Idioms and Phrases

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Pattern: CDS gives an idiom or proverb in a sentence (or stand-alone) and four meaning options. Pick the one that best paraphrases the idiom.
Recurrence: About 50 idioms have recurred across CDS papers from 2015-2025 - high-frequency animal idioms, body idioms, colour idioms and proverbs.
Trap: The 'literal' option is always wrong. CDS tests figurative meaning; if the idiom literally mentions 'fire', the literal fire option is the distractor.

Idioms and Phrases carry 4-6 marks per CDS paper. The exam draws from a fairly fixed bank - learn the 200 highest-frequency idioms and you'll see 80% of them in any paper. The list below clusters them by theme.

Animal Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Usage
A cat-and-dog life	A life full of quarrels	'They lead a cat-and-dog life.'
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret	'He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.'
A dog in the manger	Someone who prevents others from enjoying what he himself does not use	'Don't be a dog in the manger - share the books.'
To smell a rat	To suspect something wrong	'I smell a rat in his explanation.'
A wild-goose chase	A fruitless pursuit	'Looking for him there was a wild-goose chase.'
To kill two birds with one stone	To accomplish two things with one action	'By visiting the bank I killed two birds with one stone.'
A black sheep	An undesirable member of a group	'He is the black sheep of the family.'
Lion's share	The largest portion	'He took the lion's share of the profit.'
Crocodile tears	False display of grief	'She shed crocodile tears at his funeral.'
A snake in the grass	A treacherous person	'Beware - he is a snake in the grass.'

Body-Part Idioms

Idiom	Meaning
To turn a blind eye	To pretend not to notice
To turn a deaf ear	To refuse to listen
To put one's foot down	To assert firmly
To pull someone's leg	To tease in a friendly way
To keep one's fingers crossed	To hope for good luck
To wash one's hands of	To disclaim responsibility for
To have a heart of gold	To be very kind
To have an axe to grind	To have a selfish motive
To cost an arm and a leg	To be very expensive
To get cold feet	To lose courage at the last moment
To bury one's head in the sand	To refuse to face reality
To bite the bullet	To endure a painful situation bravely

High-Frequency CDS Idioms

Idiom	Meaning
My two cents	My opinion (often modest)
To vote with your feet	To show that you do not support something (by leaving)
Change your tune	To change your opinion completely for advantage
Take a stand	To publicly express an opinion
Say your piece	Express your opinion
A pearl of wisdom	An important piece of advice
To embark on	To start (especially something new and ambitious)
A blessing in disguise	Something that seems bad but turns out good
At the eleventh hour	At the very last moment
To beat about the bush	To avoid the main point
To call a spade a spade	To speak frankly
To make a clean breast of	To confess fully
To burn the midnight oil	To work late into the night
To bell the cat	To do a risky thing for others' benefit
In the same boat	In the same difficult situation
To take with a pinch of salt	To regard with scepticism
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely
To hit the nail on the head	To say exactly the right thing

CDS Proverbs

Proverb	Meaning
A stitch in time saves nine	Early action prevents bigger trouble later
A rolling stone gathers no moss	Someone who keeps changing never settles or prospers
Birds of a feather flock together	People with similar tastes stay together
Empty vessels make the most noise	Ignorant people talk the most
Every cloud has a silver lining	There is good in every bad situation
Make hay while the sun shines	Use a favourable opportunity
The early bird catches the worm	Those who act early succeed
Too many cooks spoil the broth	Too many participants ruin a task
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush	What you have is safer than what you might get
Necessity is the mother of invention	Need drives creativity

CDS Idiom Strategy

Read the context, not just the idiom. A sentence usually hints at the figurative meaning.
Reject the literal option. If 'cat out of the bag' has 'a cat escaping from a bag' as an option, that's the distractor.
Look for the closest paraphrase. The right option is usually a plain-English restatement, not an elaborate explanation.
Beware of partial matches. Two options may capture half the meaning. Pick the one that covers the whole idiom.
Build a list. Maintain a notebook of idioms you meet in cloze, RC and idiom drills. After 200, CDS becomes predictable.

CDS/OTA PYQ Examples

Q: Idiom: 'My two cents.'

(a) My money (b) My opinion (c) My decision (d) My explanation

Answer: (b) My opinion — 'putting in my two cents' = offering my (modest) opinion. The 'money' option is the literal trap.

Q: Idiom: 'To vote with your feet.'

(a) to show that you do not support something (b) to replace something important (c) to change something you must do (d) to express a particular opinion

Answer: (a) to show that you do not support something — leaving is the silent vote of disapproval.

Q: Idiom: 'Change your tune.'

(a) to listen to good music (b) to do things that you are not willing to (c) to change your opinion completely because it will bring you an advantage (d) to pretend to be very friendly

Answer: (c) to change your opinion completely because it will bring you an advantage — 'tune' here is figurative for stance.

Q: Idiom: 'Take a stand.'

(a) To publicly express an opinion about something (b) To make a stand for one to sit (c) To be firm on your work (d) To be part of the work

Answer: (a) To publicly express an opinion about something — 'take a stand' = adopt and declare a position.

Q: Idiom: 'Say your piece.'

(a) Speak but don't listen (b) Speak in a talkative manner (c) Make your argument piece by piece (d) Express your opinion

Answer: (d) Express your opinion — 'speak one's piece' = state one's view, especially when one has been waiting to do so.

Q: Idiom: 'A pearl of wisdom.'

(a) An important piece of news (b) An important person (c) An important thing for life (d) An important piece of advice

Answer: (d) An important piece of advice — 'pearl' = something precious; 'pearl of wisdom' = valuable counsel.

Q: Fill the idiom: 'I am ___ on the ambitious project of learning one new language every year.'

(a) sailing (b) embarking (c) adventuring (d) concurring

Answer: (b) embarking — 'to embark on' is the idiomatic verb for starting an ambitious undertaking.

Drill Idioms and Phrases for CDS/OTA

CDS/OTA-pattern items on Idioms and Phrases with answer keys and explanations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many idioms can repeat in CDS papers?

About 60-70% of CDS idioms are from a recurring bank of ~200 high-frequency idioms. Learn that list (animal, body, colour, weather, plus 80 standalone idioms and 40 proverbs) and you're well-prepared.

Should I memorise meanings or learn them in context?

Both. Read the idiom inside an example sentence so you remember the register (formal/informal/literary). 'Burn the midnight oil' is neutral; 'pull someone's leg' is informal.

What if the idiom in the exam isn't in my list?

Use the surrounding sentence. CDS rarely gives an idiom without context. The verbs and objects around it tell you the broad meaning - even if you've never seen the idiom before, you can usually narrow to two options.

Are British and American idioms both tested?

CDS leans British (Wren & Martin tradition). 'In the same boat' British; 'piece of cake' is shared; rarely American-only idioms like 'jump the shark' appear.

How are 'words used correctly' questions related?

From 2025 onwards CDS has added a 'choose the sentence(s) using the word correctly' format (Seize / Cease / Crease type). The skill is the same - distinguishing word meanings precisely. Treat these as extended idiom-meaning items.