Question

Choose the correct meaning of the idiom/phrase: A close shave
a) Something done badly
b) Clean shave
 c) A narrow escape
d) Bad outfit

Answer 1

Hint: The idiom ‘a close shave’ is used refers to being very close but escaping from a bad situation.

Complete answer:
 In the given question, we need to understand the meaning of the given idiom. Upon doing this we need to find the option that describes the meaning of the given phrase well.
An idiom refers to a group of words that together, as a collective, expresses a meaning that is different and varied from the literal meanings of the words that make up the idiom.
In the question, the given idiom is ‘a close shave’. The idiom is used to a situation in which a person is very close to a dangerous situation but escapes. That is a very close call. It must not be confused with its literal meaning of shaving something.
Now, we will try to understand the options given and select a suitable option.
Options ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘D’ are incorrect as the meanings that they express are different from the meaning of the idiom. While option ‘A’, something is done badly, is similar to the meaning, it does not have the exact same meaning. Option ‘B’ expresses the literal meaning of the idiom and option ‘D’ has no relation to the given idiom.
Hence, the correct answer is option ‘C’, a narrow escape. This is because this option perfectly explains the meaning of the given phrase

Note: For questions related to idioms it is necessary to know their meanings, so learn a list of idioms and their meanings. This will help you to answer all kinds of questions that are related to the topic of idioms.