This document provides definitions and examples for 31 common English idioms involving animals:
- Idioms describe situations like being nervous ("ants in one's pants"), taking a short nap ("cat nap"), avoiding something out of fear ("chicken out"), waiting patiently ("hold your horses"), getting the most ("lion's share"), and being in trouble ("in the dog house").
- Others refer to accomplishing multiple tasks at once ("kill two birds with one stone"), revealing a secret ("let the cat out of the bag"), a competitive struggle ("rat race"), suspecting trickery ("smell a rat"), facing a challenge boldly ("take the bull by the horns"), and lasting a very long time ("until the
This document provides definitions and examples for 31 common English idioms involving animals:
- Idioms describe situations like being nervous ("ants in one's pants"), taking a short nap ("cat nap"), avoiding something out of fear ("chicken out"), waiting patiently ("hold your horses"), getting the most ("lion's share"), and being in trouble ("in the dog house").
- Others refer to accomplishing multiple tasks at once ("kill two birds with one stone"), revealing a secret ("let the cat out of the bag"), a competitive struggle ("rat race"), suspecting trickery ("smell a rat"), facing a challenge boldly ("take the bull by the horns"), and lasting a very long time ("until the
This document provides definitions and examples for 31 common English idioms involving animals:
- Idioms describe situations like being nervous ("ants in one's pants"), taking a short nap ("cat nap"), avoiding something out of fear ("chicken out"), waiting patiently ("hold your horses"), getting the most ("lion's share"), and being in trouble ("in the dog house").
- Others refer to accomplishing multiple tasks at once ("kill two birds with one stone"), revealing a secret ("let the cat out of the bag"), a competitive struggle ("rat race"), suspecting trickery ("smell a rat"), facing a challenge boldly ("take the bull by the horns"), and lasting a very long time ("until the
This document provides definitions and examples for 31 common English idioms involving animals:
- Idioms describe situations like being nervous ("ants in one's pants"), taking a short nap ("cat nap"), avoiding something out of fear ("chicken out"), waiting patiently ("hold your horses"), getting the most ("lion's share"), and being in trouble ("in the dog house").
- Others refer to accomplishing multiple tasks at once ("kill two birds with one stone"), revealing a secret ("let the cat out of the bag"), a competitive struggle ("rat race"), suspecting trickery ("smell a rat"), facing a challenge boldly ("take the bull by the horns"), and lasting a very long time ("until the
of nervousness or excitement a short sleep to decide not to do something out of fear (usually just before) wait and be patient
5. 6.
get the lion's share
in the dog house
get the greatest percentage
in trouble with another person
7.
kill two birds with one
stone let the cat out of the bag rat race
get two things done at once
8. 9.
10. smell a rat
11. take the bull by the horns 12. until the cows come home 13. bull in a china shop
Lisa had ants in her pants the day before her interview. I'm going to have a cat nap while you're cooking dinner. I was going to take a ride on Geoff's motorcyle, but I chickened out when he gave me a helmet to wear. Hold your horses! I'll be done in the washroom in a minute. My aunt got the lion's share of the inheritance. I don't think Marsha is coming out tonight. She's still in the dog house for forgetting Aaron's birthday. If you pick the groceries up when you drop George off for his shift, you will kill two birds with one stone.
reveal a secret
Who let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party?
fierce, competitive struggle for power,
position etc begin to suspect trickery etc
I'm ready to leave this rat race and retire in Mexico.
face a challenge or danger boldly
I asked my brothers not to tell my parents that I went
out, but I could smell a rat as soon as I opened the door. If you really think you deserve a promotion, you'll have to take the bull by the horns.
for a very long time
I could eat pizza and ice-cream until the cows come
home. He is like a bull in a china shop so you should be careful if you invite him to your house for the weekend.
14. get on ones high horse
a person with no tact who upsets
others or upsets plans behave with arrogance
15. get off ones high horse
begin to be humble and agreeable
16. let sleeping dogs lie
dont make trouble if you dont have
to look very self-satisfied, look as if one just had a great success a small trouble which follows other troubles and makes one become angry or do something a person who pretends to be good but really is bad to be ungrateful to someone who give s you something; to do the hard, boring part of a job
17. look like the cat that
swallowed the canary 18. last straw that breaks the camels back 19. wolf in sheeps clothing 20. look a gift horse in the mouth 21. do (all) the donkey work 22. like water off a duck's back 23. like a fish out of water
Without any apparent effect.
26. make a pig of oneself
appearing to be completely out of
place; in a very awkward manner wait until a thing you are expecting has happened before you make any plans smb or smth whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others to eat too much, too fast, or noisily
27. kill two birds with one
stone
to solve two problems at one time
with a single action
28. Her bark is worse than
her bite 29. with ones tail between ones legs 30. eager beaver
someones words are worse than their
action feel beaten, ashamed (after a scolding etc.) a person who is always eager to work or do something extra
24. Don't count your
chickens (before they're hatched) 25. dark horse
She is always getting on her high horse and telling
people what to do. I wish that she would get off her high horse and begin to think about how other people feel about things. You should let sleeping dogs lie and not ask him any questions about the argument. You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What happened? Her accusing me of not working hard enough was the straw that broke the camels back so I finally asked for a transfer to another section of the company. Be careful of that man. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Why should I do all the donkey work while you sit around doing nothing? she didn't care what the journalists wrote about her - it was like water off a duck's back Bob stood there in his rented tuxedo, looking like a fish out of water. You might be able to get a loan from the bank, but don't count your chickens. He was a dark horse in the race to be President until he gave some good speeches on TV. Don't make a pig of yourself! Sam is making a pig of himself and taking more than his share John learned the words to his part in the play while peeling potatoes. He was killing two birds with one stone.
You shouldnt worry about her. Her bark is worse
than her bite and she is really a very nice person. He left the meeting with his tail between his legs after he was criticized by the president. She is a real eager beaver and I am sure she will do very well in this company.
