Vocabulary Idioms and Expressions 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'break the ice' mean?
- Crack frozen water
- To initiate conversation in an awkward social situation (Correct answer)
- To break something fragile
- To start a fight
Correct answer: To initiate conversation in an awkward social situation
To break the ice means to do or say something to relieve tension and get people talking comfortably in a new social situation.
Question 2: What does 'bite the bullet' mean?
- Eat ammunition
- To endure a painful situation with courage (Correct answer)
- To be aggressive
- To chew on metal
Correct answer: To endure a painful situation with courage
To bite the bullet means to face a difficult or unpleasant situation bravely, enduring the pain rather than avoiding it.
Question 3: What does 'the ball is in your court' mean?
- You are playing sports
- It is your turn to make a decision or take action (Correct answer)
- You own a ball
- The game is over
Correct answer: It is your turn to make a decision or take action
This expression means it is now someone else's responsibility to take the next step or make a decision, borrowed from tennis/basketball.
Question 4: What does 'once in a blue moon' mean?
- Every month
- Very rarely; almost never (Correct answer)
- When the moon is blue
- At midnight
Correct answer: Very rarely; almost never
A blue moon is an astronomical rarity, so 'once in a blue moon' means something happens very infrequently.
Question 5: What does 'add insult to injury' mean?
- To apologize
- To make a bad situation even worse by doing something additionally hurtful (Correct answer)
- To be polite
- To provide medical care
Correct answer: To make a bad situation even worse by doing something additionally hurtful
To add insult to injury means to make an already bad situation worse, typically by saying something offensive after causing harm.
Question 6: What does 'burning the midnight oil' mean?
- Wasting oil
- Working or studying late into the night (Correct answer)
- Starting a fire
- Cooking late at night
Correct answer: Working or studying late into the night
This idiom refers to working late at night, originating from the time when people used oil lamps for light during nighttime work.
Vocabulary Idioms and Expressions 1
What does 'break the ice' mean?