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About This Quiz
Idioms of unknown or rarely mentioned origins dominate our everyday speech. From a young age, we are taught that a watched pot never boils, that few things are a piece of cake, you shouldn't bark up the wrong tree, and that a fool and his money are soon parted. You may occasionally find yourself between a rock and a hard place, that you'll often come close but no cigar, and that sometimes other people will burst your bubble.
Many times, these phrases make no sense in context, yet for some reason, we all have a general sense of what they mean. Rarely is someone literally talking about getting the short end of the stick or that they killed two birds with one stone. The former seems silly, while the latter sounds like animal cruelty.
When taking this quiz, don't make a mountain out of a molehill or make a scene. None of these questions are out of left field. If you know that this quiz is about common phrases, then we're on the same page.
Are you ready to swing for the fences or will you throw in the towel? Will you find that you're taking some shots in the dark with your guesses?
If you see a lot of opportunity for someone, you might tell them that the world is their what?
Pearl
Gift
Playpen
Oyster
William Shakespeare coined "the world is someone's oyster." It first appeared in "The Merry Wives of Windsor." The humorous derivation, "the world is one's lobster," was first said on the British TV show, "Minder."
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If you have a difficult situation with which you decide to deal directly, you can be said to take the ____________ by the horns.
Reindeer
Bull
Etymologists do not know the origins of "take the bull by the horns," which is sometimes said as "grab the bull by the horns." However, there are two theories: it originated with bullfighters or the American Old West. Both theories involve a man controlling a bull by literally "taking it by the horns."
Deer
Unicorn
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If someone feels you are wasting your time doing something that has already been done, they may say that you are trying to reinvent the __________.
Television
Car
Wheel
While the concept of reinventing the wheel isn't new, the phrase was coined in the 1970s. At the time, it was popular as a business and advertising metaphor for describing someone wasting time finding a solution for a problem that has already been solved.
Fire
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An investment banker may tell you that you need money to make ____________.
Cash
Money
The idea behind it "takes money to make money" is that you need money to make investments. If you invest wisely, you will see a return on your investment.
Dough
Everything
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If you need help with something, you might say two _________ are better than one.
Legs
Heads
"Two heads are better than one" was first recorded in 1546. John Heywood used it in "A dialogue conteinyng to nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue."
Eyes
Feet
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When you're getting impatient, someone may tell you that all __________ things come to those who wait.
Good
The phrase "good things come to those who wait" has been used in Guinness and Heinz commercials. The gist of the phrase is that patience is a virtue.
Bad
Happy
Interesting
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If you're getting ahead of yourself, someone may warn don't cross that ___________ until you come to it.
Person
Road
Bridge
No one knows the origin of "cross a bridge until you come to it." However, the earliest known usage is from Henry Wordsworth Longfellow's "The Golden Legend." In 1951, Longfellow wrote, “Don't cross the bridge till you come to it, is a proverb old and of excellent wit.”
River
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Do you have a habit of procrastinating? Then you should never put off until tomorrow what you can do when?
Today
While the general consensus is that "never put off until tomorrow what you can do today" is about avoiding procrastination, no one knows who coined the phrase. it has been attributed to Thomas Jefferson, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, and Benjamin Franklin among others. However, there is not enough support that any of these men created the phrase.
Yesterday
Next week
Next year
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While you may feel it's trite, other's feel that with age comes what?
Retirement
Kids
Wrinkles
Wisdom
Oscar Wilde said, "With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone." He also said, "I am not young enough to know everything."
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Growing up, you were probably told if at first you don't ___________, try, try again.
Fail
Succeed
The origins of "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" are unclear. However, it has been traced to "Teacher's Manual" by Thomas H. Palmer and "The Children of the New Forest" by Frederick Maryat.
Get results
Win
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If you dislike something before you get to know it, you may be told not to judge a book by its __________.
First page
Synopsis
Cover
"Don't judge a book by its cover" originated in the mid-1800s. The first known usage was in a June 1867 issue of the newspaper, Piqua Democrat.
Author
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When someone is like their parents, you may say that the ___________ doesn't fall far from the tree.
Banana
Apple
Variations of the phrase, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," exist in German and Russian. Other phrases with a similar meaning are "chip off the old block" and "like father, like son."
Acorn
Orange
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When something isn't as good as something else, you could say it can't hold a _____________ to it.
Pole
Candle
The phrase, "can't hold a candle," was first used in the 1600s. The earliest known use is from 1641. Sir Edward Dering wrote in "The fower cardinal-vertues of a Carmelite fryar," "Though I be not worthy to hold the candle to Aristotle."
Hand
Water
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If you're taking a long time to explain a story, you may be told to cut to the _________.
End
Chase
"Cut to the chase" comes from the tendency for early silent films to end in chase scenes. Prior to the invention of film, the phrase was "cut to Hecuba," which is a reference to Hamlet and the practice of cutting long speeches before that scene.
Point
Lesson
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You meet someone new and try to strike up a conversation. You may be said to be _________ the ice.
Melting
Creating
Breaking
While "break the ice" is commonly attributed to 19th century ice breaking ships, it actually predates the practice. In 1678, poet Samuel Butler wrote, "To give himself a first audience, After he had a while look'd wise, At last broken silence, and the ice."
Removing
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If you want to get on someone's good side, you may decide to ________ them up.
Butter
"To butter someone up" means to impress them with flattery. One origin story is that in ancient India people would throw butter balls at statues of their gods. The belief was that, in return, the gods would favor the devout and forgive them.
Build
Catch
Hang
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Are you unable to speak? It's possible that which animal got your tongue?
Cat
While some theories on "cat got your tongue" suggest it has origins in sailing and the cat o' nine tails, nothing suggests its true. The first known instance of the phrase in print was in an 1881 issue of "Ballou's Monthly Magazine." However, its appearance in "Ballou's Monthly Magazine" implies that kids were saying it before it entered adult language.
Bear
Dog
Elephant
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If something bad happened to you, someone may dismiss it by saying that's the way the __________ crumbles.
Toast
Chip
Cookie
"That's the way the cookie crumbles" means that you must accept that something bad has happened. It has been used since the 1950s.
Cheese
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Money can buy many things, but it can't buy what?
Happiness
Another saying says that money can't buy love. The general meaning behind these similar phrases is that money can buy material things, but money has no influence over your feelings.
Family
Health
Luck
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If you're given a lot of work that no one else wants to do, you may feel like the low man on the ______________.
Ship
List
Pecking order
Totem pole
The low man on the totem pole is the least important person in an organization. If someone is increasing in stature, they are said to be climbing the ladder.
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You probably don't want to open a can of ___________.
Scorpions
Maggots
Old soup
Worms
If you open a can of worms, you create a problem for yourself. When you "open a can of worms," your actions create negative consequences.
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When you listen to someone who has no plans to do what they say, you may feel they are all bark and no ___________.
Obedience
Action
Love
Bite
"All bark and no bite" first appeared in print in the newspaper, "The Banner." The newspaper published, "You see he was all bark and no bite. Well, it is the same with men and women, and boys and girls, as it is with dogs."
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If you're extremely clumsy and prone to breaking things, you may be called a bull in a __________.
China shop
Frederick Marryat was the first person to write "bull in a china shop." It appeared in his novel, "Jacob Faithful." Its origins before there have not been discovered.
Grocery store
Glass house
Bull ring
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If something is unlikely to happen, you may say it will occur when _______ fly.
Cats
Lions
Pigs
The phrase "when pigs fly" is sometimes used as "pigs might fly." "When pigs fly" has been in use since the 1600s.
Dogs
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When someone accidentally reveals a secret, they let the ________ out of the bag.
Cat
The earliest known usage of "letting the cat out of the bag" is from 1760. It appeared in an issue of "London Magazine."
Rabbit
Snake
Spider
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When you're sick, you may say that you're feeling under the ___________.
Sun
House
Radar
Weather
"Under the weather" comes from old-time sailors. In "Salty Dog Talk: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expression," Bill Beavis and Richard G. McCloskey say that the full phrase is "under the weather bow." The weather bow is the side of the ship the bad weather affects the most.
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When something happens infrequently, it happens once in a blue _____________.
Ocean
Moon
In the 1800s, people started using the phrase, "once in a blue moon." A blue moon is said to be the second appearance of a full moon in a month. This occurs approximately once every 32 months.
House
Day
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When you have to do something you don't want to, you may be told to bite the what?
Shoe
Metal
Broccoli
Bullet
Rudyard Kipling was the first person to write down the phrase, "bite the bullet." He used it in "The Light that Failed," which was published in 1891.
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If something is extremely complicated, you may have trouble wrapping your __________ around it.
Rope
Head
Instead of "wrap your head around," you can say "wrap your mind around." If you successfully "wrap your head around" something, it means you understand something that is confusing or challenging.
Hair
Hands
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When you miss the ____________, you're too late for something.
Bus
Train
Plane
Boat
"Miss the boat" can mean to fail to take advantage of an opportunity or to not understand something. Other boat-related idioms are "in the same boat" and "rock the boat."
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If you're talking about someone and they walk into the room, you may say, speak of the ___________.
Devil
The full form of "speak of the devil" is "speak of the devil and he will appear" or some variations thereof. It has been in use since the 1600s.
Angel
Demon
Monster
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If you want someone to do a task they don't want to do, you may ___________ their arm to get it done.
Punch
Shake
Pull
Twist
By "twisting one's arm," you are coercing someone to do something. The term first appeared in the mid-1900s.
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If someone you trust violates that trust, you may say that they ___________ you in the back.
Kicked
Stabbed
Someone who stabs you in the back is engaging in backstabbing. Backstabbing entered English in the mid-1800s.
Rubbed
HIt
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If you're trying to give up an addiction, you may decide to go __________ turkey.
Hot
Cold
The phrase "cold turkey" first appeared in the early 1900s. By the 1920s, it was specifically associated with quitting something addictive.
Lazy
Excited
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If someone has ___________ fingers, you may not want to trust them around your wallet.
Friendly
Rubber
Sticky
Someone with sticky fingers has the tendency to steal. Its origins date to the late 1800s.
Stiff
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