Question

Which of the following idioms means 'brief sudden success'?
a) Fly off the handle
b) Flash in the pan
c) Eke out
d) The fourth estate

Answer 1

Hint:The idiom that illustrates the meaning ‘brief sudden success’ would be expressed through an idiom that shows some sudden happening that does not last long.

Complete answer:
 In the given question, we need to find the idiom that illustrates the given meaning. To do this let us first understand the meaning of the word ‘idiom’.
An idiom refers to a group of words that together, as a collective, expresses a meaning that is different and varied from the literal meanings of the words that make up the idiom.
In the question, the given meaning is ‘brief sudden success’.
Now, we will try to understand the meaning of each of the given options and select a suitable option.
Option ‘A’, fly off the handle, refers to losing one's temper suddenly and unexpectedly.
Option ‘B’, flash in the pan, refers to a thing or person whose sudden but brief success is not repeated or repeatable.
Option ‘C’, eke out, refers to make up for the deficiencies of.
Option ‘D’, the fourth estate, refers to the press and the news media.
From the above options, we can see that options ‘A’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ are incorrect as the meanings of these idioms do not match the meaning given in the question. Hence, the correct answer is option ‘B’, flash in the pan. This is because this option perfectly matches the meaning given in the question.

Note:
Both ‘brief sudden success’ and ‘flash in the pan’ refer to someone or something whose sudden success is not repeated. Example- Our first match was just a flash in the pan.