Idioms and Phrases — IBPS PO Prelims Study Notes

Overview

Idioms and Phrases form a recurring scoring area in IBPS PO Prelims, typically appearing within Reading Comprehension passages, Cloze Tests, or as standalone vocabulary questions. Unlike straightforward vocabulary, idioms carry meanings that cannot be deduced from their individual words—"kick the bucket" has nothing to do with buckets or kicking.

For IBPS PO, you need to master approximately 100–150 commonly tested idioms. Questions test whether you understand the figurative meaning and can identify correct usage in context. This is pure memorisation territory, but smart grouping by theme (money, time, failure, success, conflict) makes recall faster. Since 2–4 marks per exam hinge on idiom knowledge, this is high-return revision for minimal effort.

Key Concepts

• **Idiom vs. Phrase**: An idiom has a figurative meaning different from its literal words ("break the ice" = start conversation, not shatter frozen water). A phrase is any meaningful word group, which may or may not be idiomatic.

• **Phrasal Verbs**: Verbs combined with prepositions/adverbs that create new meanings. "Look after" (care for) differs entirely from "look" alone. IBPS frequently tests these within fill-in-the-blanks.

• **Context determines correctness**: Many idioms sound similar but mean opposite things. "In the red" (debt) vs. "in the black" (profit). Always check surrounding sentence tone.