James and Henry were at daggers drawn when I knew them. This means that they

Analyze the question: The sentence uses the idiom "at daggers drawn". You are asked what it means about James and Henry.

Explain the concept: An idiom's meaning is not found by reading the words literally. "At daggers drawn" means being in a state of open hostility, that is, being bitterly angry with or very hostile toward someone. The picture is of two people who have pulled out daggers, ready to attack each other.

Step-by-step solution:

• B. "always wore daggers": This is a literal reading. The idiom is not about wearing weapons.
• C. "were good at drawing daggers": This is a literal and silly reading, since "drawing" here means pulling out a weapon, not sketching.
• D. "were fighting everybody": The idiom describes hostility between two people, not toward everyone.
• A. "were always angry with each other": This matches the idiom, because it describes mutual hostility between the two men.

Answer: A. were always angry with each other

Tip: In idiom questions, eliminate the literal options first. If an option sounds like a word-for-word reading (wearing daggers, drawing daggers), it is almost always a distractor. Related idioms to remember: at loggerheads (in disagreement) and bury the hatchet (make peace).