Animal Idioms and Phrases
A dog in the manger: One who doesn’t let others enjoy what he himself can’t
Don't be a dog in the manger, lend your bicycle to him since you will not go out this afternoon.
A cat and dog life: To be frequently quarrelling; a quarrelsome life
Even after two years of marriage, they have started leading a cat and dog life.
A dark horse: Someone who unexpectedly wins a competition; a hidden genius
Nobody thought Cheri could win the race after breaking her leg last year, but she turned out to be a dark horse.
A white elephant: An expensive but useless possession
That theatre is a real white elephant. It cost millions to build and nobody ever goes there.
A cock and bull story: A widely exaggerated or false story
I asked him about his job and he gave me some cock and bull story about being so rich he didn’t need to work.
A bull in the china shop: A person in clumsy situation that requires delicacy and care; a careless person
My son can be a bit of a bull in a china shop, so I'm worried about taking him to the museum. He might break valuable things there.
A fish out of water: One who is in difficulty or doesn’t feel comfortable in new environment
Everybody else knew each other very well, so I felt like a fish out of water in my first office party.
A bird’s eye view: A view from a high place to see a large area; a consideration of a problem from comprehensive prospective
From the top of this building you can get a bird's eye view of the entire campus.
She hired a consulting firm to get a bird's eye view of her company and see where she could cut costs.
A bird of passage: One who doesn’t stay anywhere for long time
At present the organization has to rely on young, inexperienced graduates who are usually birds of passage.
A wild goose chase: A useless effort; a worthless hunt
Those jerks sent me on a wild goose chase to find a copy of a book that hasn't been released yet!
A snake in the grass: A hidden enemy; an unpleasant person who can’t be trusted
Did you hear that Sara's best friend stole money from her purse? What a snake in the grass.
A feather in one’s cap: An achievement to be proud of
The award (Oscar) was another feather in director’s cap.
A black ox: Misfortune; a bad luck
One black ox calls up another.
A black sheep: A disgraceful person
Sandra is the black sheep of her family, having left home at sixteen to live with her boyfriend.
A sitting duck: An easy prey or target
We can be sitting ducks if we go into that area unarmed.
A scape goat: One who is punished to save others
The captain was made a scapegoat for the team's failure.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing: a dangerous person who pretends to be friendly
Her grandfather was a wolf in sheep’s clothing – he looked like a sweet old man, but he was really mean.
Bell the cat: To take first step at personal risk
Well, someone has to tell the boss we aren't going to come in to work on Saturdays anymore. Who will bell the cat?
Birds of a/same feather: People who are similar in character; people of same liking
I knew you and Sam would get along well. You're birds of a feather, after all.
Bee in one’s bonnet: To be fussy; an obsession with something that is strange
It seems that Amit still has a bee in his bonnet over the criticism he got in the staff meeting.
Book worm: A person who reads a lot or in the habit of reading books
She was a bookworm, and an over-achiever in high school.
Cry wolf: A false alarm; to cry or complain about something when nothing is really wrong
If you cry wolf too often, people will stop believing you.
Cock of the walk: Someone who acts more important than others in a group
The deputy manager was cock of the walk until the new manager arrived.
Carry all eggs in one basket: Put everything at risk
If I were you, I'd have a backup plan, rather than putting all my eggs in one basket.
Donkey’s year: After a long time
I haven't been here in donkey's years—I can't believe how much the village has changed.
Every dog has its day: Even the least fortunate person will have success at some point
Don't worry, you may become famous someday. Every dog has its day.
Eagle eye: Keen eyesight; to pay attention in detail
A proof reader should always have an eagle eye for his work.
From a horse’s mouth: From a reliable source
He has a source who works for the president, so this tip-off is coming straight from the horse's mouth.
Flog a dead horse: To continue to focus on something that is no longer of any use or relevance
We've all moved on from that problem, so there's no use flogging a dead horse.
Fly in the face of: To defy; to go against something or someone
You had better not fly in the face of the committee.
Have another fish to fry: Have some more important work to do
I can't deal with this right now, I've got other fish to fry!
Keep the wolf from the door: Avoid starvation; to maintain oneself at a minimal level
They don't make a lot of money, just enough to keep the wolf from the door.
Let the cat out of the bag: To reveal a secret or surprise by accident
How did Dad find out we were planning a surprise party? Who let the cat out of the bag?
Lion’s share: The largest part or portion of something
No matter how good we are, it's always our youngest brother/sister who gets the lion's share of our parents' praise and attention.
Put the cart before the horse: To do things in wrong order
You're eating your dessert first! You've put the cart before the horse.
Queer fish: Someone who is very strange
Everyone could tell he was a queer fish as soon as he walked into the party with his mismatched clothing.
Rain cats and dogs: To rain extremely heavily
We wanted to have a barbecue this weekend, but it's been raining cats and dogs since Friday evening.
Rule the roost: To dominate; to be the real boss or person in charge
For all purposes, it's the assistant manager who rules the roost.
Smell a rat: To become suspicious or to suspect
She thought she smelled a rat when she saw him running away from the scene of the crime.
Shed crocodile tears: Show false sorrow
He thought he could get his way if he shed crocodile tears.
Small fry: Insignificant or unimportant person
The police have only caught the small fry. The leader of the gang is still free.
Swan song: Last or final performance
We didn't know that the performance last night was the singer's swan song.
Take the bull by horns: Face challenges boldly; to deal with a problem directly/confidently
She has been out of work for too long—it's time to take the bull by its horns and go find a job!
To fish in troubled water: Take advantage of the troubles of others
Now a days patients are fished in troubled waters by hospitals.
Take under wings: To provide protection or shelter
When refugees crossed the border, the civilians took them under their wings.
Wrangle for an ass’ shadow: To quarrel over trifles; to argue over trivial matters
Stop wrangling for an ass’ shadow and decorate the house for Diwali.
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