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This exam tested 3 questions from this topic — shrug (body language idiom), 'fits and starts', and 'end in smoke'.
Correct: shoulders ✓
Shrug one's shoulders = lift the shoulders momentarily to show ignorance, doubt, or indifference.
| Idiom | Body part | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shrug shoulders | Shoulders | Show indifference/doubt |
| Raise eyebrows | Eyebrows | Show surprise |
| Bite tongue | Tongue | Hold back from speaking |
| Drop a hint | Hand-implied | Suggest indirectly |
| Cross fingers | Fingers | Hope for luck |
| Cold shoulder | Shoulders | Treat unfriendly |
| Pull leg | Leg | Joke/tease |
| Lend an ear | Ear | Listen attentively |
| Apple of eye | Eye | Favourite person |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Arm + leg | Very expensive |
Correct: fits ✓ ('by fits and starts')
By fits and starts = irregularly, in short bursts followed by pauses; inconsistent effort.
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| By fits and starts | Inconsistently, in bursts |
| Hot and cold | Variable behaviour |
| Off and on | Not regularly |
| In dribs and drabs | Small irregular amounts |
| Now and then | Occasionally |
Correct: To come to nothing ✓
End in smoke = come to nothing; fail without producing any result.
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| End in smoke / Go up in smoke | Come to nothing |
| Fall flat | Fail completely |
| Fall through | Fail to materialize |
| Come to grief | End in disaster |
| Bite the dust | Be defeated |
| Backfire | Produce opposite result |
| Miss the boat | Lose an opportunity |
| Throw in the towel | Give up |
Idioms & Phrases — মূল লেকচার শিট — 300+ BCS-favourite idioms organized by theme (success/failure, money, time, body parts, animals, food, colours), explanation + memorable example for each, common traps (similar-looking idioms with different meanings), and origin stories where useful for memorization।