Animal Idioms

Index

Animal Idioms - Complete List cat - Idioms cow - Idioms dog - Idioms horse - Idioms monkey - Idioms mouse - Idioms pig/hog - Idioms rat - Idioms sheep/goat - Idioms wolf - Idioms Quizzes

Animals
ahead of the pack
- to be more successful than other people who are doing the same thing as you (a pack is a group of animals like dogs or wolves who live together !he girl studied hard all summer and was ahead of the pack when she returned to school in the autumn"

alley cat - - a stray cat

I began to feed the alley cat and now it comes to my house every day"

as awkward as a cow on roller skates - - very awkward

!he little girl was as awkward as a cow on roller skates when she first began riding her bicycle"

as blind as a bat -- blind

!he man is as blind as a bat and cannot see more than a small distance ahead"

as busy as a beaver - very busy

I have been as busy as a beaver all morning trying to finish my work"

as clean as a hound's tooth - very clean

!he classroom was as clean as a hound#s tooth when the students finished cleaning it"

as conceited as a barber's cat - very conceited$ vain

%y friend became as conceited as a barber#s cat after she won the award at school"

as crooked as a dog's hind leg

1

- dishonest !he politician is as crooked as a dog#s hind leg and everybody dislikes him"

as drunk as a skunk - very drunk

!he man was as drunk as a skunk when he walked into the restaurant"

as fat as a pig - very fat

!he woman in the supermarket was as fat as a pig"

as gentle as a lamb - very gentle

!he girl is as gentle as a lamb when she is with her little sister"

as gruff as a bear - gruff$ unsociable

&ur neighbor is as gruff as a bear when we meet him in the morning"

as hungry as a bear - very hungry

I was as hungry as a bear when I arrived home from work"

as innocent as a lamb - having no guilt$ naive

!he little girl is as innocent as a lamb and everybody loves her"

as meek as a lamb - 'uiet$ docile$ meek

!he secretary was as meek as a lamb when she went to ask her boss for a salary increase"

as nervous as a cat - very nervous

!he man was as nervous as a cat when he talked to the woman"

as poor as a church mouse - very poor

%y cousin is as poor as a church mouse and never has any money to spend"

as quiet as a mouse - very 'uiet$ shy

I was as 'uiet as a mouse when I left my house early this morning"

as scared as a rabbit - very scared

I was as scared as a rabbit when I entered the empty room"

as sick as a dog - very sick

%y friend was as sick as a dog when he left the restaurant last night"

as sly as a fox - smart and clever

!he manager of our apartment is as sly as a fo("

as strong as a horse/lion/ox - very strong

!he man was as strong as an o( and easily helped us move the sofa"

as stubborn as a mule - very stubborn

%y friend is as stubborn as a mule and you can never make her change her mind"

as weak as a kitten - weak$ sickly

!he girl is as weak as a kitten and cannot carry the pile of books"

as wild as a tiger - very wild

!he little boy was as wild as a tiger when we were trying to look after him"
2

back the wrong horse - to support someone or something that cannot or does not win or
succeed )e backed the wrong horse when we supported the new candidate for mayor"

badger (someone - to get someone to do something by repeated 'uestions or by bothering

them I always have to badger my friend in order to make him return my computer games"

one's bark is worse than one's bite - one#s words are worse than one#s actions
*ou should not worry about her" +er bark is worse than her bite and she is really a very nice person"

bark up the wrong tree - to choose the wrong course of action$ to ask the wrong person (a
hunting dog may make a mistake when chasing an animal and bark up the wrong tree %y boss is barking up the wrong tree" I did not cause the computer problem because I was away at the time"

the best-laid plans of mice and men - the best thought-out plans that anyone can make
!he best-laid plans of mice and men could not prevent the problems that we had with our travel plans"

bet on the wrong horse - to misread the future$ to not choose the winning person or solution
+e is betting on the wrong horse if he supports the other city in their bid for the &lympic games"

the black sheep of the family - the worst or the most unpopular,disliked member of a family
%y cousin is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes to talk about him"

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed - to be very cheerful and eager (like a s'uirrel with bright
eyes and a bushy tail !he children were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when they got up in the morning"

a bull in a china shop - a tactless person who upsets others or upsets plans$ a very clumsy
person !he boy is like a bull in a china shop so you should be careful if you invite him to your house"

buy a pig in a poke

- to buy something without seeing it or knowing if it will be satisfactory *ou can buy the used computer but it will be like buying a pig in a poke if you do not look at it first"

by shank's mare
- by foot I came to the meeting by shank#s mare"

call the dogs off

- to stop threatening,chasing,hounding someone !he police decided to call the dogs off and stop hunting for the man"

a cash cow
- a product or service that makes much money &ur new business is a cash cow" )e are making a lot of money now"

cast pearls before swine

- to waste something on someone who will not be thankful or care about it
3

-iving the .ewellery to the woman will be casting pearls before swine" /he will not appreciate it at all"

cat gets one!s tongue

- one cannot speak because of shyness !he cat got the woman#s tongue and she could not say anything at all"

a cat nap - a short sleep taken during the day

I had a cat nap in the afternoon so that I would feel refreshed in the evening"

a cat on a hot tin roof

- full of lively activity !he boy was .umping around like a cat on a hot tin roof and we could not make him be 'uiet"

champ/chomp at the bit

- to be ready and an(ious to do something (a bit is put into a horse#s mouth for control of the horse 0veryone was chomping at the bit to get started on their holiday"

change horses in midstream

- to make new plans or choose a new leader in an activity that has already begun !hey have decided to change lawyers but I told them that they should not change horses in midstream"

a cock-and-bull story
- a silly story that is not true &ur neighbor gave us a cock-and-bull story about how our window was broken"

a copycat - someone who copies another person1s work etc"

!he boy is a copycat according to the other students in the class"

cry wolf - to give a false alarm$ to warn of a danger that is not there
!he man is crying wolf" !here is no danger that the electrical system will cause a fire"

curiosity killed the cat - being too nosy may lead a person into trouble
2*ou should not worry about what your friend is doing" 3emember$ curiosity killed the cat"2

a dark horse - a candidate who is little known to the general public

!he candidate was a dark horse in the race to be the ne(t mayor until he gave some good speeches on !4"

dog and pony show

- something that you disapprove of because you think that it has only been organized to impress you (like a dog and pony show in a circus )e had serious 'uestions about the pro.ect but we only got a dog and pony show when we asked for answers from our business partners"

dog-eat-dog
- ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what one wants It is a dog-eat-dog world in our company"

dog in the manger

- someone who prevents others from doing what they themselves do not want to do (in Aesop#s 5ables a dog that cannot eat hay lays in the hayrack and prevents the other animals from eating the hay %y friend always acts like a dog in the manger and often tries to prevent us from en.oying ourselves"

donkey's years - a very long time

I talked to my friend for a long time because I had not seen her in donkey#s years"

a dumb bunny - a stupid person

2+e really is a dumb bunny" I cannot believe that he does such stupid things"2

eager beaver
- a person who is always eager to work or do something e(tra !he woman is an eager beaver and I am sure that she will do very well in this company"

eat high on/off the hog

- to eat good or e(pensive food )e were eating high off the hog during our ocean cruise"

eat like a horse - to eat a lot

%y brother eats like a horse"

every dog has his day - everyone will have his chance or turn$ everyone will get what he
deserves 26on1t worry about him" 0very dog has his day and he will eventually suffer for all the bad things that he is doing"2

ferret (information or something out of (someone

- to get something from someone by being persistent I worked hard to ferret the time and place of the party out of my friend"

fight like cats and dogs - to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who
know each other !he two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room"

flog/beat a dead horse

- to continue fighting a battle that has been won$ to continue to argue a point that has been settled %y friend was flogging a dead horse when she would not stop arguing about the mistake on her paycheck"

a fraidy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children !he little boy called his friend a fraidy-cat because his friend would not climb the tree"

get (someone!s goat

- to annoy someone %y friend is always complaining about the way that I do things which gets my goat"

get off one!s high horse

- to begin to be humble and agreeable I wish that she would get off her high horse and begin to think about how other people feel about things"
5

get on one!s high horse - to behave with arrogance

%y friend is always getting on her high horse and telling people what to do"

go ape (over someone or something - to become highly e(cited or angry about someone
or something &ur teacher will go ape if he sees that you have not finished the work that was due today"

go hog-wild
- to behave wildly !he young soccer fans went hog-wild when they arrived in the city for the game"

go to the dogs
- to deteriorate$ to become bad %any things in our city have gone to the dogs during the last ten years"

go whole hog
- to do everything possible$ to be e(travagant )e went whole hog in our effort to make sure that the convention was a success"

the hair of the dog that bit one - a drink of alcohol that one takes when recovering from a
hangover !he man woke up and had the hair of the dog that bit him before he ate breakfast"

have a cow - to become very angry and upset about something

&ur teacher had a cow when he discovered that nobody had prepared for the class"

have a whale of a time - to have an e(citing and interesting time

)e had a whale of a time at the party last night"

have bats in one's belfry

- to be a little bit crazy I think that our neighbor has bats in her belfry"

hit the bulls-eye - to reach the main point of something

I think that our manager hit the bulls-eye when he talked about the real problems in the company"

hold one!s horses - to wait$ to be patient

2+old your horses for a moment while I make a phone call"2

"oly cow - used to e(press strong feelings of astonishment,pleasure,anger

2+oly cow$2 the man said when he saw the car that had hit the street lamp"

hoof it
- to walk or run (a hoof is the foot of a horse,sheep,cow etc" I decided to hoof it when I came downtown this morning"

horse around
- to play around (in a rough way !he teacher told the children not to horse around while they were getting ready for class"

a horse of a different color - something totally separate and different

6

Changing locations is a horse of a different color" It was never mentioned in any of our meetings"

horse sense - common sense$ practical thinking

!he boy does not have much horse sense and sometimes he makes the wrong decision"

horse trade - to bargain in a hard and skillful way

)e had to do some horse trading but finally we reached a deal to buy the new house"

to hound (someone - to pursue,chase someone$ to harass someone

!he manager is always hounding the younger members of her staff to make sure that they work hard"

in a pig!s eye
- unlikely$ not so$ never In a pig1s eye will my friend be able to save enough money to go to %e(ico for the winter"

in the doghouse - in disgrace or disfavor$ in trouble

!he man is in the doghouse with his wife because he came home late last night"

in two shakes of a lamb's tail

- very 'uickly I promised that I would meet my friend in two shakes of a lamb#s tail"

kangaroo court - an illegal court formed by a group of people to settle a dispute among
themselves !he military court in the small country was like a kangaroo court that permitted the military to do whatever they wanted"

keep the wolf from the door - to maintain oneself at the most basic level
%y friend#s part-time .ob is enough for him to keep the wolf from the door"

kill the fatted calf - to prepare an elaborate ban'uet for someone

)e decided to kill the fatted calf and have a big feast for my parents"

lead a dog!s life - to lead a miserable life

!he man is leading a dog1s life since he married the woman who everyone told him not to"

a leopard can't change its spots - you cannot change someone#s basic human nature or bad
'ualities !he manager wrote a letter of apology to the customer but a leopard can#t change its spots and I do not believe that the manager has changed and the letter does not mean anything"

let sleeping dogs lie - to not make trouble if you do not have to
*ou should let sleeping dogs lie and not ask our boss any 'uestions about the dispute"

let the cat out of the bag - to tell something that is supposed to be a secret
!he teacher let the cat out of the bag when she began talking about the plans for the new school"

like a bat out of hell - with great speed and force

I ran like a bat out of hell to get the bus"

like a deer caught in the headlights- like someone who is very confused and does not
know what to do
7

!he boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights when we discovered him in the room that was supposed to be locked"

like lambs to the slaughter- 'uietly and without complaining about the dangers that may lie
ahead &ur football team went like lambs to the slaughter to meet the best football team in the country"

lion's share of (something - the larger part,share of something

)e found the lion#s share of the lost tickets but some are still missing"

live high on/off the hog- to have the best of everything

%y friend has been living high on the hog since he changed .obs"

loaded for bear- very angry

!he man was loaded for bear when he went in to see the supervisor"

lock horns with (someone - to get into an argument with someone

I locked horns with my neighbor yesterday morning"

lock the barn door after the horse is gone - to try to deal with something after it is too
late 7ow my friend wants to fi( his house but it is like locking the barn door after the horse is gone" !here was a flood and the damage is already done"

a lone wolf - someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends
!he boy was a lone wolf and spent most of his time alone"

look a gift horse in the mouth - to complain if a gift is not perfect

!he girl should not look a gift horse in the mouth and should be happy that she received a present from her friends"

look like something the cat dragged in - to look tired,worn out,dirty

I was very tired and I am sure that I looked like something the cat dragged in"

look like the cat that swallowed/ate the canary - to look smug and self-satisfied$ to look
as if you have .ust had a great success 2*ou look like the cat that swallowed the canary" )hat happened82

make a monkey out of (someone - to make someone look foolish

%y friend made a monkey out of me when he started arguing with me in front of my boss"

make a mountain out of a molehill - to make something that is unimportant seem

important *ou are making a mountain out of a molehill when you talk about the mistake"

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear - to create something of value from something of no
value *ou cannot make a silk purse out of a sow#s ear and there is no point in trying to teach the woman manners"

monkey around with (someone or something - to play with or waste time with
someone or something !he father and son spent the morning monkeying around with the old radio"
8

monkey business - unethical or illegal activity

!he boy should stop the monkey business and try to do the .ob the correct way"

a monkey on one's back - a serious problem that stops someone from being successful at
something !he time without scoring a goal was a monkey on the back of the famous soccer player"

monkey see# monkey do - someone copies something that someone else does
It is always monkey see$ monkey do for the boy" +e copies everything that his friend does"

more fun than a barrel of monkeys - very funny$ fun

!he children love the man because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and makes everybody laugh"

not enough room to swing a cat - not very much space

!here was not enough room to swing a cat in the small apartment"

on horseback - on the back of a horse

)e rode out to the old red barn on horseback"

a paper tiger - a person or organization that is supposed to have a lot of power but actually is
very weak !he manager was a paper tiger and did not really have any power in the company"

piggy bank - a small bank (sometimes in the shape of a pig for saving money
!he boy has been putting money into his piggy bank to save for a bicycle"

$iggyback - sitting or being carried on someone1s back and shoulders

!he boy was riding piggyback on his father1s shoulders"

play cat and mouse with (someone - to tease or fool someone$ to change between
different types of behavior when dealing with someone !he man is playing cat and mouse with his company about his plans to 'uit or not"

play possum - to pretend to be inactive,asleep,dead

I think that the man is playing possum and is not really sleeping"

put on the dog - to dress or entertain in a lu(urious and e(travagant manner

)e put on the dog for my parents when they came to visit us"

put (someone or something out to pasture - to retire someone or something (.ust as you
would put a horse that is too old to work out to pasture )e finally decided to put our old car out to pasture and buy a new one"

put the cart before the horse - to do things in the wrong order
I think that buying a ticket before we make our holiday plans is putting the cart before the horse"

put the cat among the pigeons - to cause trouble

/ending the bad supervisor to talk to the angry workers was like putting the cat among the pigeons"

rain cats and dogs - to rain very hard

It has been raining cats and dogs all day"
9

rat on (someone - to report someone#s bad behavior to someone

!he little boy ratted on his friend at school"

rat out on (someone - to desert or betray someone

!he boy ratted out on his friends and now they won1t talk to him"

rat race - a rushed and confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose
%y uncle is tired of being in the rat race every day and he plans to 'uit his .ob soon and do something else"

ride herd on (someone - to watch closely and strictly supervise someone (as a cowboy
would supervise a herd of cattle !he manager has been riding herd on his employees so that he can get the .ob done 'uickly"

a road hog - a car driver who uses more than his share of the road
!he person in front of me on the highway was a road hog but I tried not to get angry"

rub (someone/someone's fur the wrong way - to irritate someone (.ust as you would
irritate a dog or cat if you rub their fur the wrong way !he woman who I work with rubs me the wrong way when I speak to her"

a sacred cow
- a person or thing that is never criticized or changed even if it should be (from a cow which is sacred in India !he school lunch program is a sacred cow which they will never change"

a scaredy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children !he children called their friend a scaredy-cat because she would not go into the empty house"

see a man about a dog

- to leave for some unmentioned purpose (often to go to the washroom I left the table in the restaurant to go and see a man about a dog"

separate the sheep from the goats

- to divide people into two groups )e had to separate the sheep from the goats when we began to make selections for the school choir"

serve as a guinea pig

- to allow some kind of test to be performed on someone I was not happy that I had to act as a guinea pig for the managers who were testing the new training material"

a shaggy dog story

- a long and often pointless story that is told as a .oke and often ends in a very silly or une(pected way %y friend told me a shaggy dog story about how he lost his bicycle"

smell a rat
- to be suspicious$ to feel that something is wrong I smell a rat" !here is something wrong with the offer of a free credit card"

squirrel (something away

10

- to hide or store something %y niece likes to s'uirrel away as much money as possible from her part-time .ob"

straight from the horse!s mouth

- directly from the person who said something$ directly from a dependable source I heard it straight from the horse1s mouth that our supervisor will be leaving the company ne(t week"

the straw that broke the camel!s back

- a small final trouble or problem which follows other troubles and causes everything to collapse or something to happen !he supervisor accusing me of not working hard enough was the straw that broke the camel1s back and I asked for a transfer to another section of the company"

one's tail between one!s legs

- feeling beaten or humiliated (like a frightened or defeated dog as it walks away !he man left the meeting with his tail between his legs after he was criticized by the company president"

the tail wagging the dog

- a situation where a small part controls the whole thing )hen the small group of managers began to run the large company$ it was like the tail wagging the dog"

take the bull by the horns

- to take decisive and direct action %y aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion"

there is more than one way to skin a cat

- there is more than one way to do something I knew that there was more than one way to skin a cat so I did not worry about the rules and time limit of my pro.ect"

throw (someone to the lions

- to permit someone to be blamed or criticized for something without trying to help or protect him or her !he company threw the manager to the lions and made him take responsibility for the problem that he had caused"

throw (someone to the wolves

- to send someone into danger without protection$ to sacrifice someone !he salesman decided to throw his co-worker to the wolves when he asked him to meet the angry customer"

top dog
- the most important person in an organization %y uncle is the top dog in his company"

turn tail
- to run away from trouble or danger )e decided to turn tail and leave the restaurant before there was an argument"

until the cows come home

- until very late$ for a long time
11

)e can talk until the cows come home this weekend"

weasel out of (something

- to get out of something or not have to do something (like a weasel which can move through small openings %y friend was able to weasel out of going to the store for his mother"

when the cat's away# the mice will play

- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble )hen the cat#s away$ the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to move around"

a white elephant
- something that is not useful and costs a lot of money to maintain !he airport was a white elephant and nobody liked to use it"

wild horses could not drag (someone away

- there is nothing that will force someone to go somewhere or do something )ild horses could not drag me away from my favorite !4 show last night"

a wildcat strike
- a strike spontaneously arranged by a group of workers !here was a wildcat strike at the factory and over 9:: people stopped work"

wolf down (something

- to gulp down something$ to eat something 'uickly I wolfed down my dinner and left the house for the movie"

a wolf in sheep!s clothing

- a person who pretends to be good but really is bad 2;e careful of that man" +e is a wolf in sheep1s clothing"2

work like a horse

- to work very hard %y grandfather worked like a horse when he was a young man"

you can lead a horse to water (but you can't make it drink
- you can give someone the opportunity to do something but you cannot force him or her to do it if they do not want to *ou can lead a horse to water but you can#t make it drink and no matter how hard we try to help my cousin get a .ob he will not make any effort when we introduce him to someone who knows about a .ob"

you can't teach an old dog new tricks

- it is difficult for older people to learn new things *ou can#t teach an old dog new tricks and I don#t think that my father will ever change his eating habits"

cat Idioms
alley cat
- a stray cat I began to feed the alley cat and now it comes to my house every day"
12

as conceited as a barber's cat

- very conceited$ vain %y friend became as conceited as a barber#s cat after she won the award at school"

as weak as a kitten
- weak$ sickly !he girl is as weak as a kitten and cannot carry the pile of books"

cat gets one!s tongue

- one cannot speak because of shyness !he cat got the woman#s tongue and she could not say anything at all"

a cat nap
- a short sleep taken during the day I had a cat nap during the afternoon so that I would feel refreshed in the evening"

a cat on a hot tin roof

- full of lively activity !he boy was .umping around like a cat on a hot tin roof and we could not make him be 'uiet"

a copycat
- someone who copies another person1s work etc" !he boy is a copycat according to the other students in the class"

curiosity killed the cat

- being too nosy may lead a person into trouble 2*ou should not worry about what your friend is doing" 3emember$ curiosity killed the cat"2

fight like cats and dogs

- to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other !he two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room"

a fraidy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children !he little boy called his friend a fraidy-cat because his friend would not climb the tree"

let the cat out of the bag

- to tell something that is supposed to be a secret !he teacher let the cat out of the bag when she began talking about the plans for the new school"

look like something the cat dragged in

- to look tired,worn out,dirty I was very tired and I am sure that I looked like something the cat dragged in"

look like the cat that swallowed/ate the canary

- to look smug and self-satisfied$ to look as if you have .ust had a great success 2*ou look like the cat that swallowed the canary" )hat happened82

not enough room to swing a cat

- not very much space !here was not enough room to swing a cat in the small apartment"

play cat and mouse with (someone

13

- to tease or fool someone$ to change between different types of behavior when dealing with someone !he man is playing cat and mouse with his company about his plans to 'uit or not"

put the cat among the pigeons

- to cause trouble /ending the bad supervisor to talk to the angry workers was like putting the cat among the pigeons"

rain cats and dogs

- to rain very hard It has been raining cats and dogs all day"

rub (someone/someone's fur the wrong way

- to irritate someone (.ust as you would irritate a dog or cat if you rub their fur the wrong way !he woman who I work with rubs me the wrong way when I speak to her"

a scaredy-cat
- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children !he children called their friend a scaredy-cat because she would not go into the empty house"

there is more than one way to skin a cat

- there is more than one way to do something I knew that there was more than one way to skin a cat so I did not worry about the rules and time limit of my pro.ect"

when the cat's away# the mice will play

- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble )hen the cat#s away$ the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to move around"

cow Idioms
as awkward as a cow on roller skates
- very awkward !he little girl was as awkward as a cow on roller skates when she first began riding her bicycle"

a bull in a china shop

- a tactless person who upsets others or upsets plans$ a very clumsy person !he boy is like a bull in a china shop so you should be careful if you invite him to your house"

a cash cow
- a product or service that makes much money &ur new business is a cash cow" )e are making a lot of money now"

have a cow
- to become very angry and upset about something &ur teacher had a cow when he discovered that nobody had prepared for the class"

hit the bulls-eye

- to reach the main point of something I think that our manager hit the bulls-eye when he talked about the real problems in the company"
14

"oly cow
- used to e(press strong feelings of astonishment,pleasure,anger 2+oly cow$2 the man said when he saw the car that had hit the street lamp"

a sacred cow
- a person or thing that is never criticized or changed even if it should be (from a cow which is sacred in India !he school lunch program is a sacred cow which they will never change"

take the bull by the horns

- to take decisive and direct action %y aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion"

until the cows come home

- until very late$ for a long time )e can talk until the cows come home this weekend"

dog Idioms
as clean as a hound's tooth
- very clean !he classroom was as clean as a hound#s tooth when the students finished cleaning it"

as crooked as a dog's hind leg

- dishonest !he politician is as crooked as a dog#s hind leg and everybody dislikes him"

as sick as a dog
- very sick %y friend was as sick as a dog when he left the restaurant last night"

one's bark is worse than one's bite

- one#s words are worse than one#s actions *ou should not worry about her" +er bark is worse than her bite and she is really a very nice person"

bark up the wrong tree

- to choose the wrong course of action$ to ask the wrong person (a hunting dog may make a mistake when chasing an animal and bark up the wrong tree %y boss is barking up the wrong tree" I did not cause the computer problem because I was away at the time"

call the dogs off

- to stop threatening,chasing,hounding someone !he police decided to call the dogs off and stop hunting for the man"

dog and pony show

- something that you disapprove of because you think that it has only been organized to impress you (like a dog and pony show in a circus )e had serious 'uestions about the pro.ect but we only got a dog and pony show when we asked for answers from our business partners"

dog-eat-dog
- ready or willing to fight and hurt others to get what one wants
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It is a dog-eat-dog world in our company"

dog in the manger

- someone who prevents others from doing what they themselves do not want to do (in Aesop#s 5ables a dog that cannot eat hay lays in the hayrack and prevents the other animals from eating the hay %y friend always acts like a dog in the manger and often tries to prevent us from en.oying ourselves"

every dog has his day

- everyone will have his chance or turn$ everyone will get what he deserves 26on1t worry about him" 0very dog has his day and he will eventually suffer for all the bad things that he is doing"2

fight like cats and dogs

- to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other !he two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room"

go to the dogs
- to deteriorate$ to become bad %any things in our city have gone to the dogs during the last ten years"

the hair of the dog that bit one

- a drink of alcohol that one takes when recovering from a hangover !he man woke up and had the hair of the dog that bit him before he ate breakfast"

to hound (someone
- to pursue,chase someone$ to harass someone !he manager is always hounding the younger members of her staff to make sure that they work hard"

in the doghouse
- in disgrace or disfavor$ in trouble !he man is in the doghouse with his wife because he came home late last night"

lead a dog!s life

- to lead a miserable life !he man is leading a dog1s life since he married the woman who everyone told him not to"

let sleeping dogs lie

- to not make trouble if you do not have to *ou should let sleeping dogs lie and not ask our boss any 'uestions about the dispute"

put on the dog

- to dress or entertain in a lu(urious and e(travagant manner )e put on the dog for my parents when they came to visit us"

rub (someone/someone's fur the wrong way

- to irritate someone (.ust as you would irritate a dog or cat if you rub their fur the wrong way !he woman who I work with rubs me the wrong way when I speak to her"

see a man about a dog

- to leave for some unmentioned purpose (often to go to the washroom
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I left the table in the restaurant to go and see a man about a dog"

a shaggy dog story

- a long and often pointless story that is told as a .oke and often ends in a very silly or une(pected way %y friend told me a shaggy dog story about how he lost his bicycle"

one's tail between one!s legs

- feeling beaten or humiliated (like a frightened or defeated dog as it walks away !he man left the meeting with his tail between his legs after he was criticized by the company president"

the tail wagging the dog

- a situation where a small part controls the whole thing )hen the small group of managers began to run the large company$ it was like the tail wagging the dog"

top dog
- the most important person in an organization %y uncle is the top dog in his company"

turn tail
- to run away from trouble or danger )e decided to turn tail and leave the restaurant before there was an argument"

you can't teach an old dog new tricks

- it is difficult for older people to learn new things *ou can#t teach an old dog new tricks and I don#t think that my father will ever change his eating habits"

horse Idioms
as strong as a horse/lion/ox
- very strong !he man was as strong as an o( and easily helped us move the sofa"

as stubborn as a mule
- very stubborn %y friend is as stubborn as a mule and you can never make her change her mind"

back the wrong horse

- to support someone or something that cannot or does not win or succeed )e backed the wrong horse when we supported the new candidate for mayor"

bet on the wrong horse

- to misread the future$ to not choose the winning person or solution +e is betting on the wrong horse if he supports the other city in their bid for the &lympic games"

by shank's mare
- by foot I came to the meeting by shank#s mare"

champ/chomp at the bit

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- to be ready and an(ious to do something (a bit is put into a horse#s mouth for control of the horse 0veryone was chomping at the bit to get started on their holiday"

change horses in midstream

- to make new plans or choose a new leader in an activity that has already begun !hey have decided to change lawyers but I told them that they should not change horses in midstream"

a dark horse
- a candidate who is little known to the general public !he candidate was a dark horse in the race to be the ne(t mayor until he gave some good speeches on !4"

dog and pony show

- something that you disapprove of because you think that it has only been organized to impress you (like a dog and pony show in a circus )e had serious 'uestions about the pro.ect but we only got a dog and pony show when we asked for answers from our business partners"

donkey's years
- a very long time I talked to my friend for a long time because I had not seen her in donkey#s years"

eat like a horse

- to eat a lot %y brother eats like a horse"

flog/beat a dead horse

- to continue fighting a battle that has been won$ to continue to argue a point that has been settled %y friend was flogging a dead horse when she would not stop arguing about the mistake on her paycheck"

get off one!s high horse

- to begin to be humble and agreeable I wish that she would get off her high horse and begin to think about how other people feel about things"

get on one!s high horse

- to behave with arrogance %y friend is always getting on her high horse and telling people what to do"

hold one!s horses

- to wait$ to be patient 2+old your horses for a moment while I make a phone call"2

hoof it
- to walk or run (a hoof is the foot of a horse,sheep,cow etc" I decided to hoof it when I came downtown this morning"

horse around
- to play around (in a rough way !he teacher told the children not to horse around while they were getting ready for class"
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a horse of a different color

- something totally separate and different Changing locations is a horse of a different color" It was never mentioned in any of our meetings"

horse sense
- common sense$ practical thinking !he boy does not have much horse sense and sometimes he makes the wrong decision"

horse trade
- to bargain in a hard and skillful way )e had to do some horse trading but finally we reached a deal to buy the new house"

lock the barn door after the horse is gone

- to try to deal with something after it is too late 7ow my friend wants to fi( his house but it is like locking the barn door after the horse is gone" !here was a flood and the damage is already done"

look a gift horse in the mouth

- to complain if a gift is not perfect !he girl should not look a gift horse in the mouth and should be happy that she received a present from her friends"

on horseback
- on the back of a horse )e rode out to the old red barn on horseback"

put (someone or something out to pasture

- to retire someone or something (.ust as you would put a horse that is too old to work out to pasture )e finally decided to put our old car out to pasture and buy a new one"

put the cart before the horse

- to do things in the wrong order I think that buying a ticket before we make our holiday plans is putting the cart before the horse"

ride herd on (someone

- to watch closely and strictly supervise someone (as a cowboy would supervise a herd of cattle !he manager has been riding herd on his employees so that he can get the .ob done 'uickly"

straight from the horse!s mouth

- directly from the person who said something$ directly from a dependable source I heard it straight from the horse1s mouth that our supervisor will be leaving the company ne(t week"

wild horses could not drag (someone away

- there is nothing that will force someone to go somewhere or do something )ild horses could not drag me away from my favorite !4 show last night"

work like a horse

- to work very hard %y grandfather worked like a horse when he was a young man"

you can lead a horse to water (but you can't make it drink
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- you can give someone the opportunity to do something but you cannot force him or her to do it if they do not want to *ou can lead a horse to water but you can#t make it drink and no matter how hard we try to help my cousin get a .ob he will not make any effort when we introduce him to someone who knows about a .ob"

monkey Idioms
go ape (over someone or something
- to become highly e(cited or angry about someone or something &ur teacher will go ape if he sees that you have not finished the work that was due today"

make a monkey out of (someone

- to make someone look foolish %y friend made a monkey out of me when he started arguing with me in front of my boss"

monkey around with (someone or something

- to play with or waste time with someone or something !he father and son spent the morning monkeying around with the old radio"

monkey business
- unethical or illegal activity$ mischief !he boy should stop the monkey business and try to do the .ob the correct way"

a monkey on one's back

- a serious problem that stops someone from being successful at something !he time without scoring a goal was a monkey on the back of the famous soccer player"

monkey see# monkey do

- someone copies something that someone else does It is always monkey see$ monkey do for the boy" +e copies everything that his friend does"

more fun than a barrel of monkeys

- very funny$ fun !he children love the man because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and makes everybody laugh"

mouse Idioms
as poor as a church mouse
- very poor %y cousin is as poor as a church mouse and never has any money to spend"

as quiet as a mouse
- very 'uiet$ shy I was as 'uiet as a mouse when I left my house early this morning"

the best-laid plans of mice and men

- the best thought-out plans that anyone can make !he best-laid plans of mice and men could not prevent the problems that we had with our travel plans"

play cat and mouse with (someone

- to tease or fool someone$ to change between different types of behavior when dealing with someone
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!he man is playing cat and mouse with his company about his plans to 'uit or not"

when the cat's away# the mice will play

- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble )hen the cat#s away$ the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to move around"

pig/hog Idioms
as fat as a pig
- very fat !he woman in the supermarket was as fat as a pig"

buy a pig in a poke

- to buy something without seeing it or knowing if it will be satisfactory *ou can buy the used computer but it will be like buying a pig in a poke if you do not look at it first"

cast pearls before swine

- to waste something on someone who will not be thankful or care about it -iving the .ewellery to the woman will be casting pearls before swine" /he will not appreciate it at all"

eat high on/off the hog

- to eat good or e(pensive food )e were eating high off the hog during our ocean cruise"

go hog-wild
- to behave wildly !he young soccer fans went hog-wild when they arrived in the city for the game"

go whole hog
- to do everything possible$ to be e(travagant )e went whole hog in our effort to make sure that the convention was a success"

in a pig!s eye
- unlikely$ not so$ never In a pig1s eye will my friend be able to save enough money to go to %e(ico for the winter"

live high on/off the hog

- to have the best of everything %y friend has been living high on the hog since he changed .obs"

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

- to create something of value from something of no value *ou cannot make a silk purse out of a sow#s ear and there is no point in trying to teach the woman manners"

piggy bank
- a small bank (sometimes in the shape of a pig for saving money !he boy has been putting money into his piggy bank to save for a bicycle"

piggyback
- sitting or being carried on someone1s back and shoulders
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!he boy was riding piggyback on his father1s shoulders"

a road hog
- a car driver who uses more than his share of the road !he person in front of me on the highway was a road hog but I tried not to get angry"

rat Idioms
rat on (someone
- to report someone#s bad behavior to someone !he little boy ratted on his friend at school"

rat out on (someone

- to desert or betray someone !he boy ratted out on his friends and now they won1t talk to him"

rat race
- a rushed and confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose %y uncle is tired of being in the rat race every day and he plans to 'uit his .ob soon and do something else"

smell a rat
- to be suspicious$ to feel that something is wrong I smell a rat" !here is something wrong with the offer of a free credit card"

sheep/goat Idioms
as gentle as a lamb
- very gentle !he girl is as gentle as a lamb when she is with her little sister"

as innocent as a lamb
- having no guilt$ naive !he little girl is as innocent as a lamb and everybody loves her"

as meek as a lamb
- 'uiet$ docile$ meek !he secretary was as meek as a lamb when she went to ask her boss for a salary increase"

the black sheep of the family

- the worst or the most unpopular,disliked member of a family %y cousin is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes to talk about him"

get (someone!s goat

- to annoy someone %y friend is always complaining about the way that I do things which gets my goat"

in two shakes of a lamb's tail

- very 'uickly I promised that I would meet my friend in two shakes of a lamb#s tail"

like lambs to the slaughter

- 'uietly and without complaining about the dangers that may lie ahead
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&ur football team went like lambs to the slaughter to meet the best football team in the country"

separate the sheep from the goats

- to divide people into two groups )e had to separate the sheep from the goats when we began to make selections for the school choir"

wolf Idioms
cry wolf
- to give a false alarm$ to warn of a danger that is not there !he man is crying wolf" !here is no danger that the electrical system will cause a fire"

keep the wolf from the door

- to maintain oneself at the most basic level %y friend#s part-time .ob is enough for him to keep the wolf from the door"

a lone wolf
- someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends !he boy was a lone wolf and spent most of his time alone"

throw (someone to the wolves

- to send someone into danger without protection$ to sacrifice someone !he salesman decided to throw his co-worker to the wolves when he asked him to meet the angry customer"

wolf down (something

- to gulp down something$ to eat something 'uickly I wolfed down my dinner and left the house for the movie"

a wolf in sheep!s clothing

- a person who pretends to be good but really is bad 2;e careful of that man" +e is a wolf in sheep1s clothing"2

Idiom %ui&&es - Animals

9" >" Choose an idiom to replace the e(pression in the brackets< 2=lease stop that (mischief and do some serious work"2 (a dog and pony show (b monkey business (c piggyback (d road hog !he little boy kept asking many 'uestions until his mother finally said that (asking too many 'uestions will get him into trouble " (a the cat had got his tongue (b you can#t teach an old dog new tricks (c curiosity killed the cat (d there is more than one way to skin a cat 2=lease (be patient and wait while I make a phone call"2 (a call the dogs off (b have a whale of a time (c flog a dead horse (d hold your horses !he computer software patent is (a good source of money for our company" (a a cash cow (b as strong as an o( (c a horse of a different color (d a dark horse !he little boys thought that their friend was (easily frightened because he would not play with the dog" (a as awkward as a cow on roller skates (b a kangaroo court (c as 'uiet as a mouse (d a scaredy-cat !he supervisor has a reputation for (watching and controlling the workers" (a living high off the hog on (b riding herd on (c horsing around with (d going ape with
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?" @" A"

B"

C" )hen the police arrived the two men looked frightened and suddenly (ran away " (a hit the bull1s eye (b let the cat out of the bag (c turned tail (d cried wolf D" I heard about the plans for the new magazine article (directly from the person responsible " (a off his high horse (b straight from the horse1s mouth (c in two shakes of a lamb#s tail (d in a pig1s eye E" !he car engine stopping while driving on the freeway was the (thing that finally made me decide to do something so I sold the car" (a straw that broke the camel1s back (b black sheep of the family (c cat on a hot tin roof (d wolf in sheep1s clothing 9:" +e really (mis.udged his chance of success when he found an unreliable partner for his business" (a led a dog1s life (b bet on the wrong horse (c cast pearl1s before swine (d made a mountain out of a molehole 99" +e is the (most important person in his company" (a holy cow (b dog in the manger (c alley cat (d top dog 9>" I had not seen my cousin for a long time so when we finally met we talked (for a long time " (a in the dog house (b as busy as a beaver (c until the cows came home (d like lambs to the slaughter 9?" 2*ou should (not worry about the problems from before " It is too late to do anything about them"2 (a lock the barn door after the horse is gone (b let sleeping dogs lie (c buy a pig in a poke (d bark up the wrong tree 9@" 26o not be afraid of your new neighbor" +er (words are worse than her actions "2 (a tail is wagging the dog (b tail is between her legs (c looks are like something the cat dragged in (d bark is worse than her bite 9A" %y grandfather moved to the country to get away fron the (busyness and confusion in the city" (a white elephant (b horse trading (c rat race (d horse sense !he young boy (pretended to be asleep when his friend came into the room" (a went to the dogs (b put on the dog (c served as a guinea pig (d played possum 9B" !he man who owns the store is (very dishonest " (a as crooked as a dog#s hind leg (b as clean as a hound#s tooth (c as stubborn as a mule (d bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 9C" )e had (an e(citing and interesting time at the conference" (a a cock-and-bull story (b a whale of a time (c the best-laid plans of mice and men (d a bull in a china shop 9D" %y supervisor is always angry so I do not like to (get into an argument with her" (a lock horns with (b monkey around with (c go hog-wild with (d make a monkey out of 9E" I knew that our company was (supporting someone who could not win but still we continued to support our candidate in the election" (a killing the fatted calf (b making a silk purse out of a sow#s ear (c backing the wrong horse (d separating the sheep from the goats

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