When the man was accused of stealing the money, nobody raised an eyebrow. This means that nobody was

Analyze the question The sentence uses the idiom "raise an eyebrow." You are asked what it means that nobody raised an eyebrow when the man was accused of stealing.

Explain the concept To "raise an eyebrow" (or "raise eyebrows") means to show surprise, mild shock, or disapproval. People often literally lift their eyebrows when they are surprised.

Show the solution

1. The idiom "raise an eyebrow" = to show surprise.
2. The sentence says nobody raised an eyebrow, so nobody showed surprise.
3. This suggests people were not shocked by the accusation. Perhaps they already expected it of him.
4. Checking the options: • A. sad: nothing in the idiom relates to sadness. • B. pleased: the idiom does not express pleasure. • C. interested: not the meaning. People may still have been interested without showing it. • D. surprised: this matches the meaning of the idiom.

Answer The correct option is D. surprised. The sentence means nobody was surprised.

Tip For idiom questions, work out the literal action and the emotion behind it. Raising the eyebrows = surprise. Also watch for negatives such as "nobody": the meaning is reversed, so "nobody raised an eyebrow" = "nobody was surprised."