Select the most appropriate meaning of the underlined idiom in the following sentence.

Nine times out of ten, he tells lies.

In most cases

The most appropriate meaning of the underlined idiom in the sentence "Nine times out of ten, he tells lies" is in most cases. This means that the person in question tells lies most of the time, but not always. The idiom comes from the idea that if something happens nine times out of ten, then it is likely to happen most of the time.

The other options are not correct.

• All the time: This means that the person tells lies all the time, which is not what the sentence is saying.
• Hardly: This means that the person tells lies very rarely, which is also not what the sentence is saying.
• Sometimes: This means that the person tells lies sometimes, but not always. This is the opposite of what the sentence is saying.