The icing on the cake
- (a)baked food that is delicate and delicious with a topping
- (b)extra benefit over and above an already good deal
- (c)getting what you asked for
- (d)more than what is needed
Correct — B, 'extra benefit over and above an already good deal.' 'The icing on the cake' is a desirable extra that makes an already good thing even better — a welcome bonus on top of something good — which is exactly option (b).
- (a)baked food that is delicate and delicious with a topping — A literal reading of the words; the idiom is figurative, meaning a welcome extra.
- (c)getting what you asked for — That is simply meeting a request; the idiom means an added bonus beyond what was expected.
- (d)more than what is needed — This suggests unwanted excess; the idiom is positive — a pleasing extra on something already good.
'The icing on the cake' is a pleasing extra that makes a good situation even better — a bonus on top of something already satisfactory.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the meaning of the idiom 'the cherry on top'.
- (a)a small fruit
- (b)a final pleasing addition to something good
- (c)the most difficult part
- (d)an unnecessary cost
Answer(b) a final pleasing addition to something good — the same 'welcome extra' sense as the icing on the cake.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the meaning of the idiom 'a blessing in disguise'.
- (a)a hidden benefit in an apparent misfortune
- (b)a religious gift
- (c)an obvious advantage
- (d)a fancy costume
Answer(a) a hidden benefit in an apparent misfortune — like the icing idiom, its meaning is figurative, not literal.