This quiz should be a treat for linguistic aficionados and music connoisseurs. If you happen to be both in one person, all the better. The below idioms are titles of more or less popular songs. And while this is a chance to brush upon your knowledge of idioms in English language, you can also smoothly upgrade your knowledge in popular music. At some point, you might even be tempted to listen to it.

Your task is to carefully read the meaning of the idiom and keep it for further use before eventually discarding it from your thoughts. But before you do that, match the idioms with the below listed artists who performed the songs and see how many song titles and songs you are familiar with. And what new idiom did you learn?

Idioms and their use

1. Time after Time:

it refers to something that is done repeatedly, over and over again. Example: I like to watch this movie time after time because its story and performance are truly gripping.

2. Fight Fire with Fire:

to fight back by using against your opponent the same methods they are using against you; even criticizing someone who is criticizing you. Example: She won’t keep her mouth shut, so I fight fire with fire and give her what’s coming to her. Oh, we (un)intentionally slipped another idiom in here: give (one) what's coming (to one).

3. Poker Face:

blank, emotionless expression that gives no indication of one's thoughts or intentions; the term comes from gambling. Example: Keeping a poker face can be very useful in business dealings.

4. Basket Case:

it is actually a slang expression, denoting someone that is in a hopeless or useless condition, also a nervous wreck. Example: If you worry about your grades too much, you'll turn into a basket case.

5. Win Some, Lose Some:

in life, we succeed in some situations and fail in others; the phrase is mostly used as a consolation when someone experiences failure. Example: You can’t always be the fastest run in class, you have to accept that you win some, you lose some.

6. White Flag:

a white flag or any kind of cloth is symbol of surrender, it indicates that someone has accepted defeat or does not intend to attack. Example: We've been arguing for weeks, but it looks like the he might finally be ready to wave a white flag and admit his mistake.

7. It Takes Two:

this idiom denotes that two parties are responsible for a certain situation or action in which both are involved. Alternative version of this is it takes two to tango. Example: You’ve only heard one side of the story, but it takes two to have an argument.

8. Water under the Bridge:

the phrase refers to past events that should be put aside. If ones says that an experience is water under the bridge, one means that the issue is now resolved and it causes no more worries. Example: We've accepted the situation and the mishap is water under the bridge now.

9. Dirty Little Secret:

information that could cause a great deal of harm if revealed or discovered. Example: People keep their dirty little secrets for years, even decades, such as not graduating, lying in their CVs, keeping secret pets, having affairs, etc. You can find loads of such stories on the internet.

10. Heard It through the Grapevine:

to hear (something) through the grapevine means to find out about something through an informal means of communication, especially gossip. Example: I heard through the grapevine that Mr. Bosserman is leaving the company.

11. Opposites Attract:

people who are very different are often attracted to each other. Example: She’s got such a perky personality and he’s so dull. Well, opposites attract, they say.

12. Let It Be:

this idiom means to leave the situation as it is; not bother someone or interfere with something. Example: Stop bringing up that football match. Just let it be.

Matching task

Match the idioms from the song titles in the left column with the performers in the right column. The task is appealing, we’ve got the feeling. No one’s immune, so hum that tune.

Extra lesson

To further demonstrate the use of the above idioms and really just for the fun of it, we’ve compiled a little story that incorporates all of them in the same order as they were explained above:

Time after Time, when I Fight Fire with Fire with you, I keep my Poker Face, even though I feel like a Basket Case. The fact is that in all relationships you Win Some, Lose Some, and I’ve tried lifting that White Flag and just give it all in, but It Takes Two to turn the problem into Water Under the Bridge. I feel like I’ve heard your every Dirty Little Secret, there have been so many things I’ve Heard Through the Grapevine so my mind is full. My mum always told me that Opposites Attract and we’re the living proof of that. It’s best not to dig into the past too much and just Let It Be.

Honourable mentions

Kanye West – Gold Digger,

Justin Timberlake – Cry me a River,

Survivor – Eye of the Tiger,

Berlin – Take My Breath Away,

Cindy Lauper – True Colors,

Rihanna – Take a Bow,

Katy Perry – Dark Horse