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English Idioms Quiz #3

Fill the blanks in these English language idioms.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: October 2, 2014
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First submittedApril 18, 2012
Times taken64,487
Average score66.7%
Rating4.19
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Idiom
A diamond in the rough
Fly off the handle
Drown one's sorrows
Got off on the wrong foot
Hot and bothered
Have an axe to grind
Follow to the ends of the Earth
Keep your powder dry
Cross the Rubicon
That's the $64,000 question
Idiom
Never a dull moment
Firing on all cylinders
Wolf in sheep's clothing
A hard nut to crack
No strings attached
A fly in the ointment
Third time's a charm
Behind the eight ball
Rob Peter to pay Paul
Par for the course
Idiom
Without rhyme or reason
Beyond the pale
Albatross around one's neck
Not worth a hill of beans
Read between the lines
Hold your horses!
Put one's house in order
A shoulder to cry on
Came out of left field
Thank one's lucky stars
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69 Comments
CBTemple
+3
Level 82
Apr 18, 2012
Great quiz!
orange
+2
Level 21
Apr 18, 2012
aww, i always thought it was "pile" or "mound" of beans.
cledun2
+3
Level 92
Apr 3, 2022
Where I come from its not worth a tin of beans
ctleng76
+2
Level 65
Apr 18, 2012
Axe is mispelled (missing the 'e')
Nyneve922
+4
Level 41
Apr 18, 2012
"Ax" is an alternate spelling of "axe". Both are acceptable. But I've never ever heard "keep your powder dry". And I vote NO on "hold your breath". That's not an idiom. "Hold your horses" is an idiom, because it has a non-literal meaning.
eric29cocoanuts
+8
Level 76
Apr 18, 2012
How about "Hold your tongue"?
ander217
+2
Level 75
Aug 5, 2014
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_in_God_and_keep_your_powder_dry, "Trust in God and keep your powder dry" first appeared in a poem by William Blacker in 1834 who attributed the statement to Oliver Cromwell who said it to his troops when invading Ireland. Through the years the second half of the maxim became more commonly used.
Triviabuddy
+3
Level 57
Feb 20, 2015
Not a good example. You can absolutely hold horses. In fact, that's exactly the definition of the saying. Sounds literal to me.
ChallengeMaster
+7
Level 27
Jul 6, 2021
"Hold your horses" has an implicit meaning when using it as an idiom. It basically means be patient and "stable" which isnt a literal meaning
RogerMexico
+1
Level 61
Nov 13, 2024
In the sense of "Don't hold your breath" or "I'm not gonna hold my breath" it is an idiom, meaning someone thinks something is unlikely to occur.
LacsiraxAriscal
+3
Level 24
Apr 18, 2012
Um... ax is a very archaic spelling of axe, axe is far more widely accepted... Seems odd, to say the least.
brandybuck96
+2
Level 83
Dec 10, 2015
Ax is the American spelling, I think.
Yetch
+4
Level 17
Mar 2, 2021
I live in the US and have lived here all my life, and I haven't seen anyone spell it that way. It might be a regional spelling, but I don't know
canadianeh
+3
Level 34
Apr 18, 2012
I've always heard "not worth a row of beans."

I've also heard "get off on the wrong track."

I think "hold your tongue" should be an acceptable answer as well.

Just suggestions, it was a great quiz!

clarissa
+7
Level 71
Apr 20, 2012
I kept reading the statement as "Rob Peter" and thinking who is that? Once I saw the answer...
selah13
+1
Level 44
Feb 22, 2015
I did that too
greenapple7
+1
Level 62
Jul 9, 2019
Just realized that wasn't what it meant oops
jcassarino
+2
Level 65
Apr 26, 2012
Any possibility of accepting "clothes" for "clothing"?
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Apr 27, 2012
Okay. That will work now.
CraigA51
+2
Level 33
May 10, 2012
Best explanation of beyond the pale is here: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/beyond-the-pale.html

Got all with 3:04 left!

markthoma
+1
Level 73
Apr 19, 2018
Thank you, very nicely stated.
Nobody
+1
Level 15
May 11, 2012
@CraigA51 Thanks! I've always wondered what "beyond the pale" meant
KatM
+2
Level 22
Sep 8, 2012
Fly off the _____ kinda reminds me of Fly on the wall. Sad that 'wall' isn't the answer XD!
paula05
+3
Level 34
Dec 21, 2012
22. "par for the course" i guess!!
CountryDaisy
+13
Level 24
May 1, 2013
I have never heard "That's the $64,000 question" before, I've always heard it as "That's the million dollar question". I guess you could say it with any form of monetary value, so I still go it right. Woot!
Shiloh376
+2
Level 76
Nov 21, 2014
Pretty easy really. couldn't think of what went with rubicon.
Pimbard6
+1
Level 67
Feb 20, 2015
30/30 with 3:11 remaining. You can do it too!
ander217
+2
Level 75
Feb 20, 2015
I just did.
betsy1997
+2
Level 33
Feb 20, 2015
Why is it the $64000 question when it is 'English Idioms'? Surely it should be £1000000?
parsons8
+4
Level 26
Feb 20, 2015
Yes & no. If you mean "English" to equal "British" you're correct, but if you're talking about the English *language* (spoken in many countries where the unit of currency is not the pound) and I believe this was the quizmaster's intention, then 64000 question is spot on.
ElementVoid
+3
Level 59
Aug 5, 2022
Or English to mean "from England"
HyddenRizz
+1
Level 67
Aug 18, 2022
But the American form of English is not the traditional or most common version. It's just the quizmaster writing in their own country and ignoring the others.
EcceHomo
+2
Level 83
Jun 25, 2024
This expression originated in the USA in 1941 on the CBS quiz show Take It or Leave It where contestants could choose to take a small prize or bet everything on a bigger prize, the highest level being $64,000 (Googled).

However, I am British, and I knew this.

mcsmith
+1
Level 67
Feb 20, 2015
I always heard "Firing on all pistons".
parsons8
+1
Level 26
Feb 20, 2015
Have certainly heard that, but cylinders is what immediately came to mind for me.
PorcNBeanz
+2
Level 57
Feb 20, 2015
I've always heard "Bury your Sorrows" as well. I think that should be accepted.
RobNobody
+1
Level 79
Nov 25, 2022
"Drowning" your sorrows is a reference to getting drunk. What are you doing if you're "burying" them?
parsons8
+4
Level 26
Feb 20, 2015
I always thought it was a "tough" nut to crack, rather than "hard." If that had been the blank to fill instead of crack, I probably would have failed to get it.
samiamco
+5
Level 68
Feb 28, 2016
Same here; only ever heard *tough* nut to crack.
RosieLily
+1
Level 10
Jun 16, 2016
More time!
blinky
+1
Level 58
Nov 9, 2016
I got 29 of 30, 97%...better than 92% of other quiz takers who averaged 20 out of 30...but that's only good for 4 points out of 5?
Bebs
+1
Level 21
Mar 2, 2018
These quizzes are such good fun
ShnevorSomeone
+1
Level 61
Mar 14, 2018
i have never heard like 2/3rds of these
markthoma
+1
Level 73
Apr 19, 2018
These are all classics, it's interesting to realize just how MANY idioms one encounters and/or uses in every day life.
ebruck02
+5
Level 42
Jun 29, 2018
hold your tongue! I would consider that an idiom.
Sifhraven
+6
Level 72
Mar 22, 2019
It should definitely accept hold your tongue. Especially since that exclamation mark is there, it makes tongue come to mind before horses.

And just a question, isnt follow to the end of the world a thing?

rocamorar
+1
Level 78
Mar 14, 2022
Yeah, both "hold your tongue" and "follow to the end of the world" should be considered valid.
enchanter54
+2
Level 81
Apr 9, 2019
I always heard it as "Fly off the rails."
HinesBrothers
+1
Level 76
Nov 20, 2019
please accept rhythm for reason. I have heard it both ways.
smoceany
+2
Level 51
May 13, 2021
ive never heard that
Daisy700
+1
Level 49
Mar 2, 2020
I'm english and I have never heard of at least 5 of these...
TheLocalMilkMan
+1
Level 44
Jul 27, 2020
I read somewhere that "Fly of the handle" came from the fact that ax heads frequently fly of their handles
McKenzieFam
+1
Level 67
Aug 21, 2024
I always heard "Fly off the hinges" here in NZ. Guess we prefer a different part of the door to go mad on..
AussieAngie
+2
Level 65
Oct 16, 2020
Is 'hill of beans' really an English saying? I've heard this in US shows. The rest were easy but fun.
sumguy
+2
Level 86
Aug 2, 2021
English language, not England.
AbiA
+1
Level 86
Dec 13, 2022
“Out of left field” and “behind the eight ball” are American too.
ChallengeMaster
+2
Level 27
Jul 6, 2021
Ive never heard it be the $64000 question, ive always heard the million dollar question
EconomicSnake
+4
Level 71
Aug 2, 2021
How about "Fly off the shelf/shelves"?
stylus
+1
Level 78
Sep 15, 2021
i agree! that's absolutely a valid idiom and what i thought of first
daQuokka
+1
Level 67
Oct 12, 2021
What about "fly off the radar"?
JohnK
+1
Level 69
Apr 24, 2022
It's fly *under* the radar.
Akkenru
+1
Level 58
Mar 4, 2022
How is a question about $64,000, a US currency, even remotely English? It’s £ (pound sterling) you pillock
boyluvr
+1
Level 34
Feb 14, 2024
english language, not english as in from england....
BBryant
+2
Level 70
Aug 18, 2022
I get the *English language* connotation, but 'American Idioms' would have been much more fitting
AbiA
+1
Level 86
Dec 13, 2022
In England we say “third time lucky”.
Chump772
+3
Level 55
Jul 15, 2023
Third time’s THE charm
McKenzieFam
+2
Level 67
Aug 21, 2024
Ohhhh

Rob Peter to pay Paul

I thought "rob peter to pay taxes?" "rob peter to pay bail?" rob peter to pay bills?" XD

yourmommacalled
+1
Level 25
Aug 22, 2024
Non Native speaker here: Is it not "an onion in the ointment"?
luxint
+1
Level 66
Nov 14, 2024
Take it hill of beans is largely US. As some have said, know it as row of beans. Great quiz as ever. Thanks
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