CDS English · Teaching notes
Idioms and Phrases — CDS English
Idioms and Phrases has 165 past-year questions in CDS English, about ten a paper in 17 of the 20 sittings from 2017 to 2026. Only four idioms have ever been asked twice, so a list of old idioms will not carry you through the next paper. Start with the method: refuse the literal picture, then match every part of the meaning. The themed lists after it gather every idiom CDS has tested, grouped by what they describe, so you learn them in families rather than one by one.
Every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap in one printable document — answers shown, ready to share.
Subtopic notes
Idioms: how to decode one you have never seen
29 PYQsAn idiom never means what its words picture. Cross out the literal options, say the meaning in your own words, and pick the option that matches every part of it.
Idioms for feelings and states of mind
26 PYQsIdioms that name a feeling or a state of mind: anger and fear, joy and sorrow, understanding and doubt, rest and health.
Idioms for people and character
26 PYQsIdioms that label a kind of person: shy, cowardly, firm, honest, dishonest, disloyal or out for themselves.
Idioms for speaking, listening and taking a view
20 PYQsIdioms about how people talk, how they listen, and how they give an opinion or make a decision.
Idioms for trouble, risk, failure and success
28 PYQsIdioms for being in trouble, making it worse, taking risks, failing or giving up, and doing well.
Idioms for effort, responsibility and money
19 PYQsIdioms for hard work, taking responsibility, having too much to do, wasted effort, and things that cost a lot or a little.
Idioms for time, company and comparison
17 PYQsIdioms for when something happens and how suddenly, and for how people stand with each other: together, apart, alike or different.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 18 reference tables · 68 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 18 reference tables · 68 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Idioms: how to decode one you have never seen
Reference tables (1)
Proverbs: state the moral as a rule9 rows
| Proverb | The rule it states | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| You snooze, you lose | Do not hesitate; if you delay, you miss the chance | Don't take it lightly | 2018 (I)Q |
| You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours | Do me a favour and I will do one for you | Mutual understanding | 2018 (I)Q |
| A stitch in time saves nine | Fix a problem early, before it grows | Poking at something repeatedly to rescue it | 2025 (I)Q |
| Many hands make light work | When many people help, a job is done quickly | Many people together can light a new path | 2025 (II)Q |
| A bird in hand is worth two in the bush | What you have is worth more than what you might get | What can happen is better than what has happened | 2025 (II)Q |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Leave a quiet matter alone; stirring it may make things worse | Not stoke a dangerous situation | 2025 (I)Q The matter is quiet now, not dangerous. That is why 'do not interfere where it may make matters worse' beats 'do not stoke a dangerous situation'. |
| Fight fire with fire | Answer an opponent with the same force or method | Add fuel to make the situation worse | 2025 (I)Q |
| Cast one's bread upon the waters | Do good without expecting a reward | Misdirect one's efforts in life | 2025 (I)Q |
| A watched pot never boils | Anxious waiting makes time seem to pass slowly | Failure because of over-eagerness | 2024 (II)Q |
Say the rule first. The option that gives the same advice, in any words, is the answer.
Watch out for (11)
- The option that repeats the idiom's word→ Reject the literal picture
- Narrow is not easy→ Reject the literal picture
- A thing is not a person→ Reject the literal picture
- Change hands is about owners→ Reject the literal picture
- One feature reversed→ Match every part of the meaning
- The literal-leaning option→ Match every part of the meaning
- Double-talk is not a double meaning→ Match every part of the meaning
- When all four options begin the same→ Match every part of the meaning
- Puns on the proverb's own words→ Proverbs: state the moral as a rule
- Direction reversed→ Proverbs: state the moral as a rule
- How waiting feels, not whether you fail→ Proverbs: state the moral as a rule
Idioms for feelings and states of mind
Reference tables (4)
Anger, fear and disgust8 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have a conniption fit | Become very angry or upset | To be very sad | 2019 (II)Q |
| Up in arms | Very angry and ready to protest | Very satisfied | 2021 (I)Q |
| Get the jitters | Feel nervous and anxious | Feeling exposed | 2020 (II)Q |
| Live on your nerves | Be anxious all the time | To be steely nerved | 2026 (II)Q |
| Fall in a heap | Lose control of your feelings; break down | To be in control of one's feelings | 2019 (II)Q |
| Get under someone's skin | Annoy or irritate someone badly | To understand someone completely | 2025 (II)Q The phrase can also mean that someone fascinates you, which is why two options talk about love. Its usual meaning, and the answer, is to annoy. |
| Turn one's stomach | Make someone feel sick with disgust | Being plagued by a stomach upset | 2025 (I)Q |
| The green-eyed monster | Jealousy | Feeling bad about happenings | 2020 (I)Q |
All eight carry a negative charge, so a happy or calm option is never the answer here.
Joy, sorrow and surprise5 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Be in seventh heaven | Be extremely happy | To be extremely adventurous | 2019 (II)Q |
| With a heavy heart | With sadness and regret | With heavy weight | 2020 (II)Q |
| Live in a fool's paradise | Be happy only because you refuse to see how bad things are | To believe that things you want will happen | 2019 (I)Q |
| Raise eyebrows | Cause or show surprise | Criticize | 2018 (I)Q |
| What a small world! | What a coincidence (said on meeting someone you know in an unexpected place) | What a narrow space | 2018 (I)Q |
Understanding, belief and what lies beneath6 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| At sea | Confused; not knowing what to do | Relaxed | 2023 (II)Q |
| It's all Greek to me | I cannot understand it at all | Something which I don't recognize | 2023 (II), 2026 (I)Q Asked twice. Greek stands for a language you cannot read, so the point is understanding, not recognising or finding it foreign. |
| Over one's head | Too hard for someone to understand | Bypassing authority secretly | 2026 (II)Q 'Go over someone's head' (go to a higher authority) is a different idiom. |
| I don't buy it | I don't believe it | I have no money | 2018 (I)Q |
| More than meets the eye | A hidden meaning or importance beyond what is obvious | A beautiful spectacle before one's eyes | 2026 (I)Q |
| Life in the raw | Life as it really is, hard and unpolished | Life at its easiest | 2021 (II)Q |
Rest, health and looks6 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind down | Relax after a busy period | Act furiously after a period of silence | 2021 (I)Q |
| Mellow out | Relax and take things easy | Work hard and do a lot | 2021 (I)Q |
| Be out for the count | Be deeply asleep (or knocked out) | Counting money carefully | 2022 (I)Q From boxing: a fighter who is down and cannot rise before the referee counts ten. |
| As right as rain | Fully well in body and mind again | To be physically active | 2023 (II)Q |
| Eat like a bird | Eat very little | Eat fast | 2020 (I)Q |
| Spiff up | Make yourself look neat and smart | Make oneself look untidy | 2021 (I)Q |
Watch out for (12)
- Options come in opposite pairs→ Anger, fear and disgust
- The body part is not an illness→ Anger, fear and disgust
- Same charge, different feeling→ Anger, fear and disgust
- A fool's paradise is not hope→ Joy, sorrow and surprise
- Heavy is not about weight→ Joy, sorrow and surprise
- Small world, not small space→ Joy, sorrow and surprise
- Understand, believe, accept, recognise→ Understanding, belief and what lies beneath
- Two idioms with 'head'→ Understanding, belief and what lies beneath
- Buying is not about money→ Understanding, belief and what lies beneath
- Activity reversed→ Rest, health and looks
- Counting is the picture→ Rest, health and looks
- Birds peck fast, but eat little→ Rest, health and looks
Idioms for people and character
Reference tables (3)
Kinds of people7 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| A culture vulture | Someone very keen on art, music and literature | Someone who defends ancient culture | 2019 (I)Q |
| A rotten apple | One bad person who spoils a good group | A disorganised person with bad habits | 2019 (I)Q |
| Blue blood | Someone from a noble or very high-class family | To suddenly become jealous | 2019 (I)Q |
| A shrinking violet | A very shy person | A lean person | 2019 (II)Q |
| A laughing stock | Someone everyone mocks for doing something foolish | To laugh at someone secretly | 2023 (I)Q |
| Like a shag on a rock | Completely alone | Completely idle | 2019 (II)Q A shag is a seabird often seen standing alone on a rock. |
| A paper tiger | Someone or something that looks powerful or threatening but is weak | Someone who acts like a tiger | 2020 (I), 2021 (II)Q Asked twice. Paper looks like a tiger but cannot bite. |
Courage, conviction and conscience6 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lily-livered | Cowardly; not brave | Weak | 2020 (I), 2026 (II)Q Asked twice. The 2026 (II) paper spells it 'Lilly-livered'; the usual spelling is lily-livered. |
| Be a law unto yourself | Act in your own way, ignoring rules and what others expect | Abide by law and order | 2021 (I)Q |
| Feet of clay | A hidden fault in someone who is admired | Slow in actions | 2022 (I)Q |
| Dyed in the wool | Firm and unchanging in your beliefs | Adapting to conditions | 2025 (I)Q |
| The straight and narrow | An honest, moral way of life | To not deviate from one's goal | 2025 (I)Q |
| Bite the bullet | Accept something unpleasant and face it bravely | To be angry and unhappy | 2023 (I)Q |
Deceit and self-interest11 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook the books | Falsify an organisation's accounts | To tell a false story | 2019 (I)Q |
| Have an axe to grind | Have a selfish aim or private motive | An essential equipment for work | 2023 (I)Q |
| Change your tune | Change your opinion completely because it suits you | To pretend to be very friendly | 2019 (I)Q |
| Cupboard love | Love shown only to get something | Innocent love | 2020 (II)Q |
| Feather your own nest | Make money for yourself by dishonest means | Make one's lodgings comfortable | 2024 (I)Q |
| Under the table | Paid or received secretly and illegally | Working undercover | 2021 (II)Q |
| Play possum | Pretend to be dead or asleep | Behave in a stupid way | 2026 (I)Q The possum, an animal, lies still and plays dead when it is attacked. |
| Sweep under the carpet | Hide a problem and hope it will be forgotten | Hide from general view | 2025 (II)Q |
| Pass the buck | Shift the blame or responsibility to someone else | To refuse money | 2026 (II)Q |
| Turncoat | Someone who leaves one side to join the other | A truly dishonest person | 2021 (II)Q |
| Play to the gallery | Say or do things just to win people's praise | To do something alone | 2023 (I)Q |
Watch out for (11)
- A label wants a person, not an action→ Kinds of people
- The laughing stock is the one laughed at→ Kinds of people
- Shrinking is not about size→ Kinds of people
- Weak is not cowardly→ Courage, conviction and conscience
- A law unto yourself ignores the law→ Courage, conviction and conscience
- Morals, not goals→ Courage, conviction and conscience
- Bite the bullet is acceptance→ Courage, conviction and conscience
- A comfortable nest is the picture→ Deceit and self-interest
- What is hidden, and why→ Deceit and self-interest
- Too general to be right→ Deceit and self-interest
- Buck is not money here→ Deceit and self-interest
Idioms for speaking, listening and taking a view
Reference tables (3)
Ways of speaking7 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal diarrhoea | Talking far too much | To be sick | 2019 (I)Q |
| A double entendre | A word or phrase with two meanings | Something with both advantages and problems | 2019 (I)Q |
| Cut the crap | A rude way to tell someone to stop saying untrue or useless things | To talk about something important | 2019 (I)Q |
| The gift of the gab | The ability to speak easily and confidently | Ability to convince | 2023 (II)Q |
| Blow your own trumpet | Boast about your own achievements | Be very loud in company | 2025 (II)Q |
| Mealy-mouthed | Not brave enough to say things plainly | Habitually using harsh words | 2026 (I)Q |
| Spill the beans | Let a secret out | To let food go waste | 2026 (II)Q |
Opinions and decisions9 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| My two cents | My opinion | My money | 2018 (I)Q |
| Say your piece | Say what you think | Make your argument piece by piece | 2021 (II)Q |
| Take a stand | State your view on something publicly and firmly | To be firm on your work | 2020 (II)Q |
| Vote with your feet | Show you do not support something by leaving or staying away | To express a particular opinion | 2019 (I)Q |
| Sit on the fence | Avoid taking a side or a decision | Taking sides | 2023 (II)Q |
| The ball is in your court | It is your turn to decide or act | Not speaking directly about an issue | 2018 (I)Q |
| The pros and cons | The good and bad points of something | Like and dislike of a situation | 2020 (I)Q |
| A foregone conclusion | A result that is certain before it happens | An obvious speculation | 2022 (I)Q |
| Play devil's advocate | Argue against an idea, without really opposing it, to test it | To delay doing something | 2024 (II)Q |
Listening and being talked about4 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pin back your ears | Listen carefully | Keep yourself from hearing bad things | 2021 (II)Q |
| Listen with half an ear | Not pay full attention | Being impartial | 2025 (I)Q |
| Someone's ears are flapping | Someone is trying to overhear a private talk | Someone in a state of excitement | 2025 (II)Q |
| Someone's ears are burning | Someone feels that others are talking about them | Being jealous of others | 2025 (I)Q |
Watch out for (10)
- The skill, not its result→ Ways of speaking
- Mealy-mouthed is soft, not harsh→ Ways of speaking
- Medical and food pictures→ Ways of speaking
- Sitting on the fence is the opposite of taking sides→ Opinions and decisions
- Voting with your feet is always disapproval→ Opinions and decisions
- Points, not feelings→ Opinions and decisions
- The devil's advocate does not really oppose→ Opinions and decisions
- Flapping and burning are different→ Listening and being talked about
- Half attention is not neutrality→ Listening and being talked about
- No pins, no cleaning→ Listening and being talked about
Idioms for trouble, risk, failure and success
Reference tables (3)
Trouble and making it worse10 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| A hot potato | An issue so disputed or awkward that people avoid handling it | Someone who is very angry | 2018 (I), 2023 (I)Q Asked twice. Like a hot potato in the hand, it is hard to hold and everyone wants to pass it on. |
| A Gordian knot | A very difficult problem | Undoable job | 2019 (II)Q Difficult, not impossible: in the legend, Alexander the Great cut the knot. |
| Be in the soup | Be in trouble | To be very healthy | 2023 (I)Q |
| Open a can of worms | Start something that leads to many new problems | To create suspense about how things will turn out | 2026 (I)Q |
| The elephant in the room | An obvious problem that everyone avoids talking about | The important topic | 2024 (I)Q |
| Be under a cloud | Be under suspicion | To be filled with gloom | 2026 (I)Q |
| A turn of the screw | An act that makes a bad situation worse | To become unpopular | 2023 (I)Q |
| A twist of the knife | Words or acts that make someone who already feels bad feel worse | The last thrust of a difficult operation | 2025 (II)Q |
| Cut and run | Escape a difficult situation by leaving suddenly | To meet some danger suddenly | 2020 (II)Q |
| Be in the same boat | Be in the same difficult situation as others | To do something that is dangerous | 2024 (II)Q |
Risk, failure and endings10 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sail close to the wind | Do something risky, close to being dangerous or illegal | To be in some unpleasant situation | 2019 (I)Q |
| Tread on eggshells | Be very careful in what you say and do | Making the best bets in one's trade | 2022 (I)Q Also asked as 'walking on eggshells' in 2024 (I). |
| Nip in the bud | Stop a small problem before it grows | Prevent the big problems | 2019 (II)Q |
| A death blow | An event that makes something fail or end | To be nearly dead | 2019 (I)Q |
| Cut your own throat | Harm your own interests by your own actions | To behave in a relaxed manner | 2019 (I) |
| Be in eclipse | Be less successful or less famous than before | Very successful | 2021 (I)Q |
| Overplay your hand | Spoil your chances by being too confident | To play card games for too long | 2026 (II)Q |
| Fall by the wayside | Drop out of an effort before the end | To lose one's sense of direction | 2026 (II)Q |
| Put out to pasture | Retire someone, or treat them as no longer useful | To feed someone | 2025 (II)Q An old farm horse that can no longer work is put out to pasture to graze. |
| The ship has sailed | The chance has passed | The matter is decided | 2024 (I)Q |
Success and value7 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Holy Grail | Something very important that people try hard to get | The pious place of worship | 2018 (I)Q |
| The best of both worlds | All the advantages of two different things at once | Someone whom everybody likes | 2018 (I)Q |
| The jewel in the crown | The most valuable part of something | Someone who has many skills | 2019 (I)Q |
| Rise to the occasion | Deal well with a difficult situation | To celebrate a success in a difficult situation | 2020 (I)Q |
| Prime the pump | Do something to help an activity start or succeed | To do good things to succeed in life | 2020 (I)Q |
| A purple patch | A period of great success or good form | The final bloom of the season | 2025 (II)Q |
| The world is your oyster | You have every chance to get what you want from life | Life is a precious gift | 2025 (I)Q |
Watch out for (10)
- A cloud of suspicion, not of gloom→ Trouble and making it worse
- Difficult is not impossible→ Trouble and making it worse
- The avoiding is the point→ Trouble and making it worse
- Small and early→ Risk, failure and endings
- A missed chance, not a decision→ Risk, failure and endings
- Eclipse is a fall, not a defeat→ Risk, failure and endings
- Cards are only the picture→ Risk, failure and endings
- Succeed, not celebrate→ Success and value
- A specific act, not a way of life→ Success and value
- Religious picture, ordinary meaning→ Success and value
Idioms for effort, responsibility and money
Reference tables (2)
Effort and responsibility11 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step up to the plate | Take responsibility; rise to a challenge | Take control | 2018 (I)Q Printed without 'to' in 2018 (I). The full idiom, from baseball, is 'step up to the plate'. |
| Roll your sleeves up | Get ready for hard work | To prepare for wrestling | 2020 (II)Q |
| Strain every nerve | Try as hard as you can | Tried half-heartedly | 2023 (II)Q |
| Work like a dog | Work very hard | To work faithfully | 2026 (I)Q |
| Too many irons in the fire | Too many tasks or plans at once | Involvement in illegal activities | 2023 (II)Q |
| Have a finger in every pie | Be involved in many different activities | To be familiar with the latest developments | 2026 (II)Q |
| Ways and means | Methods of getting something done | Norms and regulations | 2021 (I)Q |
| Hold the fort | Take charge while the person responsible is away | Be present at the moment one is needed | 2026 (I)Q |
| Make heavy weather of something | Make a task seem harder than it is | Complain about rainy weather | 2025 (II)Q |
| Look to your laurels | Work harder to keep your position | To guard one's trophies | 2024 (II)Q |
| Tilt at windmills | Waste effort fighting enemies or problems that are not real | To blow hot air | 2024 (II)Q From the novel Don Quixote, whose hero attacks windmills, thinking they are giants. |
Money and cost8 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost an arm and a leg | Be very expensive | Severe punishment to someone | 2018 (I)Q |
| Cost a bomb | Be very expensive | To be with rich people | 2020 (II)Q |
| Dirt cheap | Extremely cheap | Very cheap person | 2019 (II)Q It describes a price. A 'cheap person' would be a mean one, which is a different idea. |
| Big ticket | Very costly | Very easy | 2021 (I)Q |
| Feel the pinch | Have less money than before and feel the hardship | Being hurt by someone | 2022 (I)Q |
| Pay over the odds | Pay more for something than it is worth | To get dividends for investments | 2023 (I)Q |
| A white elephant | Something that cost a lot but has no useful purpose | Someone completely good and honest | 2023 (I)Q |
| A banana republic | A small, poor country with a weak government | A poor country which produces bananas | 2020 (I)Q |
Watch out for (7)
- Dogs are loyal, but the idiom is about effort→ Effort and responsibility
- Look to your laurels is a warning→ Effort and responsibility
- Heavy weather is not weather→ Effort and responsibility
- Involved, not informed→ Effort and responsibility
- Direction first→ Money and cost
- Both halves of the meaning→ Money and cost
- A price, not a person→ Money and cost
Idioms for time, company and comparison
Reference tables (2)
Time and timing6 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out of the blue | Unexpectedly | Unbelievably | 2018 (I)Q |
| A bolt from the blue | A sudden, unexpected event or piece of news | News long expected that arrives late | 2021 (I)Q |
| Down the road | In the future | In the past | 2018 (I)Q |
| Around the corner | About to happen soon | A thing at the end of a corner | 2020 (II)Q |
| At the drop of a hat | At once, without hesitation | Doing something without much pressure | 2018 (I), 2021 (II)Q Asked twice. |
| The dog days | The hottest days of summer | The bitter days | 2020 (I)Q Named after the Dog Star, Sirius, which rises with the sun in the hottest weeks. |
Together, apart and compared10 rows
| Idiom | Meaning | Wrong option to avoid | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand in glove | Working very closely together (often in something wrong) | Working separately | 2019 (II)Q |
| A match made in heaven | A marriage or partnership likely to be very happy | A marriage of convenience | 2019 (I)Q |
| Live in each other's pockets | Spend too much time together | To live by borrowing from each other | 2026 (I)Q |
| Close ranks | Unite to defend a shared interest | To stop communicating with one's colleagues | 2026 (I)Q |
| Make one's peace | End a quarrel | To experience serenity | 2026 (II)Q |
| The feathers fly | People quarrel or fight noisily | To lead a carefree life | 2022 (I)Q |
| At somebody's elbow | Close by, ready to help | To be dominated by someone | 2022 (I)Q |
| Another kettle of fish | A completely different matter | Slightly different matter | 2023 (II)Q |
| Apples and oranges | People or things too different to compare | People who argue a lot | 2023 (I)Q |
| Everyone and his brother | A very large number of people | An individual and all his relatives | 2022 (I)Q |
Watch out for (7)
- Unexpected, not unbelievable→ Time and timing
- Hot, not bitter→ Time and timing
- Without thought, not without pressure→ Time and timing
- Completely, not slightly→ Together, apart and compared
- Peace with someone, not peace of mind→ Together, apart and compared
- Pockets are about time, not money→ Together, apart and compared
- Different, not quarrelling→ Together, apart and compared
PYQ weightage by concept
20 concepts · 165 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
20 concepts · 165 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Idioms: how to decode one you have never seen29 PYQs · 18%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reject the literal picture | 10 | 6% |
| Match every part of the meaning | 10 | 6% |
| Proverbs: state the moral as a rule | 9 | 5% |
Idioms for feelings and states of mind26 PYQs · 16%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Anger, fear and disgust | 8 | 5% |
| Understanding, belief and what lies beneath | 7 | 4% |
| Rest, health and looks | 6 | 4% |
| Joy, sorrow and surprise | 5 | 3% |
Idioms for people and character26 PYQs · 16%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Deceit and self-interest | 11 | 7% |
| Kinds of people | 8 | 5% |
| Courage, conviction and conscience | 7 | 4% |
Idioms for speaking, listening and taking a view20 PYQs · 12%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Opinions and decisions | 9 | 5% |
| Ways of speaking | 7 | 4% |
| Listening and being talked about | 4 | 2% |
Idioms for trouble, risk, failure and success28 PYQs · 17%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Trouble and making it worse | 11 | 7% |
| Risk, failure and endings | 10 | 6% |
| Success and value | 7 | 4% |
Idioms for effort, responsibility and money19 PYQs · 12%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Effort and responsibility | 11 | 7% |
| Money and cost | 8 | 5% |
Idioms for time, company and comparison17 PYQs · 10%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Together, apart and compared | 10 | 6% |
| Time and timing | 7 | 4% |
Test yourself on Idioms and Phrases
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.