Question

Choose the exact meaning of the given idiom/phrase.
The prices are going up by leaps and bounds.
a) Irregularly
b) Gradually
c) Rapidly
d) Systematically

Answer 1

Hint: Idioms are an expression in the use of a language which is unique to itself, because it has a meaning which cannot be derived from the standard meanings of its elements.

Complete Answer
“By leaps and bounds” refers to something which grows or makes a lot of progress very quickly. That is if something increases very rapidly, we can use this idiom.Let us look at an example here.
“This summer it’s rained so much that our grass is growing by leaps and bounds.”
Let us go through the meaning of the idioms given as options to find the option which best expresses the meaning of the idiom “by leaps and bounds.”
a) Irregularly: It refers to something which is not balanced or it can be defined as something which is not consistent. Let us look into an example for proper understanding.
“My heart was beating irregularly.”

b) Gradually: It refers to something which is changing little by little or moving in slow paces. The origin of the word is from a Latin word ‘gradus’, which means ‘step’. Let us look at an example here.
“The train gained speed gradually.”

c) Rapidly: It refers to doing something very quickly or in a swift manner. The adverb rapidly dates back to the 1630s. Let us look at an example here for understanding it properly.
“She ran rapidly towards the door.”

d) Systematically: It refers to something that is carried out in a deliberate, orderly and methodical way, especially following a plan. Let us look at an example here for proper understanding.

“We searched systematically for evidence.”

Note: An idiom's symbolic sense is quite different from the literal meaning or definition of the words in which it is made. They help bring a beautiful illustration to speech every day.