IDIOMS/PHRASES
   l He was asked for an explana-            Look at the sentence :                  Look at the sentence :
     tion, not a cock and bull story.     l  His reply was some cock and bull      l I was so sick that I felt as if I
     The best option is asburd and           story about having to give her a        had one foot in the grave.
     unbelievable                            lift home.                              Here, be close to death is the
704. (2) under a cloud : If somebody    712. (1) shake off : to get away from        right usage.
     is under a cloud, other people          somebody who is chasing or
     think that they have done some-                                             719. (1) to put on e’s hand to
                                             following you; forget.
     thing wrong and are suspicious                                                   plough : to embark on/ take up
                                             Here, forget is the right option.
     of them.                                                                         a difficult task
                                             Look at the sentence :                   Look at the sentence :
   l Several people left the company
                                          l  Investors failed to shake off          l She needed a rest, but she had
     under a cloud and are being in-
                                             worries about the economy.               put her hand to the plough.
     vestigated.
                                        713. (2) sit on the fence : to avoid          Here, to take up a difficult
     The best option is under suspi-
                                             becoming involved in deciding or         task is the right option.
     cion.
                                             influencing something.
705. (3) pull a long face : an unhap-                                            720. (2) to pick holes : to find the
     py or disappointed expression;          Here, halting between two                weak points.
     look dejected.                          opinions is the right option.
                                                                                      Look at the sentence :
     He took one look at her long face       Look at the sentence :
   l                                                                                l It was easy to pick holes in his
     and said, ‘what’s wrong ?’           l  He tends to sit on the fence at          arguments.
     The best option is look dejected        meetings.                                Here, to criticise someone is
706. (3) cock and bull story : a story  714. (4) to have an axe to grind : to         the right option.
     that is unlikely to be true but is      have private reasons for being
                                                                                 721. (4) snake in the grass : a
     used as an excuse.                      involved in something
                                                                                      person who pretends to be your
     The best option is absurd story         Look at the sentence :                   friend but who cannot be
707. (1) shake off : to get away from     l He had no axe to grind and was            trusted.
     somebody who is chasing or fol-         only acting out of concern for           Look at the sentence :
     lowing you; forget.                     their safety.                          l It’s upsetting to learn that
   l We managed to shake off the             Here, to have a selfish end to           someone you once viewed as a
     photographers.                          serve is the right option.               good colleague is in fact a snake
     The best option is forget          715. (2) a hornet’s nest : a difficult        in the grass.
708. (3) sit on the fence : to avoid         situation in which a lot of people       Here, a hidden rival is the right
     becoming involved in deciding or        get very angry                           option
     influencing something.
                                             Look at the sentence :              722. (3) God’s acre : a church yard
   l He tends to sit on the fence at                                                  burial area
                                          l His letter to the papers stirred
     meetings.
                                             up a real hornets’ nest.                 Here, A cemetery beside a
     The best option is halting be-                                                   Church is the right option
     tween two opinions                      Here, an unpleasant situation
                                             is the right usage.                 723. (4) wrangled over an ass’s
709. (2) under a cloud : If somebody
     is under a cloud, other people     716. (4) to roll out the red carpet :         shadow : to fight/quarrel over
     think that they have done               to give a special welcome to             trivial and insignificant matters
     something wrong and are                 someone important                        Look at the sentence :
     suspicious of them.                     Look at the sentence :                 l Only foolish people wrangle
     Here, under suspicion is the         l I didn’t expect to be given the           over an ass’s shadow.
     right option.                           red carpet treatment !                   Here, quarrelled over trifles is
     Look at the sentence :                                                           the right option.
                                             Here, to give a grand welcome
  l  She resigned under a cloud.             is the right usage.                 724. (3) to beat the rap : to escape
710. (3) pull a long face : an unhappy                                                without being punished.
                                        717. (2) to put his foot down : to be
     or disappointed expression; look                                                 Look at the sentence :
                                             very strict in opposing what
     dejected.                                                                      l He was charged with drunk
                                             somebody wishes to do
     Here, look dejected is the right                                                 driving, but he beat the rap.
                                             Look at the sentence :
     option.                                                                          Here, to be acquitted of a
                                          l You have got to put your foot             crime is the right option.
     Look at the sentence :
                                             down and make him stop seeing
  l  He took one look at her long                                                725. (3) at sixes and sevens : in
                                             her.
     face and said ‘what’s wrong ?’                                                   confusion; not well organised.
                                             Here, not to yield is the right
711. (3) cock and bull story : a story                                                Look at the sentence :
                                             usage.
     that is unlikely to be true but is                                             l I haven’t had time to clear up,
     used as an excuse.                 718. (3) have one foot in the grave :
                                                                                      so I’m all at sixes and sevens.
     Here, absurd story is the right         to be so old or ill/sick that you
                                                                                      Here, confused is the right
     option.                                 are not likely to live much longer.
                                                                                      option
                                                       SEE–779