Common Idioms for Authority and Control IELTS Reading

In order to answer IELTS writing and reading sections, the candidates must learn different types of idioms. A variety of idioms falls under the category of ‘Authority and Control’. These idioms are focused on the IELTS Reading section. Candidates will find different types of questions as they do in the IELTS reading section. Check IELTS Reading Sample Papers for practice.

Topic: Authority and Control

Exercise 1:

Complete the sentences with the words in the box:

1. If you won’t allow it, I shall simply go over your ________ and speak to your manager.

Answer 1: head

Explanation: ‘Go over (someone’s) head’ here means to discuss something with a person having a higher rank than someone else.

2. I can’t work with you breathing down my ________ all the time.

Answer 2: neck

Explanation: ‘Breathe down (someone’s) neck’ here means to carefully watch each and every activity of a person.

3. He is a very clever lawyer, famous for always having the jury eating out of the palm of his ________.

Answer 3: hand

Explanation: It comes from the phrase ‘have someone eating out of your hand’ which means that a person is willing to do anything for you out of love or admiration.

4. She’s always been able to wrap her grandfather around her little ________.

Answer 4: finger

Explanation: ‘Wrap (someone) around (one’s) little finger’ here means that the person is able to convince someone to do whatever they want.

5. I wish the teacher would put her ________ down and stop the children chatting so much.

Answer 5: foot

Explanation: ‘Put (one’s) foot down’ here means to use one’s power to cease something from happening.

6. The company is losing money fast and the situation is getting out of ________.

Answer 6: hand

Explanation: ‘Get out of hand’ here means that the situation has become very difficult to control.

7. If you twist his ________ hard enough he’ll probably see that you’re right.

Answer 7: arm

Explanation: ‘twist (someone’s) arm’ here means to persuade or force someone to do something that they are hesitant to do.

8. That child will try to wind you round his ________ if he possibly can.

Answer 8: finger

Explanation: ‘Wind (someone) around (one’s) finger’ here means to be able to easily persuade someone to do something that they want.

Exercise 2

Decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1. People in high places are important people.

Answer: True

Explanation: People ‘in high places’ refer to the people who hold positions of power in a society and are able to influence it.

2. Someone who is a law unto themselves does things the same way as everyone else.

Answer: False

Explanation: If a person is ‘a law unto themselves’, then, they tend to completely disregard the laws and do whatever they want.

3. If someone calls the shots, they follow someone else’s orders.

Answer: False

Explanation: If a person ‘calls the shot’ then, they are playing a pivotal role in making crucial decisions in an organization or situation.

4. If someone twists your arm, they persuade you to do something.

Answer: True

Explanation: The idiom ‘twist (someone’s) arm’, means to persuade or force someone to do something that they are hesitant to do.

5. If someone is on top of something that person hasn’t got things under control.

Answer: False

Explanation: If a person is ‘on top of (something)’, then, it means that the person has managed to successfully control the situation.

6. If someone passes the buck that person takes responsibility for a task.

Answer: False

Explanation: If a person ‘pass(es) the buck’, then, it means that the person has failed to take responsibility of the given task and is waiting for someone else to deal with the problem.

7. A person who pulls strings manages to do something because of their connections with someone.

Answer: True

Explanation: The idiom “pull strings’ means that a person has managed to achieve something, often through unfair means, on the basis of their personal bonds with someone.

8. If someone is breathing down your neck, they are watching you closely.

Answer: True

Explanation: The idiom ‘breathe down (someone’s) neck’ means to carefully watch each and every activity of a person.

Exercise 3:

Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.

1. You may be unhappy but you shouldn’t ________ unless you feel your boss is being irresponsible.

1. eat out of his hand
2. go over his head
3. get out of hand

Answer: b

Explanation: to discuss something with a person having a higher rank than someone else.

2. Many parents are tempted to ________ to schools and other organizations for teaching their children about moral issues.

1. pass the buck
2. get out of hand
3. go over their heads

Answer: a

Explanation: to not take any responsibility and expect someone else to deal with the problem.

3. We’ve had some serious problems but we think we’re ________ now.

1. getting out of hand
2. passing the buck
3. getting on top of them

Answer: c

Explanation: to successful in bringing the situation under control

4. He likes to be in control of everything – he’s always the one who ________

1. gets out of hand
2. calls the shots
3. passes the buck

Answer: b

Explanation: to make crucial decisions in an organization or situation.

5. She knows a lot of people in the theatre so she’s usually able to ________ to get the tickets she wants.

1. call the shots
2. pass the buck
3. pull strings

Answer: c

Explanation: to manage to achieve something, often through unfair means, with the help of personal connections to someone.

Exercise 4

Re-order the phrases to make sentences. Add punctuation where necessary.

1. when their children / try to / to teachers / pass the buck / misbehave / some parents

Answer: When their children misbehave, some parents try to pass the buck to teachers. OR Some parents try to pass the buck to teachers when their children misbehave.

2. your son’s behaviour / put your foot down / you / it’s time / about

Answer: It’s time you put your foot down about your son’s behaviour

3. twisted around your little finger / he’ll do anything / because / you ask / you’ve got him

Answer: He’ll do anything you ask because you’ve got him twisted around your little finger.

4. get out of hand / stop the debate / things / if / I’ll

Answer: I’ll stop the debate if things get out of hand

5. other people / don’t / call the shots / let / all the time

Answer: Don’t let other people call the shots all the time.

6. I’ll see / pull any strings / an interview / if I can / to get you

Answer: I’ll see if I can pull any strings to get you an interview.

7. has always been / the newspaper / a law unto himself / the editor of

Answer: The editor of the newspaper has always been a law unto himself.

8. his view / the people / did not share / in high places

Answer: The people in high places did not share his views.

Exercise 5:

Complete the sentences with idioms from this unit, changing the verb forms if necessary. Some sentences can take more than one idiom.

1. It’s not difficult to see who ________ in that relationship.

Answer: wears the pants or calls the shots

Explanation: The sentence means that it will not be hard to understand who takes all the important decisions in the relationship.

2. Most parents understand the need to calm situations like this before they ________ .

Answer: get out of hand

Explanation: ‘Get out of hand’ means to lose control over situations.

3. No one’s ________ : you don’t have to buy one or both – it’s a free choice.

Answer: twisting your arm

Explanation: The sentence means that the person is free to buy anything without any sort of pressure.

4. Predictably, customer services ________ back to Internet services who suggested I ring customer services.

Answer: passed the buck

Explanation: ‘Passed the buck’ means to avoid taking any responsibility and simply expecting someone else to deal with the problem.

5. We weren’t getting anywhere with the district manager so we decided to ________

Answer: go over his head OR put our foot down

Explanation: Two idioms, ‘go over (someone’s) head’ and ‘put (one’s) foot down’, can be used in the above sentence. If the former is used, then, the sentence means that since the district manager was of no help, therefore, the people decided to talk to his superior. On the other hand, if the latter is used, then, the sentence means that the people decided to force the district manager to do their work.

6. Those children behave very badly – their father should ________.

Answer: put his foot down

Explanation: The sentence means that the father should use his authority to stop the children from misbehaving.

Exercise 6:

Complete the table. Put idioms in the correct groups.

Answer:

Explanation:

All the idioms like ‘wear the trousers’, ‘call the shots’, ‘on top of something’, ‘have someone eating out of your hand’ and ‘put your foot down’ is associated with being in complete control of a particular situation, scenario or task.

On the other hand, idioms like ‘breathing down someone’s neck’, ‘twist/wrap someone around your little finger’, ‘go over someone’s head’, ‘pull strings’ and ‘twist someone’s arm’ is associated with using one’s influence to carry out a desired task.