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- 1 / 18
What Latin phrase refers to someone's habits of working?
- Caveat Emptor
- Vice Versa
- Alibi
- Modus Operandi
A modus operandi (often shortened to M.O.) is someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations; but also more generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode (or manner) of operating. The term is often used in police work when discussing crime and addressing the methods employed by criminals. It is also used in criminal profiling, where it can help in finding clues to the offender's psychology. It largely consists of examining the actions used by the individuals to execute the crime, prevent its detection, and facilitate escape. A suspect's modus operandi can assist in their identification, apprehension, or repression, and can also be used to determine links between crimes.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2 / 18
What does the phrase "beat around the bush" mean?
- Agreeing with someone
- To reveal a secret
- To avoid getting to the point
- To solve two problems at once
"Beat around the bush" is an idiom that means to avoid getting to the point of an issue, for example: "Your worries have nothing to do with the new proposal. Stop beating around the bush, and cast your vote!" To beat about the bush is to approach indirectly, in a roundabout way, or too cautiously. For example, "Stop beating around the bush and get to the point." This term, first recorded in 1572, originally may have alluded to beating the bushes for a game.
Source: Dictionary.com
- 3 / 18
What baseball team originated the idiom "I've got it in the bag"?
- Dodgers
- Red Sox
- Houston Astros
- The Giants
Although there are other recorded uses, the version of this idiom that has become so widely accepted came about thanks to the old New York Giants (now San Francisco Giants) baseball team. It began as a superstition. In 1916 the Giants had a run of 26 consecutive wins. A bag filled with 72 extra baseballs would be put on the playing field at the beginning of each game. These balls were used to replace any that were hit into the seats or any that became too dirty. The Giants, during this crazy winning streak, fell under the impression that if they were in the lead during the ninth (last) inning, carrying the ball bag off the field would ensure their win because, according to the team, they had captured the game in the bag.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
- 4 / 18
What does the popular idiom "to burn bridges" mean?
- To learn from mistakes
- To help someone
- To run away
- To do something irreversible
To burn bridges is to do something irreversible, to act in a way that destroys any chance of returning to the way things were. For example: "She has already burned his bridges with his previous employer by publicly criticizing their marketing policy." The idiom originated in the late 1800s and is derived from the concept of burning down a bridge after crossing it throughout a military operation, leaving no option but to keep marching. In the olden times, during the war, soldiers would cross a waterbody and then burn the bridge or boats they had used to prevent retreat and halt the following enemy.
Source: The Idioms
- 5 / 18
The phrase "bite the bullet" means what?
- To protest
- To eat
- To face a difficult situation
- To read out loud
"Bite the bullet" is an informal phrase that means to face a difficult situation, to do something unpleasant or painful because it is necessary even though you would like to avoid it." For example, you may not want to spend a lot of money on a new car, but if you know yours is beginning to break down a lot, you might have to bite the bullet and buy a new one. Below are more examples of how this phrase is used.
Source: Britannica
- 6 / 18
From which 70s show does the TV idiom "Jumping the Shark" come?
- Mork and Mindy
- All in The Family
- M.A.S.H.
- Happy Days
Jumping the Shark is the moment when an established Long Runner series changes in a significant manner, ranging from a contrived gimmick to a full Retool. The expression comes from an episode of the TV series Happy Days in which Fonzie, dressed in his trademark leather jacket, literally jumps over a shark while on waterskis — a sharp break from the show's previous focus on "everyday American life in the 1950s."
Source: TV Tropes
- 7 / 18
What does the idiom "the ball is in your court" mean?
- You lose
- Time is running out
- You win
- Responsibility is yours
Responsibility is yours. The ball is in your court means that the responsibility has passed to you, that the decision in a given situation is up to you, and that it is up to you to make the next move. When the ball is in your court, nothing else can happen in a given situation until you take action or make a decision. The idiom the ball is in your court is derived from the sport of tennis. When the ball bounces in your court during a game of tennis, you must take action and hit it to keep the game going. The expression the ball is in your court, expressed in a figurative sense, came into use in the 1960s.
Source: Grammarist
- 8 / 18
Where does the popular idiom "Pipe Down" come from?
- The Army
- Sailing ships
- Electricians
- Plumbers
Pipe down is an admonition to be quiet, to stop making noise, or to stop talking. Related phrases are pipes down, piped down, and piping down. The idiom came into use in the mid-1800s and is most probably related to the boatswain’s pipe on sailing ships. In the evening, the officer would blow his pipe or whistle as a signal to retire below deck. This signal was known as piping down the hammocks.
Source: Grammarist
- 9 / 18
What does the Greek phrase "Eureka" mean in English?
- I have found it
- Keep trying
- Ideas first
- I have loved
“Eureka!” is Greek for “I have found it!” The word is something we say when we have figured out a solution to a complex problem. “Eureka” is a kind of interjection. Interjections are the quick, short words or sounds we cry out when we are feeling intense emotion. They can express pain, surprise, anger, or joy. These kinds of words also are called exclamations. When you finally find the answer to something you have been working on for a long time, nobody will blame you for yelling “Eureka!” from the rooftops.
Source: Learning English
- 10 / 18
What book series ended with the phrase "All was well"?
- The Hunger Games
- Harry Potter
- Divergent
- The Mortal Instruments
There’s a lot of controversy about this—the last line of Harry Potter—the epilogue that ends the Harry Potter series. Some people love it and others find it cheesy. Rowling wanted to give this happy ending to her characters. While she originally had the series end with the word scar, she amended her plan to end with the words “All was well.” There is no more twist in the hopeful vision Rowling presents at the end of each book. No “except” or “but” or “in spite of” to go with the peaceful vision. And this isn’t the perfectly normal thank you very much world of the Dursleys that the series begins with either. Harry feels fully integrated into the wizarding world. He no longer has to go back and forth or fear the looming fight with Lord Voldemort. He and Ron and Hermione survived their struggles and went on to lead apparently normal lives.
Source: Book Riot
- 11 / 18
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch" is a phrase meaning what?
- Hurry up
- Speak up
- Rush
- Don't assume till confirmed
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch" means that you don't assume till confirmed. Not be overly confident in your future plans because you never know what could interrupt them. This idiom serves as a warning to be careful when making assumptions about the future. Don’t place too much hope on something that you’re not sure will actually happen. Many sources identify this idiom as coming from one of Aesop’s fables.
Source: Writing Explained
- 12 / 18
What practice at carnivals originated the idiom "close, but no cigar"?
- Giving cigars as prizes
- Cigars used to count points
- Marking a target with a cigar
- Smoking was forbidden
The practice that originated this expression was the custom of giving cigars as prizes. The expression, “Close, but no cigar” means that a person fell slightly short of a successful outcome and, therefore, gets no reward. The phrase most likely originated in the 1920s when fairs, or carnivals, would hand out cigars as prizes. At that time, the games were targeted toward adults, not kids. Yes, even in the ’20s, most carnival games were impossible to win, which often led the owner of the game to say, “Close, but no cigar” when the player failed to get enough rings around bottles or was just shy of hitting the target.
Source: Reader’s Digest
- 13 / 18
What common phrase is used to wish actors luck?
- "Ignorance is bliss"
- "Break a leg"
- "Bite the bullet"
- "YOLO"
"Break a leg" is a typical English idiom used in the context of theatre or other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck." An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin (a dead metaphor), "break a leg" is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform or before an audition. Though the term likely originates in German, the English expression is first attributed in the 1930s or possibly 1920s, originally documented without specifically theatrical associations.
Source: Wikipedia
- 14 / 18
What does the phrase "to put your best foot forward" mean?
- Work hard
- Tie your shoes
- Rest
- Prepare a meal
Put your best foot forward means to work hard and energetically to make sure that something that you are doing is a success. For example: "Sir David said that the commission should have put its best foot forward and produced something independent," or "If you put your best foot forward, you act in a cheerful, determined way."
Source: Collins
- 15 / 18
Who allegedly coined the idiom "to turn a blind eye"?
- Winston Churchill
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Vice Admiral Nelson
- George Washington
Although the Oxford English Dictionary records usage of the phrase as early as 1698, the phrase to turn a blind eye is often falsely attributed to an incident in the life of Horatio Nelson. Vice Admiral Nelson was blinded in one eye early in his Royal Navy career. During the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 the cautious Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in overall command of the British forces, sent a signal to Nelson's forces ordering them to discontinue the action. Naval orders were transmitted via a system of signal flags at that time. When this order was brought to the more aggressive Nelson's attention, he lifted his telescope up to his blind eye, saying, "I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 16 / 18
What does the expression "apples and pears" mean in Cockney slang?
- Police car
- Healthy food
- Stairs
- Contrasts
Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England. The construction of rhyming slang involves replacing a common word with a phrase of two or more words, the last of which rhymes with the original word; then, in almost all cases, omitting, from the end of the phrase, the secondary rhyming word. The form of Cockney slang is made clear in the following example. The rhyming phrase "apples and pears" is used to mean "stairs". Following the pattern of omission, "and pears" is dropped, thus the spoken phrase "I'm going up the apples" means "I'm going up the stairs".
Source: Wikipedia
- 17 / 18
In what book was the idiom "pot calling the kettle black" first used?
- Don Quixote
- Pride and Prejudice
- Anna Karenina
- Moby-Dick
We use this expression to refer to someone who criticizes someone else, for something they themselves are guilty of. For example: “You’re greedy.” “Pot calling the kettle black?” Its origins can be traced back to the literature of the 1600s – notably Don Quixote by Cervantes – but this expression also has an older origin in the Medieval kitchen, when both pots and kettles were made from sturdy cast iron and both would get black with soot from the open fire.
Source: Oxford Royale
- 18 / 18
Which Greek myth is used as an idiom for a source of unexpected trouble?
- The Midas Touch
- Achilles Heel
- Apple of Discord
- Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem Works and Days. Hesiod related that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing curses upon mankind. Later depictions of the story have been varied, with some literary and artistic treatments focusing more on the contents than on Pandora herself. The container mentioned in the original account was actually a large storage jar, but the word was later mistranslated. In modern times an idiom has grown from the story meaning "Any source of great and unexpected troubles", or alternatively "A present which seems valuable but which in reality is a curse".
Source: Wikipedia
