Test your English idioms!

On this page you can test your knowledge of English Idioms and see how good you are at it.

You can find the key answers below the article, but please, don’t peep into them until you’ve completely done the task.

Choose the correct answer

1. When someone goes bananas, what happens to the person?

a) he goes shopping

b) he becomes rich and famous

c) he goes crazy

2. If you are down in the mouth, how do you feel?

a) hungry

b) angry

c) upset

3. If you pay through the nose for something, what does it mean?

a) you refuse to pay

b) you pay a small sum of money

c) you pay a big sum of money

4. “They get on like a house on fire.” What does it mean?

a) they are always quarreling

b) they get on very well

c) they hate each other

5. If you get butterflies in your stomach before an exam, how do you feel?

a) hungry

b) nervous

c) shy

6. “My English exam was a piece of cake.” What does it mean?

a) it was very easy

b) it was very difficult

c) it was too long

7. If someone is under the weather, how do they feel?

a) a bit ill

b) in a good mood

c) annoyed

8. If your computer is out of date, what does it mean?

a) it is old

b) it is broken

c) there is something wrong with its clock

9. When someone hits the roof, how does this person feel?

a) happy

b) angry

c) a bit annoyed

10. If you have got a sweet tooth, what kind of things do you like to eat?

a) cakes and chocolates

b) fish and chips

c) cucumbers and tomatoes

11. Jane has got green fingers. What is she good at?

a) cooking

b) painting

c) gardening

12. If you are playing possum, what are you doing?

a) you are telling some jokes

b) you are playing some computer games

c) you are pretending to be asleep

13. “John is a down-to-earth person.” What is he like?

a) he is very short

b) he is rude

c) he is practical

14. If your heart is in the mouth, how do you feel?

a) afraid

b) in love

c) ill

15. If you let the cat out of the bag, what do you do?

a) say something stupid

b) give away a secret

c) lose your temper

16. “Tom is as cool as a cucumber.” What does it mean?

a) he is very calm

b) he is fashionably dressed

c) he is stupid

17. What does it mean if someone is on the qui vive [ˏki:´vi:v]?

a) he is always ready to help people in need

b) he pays close attention to a situation

c) he doesn’t care much about what’s happening

18. If you are over the moon, how do you feel?

a) sleepy

b) happy

c) upset

19. Peter is wishing Kate to break a leg. What does it mean?

a) he is wishing her good luck

b) he is wishing her good health

c) he is offending her

20. “That’s the way the cookie crumbles.” What does it mean?

a) the situation which cannot be changed

b) the recipe of the cookies

c) how to clear the cookies on your computer

P.S. If the task seems to be very difficult for you, use «The Oxford Idioms Dictionary for learners of English» to learn the correct meaning of each idiom.

Keys: 

1. c          11. c
2. c          12. c
3. c          13. c
4. b          14. a
5. b          15. b
6. a          16. a
7. a          17. b
8. a          18. b
9. b          19. a
10. a           20. a

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