Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
The interviewees were slowly becoming impatient as they were left to ________ in the waiting room for hours.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC CGL 2022 Tier-I Official Paper (Held On : 02 Dec 2022 Shift 1)

Answer 1

The correct answer is: cool their heels

Key Points

In the given sentence an idiomatic expression is used.
These expressions, known as idioms, often contain meanings that may not be obvious by simply looking at the individual words.
Let us look at the meaning of the given idioms.
- Draw the long bow: To lie; to exaggerate.
- Cool their heels: Someone is deliberately keeping you waiting so that you get bored or impatient.
- Hold water: To seem to be true or reasonable.
- Flog a dead horse: Waste energy on a lost cause or a situation that cannot be changed.
So, as per the meaning of the given idioms "cool their heels" should be used here.
The implied meaning of the sentence is: The interviewers were growing frustrated as they were forced to wait for hours in the waiting area.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 2.

Complete sentence: The interviewees were slowly becoming impatient as they were left to cool their heels in the waiting room for hours.

Hinglish