Besides food, animals there are more English idioms about animals than any other subject and these animal idioms are the bee’s knees! With this list, you be learning new idioms until the cows come home. Learn more about idioms here on Idioms Online and use these figurative expressions to improve your English fluency.
Contents
- A Little Bird Told Me
- Back the Wrong Horse
- Bright-eyed and Bushy-tailed
- Can of Worms, open a
- Cash Cow
- Cat Got Your Tongue
- Catnap
- Chicken Out
- Crocodile Tears
- Cry Wolf
- Curiosity Killed the Cat
- Dark Horse
- Dog Eat Dog
- Dog Tired
- Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch
- Drink Like a Fish
- Eager Beaver
- Eat A Horse, I could
- Eat Like a Bird
- Eat Like a Horse
- Elephant in the Room, the
- Fly in the Ointment, a
- For the Birds
- Frog in Your Throat, have a
- From the Horse’s Mouth
- Get Your Ducks in a Row
- Get Your Goat
- Go Ape (or Ape Shit)
- Grin Like a Cheshire Cat
- Guinea Pig
- Happy as a Lark
- Happy Bunny, a
- Hold Your Horses
- Holy Cow
- Horse Around
- Horse of a Different Color
- I’ll Be A Monkey’s Uncle
- If Wishes Were Horses
- In the Doghouse
- Jump the Shark
- Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
- Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel
- Like Something The Cat Dragged In
- Lovely Weather for Ducks
- Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill
- Monkey Business
- Monkey On Your Back
- More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys
- Naked as a Jaybird
- Neither Fish Nor Fowl
- Night Owl
- No Spring Chicken
- No Such Animal
- Raining Cats And Dogs
- Sitting Duck
- Snail’s Pace (at a)
- Snake in the Grass
- Sour Grapes
- Talk The Hind Legs Off A Donkey
- The Bee’s Knees
Animal Idioms with Meanings and Examples
Meaning: I found out this information from a source I cannot or will not reveal.
Example: “How did you find out I broke up with Howard?” asked Victoria. “Oh, a little bird told me,” said Fran.
Meaning: to make the wrong choice concerning who or what you support and to support a person or action that is later unsuccessful; to make a wrong choice; to guess wrongly concerning the final outcome.
Example: “I backed the wrong horse in last year’s election.”
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Meaning: To be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed means to be wide awake, energetic, eager, and alert.
Example: “I see you all look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and are ready to get this meeting started,” said the CEO.
Meaning: to do something that will uncover more problems and make things more complicated and unsolvable than they already were; to create an unpleasant or troubling situation.
Example: “Refinishing the basement in my house opened up a can of worms. Now I have to hire a waterproofer and deal with mold!”
Meaning: something, such as a product or business, that is a reliable source or profit; a dependable money-maker that contributes the most overall profits to a business.
Example: “Today, the company has over one-hundred products but it is their first product that continues to be the cash-cow.”
Meaning: This is usually expressed as a question to someone who is being unusually quiet or refusing to speak, as in “Has the cat got your tongue?”
Example: “Well, aren’t you quiet today, Jane. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
Meaning: a short, light sleep during the day; a refreshing nap in the middle of the day.
Example: “I feel much better after taking a catnap.”
Meaning: to refuse to do something because of fear or cowardice.
Example: “We were both going to get tattoos last night but Mack chickened out.”
Meaning: an insincere or hypocritical display of grief or remorse; pretending to be upset or sorrowful.
Example: “Her courtroom performance was convincing to the jury, especially the crocodile tears over her husband’s death, but the evidence that followed was unassailable.”
Meaning: to raise a false alarm; to warn of a danger that doesn’t really exist; to cry for help when you do not actually need help…
Example: “Nobody is going to listen to him. He’s cried wolf too many times.”
Meaning: used to express the idea that showing too much interest in the affairs of other people can get you in trouble, or even be dangerous.
Example: “My mother always told me that curiosity killed the cat, but she was always meddling in other people’s business!”
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Meaning: a person, in regards to a certain field, sport, political race etc., whose experience and abilities are unknown but who could unexpectedly win or achieve success over others; an unknown and unexpected winner of a race or other contest.
Example: “This year’s dark horse in the state Senate race is Roger Elliot, a former school teacher who has never held public office.”
Meaning: A situation that is dog eat dog is one where people are in fierce and ruthless competition and willing to do anything to gain the advantage; anything goes.
Example: “Do not think you have friends in politics. It’s dog eat dog.”
Meaning: to be extremely tired, exhausted, worn out; to be so tired you go right to sleep as soon as you get in bed.
Example: “I’d love to play video games with you but it’s been a long day and I’m dog tired.”
Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch
Meaning: to not act on an assumption that you will get or achieve something until you actually have it or you can be certain of success; to not treat something that has not occurred as a certainty; do not depend on something that you hope for until you know for sure that it is happening…
Example: “You haven’t even gotten the job yet and you want to go buy a new car. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!”
Meaning: to drink large amounts of alcohol; to drink too much alcohol, especially habitually.
Example: “Oh, my head is killing me,” said Vicky. “I drank like a fish at my sister’s party last night.”
Meaning: a person who is very enthusiastic and zealous about work or responsibility; one who is eager to impress and take on extra responsibility.
Example: “That new guy in the mail room is a real eager beaver. He’s been coming in early and staying late every day.”
Meaning: I could eat a horse means “I am extremely hungry.”
Example: I could eat a horse means “I am extremely hungry.”
Meaning: to eat very little or to eat very small portions only big enough for a bird; to have a very small appetite.
Example: “Please have some more roast beef,” said Mom. “You eat like a bird. It’s not healthy!”
Meaning: to eat a large amount of food or to have a very large appetite.
Example: “I had the oddest first date ever. The woman completely ignored me and ate like a horse.”
Meaning: a topic that is sensitive, awkward, or embarrassing and that no one wants to talk about but which is difficult to ignore; a topic that everyone is aware of but everyone avoids discussing.
Example: “While Walmart and Target vie to be top players in the eCommerce market, the elephant in the room has always been Amazon.
Meaning: a small event, circumstance, or factor that spoils an entire endeavor, circumstance, reputation, etc.
Example: “Dennis had a full business plan and he was sure his idea would work. The one fly in the ointment was money: He didn’t have any.”
Meaning: If something is for the birds it is without value; undesirable; stupid; boring; foolish; ridiculous; unimportant; uninteresting; deserving of disdain.
Examples: “Reality TV is for the birds. It’s far from reality.”
Meaning: To have a frog in your (his, her, etc.) throat means to be speaking in a husky voice because you have a cold and perhaps have a small amount of mucus (or phlegm) lodged in your throat or because your throat feels dry or irritated.
Example: “Oh, sounds like you have a frog in your throat. Are you feeling OK?”
Meaning: When information comes from the horse’s mouth it comes from the best authority or most dependable source, especially when the information comes directly from the person whom the information concerns or who has direct personal knowledge of the situation.
Example: “Trust me, I got the story straight from the horse’s mouth.”
Meaning: to be well organized and prepared; to have all the facts right; to have become efficient; to have one’s affairs in order.
Examples: “Before you go into court you’d better have all your ducks in a row.”
Meaning: to get someone’s goat means to annoy or irritate them.
Example: “I don’t know what to tell you. Adam just gets my goat. The guy just annoys me.”
Meaning: to do something crazy or off the wall; to become very excited, very angry, or to lose control and become violent, sexually aggressive, etc.
Example: “Young girls went ape over Elvis. They often rushed the stage, trying desperately to touch the legendary singer.”
Meaning: to have a big smile on your face and to be very happy with yourself or something you know or have found out.
Example: “Everybody on the team was grinning like a Chesire cat.”
Meaning: the subject of experimentation or testing, medical or otherwise; someone used as part of an experiment; the first person to try something new.
Example: “How much do you get paid to be a guinea pig in these drug trials?”
Meaning: very happy, excited, delighted, etc.
Example: “It’s not like little Jane to be so morose. She’s usually as happy as a lark!”
Meaning: someone who is happy, satisfied, and or content.
Example: “I hope we have a lot of happy bunnies on our first full day of camp,” said the counselor.
Meaning: slow down and wait; be patient.
Example: “Hold your horses,” said Mike to Maria. “I know you want to get on the road but I still have to do a few things around the house.”
Meaning: an expression of surprise, astonishment, delight, or even dismay in English.
Example: “Holy cow, did you see the size of that Limousine?”
Meaning: playing or being silly when you are supposed to be acting seriously or working; engaging in frivolous activity.
Example: “Tommy was too busy horsing around to do his chores.”
Meaning: a completely different issue; an unrelated matter.
Example: “I don’t mind Becky coming with us but her friend Jane is a horse of another color.”
Meaning: an expression used to indicate surprise, astonishment, amazement, shock, and sometimes disbelief or skepticism.
Example: “The president wants to get us back into space,” said Ben. “Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” said Tony, “didn’t he just slash the NASA budget in half?”
Meaning: simply wishing for things does not make them happen; one must work actively for the things one wants; if wishes came true, then even the poorest people would have everything they want and need.
Example: “You want a car for your birthday? Yeah, and if wishes were horses I’d drive a Lamborghini.”
Meaning: When someone is in the doghouse, someone else is angry, annoyed, irritated, or displeased with them; to be in trouble, disfavor, or disgrace. Often, the idiom is used to refer to a husband who has annoyed his wife.
Example: “I can’t pay the rent late again. I’m already in the doghouse with my landlord.”
Meaning: When a television series reaches a point where it includes unlikely, ridiculous or far-fetched events in a desperate attempt to stay entertaining or maintain novelty; to do something ridiculous or questionable out of desperation to get attention or remain popular.
Example: “When the main character was killed and then brought back to life, I knew the show had jumped the shark.”
Meaning: to not bring up problems that will themselves bring up even bigger problems.
Example: “I’ve just seen the girl who broke my heart three summers ago. Let’s go say hello. No. Best let sleeping dogs lie. Come on.” — About Time (2013)
Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel
Meaning: extremely easy to do; ridiculously easy; almost impossible to fail at; opposition that is easy to defeat.
Example: “These things sale themselves, said Barkly. “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”
Like Something The Cat Dragged In
Meaning: A person who looks like something the cat dragged in is messy, bedraggled, dirty, or exhausted looking
Example: Where you been hanging out, son? Good God, Sam. You look like something the cat dragged in.” — Hammett (1982)
Meaning: a humorous phrase for very wet, rainy weather.
Example: “It’s been raining for two days straight. Lovely weather for ducks!”
Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill
Meaning: to make some trivial problem seem very important. In other words, it is to make a big deal out of a minor difficulty.
Example: “Let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. All I said is I’d like to talk.”
Meaning: deceitful, mischievous, dishonest conduct; behavior that is not acceptable in a particular context or situation; silly, frivolous, or playful behavior.
Example: “The lawyer made national news by standing up to the president but he was later implicated in some monkey business of his own.”
Meaning: To have a monkey on your (or one’s) back means to have a problem or burden that is hard to solve and which lasts for a long time; a vexing emotional problem that makes one’s life difficult; a longstanding worry or anxiety.
Example: “He had that monkey on his back for over ten years but he’s finally sober.”
More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys
Meaning: very fun or enjoyable; very amusing.
Example: “You’ll love Vic, he’s as fun as a barrel of monkeys.”
Meaning: means naked; completely unclothed.
Example: “I once lost a bet and had to run down the street as naked as jaybird.”
Meaning: odd and not easily fit into any specific category or group.
Example: “The first attempt at a flying car was neither fish nor fowl. It was not quite a car and not quite an airplane.”
Meaning: a person who habitually stays up late at night and who prefers to be active during the night.
Example: “There are always a few night owls who come into the restaurant right at closing time.”
Meaning: no longer young; someone who can no longer be considered youthful; an old person.
Example: “I’m no spring chicken but I still run five miles every day.”
Meaning: there is nothing like the thing mentioned; there is nothing of that kind in existence; nothing similar exists. No such animal means the same as no such thing but adds a bit of emphasis and a trace of humor.
Example: “You still have a flip phone? I thought there was no such animal anymore.”
Meaning: We say “it’s raining cats and dogs” when there is a heavy downpour. It simply means “a heavy rain.”
Example: “Man, I’m soaked. It’s raining cats and dogs out there.”
Meaning: an easy target; someone who is easy to attack or criticize; someone in a very vulnerable position; someone easily caught or found.
Example: “If the mayor doesn’t get ahead of this scandal, he’s a sitting duck.”
Meaning: a very slow pace, so when something is moving ‘at a snail’s pace’ it is moving very slowly. It often refers to people performing tasks slowly but can refer to anything that moves or develops slowly.
Example: “Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace. I’m surprised I got here on time.”
Meaning: a deceitful, treacherous and sneaky person; one who pretends to be your friend while actually being your enemy in secret.
Example: “I can’t believe she’s been seeing my ex-boyfriend this whole time while pretending to be my friend. She’s just a snake in the grass.”
Meaning: to disparage something that one wants but cannot have by pretending that it was never desirable at all; to pretend to despise something because you are unable to attain it.
Example: “The actor talked about how the Oscars were a pointless popularity contest that undermined the art of film. It was clearly a case of sour grapes from someone who didn’t win.”
Talk The Hind Legs Off A Donkey
Meaning: Like the similar idiom to talk someone’s ear off, to talk the hind legs off a donkey means to talk incessantly and to the point that the listener is exhausted. To talk on and on without letting up.
Example: “Old man Howard is amiable enough, but he could talk the hind legs off a donkey.”
Meaning: excellent; of high quality; desirable; enjoyable; or extremely good.
Example: “This new place in town has the best döner sandwiches. It’s really the bee’s knees.”
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