Arjun stayed up until 3 a.m. completing his thesis before the deadline. His supervisor said he had been 'burning the midnight oil'. What does this idiom mean?

• A. To waste electricity by leaving lights on
• B. To work late into the night (Answer)
• C. To rush through a task carelessly
• D. To set fire to old documents

'Burn the midnight oil' originates from the era before electricity when people used oil lamps to study or work through the night. It means to work very late, especially on an important task. Option A is a literal misreading of 'oil'. Option C confuses the idea of urgency with the idiom's meaning of sustained effort. Option D is absurd but tempting to test whether candidates reject literal interpretations.

Meera's colleague told her that the new manager would double everyone's salary. She said she was 'taking it with a grain of salt'. What does this expression mean?

• A. To add flavour to a conversation
• B. To accept something without question
• C. To regard something with healthy scepticism (Answer)
• D. To pass on unverified information

'Take with a grain of salt' (or 'pinch of salt') is traced to the ancient Roman writer Pliny the Elder, who noted that an antidote to poison was to be taken with a grain of salt, suggesting it needed caution. Today it means to view a claim with scepticism and not take it completely at face value. Option B is the opposite meaning. Option A is a literal distractor. Option D describes rumour-spreading, which is related but incorrect.

The two neighbouring families had been 'at daggers drawn' since the property dispute began five years ago. What does this idiom convey?

• A. Engaged in a legal battle
• B. In a state of bitter hostility, ready to fight (Answer)
• C. Competing fiercely but fairly
• D. Negotiating a difficult agreement

'At daggers drawn' comes from the literal image of two opponents with daggers drawn and pointed at each other — poised to fight. It describes a state of intense mutual hostility or enmity. Option A is related (disputes often involve courts) but the idiom specifically captures emotional hostility, not legal proceedings. Option C is a tempting distractor because competition is involved, but the phrase carries no sense of fairness. Option D is the opposite of the phrase's confrontational tone.

The diplomat won the negotiation primarily because of his 'gift of the gab'. What ability does this idiom refer to?

• A. The ability to give expensive gifts
• B. A talent for listening attentively
• C. The natural ability to speak fluently and persuasively (Answer)
• D. A skill in writing formal letters

'Gift of the gab' refers to a natural, effortless ability to speak well and persuasively. 'Gab' is an informal word for chatter or talk. This idiom specifically celebrates verbal fluency and charm in speech. Option A exploits the word 'gift' literally. Option B (listening) is the opposite skill. Option D (writing) is a related communication skill but the idiom is exclusively about spoken language.

When the journalist asked the politician about the corruption charges, he kept 'beating about the bush'. What does this suggest?

• A. He was very nervous and could not speak
• B. He was avoiding the main point and speaking vaguely (Answer)
• C. He was answering each question thoroughly
• D. He was trying to expose hidden information

'Beat about the bush' originates from bird hunting, where beaters would beat the surrounding bushes to flush out birds while hunters waited for the main quarry. Applied to speech, it means to approach a subject in a roundabout way without directly addressing the key point. Option A describes nervousness but not the evasiveness the idiom conveys. Option C is the opposite — the idiom implies indirect, incomplete responses. Option D confuses 'beating' with 'uncovering'.

Despite knowing the surgery would be painful, Rahul decided to 'bite the bullet' and go ahead with the procedure. What does this idiom mean?

• A. To make a reckless decision without thinking
• B. To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage (Answer)
• C. To refuse a difficult task outright
• D. To negotiate a compromise in a tough situation

'Bite the bullet' originates from battlefield medicine before anaesthesia, when wounded soldiers were given a bullet to bite down on during surgery to cope with the pain. It now means to stoically endure something unavoidable and painful. Option A (reckless) misses the courageous, enduring quality of the idiom. Option C (refuse) is the opposite. Option D (negotiate) introduces a meaning that the idiom does not carry.

Priya wanted to buy the designer handbag, but her friend warned her it 'costs an arm and a leg'. What does this expression mean?

• A. The item is extremely rare and hard to find
• B. The purchase is physically dangerous
• C. The item is extremely expensive (Answer)
• D. The item is worth more than its price tag

'Costs an arm and a leg' is a hyperbolic idiom meaning something is very expensive — as if you'd have to sacrifice your limbs to afford it. The origin is disputed, but some trace it to early 20th-century American slang for high prices. Option A (rare) and Option D (underpriced) are unrelated to cost. Option B takes the idiom literally, which is a common examiner trap for this category.

When asked whether he supported the new policy, the minister said he was still 'on the fence'. What does this mean?

• A. He was actively opposing the policy
• B. He was neutral and had not yet made a decision (Answer)
• C. He was enthusiastically in favour of the policy
• D. He was confused by the policy's implications

'On the fence' uses the image of sitting on a fence between two fields — neither on one side nor the other. It means to remain neutral or undecided, especially on a controversial issue. Option A (opposing) implies a decision has been made. Option C (in favour) is the same problem — the idiom captures the absence of a decision. Option D (confused) adds an emotional dimension the idiom does not contain.

During the press conference, the whistleblower 'spilled the beans' about the company's fraudulent accounting practices. What does this idiom mean?

• A. To create disorder at a formal event
• B. To reveal confidential or secret information (Answer)
• C. To make an embarrassing mistake in public
• D. To spread false information about someone

'Spill the beans' is thought to originate from ancient Greece, where beans were used as secret ballots — if the container was knocked over (beans spilled), the secret vote was revealed prematurely. Today it means to accidentally or deliberately disclose secret information. Option A is a literal distractor. Option C (mistake) and Option D (false information) both involve exposure but miss the specific quality of revealing secrets.

The old factory, which had been the lifeblood of the town for decades, finally 'kicked the bucket' last year. What does this idiom signify in this context?

• A. It was renovated and modernised
• B. It was sold to a new owner
• C. It ceased operations and shut down permanently (Answer)
• D. It moved to a new location

'Kick the bucket' is an informal idiom for dying or ceasing to exist. When applied to an institution (like a factory), it means it permanently closed down. The origin is disputed — one theory links it to a French word 'buquet' (a type of gallows), another to the act of a person standing on a bucket before hanging themselves. Option A (renovated) is the opposite. Options B and D imply continuation in a different form, which contradicts the finality the idiom implies.