Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom. Easy does it

Correct — D. In Easy does it, easy is the adverb meaning gently — the same easy as in take it easy and go easy on him — not the adjective meaning not difficult.

Read that way the phrase means: gentleness is what will do the job. It is said to someone to make them slow down and take care, typically while something heavy or fragile is being moved.

That is option (d).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Used to tell someone to do something horridly — Horridly means in a nasty or unpleasant way. The phrase asks for gentleness, and no sense of it tells anyone to be unpleasant.
• (b)
  Used to tell someone to do something violently — Violently is the plain opposite of what the phrase urges. Easy does it is exactly what you say to stop someone forcing a thing.
• (c)
  Used to tell someone to do something rarely — Rarely is about frequency, but easy in this phrase describes manner. Nothing in the idiom touches how often something is done.

This is a fixed spoken formula, closer to an instruction than to a sentence you can parse. It uses easy as an adverb, which is why it looks odd beside the everyday adjective easy meaning not difficult.

The same adverbial easy shows up in take it easy, go easy on the salt and easy come, easy go. In each of them easy means gently or in a relaxed way.

Once you fix easy as manner, the frequency option and the two harshness options all fall away.

Key facts

• Easy does it is said to tell someone to do something slowly and carefully.
• Easy in this phrase is an adverb meaning gently, as in take it easy and go easy on him.
• It is most often used while something heavy or fragile is being lifted, lowered or manoeuvred.

Common traps

• Reading easy as not difficult and then looking for an option about effortless work
• Mapping easy onto rarely, as if doing something lightly meant doing it seldom
• Being pulled by horridly and violently because both sound emphatic

No directly related past PYQ was found.