FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Match the British Idioms
Quiz about Match the British Idioms

Match the British Idioms Trivia Quiz


Here are a few British idioms that I have learned over the years.

A matching quiz by bwfc10. Estimated time: 3 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Humanities Trivia
  6. »
  7. English
  8. »
  9. Idioms and Proverbs

Author
bwfc10
Time
3 mins
Type
Match Quiz
Quiz #
398,385
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
828
Last 3 plays: psnz (10/10), Guest 2 (0/10), Nicobutch (8/10).
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
QuestionsChoices
1. Over-egg the   
  nelly
2. Right up your  
  post
3. Bob's your   
  street
4. Not on your   
  Loch
5. Dog in the  
  knocker
6. Do a Devon  
  uncle
7. From pillar to  
  manger
8. Shanks's   
  pudding
9. As black as Newgate's  
  pony
10. Donkey's   
  years





Select each answer

1. Over-egg the
2. Right up your
3. Bob's your
4. Not on your
5. Dog in the
6. Do a Devon
7. From pillar to
8. Shanks's
9. As black as Newgate's
10. Donkey's

Most Recent Scores
Mar 19 2024 : psnz: 10/10
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 2: 0/10
Mar 11 2024 : Nicobutch: 8/10
Mar 09 2024 : Guest 139: 5/10
Feb 21 2024 : Guest 201: 1/10
Feb 13 2024 : crossesq: 8/10
Feb 09 2024 : BarbaraMcI: 10/10
Feb 08 2024 : genoveva: 10/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Over-egg the

Answer: pudding

To "over-egg the pudding" is to spoil something by trying too hard to improve it. It has its origins in the mid-19th century, referring to baked goods that might have been spoiled by using too many eggs. Nowadays, it can also be used to say something looks bigger or more important than it really is.
2. Right up your

Answer: street

This means something is to your liking. The North American version of this is "up your alley". The first usage of the British English expression can be traced back to a "Publishers' Weekly" magazine from 1929 and reads, "A great many of the books published today are, as the saying is, right up her street". The word "up" is interchangeable with "down" and is used just as often.
3. Bob's your

Answer: uncle

This expression refers to a series of events that will end successfully and with ease. The full phrase is "Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt". This is thought to have originated when Arthur Balfour was unexpectedly promoted to Chief Secretary for Ireland by the then Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury. Salisbury was Balfour's uncle and his first name was Robert!
4. Not on your

Answer: nelly

This phrase means that there is no chance of something happening - not on your life. This originated from the phrase "not on your Nelly Duff" - British cockney rhyming slang for "puff", meaning "breath of life".
5. Dog in the

Answer: manger

This expression refers to a person who prevents others from using something for which he has no use. It is derived from an old, mid-15th century Greek fable about a dog that prevents horses from eating fodder, which is inedible to the dog itself.
6. Do a Devon

Answer: Loch

If someone does a Devon Loch, they fail spectacularly when everyone expects them to succeed. Devon Loch was a racehorse owned by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, which fell less than 40 yards from the winning post in the 1956 Grand National held at Aintree.

He was five lengths clear, when, for no reason, jumped up in the air and landed on his stomach, allowing E.S.B to overtake him and win the race.
7. From pillar to

Answer: post

The meaning of this is to go repeatedly from one place to another usually without accomplishing anything. Its origins go back to 15th century and are thought to refer to hitting a ball in the game of court tennis from posts supporting the net to the pillars at the back of the court.
8. Shanks's

Answer: pony

If you go somewhere by Shanks's (or Shank's) pony, it means to walk there! Shank's derives from the old name of the lower part of the leg between the knee and ankle - the shank, nowadays known as the shin-bone or tibia. It was alluded to in the early form of this term as shank's nag, which originated in Scotland in the 18th century.
9. As black as Newgate's

Answer: knocker

As black as Newgate's knocker means pitch black. It originated in the mid-19th century, and refers to the large cast-iron knocker on the door of Newgate Prison, which was in London until it was demolished in 1904. The Central Criminal Court, known as Old Bailey, now stands on that site.
10. Donkey's

Answer: years

This term is used when referring to something that has occurred for a very long time without change. The origin was most likely from donkey ears, rhyming slang for years, with years replacing ears later in time. Donkey's years, however, may have been chosen as a synonym for a long time simply because donkeys are long-lived animals. One example is "Lively Laddie", a donkey who had plied his trade on Blackpool Pleasure Beach until his death at age 62!
Source: Author bwfc10

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us