing in disguise D. bone to pick with
112. We’re ________if we continue with genetic modification of our food.
A. playing out of our skin  B. playing with fire C. playing over  D. adding fuel to the fire
113. After their argument, John didn’t know if Rick was a friend or a _____________.
A. friend  B. rival  C. blood  D. foe
114. I applied for the job______the off chance, but I didn’t seriously expect to get it.
A. with  B. on  C. by  D. for
115. They agreed to the changes __________that they would be introduced gradually.
A. with the conditions  B. by the comprehension C. for the interpretation D. on the understanding
116. The police are warning the public to be on the ______________for suspicious packages.
A. guard  B. care  C. alert  D. alarm
117. The issue is still_________discussion.
A. in  B. on  C. under  D. for
118. Sitting uncomfortably among many people he didn’t know, Joe was like ___________.
A. water off a duck’s back B. a fish out of water C. a duck to water  D. water under the bridge
119. What’s wrong with you today? Did you get out of bed on the wrong ______________?
A. edge  B. foot  C. side  D. end
120. This house costs an arm and a ______________.
A. leg  B. hand  C. finger  D. forearm
121. He longs__________to see his family again.
A. above all  B. all of a sudden  C. as a rule  D. all at once
122. The company can’t expect me to move my home and family at the drop of____________.
A. blood  B. a water  C. rain  D. a hat
123. An accident of this magnitude could easily bring the factory’s production to a __________.
A. halt  B. quit  C. stay  D. block
124. Nothing __________the ordinary ever happens here.
A. out of  B. within  C. from  D. bout
125. A journalist is _____on a politician in order to damage the politician’s image.
A. digging his own grave  B. digging up dirt C. digging up out of the earth D. digging it out
126. We were having dinner in a restaurant last night when this guy at the next table ___________
because the waiter brought the wrong thing.
A. flew by the seat of his pants  B. flushed out of some place
C. flew into the face of danger  D. flew off the handle
127. Even if you are rich, you should save some money for a_______________day.
A. windy  B. rainy  C. foggy  D. snowy
128. Why don’t you sit down and _______________?
A. make yourself at peace B. make it your own home C. make yourself at home D. make yourself at rest
129. Do I have to _______my age?
A. do  B. follow  C. act  D. see
130. I_______and realized that I would have made exactly the same choice.
A. place myself in Tom’s shoes  B. put Tom in his place
 C. put myself in Tom’s shoes  D. put Tom in place
131. We still meet up for a drink and a chat once __________.
A. in a black mood  B. at a time  C. in a blue moon  D. in a while
132. I called Jenna yesterday with a view _________her about the project.
A. of asking  B. to asking  C. in asking  D. for asking
133. We have our_______of course, but we are still quite satisfied with our life.
A. odds and ends  B. ups and downs C. safe and sound  D. hair on his head
134. Peter was born and brought up in Hastings and knows it like the ________.
A. nose on his face  B. tip of his tongue C. back of his hand  D. hair on his head
135. It rained __________yesterday, so we could not go sailing.
A. cats and dogs  B. chalk and cheese C. fast and furious  D. ups and downs
136. I’m sorry! I didn’t break that vase on ________.
A. time  B. purpose  C. intention  D. my mind
137. I’ve never really enjoyed going to the ballet or the opera; they’re not really my _________.
A. piece of cake  B. sweets and candy C. biscuit  D. cup of tea
138. After running up the stairs, I was____________breath.
A. away from  B. without  C. no  D. out of
139. ______wait for no man.
A. Tide and fire  B. Time and tide C. Time and fire  D. Tide and time
140. I know his name, but I can’t recall it at the moment. It’s on the tip of _________.
A. tongue  B. brain  C. mind  D. memory
141. The worried man walked ______in the corridor waiting for the announcement.
A. back and fro  B. to and forth C. to and fro  D. to and back
142. Chris’s father could not afford to send him to school because he was____________.
A. in high spirit  B. at loss  C. on approval  D. in debt
143. I am trying to ________the sundial in the back garden.
A. make allowance for  B. make up C. put up  D. make room for
144. Don’t try to bite off more than you can ____________I am afraid you are not so talented.
A. take  B. swallow  C. hold  D. chew
145. Sorry, I can’t talk now. I am ____________.
A. in the nick of time  B. on approval C. out of reach  D. in a hurry