Idioms and phrases are among the most predictable scoring areas in AFCAT English. The catch is that an idiom rarely means what its words literally say — “to pull someone’s leg” has nothing to do with legs. This Cavalier guide teaches you to decode, group and memorise high-frequency idioms so you answer in seconds, not guesses.
Why Idioms and Phrases Are Easy Marks
In the AFCAT English section you usually face 2 to 4 questions directly on idioms and phrases, and a few more hidden inside cloze and comprehension passages. Each carries the standard 3 marks, so a strong idiom bank can add 9 to 12 marks — often the difference between clearing and missing the cut-off.
The best part: idioms are fact-based, not reasoning-based. Either you know the meaning or you do not. There is no calculation, no lengthy reading. If you have revised the right list, you answer in under ten seconds, and that saved time can be spent on the trickier comprehension or grammar questions later in the paper.
Because AFCAT has negative marking, accuracy matters as much as speed. Idioms reward both: a candidate who has revised a solid themed list rarely guesses, so they avoid the penalty entirely. This makes idioms one of the safest investments of your preparation hours in the whole English section.
Treat idioms like General Knowledge for English. A focused list of 250–300 common idioms covers the vast majority of what AFCAT has historically asked, and most of those repeat across years.
What Exactly Is an Idiom or Phrase
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. The phrase has a fixed, accepted, figurative meaning that the whole language agrees on.
- Literal sense: “It is raining cats and dogs” → animals falling from the sky (nonsense).
- Idiomatic sense: it is raining very heavily (correct).
A phrase is a small group of words acting as a single unit — for example a phrasal verb like give up, break down or call off. AFCAT tests both, but phrasal verbs especially overlap with the “fill in the correct word” questions.
There is one more reason idioms feel hard at first: they are culture-bound and cannot be translated word for word from Hindi or any regional language. An idiom that exists in English may have no equivalent in your mother tongue, and vice versa. That is why rote memorisation of the English meaning — not translation — is the only reliable route. Read each idiom inside a full sentence so the figurative sense, not the literal one, settles in your memory.
An idiom is non-literal and fixed. You cannot change its words (“raining dogs and cats” is wrong) and you cannot guess its meaning word-by-word.
High-Frequency Everyday Idioms
Start with the idioms that appear again and again. Learn the meaning, then say the idiom aloud in a sentence so it sticks.
- A blessing in disguise → something bad that turns out to be good.
- Once in a blue moon → very rarely.
- Bite the bullet → to face a difficult situation bravely.
- Beat about the bush → to avoid the main point; to not speak directly.
- Burn the midnight oil → to study or work late into the night.
- A piece of cake → something very easy.
- Hit the nail on the head → to be exactly right.
- Let the cat out of the bag → to reveal a secret accidentally.
A useful study habit is to write one short, personal sentence for each idiom — ideally about your own life or your preparation. “I burned the midnight oil before the AFCAT mock” will stay in memory far longer than a dictionary definition, because your brain stores stories more easily than abstract meanings.
Many idioms use everyday objects — cake, oil, bush, bullet. Anchor each idiom to a quick mental picture and recall becomes instant.
Idioms Built Around Body Parts
AFCAT loves idioms that use body parts, because their literal and figurative meanings differ sharply. Group them together for fast revision.
- Pull someone’s leg → to tease or joke with someone.
- Cost an arm and a leg → to be very expensive.
- Keep an eye on → to watch or look after carefully.
- Get cold feet → to become nervous and back out at the last moment.
- Turn a blind eye → to deliberately ignore something.
- Lend a hand → to help.
- Off the top of one’s head → without preparation or thinking.
- Play it by ear → to handle a situation as it develops, without a plan.
If an idiom mentions a body part, the correct option is almost never the literal one. Eliminate the literal-meaning choice first.
Animal and Nature Idioms
Another repeating theme is idioms drawn from animals and nature. These are favourite AFCAT picks.
- A wolf in sheep’s clothing → a dangerous person pretending to be harmless.
- To smell a rat → to suspect something is wrong.
- The lion’s share → the largest part of something.
- A fish out of water → someone uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
- Make a mountain out of a molehill → to exaggerate a small problem.
- Every cloud has a silver lining → every bad situation has a positive side.
- Go bananas → to become extremely angry or excited.
- Kill two birds with one stone → to achieve two aims with a single action.
These idioms are vivid, and that is exactly why they are easy to retain. When you read “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, picture an actual wolf wrapped in wool — the absurd image fixes the warning meaning of a hidden danger in your mind. The more ridiculous the picture, the stronger the memory, which is a proven revision technique for vocabulary of every kind.
If a sentence sets up a contrast — someone who seems good but acts badly — scan the options for animal idioms like “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. The setup itself is a strong hint to the answer.
Common Phrasal Verbs You Must Know
Phrasal verbs are verbs combined with a preposition or adverb. The same verb changes meaning with each particle, so learn them as families.
The verb “break”
- Break down → to stop functioning; to lose emotional control.
- Break out → to begin suddenly (war, fire, disease).
- Break up → to end a relationship.
The verb “call”
- Call off → to cancel.
- Call on → to visit; to request someone to act.
- Call up → to telephone; to summon for duty.
Notice how a single root verb branches into several meanings. The smart way to revise phrasal verbs is therefore not alphabetically but by root verb: take one verb a day — break, call, get, put, take, look — and learn all its common combinations together. Within a week you will own a large slice of the phrasal-verb syllabus.
The particle (off, up, out, down) controls the meaning. Call off = cancel, but put off = postpone — do not mix the two.
Smart Tricks to Decode Unknown Idioms
You will not always recognise the idiom. When that happens, use these elimination tricks instead of blind guessing.
- Reject the literal option. Idioms are figurative, so the choice that simply restates the words is usually a trap.
- Look for emotional tone. Words like “cold feet”, “smell a rat” carry negative feeling; pick the option that matches the tone.
- Use the sentence context. If the surrounding sentence shows relief, joy or success, the idiom’s meaning will match that mood.
- Spot the keyword. “Blessing”, “silver lining” signal a positive twist; “wolf”, “rat” signal danger or suspicion.
Candidates pick the option that looks closest to the literal words — exactly the distractor the examiner planted. Always pause and ask: “What does this really mean?”
Worked Example: Choosing the Right Meaning
Let us apply the tricks to a typical AFCAT-style item.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom in: “When the police started asking questions, the manager began to beat about the bush.”
Notice how two options fell away instantly just by rejecting the literal meaning. That single habit saves you time and protects easy marks.
Confusing Idiom Pairs to Watch
Some idioms look or sound similar but mean opposite things. The examiner uses these as distractors, so memorise the contrast.
- At the drop of a hat (instantly, without hesitation) vs old hat (outdated, no longer interesting).
- In the same boat (in the same difficult situation) vs miss the boat (to lose an opportunity).
- Under the weather (feeling ill) vs weather the storm (to survive a difficult period).
- Cut corners (do something cheaply or carelessly) vs corner someone (to trap them).
The trap works because your eye recognises the keyword and your brain rushes to the first meaning that feels familiar. Train yourself to read the complete idiom, not just the keyword. In the exam, lightly underline the full idiom in the question before you even glance at the options — this one-second habit stops you from falling for near-miss distractors.
When two options both contain the same keyword (hat, boat, weather), slow down. The examiner is testing whether you know the exact idiom, not just the theme.
A Two-Week Revision Plan
You do not need months. A tight, themed plan covers the syllabus comfortably.
- Days 1–4: Learn 20 everyday and body-part idioms per day; revise the previous day’s set first.
- Days 5–8: Add animal, nature and phrasal-verb families, 20 a day.
- Days 9–11: Practise 30 PYQ idiom questions daily; note every idiom you get wrong.
- Days 12–14: Revise only the wrong list plus the confusing pairs.
Keep a small “mistake diary”. The idioms you got wrong once are the ones AFCAT is most likely to catch you on again — revise that page the night before the exam.
Previous-Year Style Question
Q. Select the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom: “The new recruit was asked to face the music for breaking the squadron’s rules.”
(a) to enjoy a concert (b) to accept the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions (c) to sing in front of officers (d) to march to a tune
Answer: (b) to accept the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions. Options (a), (c) and (d) take “music” literally and are classic distractors. The context — breaking rules — signals punishment, which fits “facing the music”.
Quick Revision Recap
- Idioms are non-literal and fixed — never decode them word by word.
- Revise by themes: everyday, body parts, animals/nature, phrasal-verb families.
- For phrasal verbs, the particle (off, up, out, down) decides the meaning.
- When unsure, reject the literal option and match the sentence’s tone.
- Watch confusing pairs that share a keyword (hat, boat, weather).
- Maintain a mistake diary and revise it the night before AFCAT.
Frequently asked questions
How many idiom questions appear in AFCAT?
Typically 2 to 4 direct questions on idioms and phrases, with more appearing indirectly inside cloze tests and comprehension passages. A good idiom bank can comfortably add 9 to 12 marks.
How many idioms should I memorise for AFCAT?
A focused list of about 250 to 300 high-frequency idioms covers the vast majority of what AFCAT has historically tested. Learn them in themed groups rather than alphabetically.
What is the fastest trick when I do not know an idiom?
Reject the option that simply restates the words literally, then match the remaining choices to the emotional tone of the sentence. This eliminates two distractors almost every time.
Are phrasal verbs part of this topic?
Yes. Phrasal verbs such as call off, break down and put off are treated like idioms and also overlap with the fill-in-the-correct-word questions, so they are doubly worth learning.
Can I guess the meaning of an idiom from its words?
Usually not. Idioms are figurative, so a word-by-word reading is normally the wrong answer and is often the deliberate distractor placed by the examiner.
Related AFCAT English topics
Want a teacher to walk you through AFCAT English?
Cavalier's AFCAT batches break every topic into classroom sessions with daily practice, tests and doubt-clearing.