CDS English · Idioms and Phrases
Idioms for trouble, risk, failure and success
Idioms for being in trouble, making it worse, taking risks, failing or giving up, and doing well.
Why this matters
This is the largest family of meanings in the CDS idiom set. Trouble idioms test whether a problem is hard, is getting worse, or is being avoided. Failure idioms test whether something ends, weakens or is missed; success idioms test value and good fortune.
Concept 1 of 3: Trouble and making it worse
Trouble idioms differ in what is happening to the trouble. It exists (in the soup), it is hard to handle (a hot potato, a Gordian knot), someone starts it (open a can of worms), everyone avoids it (the elephant in the room), or it gets worse (a turn of the screw, a twist of the knife).
Definition
Ask what is happening to the problem:
- You are in it: be in the soup, be in the same boat (with others), be under a cloud (suspected).
- It is hard to handle: a hot potato, a Gordian knot.
- Someone starts it: open a can of worms.
- Everyone avoids it: the elephant in the room, cut and run.
- It gets worse: a turn of the screw, a twist of the knife.
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — English · Q45Easy
Example 1 · Idioms and Phrases · Idioms: Trouble and Success
Directions: Given below are some idioms/phrases followed by four alternative meanings to each. Select the most appropriate response from the options provided and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
Open a can of worms
A cloud of suspicion, not of gloom
Be under a cloud means people suspect you of something. 'Filled with gloom' sounds right because clouds are dark, but the cloud here is suspicion.
Difficult is not impossible
A Gordian knot is a very difficult problem. 'Undoable job' goes too far, and 'a different problem' is a misreading of 'difficult'.
The avoiding is the point
The elephant in the room is not just an important topic. It is an obvious problem that nobody will mention. An option without the avoiding is incomplete.
Concept 2 of 3: Risk, failure and endings
Read these as the stages of a story. You take a risk (sail close to the wind, overplay your hand), or you act early or carefully to avoid harm (nip in the bud, tread on eggshells). Then things end or fade: a death blow, falling by the wayside, being in eclipse, being put out to pasture, a ship that has sailed.
Definition
The stages:
- Risk: sail close to the wind (do something dangerous), overplay your hand (spoil your chances through overconfidence), cut your own throat (harm your own interests).
- Care: nip in the bud (stop a problem while it is small), tread on eggshells (be very careful what you say and do).
- Decline and endings: a death blow, be in eclipse, fall by the wayside, put out to pasture, the ship has sailed.
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (II) 2026 — English · Q60Moderate
Example 2 · Idioms and Phrases · Idioms: Trouble and Success
Directions: Given below are idioms/phrases. Choose the most appropriate meaning and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
Fall by the wayside
Small and early
Nip in the bud means to stop a problem while it is still small. 'Prevent the big problems' loses both the size and the timing.
A missed chance, not a decision
The ship has sailed means the chance has gone. 'The matter is decided' sounds final too, but the idiom is about an opportunity, not a ruling.
Eclipse is a fall, not a defeat
Something in eclipse is less successful or less famous than before. It has faded, not been beaten outright, so 'being defeated' is too strong.
Cards are only the picture
To overplay your hand is to spoil your chances through overconfidence. 'Playing card games for too long' keeps the card-table picture.
Concept 3 of 3: Success and value
Success idioms praise a time, a thing or a chance: a great run of form (a purple patch), the best part of something (the jewel in the crown), a prized goal (the Holy Grail), wide opportunity (the world is your oyster).
Definition
The groups:
- Doing well: a purple patch, rise to the occasion.
- Value: the jewel in the crown, the Holy Grail, the best of both worlds.
- Opportunity: the world is your oyster.
- Getting things going: prime the pump (act to help something start or succeed).
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (II) 2025 — English · Q39Moderate
Example 3 · Idioms and Phrases · Idioms: Trouble and Success
Directions: In the following items an idiom or a proverb is given. Select the response that most appropriately describes the meaning of the idiom or proverb and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
A purple patch
Succeed, not celebrate
To rise to the occasion is to deal well with a hard situation. The wrong options celebrated a success, regretted a failure, or motivated others. Only dealing with it yourself fits.
A specific act, not a way of life
Prime the pump is one action that gets something going, like pouring water into a pump to start it. 'Doing good things to succeed in life' is too general.
Religious picture, ordinary meaning
The Holy Grail is any goal people want badly. 'A pious place of worship' reads the words literally.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
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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
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