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Idiom Origins & Meanings

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Instructions: Do you know what these common idioms really mean and where they come from?

  1. 1.

    What does the idiom 'break the ice' mean?

    A
    To initiate conversation in an awkward situation
    B
    To take a winter vacation
    C
    To cool down a heated argument
    D
    To cause damage
  2. 2.

    What does the idiom 'bite the bullet' mean?

    A
    To get into a fight
    B
    To eat something hard
    C
    To endure a painful situation with courage
    D
    To make a quick decision
  3. 3.

    What does the idiom 'burning the midnight oil' mean?

    A
    Wasting resources
    B
    Cooking a late dinner
    C
    Having trouble sleeping
    D
    Working or studying late into the night
  4. 4.

    What does the idiom 'cost an arm and a leg' mean?

    A
    To require surgery
    B
    To be extremely expensive
    C
    To cause physical pain
    D
    To lose something valuable
  5. 5.

    What does the idiom 'hit the nail on the head' mean?

    A
    To do carpentry work
    B
    To describe something exactly right
    C
    To start a new project
    D
    To hurt yourself accidentally
  6. 6.

    What does the idiom 'let the cat out of the bag' mean?

    A
    To free an animal
    B
    To reveal a secret accidentally
    C
    To start a new hobby
    D
    To make a mess
  7. 7.

    What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?

    A
    When feeling sad
    B
    Very rarely
    C
    Every full moon
    D
    During nighttime only
  8. 8.

    What does the idiom 'piece of cake' mean?

    A
    Something very easy to do
    B
    A birthday celebration
    C
    A small reward
    D
    A dessert portion
  9. 9.

    What does the idiom 'raining cats and dogs' mean?

    A
    A noisy neighborhood
    B
    Animals are falling from the sky
    C
    A pet adoption event
    D
    Raining very heavily
  10. 10.

    What does the idiom 'spill the beans' mean?

    A
    To make a mess while cooking
    B
    To reveal secret information
    C
    To waste food
    D
    To plant a garden
  11. 11.

    What does the idiom 'under the weather' mean?

    A
    Being pessimistic
    B
    Feeling ill or unwell
    C
    Hiding from a storm
    D
    Standing in the rain
  12. 12.

    What does the idiom 'barking up the wrong tree' mean?

    A
    Climbing the wrong ladder
    B
    Pursuing a mistaken course of action
    C
    Being loud and obnoxious
    D
    A dog is lost
  13. 13.

    What does the idiom 'a penny for your thoughts' mean?

    A
    Offering to buy something cheap
    B
    Asking someone what they are thinking about
    C
    Saying something is worthless
    D
    Requesting a small loan
  14. 14.

    What does the idiom 'the whole nine yards' mean?

    A
    Everything possible or the full extent
    B
    A large backyard
    C
    Nine items in total
    D
    A football field
  15. 15.

    What does the idiom 'kick the bucket' mean?

    A
    To give up a bad habit
    B
    To trip over something
    C
    To start a new project
    D
    To die

Answer Key

Question 1
A. To initiate conversation in an awkward situation

'Break the ice' means to do something to relieve tension or get conversation going in an uncomfortable social situation.

Question 2
C. To endure a painful situation with courage

'Bite the bullet' means to face a difficult or unpleasant situation bravely. It originates from the practice of having patients bite on a bullet during surgery before anesthesia.

Question 3
D. Working or studying late into the night

'Burning the midnight oil' means staying up late to work or study. It dates back to when oil lamps were used for light at night.

Question 4
B. To be extremely expensive

'Cost an arm and a leg' means something is extremely expensive. The phrase emphasizes the high price by comparing it to losing body parts.

Question 5
B. To describe something exactly right

'Hit the nail on the head' means to be exactly right about something, just as a carpenter aims to strike the nail precisely.

Question 6
B. To reveal a secret accidentally

'Let the cat out of the bag' means to accidentally reveal a secret. It may originate from market fraud where a cat was substituted for a piglet in a bag.

Question 7
B. Very rarely

'Once in a blue moon' means very rarely. A blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month, which happens infrequently.

Question 8
A. Something very easy to do

'Piece of cake' means something is very easy to accomplish. The phrase suggests that eating cake is an effortless, pleasant task.

Question 9
D. Raining very heavily

'Raining cats and dogs' means it is raining very heavily. The exact origin is debated, but it has been used in English since at least the 17th century.

Question 10
B. To reveal secret information

'Spill the beans' means to reveal secret or private information. One theory traces it to ancient Greek voting with beans.

Question 11
B. Feeling ill or unwell

'Under the weather' means feeling sick or unwell. It likely originates from sailors going below deck during storms to avoid seasickness.

Question 12
B. Pursuing a mistaken course of action

'Barking up the wrong tree' means pursuing a mistaken or misguided line of thought. It comes from hunting dogs barking at a tree where the prey is no longer hiding.

Question 13
B. Asking someone what they are thinking about

'A penny for your thoughts' is a way of asking someone what they are thinking about. The phrase dates back to at least the 16th century.

Question 14
A. Everything possible or the full extent

'The whole nine yards' means everything or the full amount. Its exact origin is debated, with theories ranging from ammunition belts to cement trucks.

Question 15
D. To die

'Kick the bucket' is a colloquial way of saying someone has died. One theory links it to the wooden frame (called a bucket) used in slaughterhouses.

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