Question

Choose the exact meaning of the idiom/phrase-
My father did not know that his brother would tread on his heels.
a) Follow closely after
b) Stab him in the back
c) Oppose him immediately
d) Support him blindly

Answer 1

Hint: The idioms/phrases don’t usually have literal meanings, they may have a metaphoric meaning. In the given sentence, the idiom has a metaphoric meaning.

Complete answer:
The given idiom is ‘tread on his heels'. The literal meaning of ‘tread' is ‘to walk in a specific way'. The meaning of this given phrase is – To walk directly behind one; to follow one very closely. For example, I am so sick of this personal assistant treading on my heels all around the office.
Now, let us examine all the given options to find out the correct answer -
Option ‘a’ is Follow closely after. This is the exact meaning which the idiom is trying to convey. The idiom also means to follow someone closely. In the given sentence, the father's brother is following him.
Option ‘b’ is Stab him in the back. This option cannot be the correct option as it is not at all related to the given idiom. So, we will eliminate this option.
Option ‘c’ is Oppose him immediately. This option cannot be the correct option as it is not at all related to the given idiom. So, we will eliminate this option.
Option ‘d' is Support him blindly. This option cannot be the correct option as it is not at all related to the given idiom. So, we will eliminate this option.
As we have analyzed all the given options, we can easily figure out the correct answer. Here, the meaning of the given idiom is – follow closely after. Hence, the option ‘a’ is the correct option.

Note:
Don’t confuse between ‘stab him in the back' and ‘follow him'. To stab someone is to thrust a knife or other pointed weapon into someone to kill them.