IDIOMS AND PHRASES RELATED TO ANIMALS

BOOK WORM

A person in the habit of reading books.

CRY WOLF

A false alarm.

KEEP THE WOLF AWAY FROM THE DOOR

To avoid starvation.

A SNAKE IN THE GRASS

Hidden enemy.

A BLACK SHEEP

An undesirable person.

A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

A dangerous person who looks un-harmful or pretends to be friendly.

SMELL A RAT

To be suspicious.

A BLACK OX

Misfortune.

THE LION’S SHARE

A large part.

A STALKING HORSE

Pretence.

TO PUT A CART BEFORE THE HORSE

To do things in wrong order.

A DARK HORSE

A hidden genius.

FLOG A DEAD HORSE

To waste one’s efforts.

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH

From a reliable source.

A SCAPEGOAT

One who is punished to save others.

HAVE ANOTHER FISH TO FRY

Have some more important work to do.

QUEER FISH

Strange person.

TO FISH IN TROUBLED WATERS

To take advantage of the troubles of others.

A FISH OUT OF WATER

To be in difficulty.

A WHITE ELEPHANT

Expensive but useless possession

WRANGLE OVER AN ASS’ SHADOW

To quarrel over trifles.

DONKEY’S YEAR

Very long time.

EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY

Good fortune comes sooner or later.

GO TO DOGS

To be ruined.

A DOG IN THE MANGER

One who does not let others enjoy what he himself cannot.

SHED CROCODILE TEARS

Show false grief.

BELL THE CAT

To take first step at personal risk.

LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG

Reveal the secret.

A CAT AND DOG LIFE

Quarrelsome life.

RAINING CATS AND DOGS

Raining heavily.

A BULL IN THE CHINA SHOP

A clumsy person in a delicate situation.

TAKE THE BULL BY HORNS

Face challenges boldly.

A COCK AND BULL STORY

A cooked up story.

TO COUNT CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED

To anticipate profit before in hand.

SWAN SONG

Last creation.

RULE THE ROOST

To dominate.

FLY IN THE FACE OF

To defy.

CARRY ALL EGGS IN ONE BASKET

Put everything at risk.

TAKE UNDER WINGS

Provide protection or shelter.

SMALL FRY

Insignificant person.

A SITTING DUCK

An easy prey.

AS A CROW FLIES

Straight.

FEATHER ONE’S NEST

Enrich oneself dishonestly.

A FEATHER IN ONE’S CAP

An additional achievement.

COCK OF THE WALK

One who dominates a group or situation.

COCK A SNOOK

To show disregard/contempt.

A WILD GOOSE CHASE

Useless efforts.

EAGLE EYE

To pay attention to details.

A BIRD’S PASSAGE

One who does not stay anywhere for long time.

BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER

Persons of same liking

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW

General view.

STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK

A single small thing that exceeds a limit of patience.

TAIL THAT WAGS THE DOG

A small part of something that controls the whole thing.

WORM HAS TURNED

The situation has been reversed.

BEE IN ONE’S BONNET

To be excited in a negative way.

CAT AMONG(ST) THE PIGEONS

Cause a disturbance or disruption.

FAT CAT

A highly placed, well paid executive.

FISH FOR COMPLIMENTS

Try to manipulate people into praising you.

FLEW THE COOP

Left, escaped.

GET SOMEONE’S GOAT

To irritate someone deeply.

GET ONE’S DUCKS IN A ROW

Have everything organized.

FLAT OUT LIKE A DRINKING LIZARD

Very busy.

DIFFERENT KETTLE OF FISH

Not comparable.

LEOPARD CAN’T CHANGE ITS SPOTS

People can’t successfully disguise.

GILDED (GOLDEN) CAGE

In a luxurious but confining situation..

(DON’T) HAVE A COW

To get upset, angry.

HOG WILD

Act in a completely uninhibited way.

KANGAROO LOOSE IN THE TOP PADDOCK

Be slightly crazy.

HERDING CATS

Difficult to co-ordinate.

GOOSE IS COOKED

In serious trouble, with no hope of improvement.

CAN OF WORMS

Create a new set of difficult problems.

TITS ON A BULL

Completely useless.

ON A FISHING EXPEDITION

Looking for evidence without any solid suspicion of wrongdoing.

WHACK-A-MOLE

A situation in which when one problem is solved, another appears.

NATURE OF THE BEAST

The essence of something, just the way something is.

A FLY ON THE WALL

To be an unnoticed observer.

BIT BETWEEN ONE’S TEETH

In control of a situation.

BEAT A DEAD HORSE

To continue to argue about something that has been settled.

800 POUND GORILLA

A big, dominant person or a group.

A BUSY BEE

A very busy, active person who moves from task to task.

A GUINEA PIG

Someone who is a part of an experiment or a trial.

A LAME DUCK

A person or enterprise(often a business) that is not a success and that has to be helped.

A LONE WOLF

Someone who is not very social.

ALBATROSS AROUND ONE’S NECK

Something from one’s past that acts as a hindrance.

ALL BARK AND NO BITE

Tending to make verbal threats but no deliver on them.

ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE

pretentious, full of bluster.

ANTS IN YOUR PANTS

Restlessness.

AS POOR AS A CHURCH MOUSE

Very poor.

BACK THE WRONG HORSE

To support the losing side.

BARK UP THE WRONG TREE

Be wrong in the course of action.

BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU

Act badly towards someone who has helped you.

BLOW THE COBWEBS AWAY

Make space for fresh ideas.

BUY A PIG IN A POKE

To buy something with no prior inspection.

CHANGE HORSES IN MIDSTREAM

Change plans or leaders in the middle of the process.

CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST

The negative consequences of previous actions reveal themselves.

CLIP SOMEONE’S WINGS

Reduce someone’s privileges or freedom.

CRICKETS

Silence.

DEAD AS THE DODO

Completely extinct.

DON’T LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH

Do not question the value of gift.

DRAIN THE LIZARD

Urinate.

EAGER BEAVER

A person who is hardworking and enthusiastic, sometimes considered over zealous.

EAT CROW

To admit one was wrong, and accept humiliation.

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

A major problem that no one is talking about.

FOX IN THE HEN-HOUSE

Someone who causes trouble.

GO BELLY UP

To go bankrupt.

HE WOULD PUT LEGS UNDER A CHICKEN

He is very talkative.

HIVE MIND

The knowledge of humans as a group.

HOLD YOUR HORSES

Stop, restrain yourself

JUMP THE SHARK

To pass peak quality and begin to decline(often used to describe television programs or movie series).

KANGAROO COURT

A court of law where proper procedures are not followed at all, a sham judicial proceeding.

KILL A FLY WITH A ELEPHANT GUN

Approach a problem with excessive measures.

LICK ONE’S WOUNDS

Rest after a bad defeat.

LIKE A MOTH TO A FLAME

Drawn to something or someone despite of dangers.

LIKE THE CAT THAT GOT THE CREAM

Looking particularly self satisfied.

LION’S DEN

Any dangerous or frightening place.

LOADED FOR BEAR

Prepared for problems or challenges.

LOAN SHARK

A predatory lender, one who makes high interest loans to desperate people.

LOCK HORNS

To argue, to come into conflict

MAD AS A BOX OF FROGS

Extremely mentally unstable, psychotic, detached from reality.

MAKE A SILK PURSE OUT OF A SOW’S EAR

Turn something ordinary or inferior into something refined and beautiful.

ON A LARK

Spontaneously, on a whim, for fun.

ONE-TRICK PONY

Someone who has only a single talent.

PECKING ORDER

Hierarchy, rank of importance.

PUPPIES AND RAINBOWS

Perfect, ideal.

PUT OUT FEELERS

Make discreet, informal suggestions.

RED HERRING

A misleading clue.

RAISE (SOMEONE’S) HACKLES

Make someone angry and defensive.

SCREW THE POOCH

To make a serious error.

SEIZE THE BULL BY THE HORNS

Attack a problem directly.

SICK AS A PARROT

Very disappointed.

SMELL A RAT

Suspect deception.

SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT

Something to be proud of.

STRAIN AT A GANT AND SWALLOW A CAMEL

To make a fuss over something unimportant while ignoring larger issues.

SWIM WITH SHARKS

To take a major risk.

TAKE A GANDER

Take a look at something.

THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER

You have many opportunities and choices.

TILL THE COWS COME HOME

For a very long time.

TO HAVE BUTTERFLIES IN THE STOMACH

To be nervous.

TURN TURTLE

Turn over, capsize.

UGLY DUCKLING

An awkward child or a young person who grows into a beautiful person.

WHEN PIGS FLY

Never.

WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER

What’s OK for a man Is OK for a woman, too.

YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO THE WATER, BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE IT DRINK

It’s very hard to force someone to do something against his or her will.

YOU CAN’T MAKE FISH OF ONE AND FOWL OF THE OTHER

People must be treated equally.

LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN

Someone un-welcomed has arrived.

NO ROOM TO SWING A CAT

Very small, not big enough.

WHO’S SHE, THE CAT’S MOTHER?

Why does she have such a high opinion of herself?

EVERY MAN AND HIS DOG

Many people

PUPPY DOG EYES

A begging look.

MY DOGS ARE BARKING

My feet hurt.

BIG FISH

An important person.

DRINK LIKE A FISH

Drink excessive amounts of alcohol.

LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL

Very easy.

A FISH STORY

A big lie.