101 Phrases Trivia Questions That Will Have You Doubting The English Language

In Cockney rhyming slang, what is meant by ‘plates of meat’?

Which of these phrases implies anger?

Complete the advertising slogan: ‘This is not just food, this is … food’?

A pint of beer is 2 units of alcohol and costs £3.20. Men should drink no more than 14 units a week. How much would this cost in beer?

Which N means ‘it does not follow’?

Which M means ‘through my own fault’?

If a man is described as being ‘a bit of a Don Juan’, what sort of person are they?

At which sporting occasion was the phrase ‘They think it’s all over, it is now’ first uttered?

From which ancient language do we get the phrases ‘status quo’ and ‘quid pro quo’?

Can I have a P please Bob’ could be heard on which popular TV game show?

A farmer has 50 sheep. 20 sheep have one lamb, 15 sheep have twins, 8 have triplets and the rest have none. How many lambs does he have?

From which literary work does the phrase ‘One foot in the grave’ come?

If someone describes you as a ‘salad dodger’, what should you do?

Which G means ‘free of charge’?

If a man is ‘pointing Percy at the porcelain’, what is he doing?

If someone is described as a ‘real Pollyanna’, what do they have?

In slang, what sort of people are ‘in the Andrew’?

What does the abbreviation OTT stand for?

If your French companion says ‘Bon appetit’, what are you about to do?

Complete the advertising slogan: ‘… gives a meal man-appeal’?

Which C means ‘that’s life’?

A frisbee traveled 28m when it was first thrown and 41m the second time it was thrown. What was the total distance traveled?

Which M means ‘the exact word’?

From which ancient language do we get the phrases ‘inter alia’ and ‘nota bene’?

If you have a ‘skin like a rhinoceros’, which of these best describes you?

If you are ‘taking the mickey’ out of somebody, what are you doing?

Complete the phrase: Look before you …

According to the 1984 film ‘Who ya gonna call?’?

If you are ‘au fait’ about something, how are you?

Following what sort of action might you use the phrase ‘et tu, Brute’ to a friend?

Compete the well-known phrase: How long is a piece of …?

What does the phrase ‘raison d’etre’ mean?

According to the proverb, what is ‘as good as a feast’?

In Australian slang, what is a ‘dickless Tracey’?

In Swedish, what is the meaning of the expression ‘God eftermiddag’?

In the well known saying ‘He who can, does, he who cannot…’ does what?

A ferry travelled 44km from the shore before the captain turned left and 35km to its final destination. What was the total distance travelled?

In modern slang, if someone says ‘I haven’t got a Scooby’, what are they?

From where does the phrase ‘Often a bridesmaid, but never a bride’ come?

If you are ‘compos mentis’, which of these are you definitely NOT?

Which of these phrases implies discretion?

Claire leaves home at 8am, travels 40 minutes to the airport, waits half a hour and takes a 3 hour flight. When does she arrive?

Complete the well-known phrase: As keen as …

A haircut costs £20 with the stylist and £12 with the junior. How much would I save on my monthly haircut each year by using the junior?

A frisbee traveled 40m when it was first thrown and 8m the second time it was thrown. What was the total distance traveled?

According to the proverb, what do too many cooks do?

Complete the advertising slogan: ‘Drinka … milka day’?

A ferry travelled 25km from the shore before the captain turned left and 49km to its final destination. What was the total distance travelled?

In Swedish, what is the meaning of the expression ‘God kvall’?

From which religion does the saying ‘Even the wishes of an ant reach to heaven’ come?

The number of hours that were left in the day was one-third of the number of hours already passed. How many hours were left in the day?

According to the proverb, what is the ‘mother of invention’?

In Cockney rhyming slang, what is a ‘whistle and flute’?

According to the proverb, what can’t you make out of a sow’s ear?

Which of these phrases implies rejection?

Complete the phrase: As cool as a …

A frisbee traveled 10m when it was first thrown and 44m the second time it was thrown. What was the total distance traveled?

Mark works from 9am to 4pm for £9 an hour and is paid in cash. He spends £5 on a pizza on the way home. How much has he got left?

In the phrase ‘beyond the Pale’, meaning unacceptable, what is the ‘Pale’?

Which A means ‘in the open air’?

A frisbee traveled 11m when it was first thrown and 11m the second time it was thrown. What was the total distance traveled?

Finish the proverb: ‘Manners maketh the…’

Complete the Persian proverb: If fortune turns against you, even … breaks your tooth

According to the proverb, how do ‘Still waters run’?

Complete the simile: as blind as a …?

If the ‘Third World’ denotes the world’s developing countries, which area was denoted by the phrase ‘Second World’?

Which of these means ‘in the open air’?

According to the nursery rhyme, which bells ask ‘When will you pay me?’?

If someone tells you to ‘take a pew’, what should you do?

Which C means ‘seize the day’?

In its original form, which of these expressions meant to ‘rub down the chestnut horse’?

If you ‘dig in your heels’, what are you being?

Complete the well-known phrase: As sober as a …

A ferry traveled 12km from the shore before the captain turned left and 23km to its final destination. What was the total distance traveled?

A ferry travelled 49km from the shore before the captain turned left and 39km to its final destination. What was the total distance travelled?

Au fait – is a foreign phrase in common use in the English language – what does it mean?

Which of these phrases implies surprise?

According to the nursery rhyme, on what day of the week was the child reputed to have ‘far to go’ born?

According to the proverb, ‘the early bed gets …’ what?

According to the proverb, with what is ‘the road to hell paved’?

Complete the well-known proverb: ‘Many hands make …’?

If people are said to be ‘as thick as thieves’, what are they?

Which P means ‘one who is not welcome’?

In Australia, who are referred to as ‘ducks and geese’?

If you’re ‘up a gum-tree’, what’s your situation?

Complete the saying: As fresh as a …

In Cockney rhyming slang, if you fancied a ‘Ruby Murray’, what sort of restaurant should you be heading for?

If you’re ‘three sheets to the wind’, what have you done?

A frisbee traveled 16m when it was first thrown and 9m the second time it was thrown. What was the total distance traveled?

According to the nursery rhyme, what do you mix with half a pound of tuppenny rice?

If you ‘drop the pilot’, what are you getting rid of?

A ferry travelled 48km from the shore before the captain turned left and 34km to its final destination. What was the total distance travelled?

From which source does the phrase ‘separate the sheep from the goats’ come?

If something is to ‘come under the hammer’, it will be what…?

Complete the saying: The early bird catches …

A ferry travelled 48km from the shore before the captain turned left and 26km to its final destination. What was the total distance travelled?

MPs are allowed to claim £5000 a year towards rent. Maria claims £600 a month. How much does she have to pay back at the end of the year?

According to the proverb ‘Go to bed with the lamb, and rise with the…’ what?

Which C means approximately?

For how long did the Financial Times use the slogan ‘No FT; No comment’?