In idiomatic usage, the phrase "flesh and blood" refers to what?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of the English idiom flesh and blood. It is a common phrase that appears in literature, religious texts, and everyday speech. Although the individual words might suggest something physical and possibly violent, the idiom has a broader figurative meaning related to human nature, limitations, and relationships.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The idiom given is flesh and blood.
• Option A suggests a very gory murder scene.
• Option B suggests a lot of hard work.
• Option C suggests loss of lives in battle.
• Option D suggests a person physical body together with natural weaknesses and needs.

Concept / Approach:
The idiom flesh and blood is used to refer to human beings as living, feeling creatures, with all their limitations, emotions, and physical needs. It emphasises that a person is not a machine or an abstract idea but a vulnerable human. For example, You cannot expect flesh and blood to endure such pain means no ordinary human body and mind can bear it. The idiom can also refer to family relations (one own flesh and blood), again focusing on real human beings. It does not specifically refer to murder scenes, hard work, or battlefield deaths, though those may involve literal flesh and blood.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall typical sentences using this idiom. For example, He is only flesh and blood or How can you treat your own flesh and blood like that.Step 2: Understand that in such sentences, flesh and blood describes human beings with normal feelings and weaknesses.Step 3: Compare this to option D, which explicitly refers to a person physical body and their needs and frailties; this matches the idiomatic sense.Step 4: Examine option A; a very gory murder scene is too narrow and literal, focusing on physical gore rather than the idiomatic meaning.Step 5: Examine options B and C; they describe effort and loss of life but do not capture the figurative meaning of the idiom itself. Therefore, option D is the correct choice.

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider how dictionaries gloss the phrase. They generally say that flesh and blood means human nature and normal human feelings or a person physical existence as opposed to something spiritual or mechanical. If we plug option D into a definition, we get: flesh and blood refers to a person physical body and their needs and frailties. This fits the way the idiom is used in lines such as No flesh and blood could stand that, meaning no normal human could endure it. None of the other options can so easily be inserted into such sentences.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A focuses on gore and violence, which may involve literal flesh and blood, but the idiom is not used in this specific sense. Option B a lot of hard work describes an effort concept like sweat and toil, not this idiom. Option C loss of lives in battle again is about casualties, but the phrase flesh and blood does not specifically function as a synonym for casualties in standard idiomatic use. The question asks for the meaning of the idiom, not for a situation where literal flesh and blood is present.

Common Pitfalls:
Because the words flesh and blood can evoke strong physical imagery, some candidates are tempted by options related to violence or killing. To avoid this, always think of an idiom as a fixed expression whose meaning may be more general, often focusing on human nature. Remembering example sentences where the idiom appears in non violent contexts will guide you to the more abstract and correct interpretation.

Final Answer:
The idiom flesh and blood refers to a person physical body together with their needs and frailties, so option D is correct.