What an Idiomatic Expression Is
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the separate words. A change of heart has nothing to do with a heart operation; it means a change in one's attitude or feelings.
Three things follow from this.
- You cannot translate an idiom word by word. To put up with does not mean to build anything; it means to tolerate.
- The words are fixed. We say by leaps and bounds, never "by jumps and bounds".
- Grammar still applies. The verb inside the idiom changes with the tense: he took to cycling, she has taken to cycling.
A phrasal verb is a related kind of expression: a verb plus a preposition or adverb whose meaning is special, such as give up, run into, hit out at.
[Exam Tip] — In the board paper this is a 2-mark question. A short paragraph has two blanks; three expressions are given in brackets, so one is always left over. Choosing the extra one for a blank costs a mark, so read all three before you write.
Expressions from the Lessons (1): Travelogue and Story
These lists are the ones the course book itself sets, so they are the likeliest source of exam items.
From 'Japan and Brazil Through a Traveller's Eye' (the book gives eleven expressions to match with meanings)
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| all and sundry | everyone |
| cut in | to move suddenly in front of another vehicle |
| by leaps and bounds | very quickly; in large amounts |
| listen in | to listen to a conversation you are not supposed to hear |
| fair game | someone or something that may fairly be attacked or criticised |
| get into | to develop a particular habit |
| look out | to keep trying to find something or meet somebody |
| for dear life | as hard or as fast as possible |
| be one's castle | a place where one can be private and safe |
| clear cut | definite; easy to see or identify |
| easy going | relaxed and happy to accept things |
From 'The Gardener'
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| in a flash | very quickly, in an instant |
| flesh and blood | one's own family or a real human being |
| out of hand | out of control |
| vanish into thin air | disappear completely, leaving no trace |
From 'To the Foot from its Child' (pre-reading list)
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| stand on one's own feet | be independent |
| to have a brave heart | to be courageous |
| in cold blood | deliberately and without pity |
| take to one's heels | run away |
Expressions from the Lessons (2): Pairs and Phrasal Verbs
From 'Where There Is a Wheel' (the book gives five pairs; learn both halves, because the pair is the trap)
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| to the day | exactly |
| to this day | even now |
| take by storm | capture by sudden attack; win over completely |
| the calm before the storm | a quiet period before trouble or excitement |
| for all one knows | considering how little one knows |
| before one knows where one is | very quickly; suddenly |
| at / behind the wheel | in control of the situation |
| put a spoke in somebody's wheel | spoil somebody's plans |
| turn out in one's best | be well-dressed |
| as things turned out | as it actually happened in the end |
Phrasal verbs from the same lesson
| Phrasal verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| take to | begin doing as a habit |
| give up | stop doing; abandon |
| run into | meet by chance |
| hit out at | attack strongly |
| sweep across | spread quickly over an area |
| put up with | tolerate |
Other expressions the board uses
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| to keep one's shirt on | to stay calm, not lose one's temper |
| to look up to | to respect and admire |
| to look down on | to despise; to think someone inferior |
| to break the ice | to start a conversation in an awkward situation |
| once in a blue moon | very rarely |
| a bolt from the blue | a sudden and unexpected shock |
| at the eleventh hour | at the last possible moment |
| turn a deaf ear | refuse to listen |
| leave no stone unturned | try every possible means |
| a blessing in disguise | something that seems bad but turns out good |
How to Choose the Right Expression
Work through three filters, in this order.
1. Grammar fit. Look at the words on both sides of the blank.
- It has become difficult for the commuters to __. The blank follows to, so it needs an expression that begins with a verb: to keep one's shirt on fits, leaps and bounds does not.
- increasing by __ day by day. The blank follows by, so by leaps and bounds fits.
2. Meaning fit. Ask what the sentence is about. Traffic growing fast needs an expression about large amounts; people stuck in a jam need one about staying calm.
3. Elimination. Three choices, two blanks. Fill the blank you are sure of first, then match the second, and leave the third unused.
A worked example
The traffic in the big cities is increasing by _ day by day. It has become difficult for the commuters to _ when they are caught in a traffic jam. [to keep one's shirt on, to look up to, leaps and bounds]
- Blank 1 follows by and describes fast growth, so it takes leaps and bounds.
- Blank 2 follows to and is about people in a jam, so it takes to keep one's shirt on.
- To look up to (respect) fits neither, so it is the extra option.
Writing the answer: write the expression as it is printed, without the leading to if the sentence already has to. In the example above, write keep one's shirt on after "commuters to", or copy the option in full; both are accepted as long as the sentence reads correctly.
The Exam Format and Common Mistakes
Format: Q12, 2 marks (2 × 1). A two- or three-sentence paragraph with two blanks, and three expressions in square brackets.
2025 question (solved)
The traffic in the big cities is increasing by _ day by day. It has become difficult for the commuters to _ when they are caught in a traffic jam. [To keep one's shirt on, to look upto, leaps and bounds]
Answers: leaps and bounds · to keep one's shirt on
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it costs a mark |
|---|---|
| Using the left-over option for both blanks | Each expression is used once only. |
| Changing the words of the idiom (by jumps and bounds) | Idioms are fixed; the wording must match. |
| Ignoring the word before the blank (by, to) | The grammar decides which option can fit. |
| Guessing from the literal meaning (take to one's heels as "wear heels") | Idioms are not literal. |
| Leaving a blank empty | An attempted answer may earn the mark; a blank never does. |
[Exam Tip] — Learn the pairs together: to the day / to this day, at the wheel / put a spoke in somebody's wheel, look up to / look down on. The paper often puts both halves of a pair in the options, so knowing only one of them is not enough.