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About This Quiz
Don't "lose your marbles!" We think you're ready for this quiz!
In the United States, there are dozens of phrases that you wouldn't hear around the world. Although the words are the same, the sayings change. From grinding an ax to holding a horse, can you complete these common American phrases?
Naturally, you would think that all English is the same around the world, right? Wrong! English is the third most-spoken language in the world with more than 360 million native speakers. You'd find it as the official language of many countries all around the world, from the United States to Singapore. And while there are 360 million native speakers, more than 1.5 billion people speak English around the world. This accounts for 20 percent of the world's population! And while 20 percent of the world's population speaks English, 91 percent of those who speak the language can't complete these common American phrases. Can you?
If someone creeps you out, you might understand the feeling, but would you be able to complete the phrase "heebie-jeebies?" If something's average, you might use the phrase "run of the" what? This quiz is free but a pair of shoes might cost you what body parts? Can you finish these phrases? These are common phrases that Americans are using daily. Â Let's see if you're in the 9 percent who can finish these phrases.
Let's get the ball rolling!
Complete the following phrase that means "it has yet to be decided": The ______ is still out
court
judge
jury
When one says "the jury is still out," it means a final decision hasn't been made yet.
bailiff
Fill in the blank: Cost an arm and a ______
thigh
leg
The phrase "cost an arm and a leg" is used to describe something that is extremely expensive. It means you'd have to sacrifice body parts in order to afford it.
lung
brain
If you're going out to have a great time, what color are you painting the town?
green
blue
red
The phrase "paint the town red" means you're going out to have a fabulous time.
pink
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Complete the following phrase that means extremely happy: Happy as a _______
fish
deer
clam
Happy as a clam is a common phrase used to describe someone who is very happy. The full phrase is "happy as a clam at high tide." This is because clams are safer during high tide.
dog
Fill in the blank: Keep the ______ rolling
brain
times
ball
If someone tells you "keep the ball rolling," it means to continue to keep things moving and progressing.
clock
If you're only famous for a short time, how many minutes do you have?
five
ten
15
The phrase "fifteen minutes of fame" is used to describe someone who gets a taste of stardom but it doesn't turn into a lifetime of fame.
20
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Complete the following phrase that means to have casual conversation: Shoot the ______
shot
arrow
breeze
"Shoot the breeze" is a common American phrase that is used to describe casual or idle conversation.
grass
Fill in the blank: Lose your ______
kidney
speakers
coins
marbles
In this phrase, marbles equates to your mind. If someone says they are "losing their marbles," that's a way of saying they're losing their mind.
If you have a problem with someone, what kind of tool would you have to grind with them?
rake
saw
ax
You can say that you have an ax to grind with someone. This means you have a problem you have to speak with them about where they, in turn, are the problem.
hammer
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Complete the following phrase that means getting your money's worth: ______ for your buck
Bomb
Bang
When someone says the phrase "a bigger bang for your buck," this means that your outcome is greater than the amount of money you put into something. This means you are getting your money's worth or even more than your money's worth.
Deal
Coin
Fill in the blank: The whole ______ yards
blue
nine
When someone uses the phrase, "the whole nine yards," this is used to mean everything. One could say, "I don't only want casual dating. I want the whole nine yards."
garden
ten
You should get out of the kitchen if you can't stand what?
smell
heat
The common phrase is "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!" This mostly means that if you can't take the pressure, leave it to others who can.
taste
none of the above
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Complete the following phrase that means the return of something nostalgic: ________ from the past
Look
Time
Blast
"Blast from the past" is a phrase that is often used to bring up something nostalgic. If someone plays a song from your childhood, you could say it's a "blast from the past."
Scenes
Fill in the blank: Smoke and ______
fire
timelines
weather
mirrors
Smoke and mirrors is a phrase used to describe hiding the truth with misleading information.
If you're joining someone's cause, you're jumping on what?
boat
car
bandwagon
If you "jump on the bandwagon," this means you are blindly following someone's cause without much of your own thought.
airplane
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Complete the following phrase that means you're stuck making a difficult decision: Between a ______ and a hard place
sea
rock
You normally hear this phrase used as "caught between a rock and a hard place." Since both of these are hard, this means that the person is stuck making a difficult decision.
bed
wall
Fill in the blank: Jump the ______
sticks
gun
The phrase "jump the gun" means to act too soon. One could say, "Since they'd only been dating two weeks, he definitely jumped the gun when he proposed."
court
fire
If you are constantly with someone, which body part are you joined at?
heart
brain
lungs
hip
If you are constantly with someone, the proper phrase to use would be that you're "joined at the hip."
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Complete the following phrase that means good luck: Break a ______.
arm
ankle
leg
If someone tells you "break a leg," it means they are wishing you good luck! This came from the theater world.
neck
Fill in the blank: A ______ in the door
foot
A foot in the door is a phrase used to describe an initial step. This means you have made a move towards a goal.
arm
leg
head
If you're quitting something abruptly, you'd be quitting like what cold animal?
pig
turkey
"Cold turkey" is a phrase that is usually used to describe people who quit smoking. This means that you just quit right away, out of the blue.
cow
dog
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Complete the following phrase that describes a situation where a problem can't be solved because the solution contradicts the problem: Catch-_____
me
15
22
Catch-22 is the phrase used for a situation that is impossible to solve because of the parameters of the problem.
situation
Fill in the blank: Hold your ______.
cow
pig
horses
The phrase "hold your horses" is used to tell someone to hold on a minute.
dog
If you're close to your goal, but not quite, someone might say "close, but no" what?
cheese
cigar
The phrase, "Close but no cigar" is used to describe being very close to something or a goal, but having a small step before completion or success.
beer
fun
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Complete the following phrase that means "get to the point." ______ to the chase.
get
walk
cut
When someone says "cut to the chase," this probably means that you were rambling on. "Cut to the chase" means get to the main point.
run
Fill in the blank: By the ______ of your teeth
arms
skin
The phrase "by the skin of your teeth" is to describe an action that was just barely done. If you got a 66 on a test and 65 was passing, you could say you passed "by the skin of your teeth."
legs
eyes
When someone wants to say that something is easy, it's as easy as what dessert?
cake
brownie
tiramisu
pie
To describe the ease of something, you'll often hear references to dessert. While there is the phrase "piece of cake," this question is referencing the phrase "as easy as pie!"
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Complete the following phrase that means to face the consequences: Face the ______.
art
music
If someone tells you to "face to music," it means to face the consequences or to face reality.
dance
song
Fill in the blank: Once in a ______ moon
gray
white
blue
Since a blue moon only occurs once every 2.5 to three years, the phrase "once in a blue moon" is used to describe something that doesn't happen very often.
green
If you need to go back to the beginning, you'd say you're going back to what kind of board?
chalk
white
drawing
The phrase "back to the drawing board" is used to describe when you plan to return to the planning stages of an idea.
surf
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Complete the following phrase that means to stay positive/confident: Keep your ______ up.
eyes
nose
lips
chin
The phrase "keep your chin up" means to remain positive about a situation.
Fill in the blank: Take a rain______
coat
check
When someone says "take a rain check," this means that they're canceling​ whatever activity you had planned to reschedule it for another time.
clock
boot
If you want to say something that won't be mentioned publicly, you might say it's off what?
the books
the table
the record
When you don't want someone to report what you say or mention it publicly, you would say that it's "off the record." This means its an unofficial statement.
the paper
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Complete the following phrase that means to tell a secret: Spill the ______
corn
beans
"Spill the beans" is an American phrase that means to reveal a secret.
rice
eggs
You Got:
/35
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