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Difficulty: MediumIdioms and Idiomatic Expressions

During the tense contract negotiations, the lead union representative made a conscious decision to keep the corporate management team at arm's length until all labor grievances were formally documented. Which of the following options best conveys the meaning of the emboldened expression?

  1. avoid becoming overly friendly or familiar with themAnswer
  2. B
    physically push them away to maintain personal physical space
  3. C
    immediately surrender all bargaining power to them
  4. D
    welcome them with complete openness and enthusiasm

Answer

The correct option is 'avoid becoming overly friendly or familiar with them'.
The idiomatic expression 'to keep someone at arm's length' means to maintain distance, reserve, or detachment, deliberately avoiding close familiarity or intimacy. In the context of labor negotiations, it signifies maintaining a formal distance rather than establishing warm personal relations.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence context and identify the emboldened idiomatic phrase
The phrase is 'keep... at arm's length' in the context of professional negotiations.
Determining context helps differentiate figurative usage from literal phrasing.
2
Determine the figurative meaning of 'keep at arm's length'
It means to maintain emotional distance, deliberate reserve, or avoid intimacy/familiarity.
Idioms carry established non-literal meanings accepted in standardized English usage.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the exact interpretation
The option stating 'avoid becoming overly friendly or familiar with them' accurately captures this figurative meaning.
The distractor options rely on literal body-part interpretations, antonymous actions, or unwarranted narrative extrapolations.

Key Concept

Interpretation of Idiomatic Expressions in Context
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Topics

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

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