Early bird
- (a)Low flying
- (b)Latest
- (c)Ancient avian
- (d)First arrival
Correct — D, first arrival. An early bird is a person who arrives or gets going ahead of everyone else. The phrase is a shortening of the proverb 'the early bird catches the worm', which rewards being first.
- (a)Low flying — A literal statement about flight; the phrase describes a person's timing, not a bird's height.
- (b)Latest — The exact reverse — 'early' marks someone as ahead of the others, not behind them.
- (c)Ancient avian — This reads 'early' as 'ancient' and 'bird' as a species, which turns a set phrase back into its literal words.
'An early bird' is someone who arrives or starts early, from the proverb 'the early bird catches the worm'.
The phrase now travels well beyond punctuality: an early-bird booking or an early-bird discount rewards whoever buys first. Its everyday opposite is 'a night owl', someone who is at their most active late at night.
- The parent proverb is 'the early bird catches the worm'.
- 'Early-bird offer' is a common commercial use of the phrase.
- 'A night owl' is the informal opposite.
- Reading 'early' as 'ancient' rather than as 'ahead of time'.
- Choosing the plain opposite, 'latest'.
Asked as an idioms-and-phrases item — choose the option that gives the meaning of the phrase.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'A night owl' is a person who:
- (a)sleeps very early
- (b)stays awake and active late at night
- (c)hunts at night
- (d)is afraid of the dark
Answer(b) stays awake and active late at night — the owl stands for late-night alertness.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Complete the proverb: The early bird ___.
- (a)flies the highest
- (b)catches the worm
- (c)sings the sweetest
- (d)builds the strongest nest
Answer(b) catches the worm — the proverb rewards whoever acts first.