Question

Choose the correct meaning of the idiom/phrase from the given options.
Cry over spilt milk.
a)Complaining about a loss in the past
b)Too inquisitive about something
c)When something is done badly to save money
d)Dealing with a problem only in an emergency situation

Answer 1

Hint: An idiom is a phrase or a group of words that have a different meaning from the literal meaning of the words.

Complete step-by-step answer:

 Cry over spilt milk means to be upset about something that has already happened in the past and cannot be changed. This idiom was published in 1659 by James Howell. It was thereafter used in 1738 by Jonathan Swift in his Polite Conversation.
Example- You’ve sold the car now; it’s no use crying over spilt milk! Here, we can understand that ‘Y’ is advising ‘X’ not to be upset by an action he had performed in the past.
Let’s look at the given options:
a)Complaining about a loss in the past- It has the same meaning as the above idiom. Hence, it is the correct option.
b)Too inquisitive about something- It means to be curious about something. It has a different meaning from the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
c)When something is done badly to save money- It has a different meaning from the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
d)Dealing with a problem only in an emergency situation- It has a different meaning from the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note: Eliminate the options that are least likely to have the same meaning as the above-given idiom.