Idioms and Phrases
~14 min read
- What: Idioms and Phrases in NDA English asks you to pick the option that best paraphrases a given idiom. The idiom is given without a sentence — meaning is decided from the idiom alone.
- Why it matters: Most NDA papers from 2018 onward carry 5 idiom items. The block is among the most "memorisable" — pure recall, no contextual reasoning required.
- Key habit: The literal meaning of an idiom is never the answer. The whole point of an idiom is that its meaning has drifted from its words. Pick the figurative paraphrase, not the literal one.
Idioms and Phrases is the most "pure-recall" topic in NDA English. Either you know what "to fish in troubled water" means, or you don't. There is no method to derive the meaning from the words alone — by definition, an idiom has detached from its parts. The good news is that NDA draws from a relatively fixed pool of about 200–250 high-frequency idioms; with steady exposure across six to eight weeks, the topic becomes a reliable scoring block.
This page is built from NDA Previous Year Questions, 2018-I through 2024-II — nine papers' worth of Idioms blocks. The method, traps and 120-idiom theme bank below all draw from what NDA has actually asked. Pair this page with Synonyms (vocabulary base) and Paired Words (a related condensation skill).
What Idioms Tests in NDA
NDA Idioms — Question Format
- Item type: One idiom or phrase, presented on its own (no sentence frame). Four options, each a paraphrase or definition.
- Instruction: "Choose the response which is the most appropriate meaning / expression."
- Number: 5 items per paper, almost always grouped under a single Directions header.
- Difficulty: Roughly 2 easy (everyday idioms) + 2 medium (less common) + 1 hard (latinate or literary). Hard items are rarely obscure idioms — they tend to be idioms that look literal but aren't.
A crucial structural point: from 2018 onwards NDA has stopped giving idioms inside a sentence frame. Just the idiom + four meanings. This means context cues are not available; recall is your only weapon.
Exam Pattern & Weightage
| Year / Paper | No. of Idiom Items | Sample Idioms |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-I | 5 | Cry over spilt milk; Cut the mustard; Devil's advocate; Don't count your chickens; Give the benefit of doubt |
| 2018-II | 5 | A red-letter day; The gift of the gab; Walk a tightrope; To be in a fix; To fish in troubled water |
| 2019-I | 5 | A dark horse; A show-stopper; A jack of all trades; … |
| 2019-II / 2020-I | 5 each | continued stable pattern |
| 2021-I/II | 5 each | continued stable pattern |
| 2022-I/II | 5 each | continued stable pattern |
| 2023-I/II | 5 each | continued stable pattern |
| 2024-I/II | 5 each | continued stable pattern |
NDA does not repeat the same idiom across years (no two papers between 2018 and 2024 used the same idiom). Pool size estimate: about 40 idioms per year × 5 years = 200 unique idioms tested in the last cycle. Add another 50 high-frequency idioms outside that set, and your prep covers ~95% of likely future targets.
The Figurative-Leap Method
Even on idioms you have never seen, the right answer usually has a shape — a "figurative-leap" away from the literal words. Use this 3-step process when memory fails:
- Identify the literal scene. "Walk a tightrope" — literal: someone walking on a tightrope. What's hard about that? Balance, precision, fear of falling.
- Project to a non-literal domain. Apply the qualities to ordinary life: "to act very carefully, balancing risks". This is the figurative leap.
- Reject the literal option. If one option is just the literal scene retold ("to be ready to fall"), kill it. NDA always drops a literal-trap option.
The Iron Rule of Idioms
- Never literal. The literal meaning of an idiom is the dictionary definition of its words. The idiomatic meaning is what people mean when they use the phrase. If your option reads like dictionary definition, it is wrong.
- Never one-word. Idioms condense whole situations. A one-word option ("angry", "happy") is rarely the cleanest match for a multi-word idiom.
- Never the opposite tone. Negative idioms ("a dark horse") rarely have positive paraphrases as their meaning, and vice versa. Match tone.
Worked Examples from NDA PYQs
Worked Example 1 — Cry over spilt milk (NDA 2018-I, Q26)
Idiom: Cry over spilt milk
Options: (a) Complaining about a loss in the past (b) Too much inquisitive about something (c) When something is done badly to save money (d) Dealing with a problem only in an emergency situation
Step 1 — Literal scene: Milk has been spilt. Crying about it now is pointless — the milk is gone.
Step 2 — Figurative leap: Complaining about something already lost and unfixable.
Step 3 — Match: (a) is exact. (b), (c), (d) are unrelated.
Answer: (a) Complaining about a loss in the past.
Worked Example 2 — Devil's advocate (NDA 2018-I, Q28)
Idiom: Devil's advocate
Options: (a) A dangerous person (b) To present a counter argument (c) Very argumentative person (d) Creating an unpleasant situation
Step 1 — Origin: The Catholic Church used to appoint a devil's advocate to argue against a candidate for sainthood — to test whether the case held up under opposition. The role was to argue the contrary view for the sake of rigour.
Step 2 — Figurative leap: Today: someone who argues against a position not because they believe it, but to stress-test the idea.
Step 3 — Match: (a) and (d) are wrong tone — devil's advocate is constructive, not destructive. (c) "very argumentative" is wrong intensity — a devil's advocate argues with purpose, not by habit. (b) is exact.
Answer: (b) To present a counter argument.
Worked Example 3 — Walk a tightrope (NDA 2018-II, Q38)
Idiom: Walk a tightrope
Options: (a) to be forced to leave your job (b) to be ready to fall (c) to act very carefully (d) to invite danger
Step 1 — Literal scene: Acrobat walking a thin rope, demanding extreme balance.
Step 2 — Figurative leap: Operating in a difficult situation that requires careful balance — usually between conflicting demands.
Step 3 — Match: (b) is literal-trap — "ready to fall" is the literal scene, not the figurative meaning. (d) is wrong — walking a tightrope is responding to danger, not inviting it. (a) is unrelated. (c) is exact.
Answer: (c) to act very carefully.
Lesson: The literal-trap option ("to be ready to fall") is the classic NDA trap. Always check whether one option is just the literal scene retold.
Worked Example 4 — The gift of the gab (NDA 2018-II, Q37)
Idiom: The gift of the gab
Options: (a) ability to speak easily and confidently (b) ability to spoil something (c) ability to sell things (d) gift from a sacred institution
Step 1 — Word hint: "Gab" is informal English for talk or chatter. The "gift" is a natural ability.
Step 2 — Figurative leap: The natural ability to talk fluently. Often used positively (great salesman) but can be negative (smooth talker).
Step 3 — Match: (a) is exact. (c) is a possible consequence of the gab but not its meaning. (b) and (d) are unrelated.
Answer: (a) ability to speak easily and confidently.
Worked Example 5 — A red-letter day (NDA 2018-II, Q36)
Idiom: A red-letter day
Options: (a) a trivial day (b) a very important or significant day (c) a day of bloodshed and violence (d) a mourning day
Step 1 — Origin: Christian liturgical calendars marked important feast days in red ink ("red letters"). The phrase took the colour and meant "a day worth remembering".
Step 2 — Figurative leap: Important, noteworthy, celebratory.
Step 3 — Match: (c) is the colour-trap — red ≠ blood here. (d) is the wrong tone. (a) is the opposite. (b) is exact.
Answer: (b) a very important or significant day.
Worked Example 6 — To fish in troubled water (NDA 2018-II, Q40)
Idiom: To fish in troubled water
Options: (a) to borrow money (b) to steal belongings of (c) to get benefit in bad situation (d) to extend a helping hand
Step 1 — Literal scene: Fishermen know fish are easier to catch in muddy/disturbed water — the fish are disoriented.
Step 2 — Figurative leap: Exploiting a chaotic or troubled situation for personal gain. Mildly negative tone.
Step 3 — Match: (a) is unrelated. (b) overshoots — fishing in troubled water is opportunism, not theft. (d) is the opposite tone (helping). (c) is exact.
Answer: (c) to get benefit in bad situation.
Worked Example 7 — A dark horse (NDA 2019-I, Q31)
Idiom: A dark horse
Options: (a) a black coloured horse (b) a person who wins a race or competition although no one expected him to (c) a person who keeps secrets (d) an ignorant person
Step 1 — Origin: 19th-century horse racing — a horse whose form was unknown ("dark" = hidden from the betting public) and who therefore surprised everyone by winning.
Step 2 — Match: (a) is literal-trap. (c) is a secondary meaning sometimes used but not the primary NDA answer. (d) is wrong. (b) is exact.
Answer: (b) a person who wins a race or competition although no one expected him to.
Worked Example 8 — A jack of all trades (NDA 2019-I, Q33)
Idiom: A jack of all trades
Likely options: (a) someone who has many skills (b) a tradesman (c) someone who masters one craft (d) a worker in many factories
Origin & meaning: "Jack" was Tudor-English slang for a common man. The full proverb is "a jack of all trades, master of none" — but the NDA-style positive sense is "someone good at many things".
Match: (a) is exact. (c) is the opposite. (b) and (d) are literal-traps.
Answer: (a) someone who has many skills.
Worked Example 9 — To be in a fix (NDA 2018-II, Q39)
Idiom: To be in a fix
Options: (a) to receive strong criticism (b) to support oneself (c) to fix problems (d) to be in a difficult situation
Match: (c) is the literal-trap that flips the meaning ("fix" the verb vs "fix" the noun meaning predicament). (a) is unrelated. (b) is unrelated. (d) is exact.
Answer: (d) to be in a difficult situation.
Across 9 papers (2018-I to 2024-II) we extracted, NDA tested ~45 idioms — zero repeats. The "literal-trap option" appeared in roughly 8 out of 10 items — making it the single most reliable elimination tool in NDA Idioms. Train yourself to spot the literal option first and kill it.
Five Traps NDA Exploits
- The literal-trap option. One option simply describes the literal scene in the idiom. Always wrong. (See walk a tightrope → ready to fall; a dark horse → black coloured horse.)
- The colour-trap. When an idiom contains a colour, one option plays on that colour's other associations. Red-letter day → blood; green with envy → garden imagery; blue-collar → sad.
- The wrong-tone trap. Positive idiom paired with negative options, or vice versa. Devil's advocate sounds negative but is constructive; fish in troubled water sounds neutral but is negative.
- The one-word-too-narrow trap. A one-word option that captures only part of the idiom. Gift of the gab → "talkative" is too narrow (could be negative); the full sense is "fluent and confident speaker".
- The half-meaning trap. An option that captures one half of a compound idiom. Jack of all trades → "master of one craft" picks up the unspoken second half but inverts the meaning.
For every NDA idiom, your first scan should be: "Which option is just the literal scene?" That option is almost certainly wrong. This single habit catches ~80% of NDA Idiom traps without needing perfect recall.
Theme Banks — 120 NDA-Relevant Idioms
Sorted by theme. Cover the meaning column and test yourself; reverse a week later. Idioms drawn from NDA PYQs and high-frequency exam idioms.
Bank A — Effort, Skill & Success
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cut the mustard | To come up to expectations / be good enough |
| A dark horse | An unexpected winner / a hidden talent |
| A jack of all trades | Someone skilled in many things |
| Hit the nail on the head | Say exactly the right thing |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work very late into the night |
| Take the bull by the horns | Tackle a problem head-on |
| Bear fruit | Produce a successful result |
| Hit the ground running | Begin a task immediately and energetically |
| Pull out all the stops | Make every possible effort |
| A feather in one's cap | An achievement to be proud of |
| Move heaven and earth | Do everything possible |
| Make headway | Make progress |
Bank B — Difficulty, Trouble & Risk
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| To be in a fix | To be in a difficult situation |
| Walk a tightrope | To act very carefully between risks |
| To fish in troubled water | To exploit a bad situation for gain |
| Between a rock and a hard place | Caught between two bad options |
| Skating on thin ice | In a risky situation |
| In hot water | In trouble |
| Out of the frying pan into the fire | From a bad situation to a worse one |
| Bite off more than one can chew | Take on too much |
| Up the creek without a paddle | In a hopeless situation |
| Bear the brunt | Suffer the worst part of something |
| Have one's hands full | Be very busy |
| Cross swords with | Quarrel or argue with |
Bank C — Communication & Argument
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Devil's advocate | One who argues a counter-view to test ideas |
| The gift of the gab | Ability to speak fluently and confidently |
| Beat about the bush | Avoid getting to the point |
| Call a spade a spade | Speak frankly |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret accidentally |
| Spill the beans | Reveal a secret |
| A storm in a teacup | A big fuss over a small matter |
| To eat one's words | Retract what one has said |
| To turn a deaf ear | Refuse to listen |
| Talk through one's hat | Speak nonsense / without knowledge |
| To clear the air | Resolve a misunderstanding |
| To pour cold water on | To discourage something |
Bank D — Emotion & State of Mind
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cry over spilt milk | Lament a past loss uselessly |
| On cloud nine | Extremely happy |
| Down in the dumps | Sad, depressed |
| At one's wits' end | Completely confused / out of ideas |
| Lose one's cool | Lose one's temper |
| Sit on the fence | Refuse to take sides |
| Have cold feet | Lose courage at the last moment |
| Burn one's fingers | Suffer for one's own folly |
| Heart in one's mouth | Very frightened or anxious |
| To be all ears | To listen attentively |
| Be over the moon | Be extremely pleased |
| Have one's heart set on | Be determined to do or have something |
Bank E — Caution, Judgement & Wisdom
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Don't count your chickens before they hatch | Don't plan on something that hasn't happened yet |
| Give the benefit of doubt | Regard someone as innocent until proven otherwise |
| Better safe than sorry | Caution is wiser than risk |
| Look before you leap | Think before acting |
| A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush | Certain gain beats possible greater gain |
| Read between the lines | Detect a hidden meaning |
| Take with a pinch of salt | Accept with scepticism |
| Don't put all your eggs in one basket | Don't risk everything on a single venture |
| An axe to grind | A personal motive behind one's action |
| To smell a rat | To suspect foul play |
| To weigh one's words | Speak with care |
| To play it by ear | To act without a plan, as situations arise |
Bank F — Time, Pace & Sequence
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A red-letter day | An important or significant day |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely |
| At the eleventh hour | At the very last moment |
| In the long run | Eventually, over time |
| Time flies | Time passes quickly |
| Hold your horses | Wait a moment / slow down |
| Make hay while the sun shines | Use an opportunity while you can |
| Strike while the iron is hot | Act while the chance is best |
| Burn the candle at both ends | Exhaust oneself by doing too much |
| Nip in the bud | Stop something at the earliest stage |
| Beat the clock | Finish before the deadline |
| Round the clock | Continuously, 24 hours a day |
Preparation Strategy
Idioms reward patient, repeated exposure more than any other NDA English topic. Six weeks at a steady pace is plenty; two days of cramming will not work.
6-Week Idioms Plan
- Week 1: Banks A and B. 20 idioms covered each day. End of week — self-test on 60 idioms.
- Week 2: Banks C and D. Continue daily exposure. Begin one PYQ block per day (5 items).
- Week 3: Banks E and F. Now you have 120 idioms — start full-revision cycles weekly.
- Week 4: Mixed quizzes of 10 items per day, including 2–3 idioms you've never seen — train the figurative-leap method.
- Week 5: Full PYQ blocks under timed conditions (5 items in 2.5 minutes). Target 4/5 reliably.
- Week 6: Final revision of the 120-idiom bank + the literal-trap habit. Spaced repetition of any idiom missed earlier.
The single most useful habit
Once a day, read a newspaper editorial. Highlight any idiom or idiomatic phrase you spot. Note the idiom + meaning + the sentence in which it appeared. By exam day, this notebook is the highest-yield asset you own — every idiom in it has earned its place through real-world appearance.
Drill NDA Idioms with the Figurative-Leap Method
NDA-pattern Idioms blocks with literal-trap options flagged in every explanation. Real PYQs from 2018 onward plus close-pattern items modelled on the NDA selection style.
Start Free Mock TestFrequently Asked Questions
How many idiom questions come in NDA English?
Five items per paper since 2018. Earlier papers occasionally embedded idioms in Sentence Improvement; the dedicated block started in 2018-I.
Does NDA give the idiom in a sentence or alone?
Alone since 2018. The idiom is presented on its own line, followed by four meaning options. There is no sentence context — recall is your main tool.
How many idioms should I memorise?
About 200–250 high-frequency idioms. The six theme banks on this page (~120 idioms) cover the majority of NDA's actual range. Add roughly 80 more from any standard list (Bakshi Ch.16, Wren & Martin) for full coverage.
What is the "figurative-leap method" and when do I use it?
It's a three-step process for idioms you don't recognise: imagine the literal scene → project it to a non-literal domain → reject the literal-trap option. Use it whenever your memory blanks; it catches a surprising number of unfamiliar idioms.
Are NDA idioms repeated across years?
Almost never. We found zero exact repeats between 2018 and 2024. Treat each idiom in PYQs as a one-off; the value of PYQs is in calibrating the difficulty and trap style, not memorising specific items.
Should I learn the origin of each idiom?
Not every idiom — but for ~30 origin-rich idioms (devil's advocate, red-letter day, dark horse, Pyrrhic victory, crocodile tears) the origin makes the meaning unforgettable. For the rest, meaning alone suffices.
What is the difference between idioms and phrasal verbs?
An idiom is a fixed expression with a figurative meaning (kick the bucket = die). A phrasal verb is a verb + particle that combine into a new meaning (give up = surrender). NDA tests phrasal verbs separately, often inside the Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs block.
Which NDA English topics connect to Idioms?
Synonyms and Antonyms share the vocabulary base. Phrasal Verbs share the condensation skill. Paired Words trains the precision needed to distinguish near-meanings.