NDA Idioms and phrases previous year questions with solutions

Answer: (c) To not try to hide one’s feelings

Method. 'make no bones about' = be frank, not hesitate or hide

Idiom: to state something openly with no hesitation or concealment. Option c ('not try to hide one's feelings') is the nearest; 'not come right to the point' (d) is the reverse.

Loose match: idiom is 'speak frankly/⁠without hesitation'; c is the nearest.

Answer: (b) Point of long standing dispute

Method. 'bone of contention' = subject of long-running dispute

Picture: dogs fighting over a bone. Idiom: a matter that people quarrel over.

Answer: (a) With humility

Method. 'hat in hand' = humbly, as a supplicant

Picture: a person holding his hat respectfully in front of him while asking a favour. Idiom: humbly, with deference.

Answer: (b) To try to do more than you can manage

Method. 'bite off more than you can chew' = take on too much

Picture: taking a mouthful too big to chew. Idiom: attempt more than one can manage. (UPSC's wording of option a is as printed.)

Answer: (c) I and III

Method. correct idiom-meaning pairs

I: 'have one foot in the grave' = near death, in the last stage of life: correct. II: 'get your feet wet' = begin to try a new activity, not 'establish yourself securely': wrong. III: 'follow suit' = do the same as another has done (from card games, playing the suit led): correct. So I and III.

Pair III's 'correctly conform' is loosely worded but follows the idiom's sense; c is the only option consistent with I correct, II wrong.

Answer: (a) Feelings of hatred between people

Method. 'bad blood' = ill feeling or hatred between people

Idiom: enmity or hostility between people, often from past quarrels.

Answer: (b) An extremely thin person

Method. idiom 'a bag of bones'

A bag of bones is a very thin, emaciated person or animal (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms).

Answer: (d) To tell people about your plans

Method. idiom 'show your hand'

To show one's hand is to reveal one's plans or intentions; from card games, where one exposes one's cards.

Answer: (b) Improve your work or behaviour

Method. idiom 'pull your socks up'

To pull one's socks up is to make an effort to improve one's work or behaviour (British informal, Oxford Dictionary of Idioms).

Answer: (c) To annoy someone

Method. idiom 'get under someone's skin'

To get under someone's skin is to irritate or annoy them persistently (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms). It can also mean to fascinate, but 'annoy' is the only option that fits.

Answer: (b) Powerful ambition

Method. idiom 'fire in the belly'

Fire in the belly = strong ambition, drive and determination (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms).

Answer: (d) To help someone to be successful

Method. idiom 'give someone a leg up'

To give someone a leg up is to help them to advance or succeed. Literal picture: cupping hands to boost someone up onto a horse or wall.

Answer: (a) To stop yourself from saying something because it would be better not to

Method. idiom 'bite your tongue'

To bite one's tongue is to stop oneself saying what one wants to say because it is wiser not to (Cambridge Dictionary). (b) is the literal accident.

Answer: (d) To choose to ignore behaviour that you know is wrong

Method. idiom 'turn a blind eye'

To turn a blind eye is to pretend not to notice, or deliberately ignore, something wrong. Associated with Nelson at Copenhagen, who put his telescope to his blind eye to ignore a signal.

Answer: (d) to try very hard to achieve something

Method. idiom 'fight tooth and nail'

To fight tooth and nail is to fight very fiercely, with every means: to try very hard to get or achieve something (Cambridge Idioms, Longman). That is (d). (c), 'to try hard to prevent something', is the sense the phrase takes only in 'fight tooth and nail against something'; (a) and (b) read the fighting literally.

Oxford Dictionary of Idioms glosses the phrase simply as 'fight very fiercely'; with 'against', it means resisting something, which is why (c) can tempt. The bare idiom, as set, is (d).

Answer: (c) Information from reliable and authoritative source

Method. 'straight from the horse's mouth' = from the most reliable source

A horse's age is judged from its teeth, so one who looks in its mouth has the first-hand truth. Idiom: information direct from an authoritative source.

Answer: (d) Something very easy to accomplish

Method. 'a piece of cake' = something very easy

Idiom: a task that is very easy to accomplish.

Answer: (b) The largest and the best part of something

Method. 'the lion's share' = the largest part

From Aesop's fable in which the lion claims almost everything. Idiom: the largest and best portion.

Answer: (a) Reveal a secret

Method. 'spill the beans' = reveal a secret

Idiom: to disclose confidential information, often accidentally.

Answer: (c) To spoil other’s plans

Method. 'cook someone's goose' = ruin their plans

Idiom: to spoil someone's chances or plans, bringing about their downfall.

Answer: (a) A strange person

Method. 'a queer fish' = an odd person

Idiom for an eccentric, strange person (idiom dictionary).

Answer: (d) Eat very little

Method. 'eat like a bird' = eat very little

Birds peck at small amounts of food, so to eat like a bird is to eat very little.

Answer: (b) Argue about something

Method. 'lock horns' = quarrel or contend

Picture: two stags or bulls interlocking horns in a fight. Idiom: to get into a dispute or argument with someone.

Answer: (d) First arrival

Method. 'early bird' = one who arrives or acts first

From 'the early bird catches the worm'. An early bird is a person who arrives, rises or acts before others, i.e. a first arrival.

Answer: (a) confident of success

Method. idiom 'counting your chickens'

From 'don't count your chickens before they hatch': to be so sure of future success that you act as if it had happened. Of the options, 'confident of success' is the only one that fits.

Loose match: the idiom implies premature confidence; (a) taken as nearest.

Answer: (b) extra benefit over and above an already good deal

Method. idiom 'the icing on the cake'

The icing on the cake is an extra good thing that makes a good situation even better (Cambridge Dictionary).

Answer: (a) very different from each other

Method. 'like chalk and cheese' = utterly different

Chalk and cheese look alike (white, solid) but are entirely unlike; the idiom means two things very different from each other. (d) is the opposite.

Answer: (a) To annoy

Method. idiom 'raise hackles'

To raise (someone's) hackles is to make them angry or annoyed. Hackles are the neck hairs of a dog, which stand up when it is angry.

Answer: (b) a person who wins a race or competition although no one expected him to

Method. idiom 'dark horse'

A dark horse is a little-known person who unexpectedly wins or proves to have hidden talent; from horse racing, where an unknown horse's form is a mystery.

Answer: (c) to get benefit in bad situation

Method. idiom 'fish in troubled waters'

To fish in troubled waters is to exploit a disturbed or confused situation for one's own gain. Literal picture: fish are easier to catch in muddy, stirred-up water.

Answer: (a) Complaining about a loss in the past

Method. idiom 'cry over spilt milk'

To cry over spilt milk is to lament a loss or mistake that is past and cannot be undone (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms). The literal picture: weeping over milk already spilt is pointless.

Answer: (b) To come up to expectations

Method. idiom 'cut the mustard'

To cut the mustard is to reach the required standard, to come up to expectations (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms); usually used in the negative, 'he can't cut the mustard'. Nothing to do with cooking.

Answer: (b) Don’t make plans for something that might not happen

Method. proverb 'don't count your chickens before they hatch'

The proverb warns against making plans that rest on something not yet certain to happen. Literal picture: counting chicks before the eggs have hatched. (d) is a different proverb, 'don't put all your eggs in one basket'.

Answer: (b) To make a decision you cannot change

Method. 'burn your bridges' = make an irreversible decision

Picture: destroying the bridge you crossed so retreat is impossible. Idiom: to take an action that cannot be undone, cutting off return.

Answer: (d) Something ugly that spoils the appearance of a place

Method. 'a blot on the landscape' = an ugly eyesore

Blot = stain. Idiom: something ugly that spoils the look of a place.

Answer: (d) To say or do something to stop an argument or calm down a situation

Method. 'pour oil on troubled waters' = calm a quarrel

Oil spread on rough sea was believed to calm waves. Idiom: to say or do something to soothe a disagreement. (c) is the opposite.

Answer: (d) A lie that you tell to avoid hurting someone

Method. 'white lie' = harmless lie told to spare feelings

Idiom: a small, kindly lie told to avoid hurting someone.

Answer: (d) to be in the midst of a controversy

Method. 'in the eye of the storm' = in the middle of a controversy

Idiom: at the centre of a turbulent situation or controversy (the 'eye' is the storm's centre, though calm in meteorology).

Answer: (d) Disappear suddenly

Method. 'disappear into thin air' = vanish suddenly without trace

Like a vapour in air: to vanish suddenly and completely. 'Lost forever' (a) adds permanence the idiom does not state; 'suddenly' is the core.

Option a ('lost forever') is a weaker partial match; d chosen for suddenness.

Answer: (a) To be very healthy

Method. 'in the pink' = in excellent health

Idiom: in the best of health (pink = the flush of good health).

Answer: (b) A complete change

Method. 'a sea change' = a profound transformation

Shakespeare's 'a sea-change into something rich and strange' (The Tempest): a complete, marked change; not about tides.

Answer: (c) An important piece of advice

Method. 'pearl of wisdom' = a valuable piece of advice

A pearl is precious; a pearl of wisdom is a wise, valuable remark or piece of advice (sometimes said ironically).

Answer: (d) To be extremely happy

Method. 'in seventh heaven' = extremely happy

The seventh heaven was the highest heaven in some traditions, the place of supreme bliss; so ecstatic happiness.

Answer: (a) To owe money to a bank

Method. 'in the red' = owing money, in debt

From accounting: debts were written in red ink. To be in the red is to have an overdrawn account, i.e. to owe money to the bank (option a is the only debt sense).

Answer: (d) timely action that prevents a negative outcome

Method. proverb 'a stitch in time (saves nine)'

The proverb says that a timely small repair or action prevents bigger trouble later. Literal picture: one stitch mends a small tear before it widens.

Answer: (c) state of total confusion

Method. idiom 'at sixes and sevens'

At sixes and sevens = in a state of confusion or disarray (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms).

Answer: (a) talking hurriedly and rapidly

Method. idiom 'talk twenty to the dozen'

The idiom's standard form is 'talk nineteen to the dozen', to talk rapidly and incessantly (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms); UPSC's 'twenty to the dozen' is a variant of the same phrase. (b) 'too much' misses the speed.

Answer: (d) unwell

Method. idiom 'under the weather'

Under the weather = slightly unwell, out of sorts (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms).

Answer: (c) rarely

Method. 'once in a blue moon' = very rarely

A blue moon is a rare event, so the idiom means 'very rarely'. Both 'occasionally' (b) and 'rarely' (c) are offered; 'rarely' is the nearer, since the phrase stresses infrequency, not mere sometimes.

Options b and c both near; 'rarely' is closer to the idiom's force (very infrequent).

Answer: (d) To make the situation complicated

Method. idiom 'muddy the waters'

To muddy the waters is to make a situation unclear or more complicated. Literal picture: stirring mud so water cannot be seen through.

Answer: (c) To be too old to do things

Method. idiom 'over the hill'

To be over the hill is to be past one's prime; too old to do things well (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms). The literal picture: having passed the top of the climb and now descending.

Answer: (c) Writings in newspapers that try to influence people’s opinion by using strong language and false information

Method. term 'yellow journalism'

Yellow journalism is sensational, exaggerated or false reporting that sways public opinion (Oxford Dictionary of English); the term arose from 1890s New York newspaper rivalry, from a comic strip, 'The Yellow Kid'.

Answer: (b) To be extremely happy

Method. idiom 'in seventh heaven'

To be in seventh heaven is to be in a state of extreme happiness. The seventh heaven was the highest heaven in Jewish and Muslim tradition, the abode of God.

Answer: (b) a very important or significant day

Method. idiom 'red-letter day'

A red-letter day is a memorable, important or happy day; from saints' days and holidays printed in red in church calendars.

Answer: (b) To get down to practical details

Method. 'nuts and bolts' = the practical details

Nuts and bolts are the basic fastenings of a machine; idiomatically, the basic practical details of something.

Answer: (c) to delay making a decision

Method. 'sit on the fence' = refuse to decide or take sides

Idiom: to delay or avoid committing to a decision or side. 'Delay making a decision' is the option given for it here.

Answer: (c) to start planning again because the previous plan has failed

Method. 'back to the drawing board' = start planning afresh

Idiom: a plan has failed and one must start again.

Answer: (d) an exciting and eventful lifestyle

Method. 'life in the fast lane' = exciting, eventful, often reckless life

Picture: the fast lane of a highway. Idiom: a lively, exciting and eventful lifestyle.

Answer: (b) to shift the responsibility of something to someone

Method. 'pass the buck' = shift responsibility to another

From poker, where a buck marker is passed to the next dealer. Idiom: to hand the responsibility or blame to someone else.

Answer: (a) Forcing someone to do what you want

Method. 'put the screws on' = pressurise

From the thumbscrew torture device. Idiom: to apply pressure to force someone to do something.

Answer: (c) Avoid taking sides

Method. 'sit on the fence' = avoid taking sides

Picture: perched on a fence between two fields, committing to neither. Idiom: to refuse to take sides in a dispute. Here 'avoid taking sides' is the exact match.

Answer: (d) A clever person

Method. 'sharp as a tack' = quick-witted, clever

Idiom: very intelligent and mentally alert. Options b (shrewd) and d (clever) both near; 'clever' is the plain dictionary gloss of 'sharp as a tack', while 'shrewd' stresses worldly cunning.

Loose match: b 'shrewd' vs d 'clever'; chose d as the idiom's dictionary sense (intelligent, quick). Not fully sure UPSC intends d.

Answer: (b) Keep moving from one place to another

Method. 'from pillar to post' = from one place to another

Idiom: to be driven from one place or situation to another, restlessly.

Answer: (c) In a good position to win

Method. 'in the running' = having a chance of winning

In a race one who is still 'running' has a chance; so 'in a good position to win'. 'Out of the running' is the opposite.

Answer: (c) to be undecided

Method. 'to sit on the fence' = remain undecided

Picture: a person perched on a fence, belonging to neither field. Idiom: to hesitate or stay neutral between two sides, i.e. be undecided (standard idiom dictionary sense). 'Sit without doing anything' is only the literal act.

Answer: (c) To upset someone by doing/⁠saying more than you should

Method. idiom 'overstep the mark'

To overstep the mark is to go beyond what is acceptable, e.g. by saying or doing more than one should and so offending (Cambridge Dictionary). Literal picture: stepping past a line drawn on the ground.

Answer: (a) in an honest way

Method. idiom 'fair and square'

Fair and square = honestly, in a way that follows the rules (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms), as in 'he won fair and square'.

Answer: (c) to act very carefully

Method. idiom 'walk a tightrope'

Literal picture: a performer walking a rope, who must balance with great care. Idiomatically, to be in a delicate situation needing very careful action. 'Invite danger' (d) misses the care involved.

Answer: (c) to be grateful for good things in your life

Method. 'count your blessings' = be grateful for what is good

Idiom: remind yourself of the good things in your life and be thankful.

Answer: (b) to succeed when others thought that you would not

Method. 'have the last laugh' = succeed in the end after being doubted

Idiom: to triumph finally, after others had expected you to fail or laughed at you.

Answer: (c) someone who is considered undesirable

Method. 'be bad news' = someone/⁠something undesirable

Idiom: a person or thing likely to cause trouble or considered undesirable. Option c is the nearest; 'to be ill' is the literal misreading.

Loose wording; c is the nearest to 'bad news' (a person who causes trouble).

Answer: (a) Very complicated system or machine for doing a simple task

Method. 'Heath Robinson' = absurdly complicated contraption

After cartoonist W. Heath Robinson, who drew absurdly elaborate machines for simple tasks. Describes a very complicated system for a simple task.

Answer: (d) Very close friends who are looked upon with suspicion

Method. 'thick as thieves' = very close friends

Idiom: extremely intimate, conspiratorial friends. Option d gives the closeness (plus suspicion, which suits thieves); the others are unrelated.

Option d is loose in its 'looked upon with suspicion' rider, but is the only option naming close friends.

Answer: (d) through difficult times

Method. 'through thick and thin' = in good times and bad

Literal picture: pushing through thick undergrowth and thin. Idiom: loyally, in all circumstances, including difficult ones; of the options only 'through difficult times' carries that sense.

(d) is the only option with the idiom's sense; 'best of everything' ignores the bad times.

Answer: (d) Learning things through difficult experiences

Method. idiom 'school of hard knocks'

The school of hard knocks is learning through difficult, painful experience of life rather than formal education. (a) 'from experience' alone omits the hardship.

Loose match: (d) is nearer than (a) because the phrase carries the idea of hardship.

Answer: (b) A scholar in literature

Method. idiom 'man of letters'

A man of letters is a scholar, or one learned in literature, often also a writer (Oxford Dictionary of English). (d) 'novelist' is too narrow.

Answer: (a) Good friends

Method. informal 'palsy-walsy'

Palsy-walsy (informal) = very friendly, on intimate terms (Oxford Dictionary of English); hence 'good friends', the nearest option. (c) adds a sense of choice that is not in the phrase.

UPSC's option set gives only a loose match: (a) is taken as the nearest.

Answer: (a) To do something that causes a lot of new problems that you did not expect

Method. idiom 'open a Pandora's box'

To open Pandora's box is to start something that causes many unforeseen problems. In Greek myth Pandora opened the jar and let loose all evils.

Answer: (a) To completely change something

Method. idiom 'turn topsy-turvy'

Topsy-turvy = upside down, in total disorder. To turn something topsy-turvy is to overturn it completely, so 'to completely change something' is the nearest.

Nearest-fit option: 'change completely' stands for 'turn upside down'.

Answer: (c) A strong request

Method. idiom 'clarion call'

A clarion was a medieval war trumpet; a clarion call is a strongly worded appeal or summons to action (Oxford Dictionary of English). (a) is only the literal sense; 'strong request' (c) is nearer than 'urgent order' (d) because it is an appeal, not a command.

Loose match: (c) taken as nearest to 'strong appeal to act'; (d) 'urgent order' is the competing option.

Answer: (b) There are no problems and people are happy

Method. informal 'hunky-dory'

Hunky-dory = satisfactory, fine, all going well (Oxford Dictionary of English); so a hunky-dory situation has no problems and people are content.

Answer: (c) a performance that is extremely good

Method. idiom 'show-stopper'

A show-stopper is a performance or act so outstanding that applause halts the show (Oxford Dictionary). Option (a) is only the literal reading.

Answer: (a) someone who has many skills

Method. idiom 'jack of all trades'

A jack of all trades is someone able to do many kinds of work, usually with only moderate skill in each (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms). Of the options, (a) alone gives this.

Answer: (a) ability to speak easily and confidently

Method. idiom 'the gift of the gab'

The gift of the gab is a natural ability to speak fluently and persuasively (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms); 'gab' = talk.

Answer: (b) To present a counter argument

Method. idiom 'devil's advocate'

A devil's advocate argues the opposing side, often only to test the case; the sense kept here is presenting a counter-argument. The phrase comes from the Catholic official who argued against a canonisation. 'Argumentative person' (c) is a trait, not the role.

Answer: (c) Regard someone as innocent until proven otherwise

Method. idiom 'give the benefit of the doubt'

To give someone the benefit of the doubt is to accept their innocence or good faith where nothing proves otherwise (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms).

Answer: (a) To do something quickly

Method. idiom 'once-over'

A once-over is a quick look or check (Oxford Dictionary of English), e.g. 'gave the room a quick once-over'. Of the options, 'do something quickly' is nearest.

Loose match: (a) taken as nearest (cursory, quick inspection).

Answer: (a) To be honest

Method. idiom 'level with'

To level with someone (informal) is to be frank and honest with them (Oxford Dictionary of English).

Answer: (b) To check oneself

Method. phrasal verb 'pull up'

'Pull up' means to come to a halt (of a vehicle) and, of a person, to stop or check: 'pull someone/⁠oneself up' = cause to stop or pause, check (Oxford Dictionary of English; Chambers: 'pull oneself up' = check oneself). Of the options, (b) 'to check oneself' is that dictionary sense. (a) and (c) are literal misreadings; (d) as printed ('Too short of destination') states no meaning, and 'stopping short of a destination' is not a sense the dictionaries give.

UPSC's option (d) is printed as it appeared, 'Too short of destination'; the answer rests on the dictionary sense 'check (oneself)'.

Answer: (c) To become dysfunctional

Method. idiom 'out of action'

Out of action = not working, unable to function, or injured (Oxford Dictionary of English); hence 'dysfunctional'.

Answer: (d) to be in a difficult situation

Method. idiom 'in a fix'

To be in a fix is to be in a difficult situation or predicament (Oxford Dictionary of Idioms).