Which statement correctly assigns each phrase to its category: idiom, metaphor, literal?

• A. 'It's raining cats and dogs' is literal; 'Time is a thief' is an idiom; 'It is raining heavily' is a metaphor.
• B. 'It's raining cats and dogs' is an idiom; 'Time is a thief' is a metaphor; 'It is raining heavily' is literal.
• C. 'It's raining cats and dogs' is a metaphor; 'Time is a thief' is literal; 'It is raining heavily' is an idiom.
• D. 'It's raining cats and dogs' is literal; 'Time is a thief' is an idiom; 'It is raining heavily' is a metaphor.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is telling apart idioms, metaphors, and literal language. An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning isn’t guessable from the individual words. “It’s raining cats and dogs” is a well-known phrase that means heavy rain, not literal animals, so it’s idiomatic. A metaphor makes a direct comparison by saying one thing is another, without using like or as; “Time is a thief” treats time as if it’s stealing moments, which is a figurative, not literal, statement. A literal statement simply describes what’s actually happening, so “It is raining heavily” describes the weather as it is, with no figurative meaning. So the correct arrangement assigns the first phrase to idiom, the second to metaphor, and the third to literal.