Idioms and Phrases

Questions asked in SSC

CGL Tier-1 2022

For SSC CGL Exam

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Idioms for SSC CGL Tier - 2

Select the most appropriate meaning of 4. Skilled person

the given idiom.
Choose the correct meaning of the given
Like a cakewalk idiom.

1. Smooth surface Bag and baggage

2. Pleasant experience 1. With burden

3. Easy task 2. Without any aim

4. Active 3. Without happiness

Select the most appropriate meaning of 4. With all of one’s possessions

the given idiom.
Select the most appropriate meaning of
All eyes the underlined idiom that can be
substituted in the following sentence.
1. Watching with anger
He was murdered in cold blood.
2. Watching eagerly
1. in cold weather
3. Watching with no interest
2. deliberately
4. Not watching at all
3. when blood was cold

Choose the correct meaning of the given 4. regretfully

idiom.

In weal and woe Choose the correct meaning of the given

idiom.
1. In sad and gloomy days
A skeleton in the cupboard
2. In happiness and good times
1. A popular fact which is not hidden
3. In prosperity and adversity
2. A popular fact to be kept secret
4. In despair and failure
3. An embarrassing fact not to be kept
Select the most appropriate meaning of secret
the given idiom.
4. An embarrassing fact to be kept secret
A green horn

1. Uneducated person Select the most appropriate meaning of

2. Inexperienced person the given idiom.

3. Clever person Fly into a passion

Idioms for SSC CGL Free e-book

1. To be aggressive at times Select the most appropriate meaning of

the given idiom.
2. To become aggressive often
Fair and square
3. To become angry suddenly
1. Honestly
4. To be always angry
2. Fair-skinned
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom. 3. Being vague

Break the ice 4. Good looking

1. Make people meeting first time feel

uncomfortable
2. Make people meeting first time feel sad
3. Make people meeting first time feel
more detached
4. Make people meeting first time feel
more comfortable
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom.
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom in the given
sentence.
Being an ardent professional, the lawyer
always kept his clients at an arm’s length.
1. Away from each other
2. At a distance
3. Under wraps

Beat around the bush

4. Alert and prepared
1. Avoid praising someone and demean

2. Avoid the main point by talking in a Select the most appropriate meaning of
roundabout way the given idiom.
3. Avoid saying what you mean, usually Cut a poor figure
because it is not funny
1. In a poor state
4. Avoid using foul words to make
someone uncomfortable 2. To put a good impression

3. To put a bad impression

Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom. 4. Bad physical form

To smell a rat Select the most appropriate meaning of

the given idiom.
1. To have reason to know the presence of
a rat Bear the palm

2. To have reason to suspect 1. To bring joyful news

3. To know the smell of a rat 2. To lose a game

4. To learn the smell of a rat 3. To advocate peace

Idioms for SSC CGL
4. To be a winner
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom in the given
sentence.
“Just add a bit of cheese to your pasta and
Bob’s your uncle!” Reena suggested to me
over dinner last night.
1. It becomes easily and quickly
achievable
2. It changes the appearance
3. It ruins everything
4. It changes nothing
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom in the given
sentence.
When the District Attorney asked the
convict about details of the day of the
crime, he started beating about the bush.
1. Being excessively aggressive
2. Accusing others of the crime
3. Speaking in a confusing manner
without giving a correct answer
4. Trying to invoke sympathy
Select the idiom that can correctly replace
the underlined part of the given sentence.
I know she really wants the promotion, but
she really hit me below the hand by telling
the boss about my personal problems.
1. hit me the bricks
2. hit me below the books
3. hit me below the bottle
4. hit me below the belt
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Select the most appropriate idiom that can
substitute the italicised words in the given
sentence.
He was sacked from his job because of a
grave error on his part.
1. raining cats and dogs
2. minding one’s p’s and q’s
3. picking holes in one’s cot
4. Himalayan blunder
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom.
In hot waters
1. To be in trouble
2. To dip in hot water
3. To be in a hot climate
4. To feel relaxed
Select the idiom from the given options
that gives the most appropriate meaning
of the highlighted text in the following
sentence.
The announcement of the new tourism
policy of the government has made some
people excited or interested.
1. Pull out all the stops
2. Run around in circles
3. Quicken the pulse
4. Reach for the moon
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom in the given
sentence.
The lecture by the French professor
seemed Latin and Greek to the young
students.
1. Interesting
Idioms for SSC CGL Free e-book

2. Lucid 1. A person who settles for a short time

and runs from place to
3. Unbiased
place, enjoying his freedom
4. Incomprehensible
2. A person who does not settle anywhere
Select the most appropriate idiom that can for a short time, and is always searching
substitute the italicised words in the given for gold
sentence.
3. A person who settles for a long time and
Some people still feel that they have very leads a boring and useless life
little freedom to be innovative in their
work. 4. A person who does not settle in one
place for a long time, does not gain
1. elbow room wealth, name or fame
2. an old lady Select the most appropriate meaning of
3. an old head on young shoulders the underlined idiom that can be
substituted in the following sentence.
4. to make a pile
The young boy was born with a silver
Select the most appropriate meaning of spoon in his mouth.
the given idiom.
1. born with a spoon stuck in his mouth
On the ball
2. born to riches and luxury
1. To be alert
3. born with a spoon that was not of gold
2. Doing a bad job
4. born to not so rich parents
3. Doing an average job
Select the most appropriate idiom that can
4. To be lazy substitute the italicised words in the given
sentence.
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom. The world needs a global leader who can
hold out a gesture of peace
When the war breaks out, all the war
mongering social media activists become 1. mother wit
yellow bellies.
2. halcyon days
1. Zealots
3. a grass widow
2. Cowards
4. an olive branch
3. Skeptics

4. Upset stomachs Select the most appropriate meaning of

Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom.
A rolling stone gathers no moss
the underlined idiom in the given
sentence.
Nobody in the conference seemed to
believe the cock and bull story about such
a major movie star.
Idioms for SSC CGL Free e-book

1. Factual story 4. Show that you do not like something by

making an unpleasant expression
2. Wildly exaggerated or falsified story
Choose the correct meaning of the given
3. Interesting story idiom.
4. Secretive story Turn over a new leaf
Select the most appropriate meaning of 1. To begin again
the underlined idiom that can be
substituted in the following sentence. 2. To stop finally

The game is now in full swing. 3. To plant a tree

1. very passive 4. To take a break

2. very uninteresting Select the most appropriate meaning of

the underlined idiom in the given
3. playing on the swings sentence.
4. very active A fair-weather friend can never be trusted
Select the most appropriate meaning of in the times of exigency.
the underlined idiom in the given 1. A close friend
sentence.
2. A pen friend
The MD of the company let the cat out of
the bag by telling her secretary, who got 3. A selfish friend
the much coveted promotion.
4. An old acquaintance
1. openly confess
Select the most appropriate meaning of
2. Creating a false story the given idiom.

3. To allow a secret to be known, usually Cudgel one’s brain

without intending to
1. Thinking about a debate
4. secretly confide
2. To think hard
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom. 3. Not to think

Take something at face value 4. To overthink

1. Accept something as it looks without Select the most appropriate meaning of

thinking about whether it might, in fact, the underlined idiom in the given
not be quite what it appears sentence.

2. According to the appearance of I bought some extra copies from the

something stationery shop. These may come in handy
during exams.
3. Not laugh or change your expression
even though you want to laugh 1. Be useful
Idioms for SSC CGL Free e-book

2. Cause trouble 1. Minting money

3. Be sold 2. Failing completely

4. Bring luck 3. Being informal

Select the most appropriate meaning of 4. Going to swim

the given idiom.
Select the most appropriate meaning of
Play it by ear the underlined idiom that can be
substituted in the following sentence.
1. To do something without special
preparation I begged him to reconsider my application,
but he put his foot down.
2. To plan
1. stamped his foot down
3. To listen carefully
2. agreed to reconsider
4. To improve
3. refused to yield

Select the most appropriate meaning of 4. did not run

the given idiom.

On cloud nine Select the most appropriate meaning of

the given idiom.
1. Flying
Fair-weather friends
2. Floating
1. A person who is friends with you during
3. Dreaming the night
4. Very happy 2. A person who is friends with you every
day
Select the most appropriate meaning of 3. A person whose friendship cannot be
the given idiom. relied on in times
Someone’s heart is in the right place 4. A person who is friends with you in
1. Suddenly feel so excited or frightened difficult times
that your heart beats Select the sentence that uses the idiom
faster 2. correctly.
Change your opinion or the way you feel
1. Ranita was not selected for the job as
3. Share secret worries with someone else she got cold feet.
4. Someone is good even if they 2. Walking bare feet on grass gave him
sometimes behave in a wrong manner cold feet.
Choose the correct meaning of the given 3. After too much cycling Arun got cold
idiom. feet.
Down the tubes 4. One can swim easily with cold feet.
Idioms for SSC CGL Free e-book

Select the most appropriate meaning of 4. He can't take a decision

the underlined idiom.
The new intern is a greenhorn and thus his
superiors take advantage of him.
1. Inexperienced
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom.
The sailor tells great tales of adventure
that you should take with a grain of salt.

2. Jealous 1. Great admiration

3. Overenthusiastic 2. Great patriotism

4. Sick 3. Not take too seriously

Select the most appropriate meaning of 4. Be afraid to refrain from

the underlined idiom in the given
sentence. Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom in the given
After several years of cheating on his PhD sentence.
work, the candidate finally had to face the
music and lose the opportunity. The anxious duke was found strolling in
the garden to and fro.
1. Accept ignorance
1. From north to south
2. To accept unpleasant consequences
2. From west to east
3. Choose another alternative that is
uninteresting 3. Forward and backward

4. Be exposed 4. Upward and downward

Select the most appropriate meaning of

Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom.
the given idiom. Eat humble pie
Lose your marbles 1. To apologise humbly
1. To go insane 2. To live in penury
2. To handle stress 3. To live a life of humility
3. To lower down anger 4. To enjoy life to the fullest
4. To be patient Select the most appropriate meaning of
Select the most appropriate meaning of the underlined idiom in the given
the given idiom. sentence.

He's sitting on the fence After the government interventions, the

1. He can't stop trying
2. He can't do anything seriously
3. He can't hide himself
enrolment and retention of female
students have increased by leaps and
bounds.
1. Systematically
Idioms for SSC CGL
2. Swiftly
3. Intermittently
4. Gradually
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom.
Red tape
1. Catch someone at the moment they are
doing something wrong
2. Official rules and bureaucracy that
make it difficult to do something
3. Have a negative amount in your bank
balance
4. Something unimportant that takes
attention away from the main subject
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom that can be
substituted in the following sentence.
Let us know what you think in black and
white.
1. in darkness and light
2. verbally
3. in writing
4. in black and white paint
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom.
Steer clear of
1. Show someone how to do a job or
activity
2. Be very easy
3. Avoid someone or something because
it is dangerous for you
4. Be mentally and physically exhausted
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the given idiom.
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Hold water
1. A diluted argument
2. Appear to be of no value
3. Stop emphasizing a point
4. Appear to be valid or reasonable
Select the most appropriate idiom that can
substitute the italicised words in the given
sentence.
My mother said, “Make consistent
progress for success.”
1. slow and steady
2. make a habit
3. in and outs
4. do’s and don’ts
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom in the given
sentence.
The intern aspired to understand the ins
and outs of the operating systems of the
institution.
1. Stern regulations
2. Prior conditions
3. Elaborate theories
4. Detailed description
Select the most appropriate meaning of
the underlined idiom in the given
sentence.
I must tell you that it all went pear-shaped
after you left the meeting in the middle.
1. Went terribly wrong
2. Became very entertaining
3. Became tragic
4. Turned out fine
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