Question

Select the meaning of the given idiom:
Beside the mark
a) Irrelevant
b) Near the mark
c) In place
d) Befitting

Answer 1

Hint: "Idioms are the idiosyncrasies of a language," by Christine Ammer.

Complete answer:
An idiom is a saying, phrase, or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. It is a noun. It is an expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from the usual meanings of its constituent parts.

Beside the mark – the meaning of this idiom ‘Beside the mark’ is something that is insignificant to the main topic that is being discussed.

Example:

The answer she wrote is beside the mark, so she will not be given good marks.

Option a ‘Irrelevant’ perfectly matches the meaning of the idiom given. It means insignificant or irrelevant. So, option a is correct.

Option b ‘Near the mark’ is incorrect because the idiom does not carry such meaning.

Option c ‘In place’ is not the meaning of the given idiom. So, option c is incorrect.

Option d ‘Befitting’ means appropriate to a certain occasion or topic. This is just the opposite of the meaning of the given idiom. So, this option is also incorrect.

Note: The meaning of idioms cannot be figured out just by reading them as they have a different meaning from what they seem to have because of the usage of the words.