Rewritten Idioms Trivia Quiz

Answer: A bitter pill to swallow

A bitter pill means that you are faced with no choice in a predicament of some sort, but just have to accept what is handed out to you, whether you like it or not. An example of this could be having an operation on your nose to remove most of it - or having your nose fall off entirely. You're still going to lose most of your nose, no matter what.

Answer: A dime a dozen

A dime a dozen means that any commodity sold in the shops is very cheap and is available anywhere to purchase at any time - such as trendy goods which are now remarkably cheap to purchase and easily found in any department store. When first introduced, however, these goods cost hundreds of dollars and were very hard to find.

It could also mean that any particular commodity at all is readily on hand anywhere and doesn't cost a thing at all - such as in the Republic of Seychelles, where many fruit trees were once planted along the streets there and freely available to anyone at any time.

Answer: An ace in the hole

An ace in the hole means that someone has a hidden advantage in some argument or debate or struggle for supremacy, one that hasn't been revealed yet, but when done so, demolishes the competition. An example of this could be two parties in competition to buy the same house, but when one party has to drop out of the bidding when the reserve price is reached, the other triumphantly produces the winning bid by producing a secret nest egg they have kept in reserve.

Answer: Achilles heel

If someone appears to be invincible in every area of the human condition, and seemingly unable to be defeated, but has one small area of weakness that can bring that person undone, he or she is described as having an Achilles heel. Achilles is the leading protagonist in "The Iliad", a work by the famous Ancient Greek author, Homer. An example of someone with an Achilles heel could be the famous golfer, Tiger Woods. Seemingly unable to be beaten, the golden boy of the media and the golfing profession was revealed to have betrayed his wife on multiple occasions with a rather large number of women.

When the news broke, he lost assorted sponsorships, lost his golfing form (going from number one to dropping below the top 500 players in the world by May 2016), his wife divorced him, and his reputation was damaged irreparably.

Answer: All ears

If anyone is described as being all ears, they don't have enormous lugs, but that person is listening intently to what is being said with his or her full attention. Did you know that what appeared to be a human ear grown on the back of the Vacanti mouse was actually cartilage cells from a cow's ear? These cells were placed into a mould of the human ear and then implanted under the mouse's skin.

The successful result generated huge protests against genetic engineering, but I don't understand the fuss.

It wasn't as if they'd used cartilage from an elephant's ear.

Answer: An apple of discord

An apple of discord is a reference to the "Golden Apple of Discord" which, according to Greek mythology, was tossed into the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis, at which the gods and goddesses were present. Its surface purpose was to be given to the most beautiful woman there, but its true purpose was to start trouble.

This it did when a huge argument broke out between Hera, Aphrodite and Athena - ultimately leading to the Trojan War. Used in modern times, this reference is a sore point that is capable of causing a great deal of trouble when introduced into subject under discussion, or project on hand, or anything, in fact, where a resolution of some sort is needed between differing parties. An example of this could be a powerful political party running for election, and seemingly unbeatable, but losing potential voters every time its unpopular stance on a controversial topic is brought up by its political opponents or the media.

Answer: At the drop of a hat

At the drop of a hat means to do something or respond in some way right away, without hesitation, immediately. An example of this could be two players from opposing football teams who always seem to get into a brawl every time they set eyes on one another.

This takes place without any provocation at all at times, but at the drop of a hat. Perhaps it could even be a harmless and insignificant expression on the rival's face which sees the other player fly into a rage immediately and lash out. This expression is believed to date back to the days when sporting competitions were started, not by a whistle, or a gunshot, but, according to Wiktionary, by a "sweeping downward motion of a cap".

Answer: Back to the drawing board

If you have gone back to the drawing board, you have realised something you were working on isn't going to work, and have decided to come at it from another angle instead. This idiom has been around since World War II, when it was just a joking term to create a new design for a machine that didn't work (or crashed), but it soon made its way into every day language from that time.

The drawing board referred to in this expression is a draughtsman's table, a piece of equipment on which new buildings and machines are carefully designed before being constructed.

Answer: A bed of roses

If you're sleeping on a bed of roses, your life is very easy and comfortable for you, with no worries or concerns at all. Oh, if only. An example of this could be a family that had inherited a lot of money, and doesn't have to worry about meeting monthly expenses at all any more, or paying the yearly school fees for the children, or buying anything they want at any time, or go for a yearly cruise or two, and so on.

Answer: All thumbs

If anyone is described as being all thumbs, that person is very awkward indeed, and prone to dropping and breaking things or accidentally knocking over small tables, chairs and other objects. They're downright clumsy in other words. An example of this could be a nurse I once knew.

She was absolutely lovely, but in the space of six weeks, she broke half a dozen glasses, a washing machine, a clothes dryer, a couple of plates, got the Christmas tree lights entangled in the overhead fan when she decided to shift the tree across the room, and backed her husband's new car into the closed garage door.