IDIOMS/PHRASES
  l  Mary has a bee in her bonnet       405. (4) give in : to agree to do some- 414. (3) keep the wolf from the door :
     about recycling.                        thing that you do not want to do;       to have enough money to avoid
     The best option is is an obsessed       yield                                   going hungry; to stop somebody
     person.                              l The strikers seem determined,            feeling hungry
396. (4) by fits and starts : irregu-        and are not likely to give in.       l I don’t make a lot of money. It is
     larly                                   The best option is yield.               just enough to keep the wolf
  l  A sincere student works regu-      406. (3) by leaps and bounds : very          from the door.
     larly, not by fits and starts.          quickly/rapidly                         The best option is avoid starva-
     The best option is irregularly.      l India is progressing by leaps and        tion.
397. (2) stand by : support; help            bounds.                            415. (4) break the ice : start a meet-
                                             The best option is very rapidly.        ing with an introduction
  l  I’ll stand by you at any cost.
                                        407. (1) swept under the carpet : to      l There should be someone who
     The best option is support.
                                             try to stop people from finding         will break the ice at any social
398. (4) broke up : the ending of a
                                             out about something wrong, ille-        gathering.
     relationship or an association;
                                             gal, embarrassing, etc. that has        The best option is initiate some-
     the division of a large group into
                                             happened or that you have done          thing.
     smaller parts
                                          l You made a mistake that you can’t   416. (3) null and void : not valid; hav-
  l  Personal tensions broke the rock
                                             sweep under the carpet.                 ing no legal force
     band up.
                                             The best option is kept hidden.      l The court declared the law to be
     The best option is disbanded it-
                                        408. (1) out of this world : empha-          null and void.
     self.
                                             sises how good/beautiful some-          The best option is invalid.
399. (3) takes after : to look/behave
     like on older member of your fam-       thing is                           417. (4) blowing his own trumpet :
     ily                                  l The cake is just out of this world.      boasting
  l  She takes after her grandfather         The best option is extraordinary.    l Anyone will tell you she’s one of
     in her talent for design.          409. (3) take my hat off : to admire         the best journalists we have got,
                                             somebody very much for some-            although she never blows her
     The best option is resembles.
                                             thing he has done                       own trumpet.
400. (3) spick and span : neat and
                                          l I take off my hat to you-you’ve          The best option is boasting.
     clean
                                             done very well indeed.             418. (3) cut the Gordian knot : to
  l  When she finished cleaning, the
                                             The best option is admire.              solve a problem by taking action
     whole house is spick and span.
                                        410. (1) sticks to her guns : held on     l He cut the Gordian knot by put-
     The best option is tidy.
                                             to her decision                         ting in lots of effort.
401. (4) changed colours : to turn
                                          l I’ll stick to my guns in this mat-       The best option is removed the
     pale
                                             ter.                                    difficulty.
  l  She changed colours when I
                                             The best option is maintains her   419. (1) took a leap in the dark : an
     asked her about her result.
                                             opinion.                                action or risk that you take with-
     The best option is turned pale.
                                                                                     out knowing anything about the
402. (1) like a bull in a China shop :  411. (3) to toe the line : to say or do
                                                                                     activity or what the result will be
     a person who is careless, or who        what somebody in authority tells
                                             you to say/do, even if you do not    l I had very little information about
     moves or acts in a rough or awk-
                                             share the same opinions, etc.           the company, so writing to them
     ward way, in a place or situation
                                                                                     was a bit of a leap in the dark.
     where skill and care are need-       l Not everyone was happy with the
                                             plan, but most of us toed the           The best option is took a risk.
     ed.
                                             line.                              420. (1) achilles’ heel : a weak point
  l  Her living room, with its delicate
     furniture, made him feel like a         The best option is to follow the     l His Achilles’ heel was that he
     bull in a China shop.                   lead.                                   could not drive.
     The best option is a clumsy per-   412. (1) look into : to examine some-        The best option is weak spot.
     son.                                    thing                              421. (2) for good : permanently
403. (1) wide off the mark : not ac-      l I’ll have to look into the matter.    l I’m moving to Europe for good.
     curate; inadequate; far from the        The best option is to investigate.      The best option is permanent-
     target                             413. (1) fish in troubled waters : to        ly.
  l  Sheena’s efforts were sincere but       try to get a personal advantage    422. (1) egged you on : to encourage
     wide off the mark.                      from a disturbed/troubled situ-         somebody to do something, es-
     The best option is irrelevant.          ation                                   pecially something that he should
404. (3) by leaps and bounds : very       l Farhan is fishing in troubled            not do
     rapidly; very quickly                   waters by buying more shares         l Calty wouldn’t have done the
  l  India is progressing by leaps and       of that company.                        dangerous experiment if her
     bounds.                                 The best option is make a profit        brother hadn’t egged her on.
     The best option is rapidly.             out of a disturbance.                   The best option is urged
                                                      SEE–767