SPI English · Free notes
Idioms and Phrases: SPI English
Idioms and Phrases has 23 questions in the SPI bank, all of them from the sample papers and the LWS mocks; none is from the 2022 paper.Seventeen are EASY, five MODERATE and one HARD. An idiom cannot be worked out from its words, so the wrong options are usually those words read literally. These pages give every idiom and phrasal verb the bank has used, with its meaning, and more of the same kind to learn alongside.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Idiom Meanings
20 questionsAn idiom is a group of words whose meaning is not the meaning of its words, so 'smell a rat' means to suspect something wrong, not to notice a smell.
Phrasal Verbs and Prepositions
3 questionsA phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word such as off, over or up, and that small word changes the meaning; an idiom's preposition is fixed in the same way.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 4 reference tables · 13 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 4 reference tables · 13 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (2)
Idioms about people10 rows
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a snake in the grass | a hidden enemy who pretends to be a friend |
| a wolf in sheep's clothing | a dangerous person who looks harmless |
| a man of straw | a weak person of no real worth |
| call a spade a spade | speak plainly and honestly |
| a white lie | a small lie told to avoid hurting someone |
| bad blood | hatred between people after a past quarrel |
| take someone to task | scold someone for a fault |
| a wet blanket | a person who spoils other people's fun |
| the black sheep | a member who brings shame on a family or group |
| a fair-weather friend | a friend only in good times |
Idioms about effort, success and failure10 rows
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fight tooth and nail | fight with all one's strength |
| burn the midnight oil | work or study late into the night |
| leave no stone unturned | try every possible way |
| steal a march on someone | get ahead of someone by acting first |
| have the last laugh | succeed in the end after others doubted you |
| end in smoke | come to nothing, fail completely |
| a blessing in disguise | something good that first looked bad |
| count your blessings | be thankful for the good things you have |
| sit on the fence | not take sides, put off deciding |
| turn over a new leaf | start behaving better |
Watch out for (9)
- The literal option is there on purpose→ Read the picture, not the words
- Half right is wrong→ Read the picture, not the words
- No dice is not about money or games→ Read the picture, not the words
- Bad blood is not an illness→ Idioms about people
- A white lie is still a lie→ Idioms about people
- Taking to task is scolding→ Idioms about people
- Sitting on the fence is not resting→ Idioms about effort, success and failure
- End in smoke means failure, not fire→ Idioms about effort, success and failure
- Stealing a march is not stealing→ Idioms about effort, success and failure
Reference tables (2)
Phrasal verbs with get and bear9 rows
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get off (with) | escape with only a light punishment | The thief got off lightly as it was his first offence. |
| get over | recover from | She got over her fever in a week. |
| get through | pass, or reach the end of | He got through the interview. |
| get back | return | We got back home at night. |
| get along (with) | be friendly with | The two cousins get along well. |
| bear up | stay strong in a hard time | She is bearing up well after the loss. |
| bear with | be patient with | Please bear with me for a minute. |
| bear out | show to be true, confirm | The report bears out his story. |
| put up with | tolerate | I cannot put up with this noise. |
The fixed small word inside an idiom7 rows
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| to the bitter end | right to the finish, however hard it gets |
| at the eleventh hour | at the last possible moment |
| in the long run | over a long time, in the end |
| by and large | on the whole, generally |
| on cloud nine | extremely happy |
| out of the blue | suddenly, without warning |
| in hot water | in trouble |
Watch out for (4)
- One small word changes the whole verb→ Phrasal verbs with get and bear
- Bear up is not put up with→ Phrasal verbs with get and bear
- Do not swap the preposition→ The fixed small word inside an idiom
- In the long run is about time→ The fixed small word inside an idiom
Question weightage by concept
5 concepts · 23 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Question weightage by concept
5 concepts · 23 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Read the picture, not the words | 8 | 35% |
| Idioms about people | 6 | 26% |
| Idioms about effort, success and failure | 6 | 26% |
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phrasal verbs with get and bear | 2 | 9% |
| The fixed small word inside an idiom | 1 | 4% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SPI paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.