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Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning may differ from the literal meaning of their individual words. For example, a “red herring” is not necessarily a fish; in an argument, it means a distraction from the central issue.
For CAT aspirants, idioms are best treated as a contextual reading skill, not as a guaranteed standalone question type. Understanding figurative expressions can help you interpret an author’s tone, recognise an implied contrast, follow an argument and evaluate closely worded answer choices.
Editorial Note: The practice questions in this guide are original CAT-oriented exercises. They are not official CAT questions and should not be treated as a prediction of the CAT 2026 paper.
Reviewed by Kaushik Kapoor
Co-founder and Director of Erudite, a premium MBA entrance coaching institute headquartered in Kolkata. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur and St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, he has more than 25 years of experience in mentoring students, MBA entrance preparation, test-prep strategy and academic training.
Idioms are not a guaranteed standalone CAT question type. You should therefore not spend weeks memorising obscure expressions merely in the hope of receiving a direct idiom-definition question.
Their practical value lies elsewhere. An unfamiliar expression can affect your understanding of:
Consider this sentence:
The committee’s discussion of minor formatting errors was a red herring that diverted attention from the missing financial records.
A literal reading of “red herring” would make no sense. From the surrounding words—“diverted attention”—you can infer that it means a distraction from the real issue.
For each expression:
Do not memorise an idiom as an isolated pair of words. Learn its function. Ask whether it introduces criticism, uncertainty, contrast, agreement, risk, exaggeration or change.
| Idiom or Phrase | Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| Devil’s advocate | Someone who argues the opposing side to test an idea | Riya played devil’s advocate and questioned the proposed policy. |
| Red herring | A distraction from the main issue | The anecdote was a red herring that did not address the author’s claim. |
| Straw man | A distorted version of an argument that is easier to attack | The critic created a straw man instead of answering the actual proposal. |
| On the fence | Unable or unwilling to decide | The committee remained on the fence until more evidence arrived. |
| Jump to conclusions | Decide before considering enough evidence | Do not jump to conclusions from a single sentence in the passage. |
| Read between the lines | Infer an unstated meaning | Readers must read between the lines to detect the author’s scepticism. |
| Take at face value | Accept something exactly as presented | The claim should not be taken at face value without supporting data. |
| Miss the point | Fail to understand the central idea | Choosing an option about minor details may mean you have missed the point. |
| Make a case | Present reasons in support of something | The passage makes a case for stricter disclosure rules. |
| Rule of thumb | A practical general guideline, not a strict rule | As a rule of thumb, eliminate options that exceed the passage’s scope. |
| Draw the line | Set a limit | The author draws the line at policies that restrict basic rights. |
| Split hairs | Argue about very small differences | The two options differ only because one splits hairs over wording. |
| Beg the question | Assume as true the conclusion that still needs proof | The argument begs the question by treating its main assumption as established. |
| Cut both ways | Have both positive and negative effects | Automation can cut both ways: it raises efficiency but may reduce oversight. |
| By the same token | For the same reason | If evidence strengthens one claim, by the same token it may weaken another. |
| In a nutshell | In very few words | In a nutshell, the passage argues that incentives shape behaviour. |
| On balance | After considering all sides | On balance, the author supports regulation despite its costs. |
| Case in point | A clear example of what has been stated | The failed pilot project is a case in point. |
| Food for thought | An idea worth considering carefully | The final paragraph offers food for thought rather than a firm conclusion. |
| Put two and two together | Infer the truth from available clues | She put two and two together and identified the author’s unstated assumption. |
| Idiom or Phrase | Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| Go the extra mile | Make more effort than expected | He went the extra mile by reviewing every incorrect mock-test answer. |
| Hit the nail on the head | Describe or identify something exactly | The option hits the nail on the head by capturing the author’s main concern. |
| Back to square one | Return to the starting point after failure | When the evidence collapsed, the researchers were back to square one. |
| Learn the ropes | Learn how a task or system works | New aspirants need time to learn the ropes of sectional testing. |
| Get the hang of | Begin to understand how to do something | After regular practice, she got the hang of inference questions. |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work or study late into the night | Burning the midnight oil occasionally cannot replace a steady study plan. |
| Leave no stone unturned | Try every possible method | The team left no stone unturned while checking the source data. |
| Rise to the occasion | Perform well in a difficult situation | The candidate rose to the occasion during a demanding mock test. |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Take on more than you can manage | Attempting too many difficult passages may mean biting off more than you can chew. |
| Throw in the towel | Stop trying or admit defeat | One poor mock score is not a reason to throw in the towel. |
| Uphill battle | A difficult struggle | Improving accuracy without analysing errors is an uphill battle. |
| Against all odds | Despite serious difficulties | Against all odds, the small team completed the project on time. |
| By leaps and bounds | Very quickly and substantially | Her reading stamina improved by leaps and bounds after consistent practice. |
| Make headway | Make progress | The group made headway once it defined the problem clearly. |
| Fall short | Fail to reach a standard or goal | The explanation falls short because it ignores the final paragraph. |
| Lose ground | Become less successful or fall behind | A brand may lose ground when it ignores changing consumer behaviour. |
| Get off the ground | Begin successfully | The reform did not get off the ground because funding was withdrawn. |
| On the right track | Following a promising approach | Your summary is on the right track but needs a clearer conclusion. |
| A shot in the dark | A guess made with little information | Selecting an option without returning to the passage is a shot in the dark. |
| No pain, no gain | Improvement requires effort | For vocabulary building, the principle is simple: no pain, no gain. |
| Idiom or Phrase | Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| At the eleventh hour | At the last possible moment | The agreement was signed at the eleventh hour. |
| In the long run | Over an extended period | In the long run, careful reading matters more than rushed guessing. |
| Ahead of the curve | More advanced than others | The firm stayed ahead of the curve by investing early in clean technology. |
| Behind the times | Outdated | The policy appears behind the times in a digital economy. |
| Turn the tide | Reverse the direction of events | A strong public campaign helped turn the tide of opinion. |
| A turning point | A moment that causes major change | The court ruling became a turning point in the debate. |
| Stand the test of time | Remain useful or respected for a long period | The theory has stood the test of time. |
| Sooner or later | At some future time, inevitably | Sooner or later, unsupported claims are exposed. |
| Time is of the essence | Action must be taken quickly | During a timed section, time is of the essence. |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely | The journal publishes a special issue once in a blue moon. |
| At a crossroads | At a point requiring an important decision | The industry is at a crossroads as regulation tightens. |
| A new lease on life | A renewed opportunity or improvement | Digital access gave the archive a new lease on life. |
| The writing on the wall | Clear signs that something unpleasant will happen | Falling sales were the writing on the wall for the company. |
| The calm before the storm | A quiet period before trouble or intense activity | The stable quarter proved to be the calm before the storm. |
| Move the goalposts | Unfairly change the rules or expectations | The evaluator moved the goalposts after the project had begun. |
| Idiom or Phrase | Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| Break the ice | Make people feel more comfortable at the start | The moderator used a simple question to break the ice. |
| See eye to eye | Agree | The two scholars do not see eye to eye on the policy. |
| Speak one’s mind | Express an honest opinion | The columnist speaks her mind even when her view is unpopular. |
| Keep someone in the loop | Keep someone informed | Please keep the research team in the loop about revisions. |
| Get the message across | Communicate an idea successfully | The writer uses an analogy to get the message across. |
| Beat around the bush | Avoid saying something directly | The conclusion beats around the bush instead of stating a position. |
| Call a spade a spade | Speak plainly and directly | The report calls a spade a spade and describes the programme as a failure. |
| Hear it through the grapevine | Learn informally through rumours or other people | We heard it through the grapevine that the schedule might change. |
| On the same wavelength | Think in a similar way | The editor and writer were on the same wavelength. |
| Clear the air | Resolve tension or misunderstanding | The meeting helped clear the air between the departments. |
| Give the benefit of the doubt | Choose to believe someone despite uncertainty | The reviewer gave the author the benefit of the doubt on a minor ambiguity. |
| Take with a grain of salt | Treat a claim with some scepticism | Anonymous online claims should be taken with a grain of salt. |
| Rub someone the wrong way | Annoy or offend someone | The dismissive tone rubbed several readers the wrong way. |
| Bury the hatchet | End a disagreement | The two groups agreed to bury the hatchet and collaborate. |
| Add fuel to the fire | Make a bad situation worse | The misleading headline added fuel to the fire. |
| Keep at arm’s length | Avoid becoming too close or involved | The regulator kept industry lobbyists at arm’s length. |
| A bone of contention | A continuing cause of disagreement | Funding remained a bone of contention. |
| The last straw | The final problem that makes a situation intolerable | The third delay was the last straw for investors. |
| Read the room | Notice and respond to the mood of a group | A good speaker reads the room before changing tone. |
| Talk past each other | Discuss an issue without addressing each other’s point | The two sides talk past each other because they define fairness differently. |
| Idiom or Phrase | Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tip of the iceberg | A small visible part of a much larger problem | The reported cases may be only the tip of the iceberg. |
| A blessing in disguise | Something that seems bad but later proves helpful | The rejected draft was a blessing in disguise because it prompted deeper research. |
| A double-edged sword | Something with both benefits and harms | Social media is a double-edged sword for public debate. |
| A grey area | A matter without a clear rule or answer | The use of personal data remains a grey area. |
| In hot water | In trouble | The company landed in hot water after the audit. |
| Out of the woods | Free from the worst danger or difficulty | Inflation has slowed, but the economy is not yet out of the woods. |
| Weather the storm | Survive a difficult period | Smaller firms struggled to weather the storm. |
| Walk on eggshells | Act carefully to avoid causing offence or trouble | Employees felt they had to walk on eggshells around the new manager. |
| Open a can of worms | Create a complicated set of problems | Changing the eligibility rule could open a can of worms. |
| Sweep under the rug | Hide or ignore a problem | The report accuses officials of sweeping safety concerns under the rug. |
| Elephant in the room | An obvious issue that people avoid discussing | Rising costs were the elephant in the room. |
| Between a rock and a hard place | Forced to choose between two difficult options | The board was caught between a rock and a hard place. |
| Put all one’s eggs in one basket | Risk everything on one option | A company should not put all its eggs in one basket. |
| Play with fire | Take a dangerous risk | Ignoring repeated warnings is playing with fire. |
| Take the bull by the horns | Deal with a difficult problem directly | The new director took the bull by the horns and restructured the unit. |
| Keep one’s head above water | Manage to survive, especially financially | Many small businesses struggled to keep their heads above water. |
| A slippery slope | A step that may lead to increasingly serious consequences | The author warns that unchecked surveillance could become a slippery slope. |
| Throw a spanner in the works | Cause a plan to go wrong | The sudden rule change threw a spanner in the works. |
| Come under fire | Receive strong criticism | The proposal came under fire from academics. |
| Go from bad to worse | Become progressively more difficult or unpleasant | Without intervention, the situation went from bad to worse. |
| Idiom or Phrase | Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cash cow | A product or activity that generates steady profit | The legacy service remains the company’s cash cow. |
| Break even | Have income equal to costs | The project is expected to break even next year. |
| Bottom line | The most important result or financial outcome | The bottom line is that the policy lacks evidence. |
| Red tape | Excessive administrative rules or procedures | Red tape delayed the approval process. |
| Level playing field | A situation in which everyone has a fair chance | Transparent rules can create a level playing field. |
| Cut corners | Save time or money by doing something poorly | The contractor cut corners on safety checks. |
| Foot the bill | Pay the cost | Taxpayers may have to foot the bill. |
| Tighten one’s belt | Reduce spending | Households tightened their belts as prices rose. |
| Pay through the nose | Pay far more than something is worth | Consumers paid through the nose for scarce tickets. |
| In the black | Making a profit; not in debt | The division returned to the black after two years. |
| In the red | Losing money or in debt | The start-up remained in the red. |
| The big picture | The overall situation rather than small details | Do not let one example distract you from the big picture. |
| Ivory tower | A sheltered intellectual environment detached from practical life | The critic accused policymakers of thinking from an ivory tower. |
| Zero-sum game | A situation in which one side’s gain equals another side’s loss | The author rejects the idea that trade is always a zero-sum game. |
| Vested interest | A personal or financial reason to support a particular outcome | Industry groups may have a vested interest in weaker regulation. |
The minister’s comments about the colour of the new office were a ______ intended to distract journalists from questions about the missing funds.
After considering both the environmental benefits and the financial costs, the committee decided, ______, to support the proposal.
The project team complained that the client kept changing the success criteria after every review.
Which expression best describes the client’s behaviour?
The report was published anonymously and contained no evidence. Its conclusions should therefore be:
The author argues that artificial intelligence can raise productivity while also increasing the risk of biased decisions.
AI is therefore described as:
Falling subscriptions, repeated resignations and growing debt were all ______ for the newspaper.
The committee avoided changing the apparently minor regulation because doing so could create several unforeseen legal disputes.
Changing the rule could:
A student’s summary identifies the author’s exact concern without adding any outside assumptions.
The summary:
The publishing industry must decide whether to retain its traditional model or adopt a fully digital approach.
The industry is:
Although the company has launched several new services, its older subscription product still produces most of its reliable profit.
The older product is its:
The two economists appear to disagree, but one defines “growth” as higher output while the other defines it as improved well-being. Neither addresses the other’s definition.
They are:
The article claims that one small survey proves the behaviour of an entire population.
The evidence:
Despite declining demand and rising costs, the small business survived the recession.
It managed to:
The reviewer describes the proposal as “brilliant” immediately after listing several obvious flaws. The praise is probably ironic.
To recognise the irony, the reader must:
A last-minute supplier failure disrupted a product launch that had otherwise proceeded according to plan.
The failure:
| Question | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | A red herring diverts attention from the central issue. |
| 2 | A | “On balance” means after considering the competing advantages and disadvantages. |
| 3 | B | Moving the goalposts means changing expectations or rules after the process has started. |
| 4 | B | Taking something with a grain of salt means treating it sceptically. |
| 5 | A | A double-edged sword has both benefits and harmful consequences. |
| 6 | A | The writing on the wall refers to clear warning signs of future failure or trouble. |
| 7 | B | Opening a can of worms means creating a complicated set of additional problems. |
| 8 | A | Hitting the nail on the head means identifying something exactly. |
| 9 | B | Being at a crossroads means facing an important choice between different directions. |
| 10 | B | A cash cow is a product or business activity that provides reliable profit. |
| 11 | B | People talk past each other when they discuss the same subject without addressing each other’s actual point. |
| 12 | A | Evidence falls short when it is insufficient to support the stated conclusion. |
| 13 | A | To weather the storm is to survive a difficult period. |
| 14 | B | Reading between the lines means recognising an implied meaning that is not directly stated. |
| 15 | A | Throwing a spanner in the works means disrupting a plan or preventing it from operating smoothly. |
You will not know every expression that appears in serious writing. When you encounter an unfamiliar phrase, use the following process.
Ask whether the literal meaning makes sense. In “the data threw a spanner in the works,” no physical tool is involved. The sentence is probably describing disruption.
Look for words that signal:
The surrounding sentences often paraphrase the expression.
The initial launch proceeded smoothly. A supplier then cancelled the main order, throwing a spanner in the works. Production was delayed by six weeks.
“Production was delayed” reveals that the phrase means “caused disruption.”
Substitute a plain meaning and reread the sentence.
The supplier cancellation disrupted the plan.
If the sentence remains logical, your interpretation is probably reasonable.
An expression may communicate more than a basic definition.
A student may remember that a herring is a fish but still fail to understand “red herring” in an argument.
Definitions alone are easy to forget. Attach every expression to a complete sentence.
Some idioms are conversational. In a formal essay, a neutral alternative may be more appropriate. For example:
“On the fence” means undecided. “At a crossroads” means facing an important decision. They are related, but not interchangeable in every sentence.
Sometimes a phrase is being used literally. Context must determine the meaning.
Learn 15 expressions from “Arguments, Reasoning and Decisions.”
Review Day 1 and learn 15 expressions related to effort and performance.
Review the first 30 expressions and learn the time-and-change expressions.
Study communication and relationship expressions.
Study risk, uncertainty and problem-related expressions.
Study business and social expressions, then attempt the MCQs without checking the tables.
Review your mistakes and write one original sentence for every expression you could not recall.
After the first week, revise the complete list once a week. Give more attention to expressions that you misread in passages or mock tests.
| Expression | Meaning in the Passage | Context Clue | My Incorrect Interpretation | Correct Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red herring | Distraction | “Diverted attention from…” | Important example | Irrelevant distraction |
| On balance | After considering both sides | Benefits followed by costs | Completely in favour | Qualified support |
| Last straw | Final event after repeated problems | “After months of delays…” | First problem | Final intolerable problem |
The purpose of the log is not to collect hundreds of expressions. It is to identify the kinds of contextual clues you repeatedly overlook.
Idioms are not a guaranteed standalone CAT question type. Their main value lies in helping candidates understand non-literal language, tone, implication and contextual meaning in sophisticated prose and answer choices.
There is no official number. A carefully revised list of 100–150 common expressions is more useful than memorising hundreds of rare idioms without context.
No. Learn the meaning, tone and normal context of use. You should be able to recognise the expression in a new sentence and replace it with a neutral phrase.
Understanding idiomatic language can prevent misinterpretation, but it is only one part of VARC preparation. Reading comprehension also requires argument tracking, inference, tone recognition, option evaluation and regular timed practice.
A phrase is any group of words functioning together. An idiom is a type of expression whose established meaning may differ from the literal meanings of its individual words.
Only when the expression suits the tone and audience. In academic or analytical writing, a clear neutral phrase is often safer than an informal idiom.
No. They are original CAT-oriented contextual exercises prepared for vocabulary and reading practice.
Use spaced revision. Review a new expression after one day, one week and one month. Record expressions that you misinterpret during reading or mock tests.
Idioms should not become a separate memorisation project that takes time away from reading comprehension and mock analysis. Treat them as part of your broader contextual-vocabulary preparation.
When you encounter an expression:
A smaller bank of well-understood expressions will be more useful than a large list memorised without context.