Hello! I’m doing a research on the idioms that originated from works by William Shakespeare.The objective is to investigate the peculiarities of the usage of these phrases in every day speech, find out whether these idioms are still popular or not and whether English speakers are aware of their meaning or not. I’d be very grateful if you could help me by doing this test. It would be better if you didn’t use any additional sources (books, internet) to help you to answer the questions. You should rely on your knowledge, personal experience and intuition. Thank you for agreeing to do the test. Your participation is very important!

Before you start, please put down some information about yourself:

AGE
EDUCATION
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MOTHER TONGUE

1. Match the idioms with their meanings and put down a number with a suitable letter

1) to set one’s teeth on edge
2) to paint the lily
3) mom’s the word
4) in stitches
5) an itching palm
6) at one fell swoop
7) lay it on a trowel
8) to one’s heart content
9) the primrose path
10) hoist with one’s own petard
11) short shrift

a) injured by the device that you intended to use to injure others
b) a course of action that seems easy and appropriate but can actually end in calamity
c) to make unnecessary additions to what is already complete
d) a wish for money; greed
e) quick work; careless treatment; scant attention
f) to one's complete satisfaction
g) to flatter in an overly generous manner, exaggerate, overstate
h) to keep quiet; say nothing
i) suddenly, in a single action
j) laughing a lot
k) to annoy sb or make sb feel nervous or uncomfortable

2. Do these phrases belong to Shakespeare?Put down a number with a suitable letter

1) Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
2) Hold your horses
3) In the twinkling of an eye
4) Star-crossed lovers
5) Keep up with the Joneses
6) Swan song
7) Love is blind
8) The belle of the ball
9) Frailty, thy name is woman
10) Forbidden fruit
11) No man is an island
12) A plague on both your houses
13) Too much of a good thing
14) Pearls before swine
15) All’s well that ends well

1. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
2. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
3. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
4. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
5. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
6. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
7. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
8. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
9. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
10. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
11. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
12. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
13. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
14. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know
15. a) yes b) no c) I don’t know

3. Choose the suitable answer

1. “As good luck would have it”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure*

* these changes include expanding \ cutting \ transposition \ replacement of the elements

2. “Et tu, Brute”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

3. “A fool’s paradise”

a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

4. “Comparisons are odorous”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

5. “Much ado about nothing”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

6. “Shuffle off this mortal coil”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

7. “Ocular proof”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

8. “The green-eyed monster”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

9. “Truth will out”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

10. “There’s the rub”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

11. “Fair play”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

12. “Wild goose chase”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

13. “Thereby hangs a tale”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

14. “To give the devil his due”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

15. “Nothing will come of nothing”
a) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom and have never come across it
b) I don’t know the meaning of this idiom but I’ve come across it
c) I know the meaning if this idiom but hardly ever use it
d) I know the meaning of this idiom and use it frequently \ from time to time
e) I’m familiar with this idiom and use it often bringing changes to its structure

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!!