Select the option that best expresses the meaning of the idiom: 'Be over the hill'
- (a)To be on a mountain top
- (b)To travel in the jungle
- (c)To be too old to do things
- (d)To do something in the most complete way
Answer
C
Why
Correct — C, To be too old to do things. 'Over the hill' means past one's best, especially too old to do things as well as before — the image is of having crossed the peak and now heading downhill. It has nothing to do with literally being on a hill or travelling.
Why the others are wrong
- (a)To be on a mountain top — A literal reading of 'hill'; the idiom is figurative and is not about physically standing on a summit.
- (b)To travel in the jungle — Unrelated to the idiom, which concerns age, not travel.
- (d)To do something in the most complete way — This does not match — 'over the hill' is about declining ability with age, not thoroughness.
Concept
The idiom 'over the hill' means past one's prime — too old to perform as well as before.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
The idiom 'past one's prime' means:
- (a)very young
- (b)beyond the best period of life
- (c)extremely wealthy
- (d)highly skilled
Answer(b) beyond the best period of life.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the meaning of 'long in the tooth'.
- (a)rather old
- (b)very honest
- (c)well fed
- (d)sharp-witted
Answer(a) rather old.