Idiomatic Expressions

Question 1

(Don’t) add fuel to the fire
(Don’t) add insult to injury
(Don’t) kick a man when he’s down

Answer 1

don’t make a bad situation even worse

Question 2

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Answer 2

being far away from a person you love makes your love even stronger

Question 3

A penny saved is a penny earned

Answer 3

it’s good to save money, rather than spending and wasting it

Question 4

A picture is worth a thousand words

Answer 4

pictures can give more information that words alone

Question 5

Actions speak louder than words

Answer 5

what you actually do is more important than what you say you will do

Question 6

(It’s) all in your head

Answer 6

imagined, not real

Question 7

Around the clock

Answer 7

all the time; 24 hours

Question 8

Asleep at the wheel

Answer 8

not paying attention; not doing his/her responsibilities

Question 9

(Shout or yell) at the top of your lungs

Answer 9

(to shout or yell) as loud as you can

Question 10

Back to square one

Answer 10

start over; back to the beginning

Question 11

Bark up the wrong tree

Answer 11

Looking for information in the wrong place; asking the wrong person

Question 12

Be careful what you wish for

Answer 12

When you wish (or hope) for something, it may not be as good as you think – there may be negative consequences that you hadn’t thought of.

Question 13

Beggars can’t be choosers

Answer 13

If you beg (or ask) for a thing or a favor, then you shouldn’t complain about what you get.

Question 14

Better late than never

Answer 14

It’s better to do something late than to not do it.

Question 15

Better safe than sorry

Answer 15

It’s better to be cautious (careful) than to take a risk that you might regret.

Question 16

Bite your tongue!

Answer 16

Don’t say something that might be rude or inappropriate – keep the words in your mouth, and don’t let them out!

Question 17

Break a leg!

Answer 17

This is a (funny) way to say “Good luck” – we usually say it to someone before a performance or contest.

Question 18

Cat got your tongue?

Answer 18

We say this when someone should be talking or answering a question, but they don’t (because they might be surprised or embarrassed).

Question 19

Catch-22

Answer 19

A “catch-22” is a situation in which it is impossible to get the result that you want. (For example: “I can’t work because I don’t have a car, but I can’t get a car because I don’t have a job.” This is a “catch-22.”)

Question 20

Change of heart

Answer 20

If you have a “change of heart,” this means that you change the way that you think or feel about something.

Question 21

Cheap shot

Answer 21

A “cheap shot” is words that are mean or unfair. (For example, if two people are arguing about politics, and one of them calls the other “fat” or “ugly,” this is a “cheap shot.”)

Question 22

(on) Cloud nine

Answer 22

If someone is “on cloud nine,” then they are extremely happy.

Question 23

(get) Cold feet

Answer 23

to get scared or to lose the courage to do something (usually used when someone decides that they don’t want to get married).

Question 24

Come clean

Answer 24

means to be honest or admit that you did something wrong.

Question 25

Curiosity killed the cat.

Answer 25

This is a warning against being too curious about things that you might not need to know. (Cats, for example, are very curious, and this can cause them to get hurt or killed.)