10 Idioms That Often Appear in TOEFL ITP Listening Part A (With Sample Dialogues)

Ever heard “I couldn’t agree more” in a TOEFL® Listening section and thought the speaker disagreed? You’re not alone. It actually means the opposite: I strongly agree.

In TOEFL ITP Listening Part A (Short Conversations), the second speaker often replies with an idiom. The audio plays only once, and the answer choices are often built around the literal meaning of the idiom’s words as a trap.

The good news: the same idioms keep coming back. If you know them in advance, you can answer calmly. Here are the 10 most common ones, grouped into 5 themes. (The slides below are in Indonesian, with the English idioms and dialogues.)

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Why Idioms Matter in Listening Part A

Part A questions are short conversations between a man and a woman, followed by a question like “What does the man mean?”. The correct answer is almost always a paraphrase of the idiom’s meaning, not a repeat of the words you heard.

So the pattern is simple:

1. Recognize the idiom.
2. Translate it into its real meaning.
3. Pick the option with the same meaning, even if the words are different.

Options that repeat words from the audio (such as cake, rain, or weather) are usually suspicious.

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Theme 1: Agreeing & Refusing

1. I couldn’t agree more = I strongly agree

W: The library should open earlier. M: I couldn’t agree more.

→ The man agrees, he doesn’t refuse.

It contains couldn’t, but the meaning is positive: “it’s impossible for me to agree more than I already do.” Don’t be fooled by the negative word.

2. Out of the question = impossible

W: Can I borrow your car tonight? M: I’m afraid that’s out of the question.

→ The man refuses.

A firm way to say no. It has nothing to do with a “question”.

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Theme 2: Studying

Part A conversations often take place on campus, so study idioms almost always appear.

3. Hit the books = study hard

W: Want to go to the movies? M: I can’t. I need to hit the books.

→ The man has to study.

4. Pull an all-nighter = stay up all night

W: You look so tired. M: I pulled an all-nighter for the exam.

→ The man didn’t sleep all night (to study).

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Theme 3: Conditions & Difficulty

Options that mention cake or weather are usually literal-meaning traps.

5. A piece of cake = very easy

W: How was the quiz? M: It was a piece of cake.

→ The quiz was easy. It’s not about cake.

6. Under the weather = feeling unwell

W: Are you coming to class? M: No, I’m feeling a bit under the weather.

→ The man is sick, not talking about the weather.

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Theme 4: Postponing Plans

7. Take a rain check = maybe another time

W: Let’s have lunch together. M: Can I take a rain check?

→ The man wants to postpone.

Rain check has nothing to do with rain. It means “not now, but I’d like to another time.”

8. Sleep on it = think it over

W: Will you take the job offer? M: I’d like to sleep on it.

→ The man hasn’t decided yet.

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Theme 5: Everyday Conversation

9. I’m all ears = I’m listening

W: I have some news to tell you. M: Go ahead, I’m all ears.

→ The man is ready to listen.

10. Call it a day = stop for today

W: We’ve been working for ten hours. M: Let’s call it a day.

→ The man wants to stop working for today.

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Summary of the 10 Idioms

No	Idiom	Meaning	Common trap
1	I couldn’t agree more	Strongly agree	Read as disagreement because of couldn’t
2	Out of the question	Impossible	Thought to be about a question
3	Hit the books	Study hard	Literal “hitting books”
4	Pull an all-nighter	Stay up all night	Thought to be “pulling something”
5	A piece of cake	Very easy	Options about cake
6	Under the weather	Feeling unwell	Options about the weather
7	Take a rain check	Another time	Options about rain
8	Sleep on it	Think it over	Thought to mean going to sleep
9	I’m all ears	Ready to listen	Literal “all ears”
10	Call it a day	Stop for today	Thought to be “naming a day”

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Quick Quiz

What does the man mean?

1. W: Can you help me move this weekend? M: Sorry, that’s out of the question.
2. W: How was the reading test? M: A piece of cake.
3. W: Do you want to join us tonight? M: Can I take a rain check?

Answers:

1. The man can’t help (he refuses).
2. The reading test was easy.
3. The man can’t make it tonight, but would like to join another time.

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Practice Listening for Real

Memorizing the meanings is step one. To react instantly while the audio plays, you need to hear idioms in real conversations often.

Kawan EPT (formerly Kawan TOEFL) includes Listening Strategies lessons with an Idioms & Expressions topic, thousands of Listening Part A, B, and C questions with audio, and explanations for every answer choice. Free on the Google Play Store.