How Many Idioms Can You Get Right That Stump Most People?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Beat Around The Bush'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Let The Cat Out Of The Bag'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'Break A Leg' — What Are They Telling You?

Question 1

Which Expression Means Someone Is Very Busy?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'The Ball Is In Your ___'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Bite The Bullet'?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Sitting On The Fence'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean When Someone Is 'Under The Weather'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'It's Raining Cats And Dogs' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Hit The Nail On The Head'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Spill The Beans'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Is Causing Unnecessary Trouble?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Cost An Arm And A ___'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'Bite Off More Than You Can Chew' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Turn Over A New Leaf'?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Barking Up The Wrong Tree'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Pull Someone's Leg'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Once In A Blue ___'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'Go Back To The Drawing Board' — What Are They Telling You?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Steal Someone's Thunder'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Kick The Bucket'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means To Finally Understand Something?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'The Jury Is Still Out' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Don't Judge A Book By Its ___'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Bite The Hand That Feeds Them'?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Burning Your Bridges'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Have A Chip On Your Shoulder'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean When Someone Says 'The Penny Dropped'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'That's The Last Straw' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means To Accept The Consequences Of Your Actions?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means You Are Treading On Thin Ice?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Every Cloud Has A Silver ___'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Sit On The Fence'?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Burning The Midnight Oil'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Throw In The Towel'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk' — What Are They Telling You?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Is Showing Off Their Wealth?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Pass The Buck'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Get Out Of Bed On The Wrong Side'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means The Same As 'Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Add Fuel To The Fire'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'A Blessing In ___'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'The Ball Is In Their Court' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Is Trying To Deceive You?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Miss The Boat'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Jump On The Bandwagon'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Straight From The Horse's ___'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Get A Taste Of Your Own Medicine'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Kill Two Birds With One ___'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Beat A Dead Horse'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means The Same As 'On The Fence'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'The Whole Nine Yards' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Burn Your Boats'?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Caught Red-Handed'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Wouldn't Hurt A ___'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Blow Their Own Trumpet'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Is Avoiding The Real Issue?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Get Cold Feet'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Is Completely In Charge?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Actions Speak Louder Than ___'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Bury The Hatchet'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'We're In The Same Boat' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Bite The Dust'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Let The Dust Settle'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'The Best Of Both ___'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Sit On Their Laurels'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means To Do Something At The Very Last Moment?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Is Acting Clumsy Or Destructive?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Bite Off More Than You Can ___'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'Spill The Beans' — What Are They Asking?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Burn The Midnight Oil'?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Kick The Bucket'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Steal Someone's Thunder'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'You Can't Have Your Cake And ___ It Too'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Cut Corners'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Is Keeping A Secret Closely Guarded?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'A Penny For Your ___'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Twist Someone's Arm'?

Question 1

Your Friend Says 'It Takes Two To Tango' — What Do They Mean?

Question 1

Which Of These Means The Same As 'Hit The Sack'?

Question 1

What Does It Mean To 'Get The Ball Rolling'?

Question 1

Fill In The Blank: 'Speak Of The ___ And He Shall Appear'?

Question 1

What Is Someone Doing If They 'Drag Their Feet'?

Question 1

Which Phrase Means Someone Has Completely Lost Their Patience?

1

Tell A Lie

2

Avoid The Point

3

Start A Fight

4

Work Too Hard

Medieval hunters beat bushes to flush out birds, circling endlessly rather than going straight to the prey.

1

Telling A Joke

2

Causing A Scene

3

Making A Mess

4

Revealing A Secret

Letting the cat out of the bag means accidentally revealing a secret that was supposed to stay hidden.

1

Slow Down

2

Good Luck

3

Work Harder

4

Be Careful

Theater superstition held that wishing someone luck directly was bad luck, so performers flipped it and said the opposite.

1

Burning The Candle At Both Ends

2

Jumping On The Bandwagon

3

Sitting On The Fence

4

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Burning the candle at both ends means someone is overworking themselves and exhausting their energy rapidly.

1

Hands

2

Court

3

Corner

4

Pocket

The phrase "the ball is in your court" means it is now your turn to take action.

1

Endure Something Painful

2

Lose A Fight

3

Speak Too Quickly

4

Make A Risky Choice

Before anesthesia, battlefield surgeons gave wounded soldiers a bullet to clench between their teeth to endure the pain of surgery.

1

Taking A Long Break

2

Being Undecided

3

Staying Out Of Trouble

4

Hiding The Truth

This phrase dates to 19th-century American politics, describing voters who refused to commit to either party before an election.

1

Feeling Lonely

2

Feeling Ill

3

Feeling Nervous

4

Feeling Confused

Sailors who felt ill would rest below deck away from harsh weather conditions above them.

1

It's Raining Very Hard

2

Something Strange Happened

3

Expect The Unexpected

4

Things Are Chaotic

Heavy rain in 17th century England would flood streets and wash away dead stray animals.

1

Be Exactly Right

2

Make A Lucky Guess

3

Solve A Problem Quickly

4

Work Very Precisely

Carpenters who hit a nail perfectly on its head drive it straight in without wasting effort.

1

Reveal A Secret

2

Tell A Lie

3

Cause Confusion

4

Make A Mess

Ancient Greeks cast votes using beans, and knocking the jar over revealed the result before counting was done.

1

Jumping The Gun

2

Rocking The Boat

3

Pulling Your Leg

4

Cutting Corners

Sailors know that rocking a boat risks capsizing it, making this a perfect metaphor for needless disruption.

1

Foot

2

Head

3

Hand

4

Leg

Portrait painters once charged more to include hands and legs, making full-body portraits significantly pricier than head shots.

1

You Made A Mistake

2

You Took On Too Much

3

You Were Too Greedy

4

You Spoke Too Soon

This phrase originated in 1800s America when taking too large a tobacco plug was a genuine problem.

1

End A Friendship

2

Start A New Job

3

Change For The Better

4

Move To A New Place

The phrase means starting fresh and originates from turning to a blank book page in the 1500s.

1

Picking A Losing Fight

2

Making Too Much Noise

3

Wasting Everyone's Time

4

Pursuing The Wrong Lead

This phrase originated from hunting dogs mistakenly barking at trees where no prey was actually hiding.

1

Asking For Help

2

Testing Their Patience

3

Joking With Them

4

Slowing Them Down

The phrase originates from Victorian street thieves who pulled victims' legs to trip and rob them.

1

Year

2

Moon

3

Sky

4

Day

A blue moon is the second full moon occurring in one calendar month happening every few years.

1

Ask For More Help

2

Start Over From Scratch

3

Think More Carefully

4

Take A Break First

A 1941 New Yorker cartoon showed an engineer watching a plane crash while holding new blueprints.

1

Outshine Them Unfairly

2

Interrupt Their Story

3

Copy Their Style

4

Take Credit For Their Work

Playwright John Dennis invented a thunder machine and later heard it used without permission in another show.

1

To Lose Everything

2

To Run Away

3

To Pass Away

4

To Give Up

This phrase dates to the 1700s and may reference a method used in old-fashioned hangings involving a wooden bucket.

1

Jump The Gun

2

Miss The Boat

3

Face The Music

4

See The Light

Religious revival meetings in the 1800s popularized "seeing the light" before it entered everyday speech meaning sudden understanding.

1

Everyone Disagrees

2

It Is Complicated

3

The Truth Is Hidden

4

No Decision Yet

This courtroom phrase means the jury has not yet returned so the final decision remains unknown.

1

Author

2

Cover

3

Pages

4

Title

The answer is Cover and this proverb warns us that appearances can be deeply misleading about true worth.

1

Hurting Their Supporter

2

Showing Ingratitude Publicly

3

Turning Down Help

4

Acting Very Ungrateful

Edmund Burke first used this phrase in 1770 making it one of the oldest recorded idioms still used today.

1

Ruining Future Options

2

Making A Bold Move

3

Starting Fresh Somewhere

4

Cutting Off A Friend

Roman commanders burned bridges after crossing rivers forcing their troops to fight forward with no retreat possible.

1

Seek Attention

2

Feel Very Proud

3

Act Very Stubborn

4

Carry A Grudge

Boys in 19th century America placed wood chips on their shoulders to dare others into starting a fight.

1

They Made A Mistake

2

They Lost Their Money

3

They Finally Understood

4

They Told The Truth

This British phrase refers to old penny slot machines that only activated once the coin fell into place.

1

They Have Had Enough

2

The Worst Has Happened

3

They Are Giving Up

4

There Is No Hope Left

They mean one small final problem has pushed them completely beyond what they can tolerate anymore.

1

Take The Plunge

2

Swallow Your Pride

3

Face The Music

4

Bite The Bullet

Face the music" means accepting consequences and likely originated from soldiers being dishonorably discharged to drumbeats.

1

Taking A Big Risk

2

Moving Too Slowly

3

Being Too Cautious

4

Wasting Your Energy

This idiom dates to 19th-century New England, where frozen ponds were genuinely dangerous to cross in early winter.

1

Edge

2

Glow

3

Lining

4

Lining

John Milton coined this idea in his 1634 play Comus, making it one of literature's most enduring hopeful phrases.

1

Avoiding Taking Sides

2

Watching From Afar

3

Staying Out Of Trouble

4

Waiting For Better News

This phrase describes someone who refuses to commit to either side of an argument or decision.

1

Losing Your Patience

2

Rushing To Finish

3

Working Very Late

4

Starting Over Again

Before electricity, people literally burned oil lamps past midnight to keep working, making this idiom vividly literal in its origins.

1

Give Up Completely

2

Admit A Mistake

3

Change Your Approach

4

Ask For Help

This boxing phrase means a trainer throws a towel into the ring to surrender and protect their fighter.

1

Accept Small Losses Gracefully

2

Stay Calm Under Pressure

3

Don't Dwell On The Past

4

Focus On What Matters

This proverb first appeared in print in 1659 inside James Howell's early English proverb collection.

1

Sitting Pretty

2

On Top Of The World

3

Rolling In Clover

4

Living High On The Hog

High on the hog" means someone is showing off wealth by living extravagantly and spending lavishly.

1

Avoid A Difficult Task

2

Share The Reward

3

Blame Someone Else

4

Hand Over Control

The phrase originates from poker where passing a buck knife meant shifting the dealing responsibility to another player.

1

Forgetting Something

2

In A Bad Mood

3

Feeling Ill

4

Running Very Late

Romans believed the left side of the bed was unlucky, so rising from it cursed your whole day.

1

Accept The Outcome

2

Start Over Fresh

3

Don't Stir Up Trouble

4

Avoid Taking Sides

Geoffrey Chaucer used a version of this phrase in 1374, making it one of English's oldest recorded idioms.

1

Giving Bad Advice

2

Joining An Argument

3

Causing A Distraction

4

Making Things Worse

This phrase dates to ancient Rome — Livy used it around 59 BC to describe escalating conflicts.

1

Hiding

2

Reverse

3

Disguise

4

Waiting

Poet James Hervey first wrote 'a blessing in disguise' in 1746, and it has been a staple ever since.

1

They Need More Time

2

They Won The Argument

3

It's Their Turn To Act

4

The Decision Is Final

This tennis-born phrase entered everyday speech in the 1960s, shifting from sports courts to boardrooms and kitchens alike.

1

Pulling The Wool Over Your Eyes

2

Beating A Dead Horse

3

Burning Your Bridges

4

Jumping On The Bandwagon

Thieves pulled wigs over victims' eyes to blind them which is why deception means pulling wool over eyes.

1

Arrive Too Early

2

Lose Your Way

3

Miss An Opportunity

4

Make A Big Mistake

Before trains and planes, missing a scheduled boat meant your opportunity was truly gone — no catching up was possible.

1

Taking A Big Risk

2

Joining An Argument

3

Celebrating Too Early

4

Following A Popular Trend

Someone is following a popular trend just as politicians literally jumped on Dan Rice's campaign bandwagon in 1848.

1

Stable

2

Mouth

3

Track

4

Saddle

Checking a horse's teeth revealed its true age so the phrase means getting information firsthand from the source.

1

Take Revenge Publicly

2

Experience What You Give Others

3

Learn A Hard Lesson

4

Admit You Were Wrong

This phrase means experiencing the same unpleasant treatment you have given to other people yourself.

1

Swing

2

Shot

3

Throw

4

Stone

Killing two birds with one stone means efficiently solving two problems simultaneously using just one action.

1

Giving Up Too Soon

2

Working Too Hard

3

Wasting Their Money

4

Repeating A Pointless Argument

The phrase originated in 1859 describing a politician repeatedly pushing an issue nobody cared about anymore.

1

Jumping The Gun

2

Burning Your Bridges

3

Sitting On The Fence

4

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Being on the fence means being undecided just like sitting on the fence between two possible choices.

1

More Than Expected

2

A Very Long Journey

3

Everything Completely

4

A Difficult Situation

The exact origin of "the whole nine yards" remains disputed and no theory has been definitively proven.

1

Commit With No Way Back

2

Lose Everything At Once

3

Make A Rash Decision

4

Destroy A Friendship

Hernán Cortés burned his ships in 1519 leaving his men no retreat and forcing total commitment to conquest.

1

Caught In The Act

2

Facing The Music

3

Pulling The Wool Over Your Eyes

4

Telling A White Lie

The phrase originates from Scottish law where criminals were caught with blood still on their hands.

1

Bee

2

Fly

3

Bird

4

Mouse

This gentle phrase describing a harmless person first appeared in print in 1678 in John Ray's proverbs.

1

Bragging About Themselves

2

Losing Their Temper

3

Making A Big Announcement

4

Celebrating A Victory

Blowing your own trumpet means boasting about your achievements and proudly promoting yourself to other people.

1

Beating Around The Bush

2

Passing The Buck

3

Pulling The Wool Over Your Eyes

4

Sitting On The Fence

Medieval hunters beat bushes to flush out game rather than approaching directly — circling endlessly instead of confronting the target.

1

Feel Very Tired

2

Catch A Chill

3

Change Your Mind

4

Lose Your Nerve

This phrase dates to the 1890s and was popularized by Stephen Crane's 1896 novel 'Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.'

1

Passing The Buck

2

Jumping The Gun

3

Calling The Shots

4

Rocking The Boat

Originally a billiards term from the 1800s, 'calling the shots' meant announcing your next move before making it.

1

Promises

2

Words

3

Thoughts

4

Feelings

Actions speak louder than words is a phrase that originated in a 1628 English political tract.

1

Giving Up Hope

2

Starting A Fight

3

Hiding The Truth

4

Making Peace

Native Americans buried weapons in the ground ceremonially to symbolize peace and this inspired the English phrase.

1

We Are Very Close Friends

2

We Share The Same Problem

3

We Are Going Somewhere

4

We Think Alike

Ancient Greek orators used this exact metaphor — sailors sharing one boat face identical dangers regardless of their social rank.

1

To Make A Mistake

2

To Work Very Hard

3

To Start Something New

4

To Fall Or Fail

Homer's 'Iliad' from around 800 BC contains an almost identical phrase describing warriors falling in battle.

1

Wait For Things To Calm Down

2

Clean Up A Mess

3

Forget About The Past

4

Accept A Bad Situation

This phrase comes from dust clouds after battles that must settle before anyone can see clearly.

1

Choices

2

Sides

3

Options

4

Worlds

Shakespeare coined the phrase 'The Best Of Both Worlds' meaning you can enjoy two advantages simultaneously.

1

Taking A Long Break

2

Resting On Past Success

3

Avoiding Responsibility

4

Refusing To Work

Resting on past achievements without trying to improve further comes from ancient Greek laurel wreath traditions.

1

On The Dot

2

At The Drop Of A Hat

3

Under The Wire

4

In The Nick Of Time

Under the wire" means completing something at the very last possible moment before a deadline passes.

1

Loose Cannon

2

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

3

Fish Out Of Water

4

Bull In A China Shop

The phrase "bull in a china shop" describes someone acting clumsy or destructive originating from an 1834 Frederick Marryat novel.

1

Carry

2

Swallow

3

Handle

4

Chew

Biting off more chew than you could handle inspired this idiom about taking on too much.

1

Speak More Clearly

2

Admit Your Mistake

3

Share The Secret

4

Tell The Whole Story

Ancient Greeks voted using beans so spilling them accidentally revealed secret election results before official counting finished.

1

Waste Your Energy

2

Lose Your Temper

3

Work Very Late

4

Rush Through A Task

Before electricity people burned oil lamps late at night to study or work hence this phrase.

1

Make A Big Mistake

2

Pass Away

3

Lose Everything

4

Give Up

The phrase 'kick the bucket' means to die and originates from an old English slaughterhouse term.

1

Taking Unearned Credit

2

Interrupting A Conversation

3

Upstaging Someone Else

4

Spreading False Rumors

John Dennis coined this phrase after rivals stole his thunder machine invention for their own theatrical production.

1

Keep

2

Share

3

Save

4

Eat

You cannot enjoy two mutually exclusive good things at once according to this proverb from 1538.

1

Trim Your Budget

2

Make A Sharp Turn

3

Take A Shortcut Home

4

Do Something Cheaply

This phrase dates to the 1800s when horse carriages literally cut corners to save time, risking accidents and damage.

1

Burning The Midnight Oil

2

Sitting On The Fence

3

Playing It Close To The Chest

4

Jumping On The Bandwagon

This phrase comes from card games where cautious players held their cards tight to their chest so opponents couldn't peek.

1

Thoughts

2

Words

3

Dreams

4

Feelings

John Heywood recorded this phrase in 1546, making it one of the oldest English idioms still in everyday use today.

1

Pressuring Them To Agree

2

Offering Them Help

3

Starting An Argument

4

Asking For A Favor

This phrase draws on the image of a physical wrestling hold used to force submission, applied metaphorically to persuasion.

1

You Need A Partner

2

Dancing Requires Practice

3

Both Sides Share The Blame

4

Two People Agree On Something

Pearl Bailey popularized this phrase meaning both parties share equal responsibility in any situation or conflict.

1

Go To Bed

2

Give Up Trying

3

Leave In A Hurry

4

Lose A Fight

Early American settlers slept on sacks stuffed with straw, so hitting the sack literally meant lying down for the night.

1

Start Something Moving Forward

2

Score A Point In A Game

3

Take Control Of A Situation

4

Speed Up A Process

This phrase is linked to 19th-century political campaigns where supporters literally rolled large balls through towns to build momentum.

1

Angel

2

Stranger

3

Devil

4

Ghost

Speak of the Devil is an old proverb used humorously when someone arrives right after being mentioned.

1

Refusing To Leave

2

Walking Without Energy

3

Avoiding A Difficult Person

4

Deliberately Moving Slowly

Dragging your feet means deliberately delaying or being slow and reluctant about doing something required of you.

1

Missed The Boat

2

Thrown In The Towel

3

Jumped The Gun

4

Reached The End Of Their Rope

This phrase comes from tethered animals that could only graze as far as their rope allowed — once it ran out, they were completely stuck.

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