For the last few days I’ve been quite sick. I’ve barely gotten out of bed. I’ve just been lying around coughing and sneezing. However, when my grandma and grandpa heard that I was sick, they came over at the drop of a hat.
What is the meaning of the underlined idiom?
instantly
slowly
hesitantly
successfully
The meaning of the underlined idiom "at the drop of a hat" is "instantly."
The underlined idiom "at the drop of a hat" means instantly or immediately. When someone does something at the drop of a hat, it means they respond or act very quickly without any hesitation or delay. In the given context, it means the grandparents hurriedly came over to see the person who was sick as soon as they heard the news.
To understand the meaning of idioms, it's helpful to look at the individual words in the idiom as well as the context in which it is used. In this case, "drop of a hat" refers to something happening suddenly or without warning, like a hat falling to the ground. By understanding the words and their figurative meaning, you can decipher the figurative meaning of the idiom.