IDIOMS/PHRASES
 70. All his ventures went to the          79. to have something up one’s             86. She is a fair-weather friend.
       winds.                                    sleeves                                  (1) a good friend
       (1) dissipated                            (1) having a practical plan              (2) a friend who meets
       (2) spread all over                       (2) having an important project              difficulties calmly
       (3) got speed of the winds                (3) having an ambitious plan             (3) a friend who deserts you in
       (4) became well-known                     (4) having a secret plan                     difficulties
     Directions (71–80) : In the           80. to end in smoke                            (4) a favourable friend
following questions, four alternatives           (1) to have a smoking session        87. to die in harness means to die
are given for the given Idiom/Phrase.            (2) to be on fire                        while
Choose the alternative which best                (3) to come to nothing                   (1) riding a horse
expresses the meaning of the given
                                                 (4) to burn slowly                       (2) in a stable
Idiom/Phrase.
                                               Directio ns (81-85) : In the               (3) in a uniform
  (SSC Section Officer (Commercial Audit)
                                          following questions, four alternatives
                        Exam. 25.09.2005)                                                 (4) still in service
                                          are given for the Idiom/Phrase given
 71. at one’s wit’s/wits" end                                                         88. to keep under wraps means to
                                          in bold in the sentence, Choose the
       (1) to work hard                   alternative which best expresses the            keep something
       (2) to be intelligent              meaning of the Idiom/Phrase given in            (1) covered (2) protected
       (3) to get puzzled                 bold.                                           (3) unpacked(4) secret
       (4) to be stupid                                (SSC Statistical Investigators 89. After independence Indian
 72. to take someone to task                             Grade-IV Exam.13.08.2006)        agriculture rose like a phoenix
       (1) to scold someone                81. As the bomb exploded people                due to the Green Revolution.
       (2) to assign work to someone             ran helter-skelter.                      (1) with a new life
       (3) to take someone to his place          (1) in great fear                        (2) with a start
           of work                               (2) in disorderly haste                  (3) with royal gait
       (4) to praise someone for the             (3) in haste                             (4) with vengeance
           work done                             (4) in great sorrow
                                                                                      90. His failure at the election has
 73. to face the music                     82. He was progressing by leaps                been a sore point with him for
       (1) to be greeted rudely                  and bounds because of his hard           a long time.
       (2) to be        offered    warm          work.
                                                                                          (1) something which hurts
           hospitality                           (1) rapidly      (2) slowly
                                                                                          (2) something that brings fear to
       (3) to enjoy a music programme            (3) peacefully (4) strongly
                                                                                          (3) something memorable for
       (4) to bear the consequences        83. Our founder had done a
 74. to blow one’s own trumpet                   Herculean task by constructing           (4) something pleasurable to
       (1) to play on one’s own trumpet          this great educational institution.  91. The student is on the verge of
       (2) to praise one’s own self              (1) a work of no worth                   breakdown.
       (3) to create noisy disturbances          (2) an effortless job                    (1) on the brink of
       (4) to have a high-pitched voice          (3) a work requiring very great          (2) at the outset of
 75. to run one down                                 effort                               (3) in the midst of
       (1) to be in a hurry                      (4) a work requiring very great          (4) at the risk of
       (2) to be weak and tired                      intelligence                     92. My repeated attempts to get
       (3) to disparage someone            84. My close friend got the sack               refund from the civic authorities
       (4) to run down a lane                    from his first job recently.             were of no avail.
 76. at snail’s pace                             (1) resigned                             (1) unsuccessful
       (1) very slowly                           (2) got rid of                           (2) postponed
       (2) to walk like a snail                  (3) was demoted from                     (3) useless
       (3) to lack interest in work              (4) was dismissed from
                                                                                          (4) delayed
       (4) in methodical manner            85. I can no longer put up with her
                                                                                      93. He was progressing by leaps
 77. to turn a deaf ear                          insolence.
                                                                                          and bounds because of his
       (1) to be hard of hearing                 (1) endure (2) evade
                                                                                          hardwork.
       (2) to be indifferent                     (3) suppress (4) assume
                                                                                          (1) rapidly      (2) slowly
       (3) to be attentive                     Directions (86–95) : In the
                                          following questions, four alternatives          (3) peacefully (4) strongly
       (4) to be obstinate
                                          are given for the Idiom/Phrase in bold      94. to emerge out of thin air means
 78. to take to one’s heels
                                          in the sentence. Choose the alternative         to
       (1) to run off
                                          which best expresses the meaning of             (1) appear suddenly
       (2) to show one’s heels
       (3) to turn around                 the Idiom/Phrase.                               (2) descend gradually
                                                  (SSC Tax Assistant (Income Tax &        (3) fall down quickly
       (4) to walk leisurely
                                                 Central Excise) Exam. 12.11.2006)        (4) enter from space
                                                          SEE–712