CDS English · Idioms and Phrases
Idioms for people and character
Idioms that label a kind of person: shy, cowardly, firm, honest, dishonest, disloyal or out for themselves.
Why this matters
Character idioms are a steady part of the CDS idiom set. Many of them are labels for a person ('a turncoat', 'a paper tiger'), so the right option describes someone, while wrong options describe an action or a thing. The largest group here is about deceit and self-interest, where the options differ in the exact kind of dishonesty.
Concept 1 of 3: Kinds of people
Many idioms are labels: 'a shrinking violet' is a shy person, 'a paper tiger' only looks strong. Ask two things. Is the label praise or criticism? And what single quality does the picture stand for?
Definition
How to read a label idiom:
- A label idiom names a type of person, so the answer describes a person, not an action.
- Find the one quality the picture shows: a violet is small and hidden (shy); a tiger made of paper cannot hurt anyone (not really powerful).
- Decide praise or criticism first: a culture vulture loves the arts; a laughing stock is mocked.
| 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. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2019 · CDS (I) 2019 — English · Q111Easy
Example 1 · Idioms and Phrases · Idioms: People and Character
Directions: choose most appropriate meaning of the idiom
A rotten apple
A label wants a person, not an action
Blue blood names a kind of person, yet its wrong options were actions ('to swallow poison', 'to suddenly become jealous'). If the idiom is a noun for a person, the answer should be too.
The laughing stock is the one laughed at
A laughing stock is the person everyone mocks. 'To laugh at someone secretly' turns them into the one who laughs. Check who does what.
Shrinking is not about size
A shrinking violet is shy: it shrinks back from people. 'A lean person' reads 'shrinking' as getting thinner.
Concept 2 of 3: Courage, conviction and conscience
These idioms judge a person's backbone: brave or cowardly, firm or easily moved, honest or flawed. The liver was once thought to hold a person's courage, so a liver as pale as a lily belongs to a coward.
Definition
The groups:
- Cowardice: lily-livered.
- Firm belief: dyed in the wool (fixed in your views).
- Hidden weakness: feet of clay (a hidden fault in a respected person).
- Honesty: the straight and narrow (an honest, moral way of life).
- Facing pain: bite the bullet (accept something unpleasant and get on with it).
- Your own rules: a law unto yourself (behave in your own unpredictable way).
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (II) 2026 — English · Q57Moderate
Example 2 · Idioms and Phrases · Idioms: People and Character
Directions: Given below are idioms/phrases. Choose the most appropriate meaning and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
Lilly-livered
Weak is not cowardly
Lily-livered is about courage, not strength. A strong person can be a coward. 'Not brave' or 'cowardly' is the answer; 'weak' is the near miss.
A law unto yourself ignores the law
Every wrong option for be a law unto yourself was about obeying or making laws. The idiom means the reverse: you follow only your own rules.
Morals, not goals
The straight and narrow is an honest way of living. 'Not deviating from one's goal' and 'following the path society defines' keep the picture of a straight road but lose the moral meaning.
Bite the bullet is acceptance
Bite the bullet means to accept something hard and get on with it. It is not anger, and it is not eagerness ('start doing something in a very keen way').
Concept 3 of 3: Deceit and self-interest
These idioms describe someone who cheats, hides, dodges or acts for selfish gain. The options usually include a near miss: a plain lie instead of false accounts, a hiding place instead of a hidden problem. Look for the exact kind of dishonesty.
Definition
The groups:
- Fraud with money: cook the books (falsify accounts), under the table (secret, illegal payments), feather your own nest (enrich yourself dishonestly).
- Selfish motive: have an axe to grind, cupboard love, change your tune, play to the gallery.
- Dodging: pass the buck (shift the blame), sweep under the carpet (hide a problem), play possum (pretend to be dead or asleep).
- Disloyalty: a turncoat (someone who changes sides).
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — English · Q31Easy
Example 3 · Idioms and Phrases · Idioms: People and Character
Directions: choose the most appropriate meaning of the idiom
Have an axe to grind
A comfortable nest is the picture
Feather your own nest means to make money for yourself dishonestly. 'To make one's lodgings comfortable' is the bird's nest read literally.
What is hidden, and why
Sweep under the carpet hides a problem, hoping it will be forgotten. 'Hide from general view' and 'maintain secrecy' miss both the problem and the hope.
Too general to be right
A turncoat changes sides. 'A truly dishonest person' is too broad: it fits many people who never change sides. The precise option wins.
Buck is not money here
In pass the buck, the buck was a marker passed to the next player at cards. 'To refuse money' reads it as the slang word for a dollar.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
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
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.