Languages › English as a Second Language Action Idioms Quiz for English Learners Idioms using action verbs in English Catch the Ball. Mike Kemp / Getty Images English as a Second Language Grammar Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Writing Skills Reading Comprehension Business English Resources for Teachers By Kenneth Beare Kenneth Beare English as a Second Language (ESL) Expert TESOL Diploma, Trinity College London M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on March 06, 2017 1. Tom is really trying hard to _____ his smoking habit. kiss blow hold kick Correct Wrong kick a habit - stop doing something habitual. Usually used with smoking or drinking 2. The stock market crashed so I guess I can _____ my profit goodbye. kiss blow kick hit Correct Wrong kiss something goodbye - forget about something, except something as not existing anymore in your life 3. When you get to Japan, make sure to _____ me a line and let me know how you are doing. hold drop climb blow Correct Wrong drop a line - get in contact, usually by mail 4. Jack was _____ the wall with impatience. kicking biting climbing kissing Correct Wrong climbing the wall - become extremely impatient 5. I wish the boss would _____ off on his demands. hold hit blow climb Correct Wrong hold off - wait to do something 6. Peter's father _____ his lid when he heard about his poor grades. hit kicked bit blew Correct Wrong blew someone's lid - become very angry and upset 7. Have you seen Mary's new computer? She must have _____ a bundle! bit dropped climbed held Correct Wrong drop a bundle - spend a lot of money on something 8. The next time Jim offends you, just _____ him down and he will probably leave you in peace. stare kick hold kiss Correct Wrong stare down - confront someone by staring at them 9. Don't complain about your boss! You should never _____ the hand that feeds you. climb bite kiss hit Correct Wrong bite the hand that feeds you - respond in a negative manner to your employer or provider 10. I'm so depressed. I think that I've truly _____ bottom this time. bit dropped hit kicked Correct Wrong hit bottom - be very sad or depressed, feel that there are no possibilities of improvement 11. It's time to _____ the bullet and start studying for the exam. kiss climb hit bite Correct Wrong bite the bullet - accept a difficult situation and take steps necessary to improve that situation 12. If you want him to buy you a new car, why don't you _____ a hint? hit drop kick blow Correct Wrong drop a hint - give a hint to someone 13. He _____ over backwards to help Bob find a new job. ran kept bent stood Correct Wrong bend over backwards - make every effort possible to do something 14. Luckily, Jane _____ up for me when the teacher accused me of cheating. kept stood crunched gave Correct Wrong stood up for someone - defend someone who is accused of something 15. I'm afraid I can't make it today. Can I _____ you a rain check? make provide keep give Correct Wrong give a rain check - promise to do something later that you can't do now 16. If we go shopping on our way home from the lecture, we can _____ two birds with one stone. kill keep bend hit Correct Wrong kill two birds with one stone - do two things with one action 17. I _____ the roof when my son told me he was going to get married at the age of 17! kept killed stood hit Correct Wrong hit the roof - become very angry 18. I tried to _____ abreast of the situation in my home town. bend keep stand feel Correct Wrong keep abreast of something - to keep up on a situation, stay informed about something 19. Bye! I've got to _____ the books because I have a test tomorrow. study hit hold crunch Correct Wrong hit the books - study very hard for something, often a test 20. I was just _____ the numbers and I'm afraid we don't have enough money. feeling crunching keeping standing Correct Wrong crunch the numbers - do calculations, bookkeeping in order to find keep track of money Action Idioms Quiz for English Learners You got: % Correct. You Know Your Action Idioms! You know your English!. Andrew Rich / Vetta / Getty Images Great work! You obviously know a wide range of idioms and expressions in English. I'd suggest you study these short stories that include idioms and expressions in context to continue learning more idioms. Share Your Results Action Idioms Quiz for English Learners You got: % Correct. Good Job! You've done well on your lessons. Anton Violin / Moment / Getty Images Good job on this quiz. It's difficult! You know a number of these expressions, but hopefully have learned a few more by taking this quiz. Keep studying idiomatic English to improve your English skills further. Share Your Results Action Idioms Quiz for English Learners You got: % Correct. Keep Learning Your Idioms! Keep working on your studies.. Frank and Helena / Cultura / Getty Images Don't be upset that you didn't do so well. Idioms are difficult! Review the definitions and explanations to learn these idioms and keep studying with these idiom resources on the site to further improve. Share Your Results