Some proverbs/idioms are given below together with their meanings. Choose the…

2025

Some proverbs/idioms are given below together with their meanings. Choose the correct meaning of the proverb/idiom.

To catch a tartar

Answer: D. To deal with a person who is more than one's matchAn idiom carries a fixed figurative meaning established by usage, separate from a literal reading of its individual words. "To catch a Tartar" is a classic…

  1. A.

    To trap wanted criminal with great difficulty

  2. B.

    To catch a dangerous person

  3. C.

    To meet with disaster

  4. D.

    To deal with a person who is more than one's match

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Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

An idiom carries a fixed figurative meaning established by usage, separate from a literal reading of its individual words. "To catch a Tartar" is a classic English idiom: in traditional English usage, "Tartar" (Tatar) became a byword for a fierce, hard-to-handle opponent, drawn from the historical reputation of Tatar/Mongol-era conquering forces. So the idiom means to end up dealing with someone who turns out far more powerful or formidable than expected — i.e. more than one's match.

Checking each offered option against this established sense:

  • "To deal with a person who is more than one's match" matches the idiom directly: it is exactly the sense of unexpectedly facing someone tougher or more capable than oneself.

  • "To trap wanted criminal with great difficulty" narrows the idiom to a literal act of capturing a criminal, which the idiom does not convey.

  • "To catch a dangerous person" keeps only the literal verb 'catch' plus a generic sense of danger, dropping the idiom's real comparative sense.

  • "To meet with disaster" overstates the idiom into a claim about the eventual outcome (failure/calamity), which the idiom itself does not assert.

Independent English reference dictionaries (e.g. Collins English Dictionary, Dictionary.com) define "catch a Tartar" with this same sense — encountering or being forced to deal with an opponent who proves more than one's match — confirming the reading independently of the item's own wording.

Therefore, the correct meaning is: To deal with a person who is more than one's match.

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