Question

Choose the correct meaning of the phrase. Vis-a-vis
a. Direct
b. Opposite
c. Face to face
d. Agree

Answer 1

Hint: In the above question, we must find a meaning that means the same as the given phrase. Phrases or idioms have a metaphorical meaning. Their true meaning does not lie in their face value, but in a metaphor that represents the sum of their parts.

Complete answer:
 The meaning of vis-a-vis means being directly opposite to each other i.e. to be in the line of direct communication with each other. This phrase is derived from the French word visage which means face.
Let us go through all the meanings in order to know the correct option.
Option a ‘direct’ means without intervening factors. For example, The flight from Mumbai to Kolkata is a direct flight.
Option b ‘opposite’ means to be completely different. For example, The twins were alike in appearance but starkly opposite in nature.
Option c ‘face to face’ means to be close together and to be facing each other. For example, The wrestling match brought the two champions together in a face to face showdown.
Option d ‘agree’ means to have the same opinion about something. For example, The judge was inclined to agree with the decision of the jury to convict the accused.
Only option ‘c’ matches the phrase given in the question. Therefore, the option ‘a’ is the correct answer.

Note: This is a tricky question to solve. While direct and opposite are both close in meaning to the given phrase, they don’t form the accurate answers. This is because vis-a-vis is a phrase with a foreign origin and its literal meaning is face to face.