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Question

Difficulty: HardIdioms and Idiomatic Expressions

During the parliamentary committee's audit of the ministry, the permanent secretary was found to have been playing fast and loose with public procurement guidelines. Which of the following options best interprets the underlined idiomatic expression?

  1. behaving in an irresponsible and deceitful mannerAnswer
  2. B
    altering administrative rules quickly to increase efficiency
  3. C
    securing unallocated public funds through rapid transactions
  4. D
    adhering strictly to established procurement procedures

Answer

The correct interpretation of the idiom 'playing fast and loose' is behaving in an irresponsible and deceitful manner.
The idiomatic expression 'playing fast and loose' means to behave irresponsibly, deceitfully, or untrustworthily, particularly when dealing with rules, duties, or commitments. Therefore, describing the official as behaving in an irresponsible and deceitful manner accurately conveys the intended meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target idiomatic expression in the sentence.
The underlined idiom is 'playing fast and loose'.
Isolating the idiomatic phrase is necessary before analyzing its contextual meaning.
2
Determine the figurative meaning of the idiom.
In English, 'to play fast and loose' means to act untrustworthily, irresponsibly, or deceitfully, especially by ignoring established guidelines.
Idiomatic expressions carry non-literal meanings that must be interpreted as a unified phrase.
3
Match the figurative definition with the provided options.
The option describing irresponsible and deceitful behavior precisely matches the definition.
Selecting the option that conveys the exact figurative interpretation satisfies the question requirement.

Key Concept

Interpretation of Idiomatic Expressions in Context
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

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