Animal Idioms

Common Animal Idioms and Their Meanings

Here are some animal idioms and their meanings:

Idiom	Meaning
800-pound gorilla	A person or organization with great power or influence that cannot be ignored.
A different kettle of fish	Something entirely different from what was previously mentioned or considered.
A wild goose chase	A futile or pointless pursuit or search.
Ants in your pants	Restlessness or an inability to stay still.
Bee’s knees	Something or someone that is outstanding or excellent.
Bull in a china shop	A person who is clumsy or tactless in a delicate situation.
Busy bee	A very active or hardworking person.
Can of worms	A complex or troublesome situation that is difficult to resolve.
Cat got your tongue	A situation where someone is unexpectedly silent or unable to speak.
Clam up	To suddenly become silent or refuse to speak.
Cold turkey	To stop doing something abruptly and completely, especially a bad habit.
Crocodile tears	Insincere expressions of sorrow, usually involving fake tears.
Dark horse	A person or thing that is little known about but has potential or unexpected abilities.
Dog days	The hottest period of the year, usually in late summer.
Dog eat dog	A situation where people are very competitive and ruthless, often in business or politics.
Elephant in the room	A major issue or problem that is being ignored or avoided.
Fish in the sea	There are plenty of other opportunities or people available.
Fishy	Suspicious or not quite right.
Hold your horses	To be patient or wait before taking action.
In the doghouse	In trouble or out of favor with someone.
In two shakes of a lamb’s tail	Very quickly or in no time at all.
Lion’s share	The largest part or portion of something.
Look a gift horse in the mouth	To be ungrateful or critical of a gift or favor.
Monkey around	To behave in a silly or playful manner.
Pig out	To eat a lot of food, often in a greedy or gluttonous way.
Raining cats and dogs	Raining very heavily.
Sitting duck	Someone who is in a vulnerable position and easy to target because they are in a stationary position.
Straight from the horse’s mouth	Information coming directly from the most reliable source.
The cat’s meow	Something or someone that is considered highly admirable or impressive.
The cat’s pajamas	Something or someone that is considered excellent or outstanding.
The world is someone's oyster	The world is full of opportunities for someone to explore and take advantage of.
To chicken out	To back out of something due to fear or lack of courage.
To go the whole hog	To do something completely or to the fullest extent.
To horse around	To play or act in a silly or rowdy way.
To kill two birds with one stone	To accomplish two objectives with a single action.
To let sleeping dogs lie	To avoid stirring up trouble or reawakening old issues.
To let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret or disclose information inadvertently.
To make a beeline	To go directly and quickly toward something.
To smell a rat	To suspect that something is wrong or that someone is being deceitful.
To take the bull by the horns	To confront a problem or challenge directly and with courage.
Until the cows come home	For a very long time, or indefinitely.
Weasel out of	To avoid or evade a responsibility or obligation in a sneaky manner.
When pigs fly	Something that is highly unlikely or impossible.
Wild goose chase	A futile or pointless pursuit.

Using Animal Idioms in Everyday Conversation

Animal idioms can add color and humor to everyday conversations, making them more engaging and relatable. Idioms often paint vivid pictures in the listener’s mind, helping to convey complex ideas or emotions more effectively. For example, saying “she is a busy bee” quickly conveys that a person is very active and hardworking.

800-pound gorilla: “The 800-pound gorilla in the room is the new management policy that no one wants to talk about.”

A different kettle of fish: “Fixing a car is one thing, but repairing a motorcycle is a different kettle of fish.”

A wild goose chase: “Trying to find my keys in my messy house was a wild goose chase.”

Ants in your pants: “You’ve got ants in your pants today; can’t you sit still for a minute?”

Bee’s knees: “That new café is the bee’s knees; you should definitely check it out.”

Bull in a china shop: “John is like a bull in a china shop when he’s angry, breaking everything in his path.”

Busy bee: “She’s always buzzing around like a busy bee, handling multiple projects at once.”

Can of worms: “Let’s not open that can of worms; we have enough issues to deal with already.”

Cat got your tongue: “You’ve been quiet all evening. What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?”

Clam up: “Whenever someone asks about his past, he clams up and refuses to speak.”

Cold turkey: “She decided to quit smoking cold turkey, without any assistance or aid.”

Crocodile tears: “Don’t be fooled by his crocodile tears; he’s not really sorry.”

Dog days: “During the dog days of summer, we prefer to stay indoors with the air conditioning.”

Elephant in the room: “We need to address the elephant in the room – the budget cuts that are coming.”

Fish out of water: “When I moved to the city, I felt like a fish out of water.”

Hold your horses: “Hold your horses, we need to check the data before making any decisions.”

In the doghouse: “He forgot their anniversary, so now he’s in the doghouse.”

Lion’s share: “She did the lion’s share of the work on this project.”

Look a gift horse in the mouth: “When someone offers you a free gift, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Monkey around: “Stop monkeying around and get to work!”

Fun Activities to Learn Animal Idioms

Animal Idiom Matching Game:

Create cards with idioms on one side and the meanings of the idioms or pictures representing the idioms on the other side. Those who want to learn animal idioms can match the idiom cards with the corresponding meaning or picture. This makes for a fun and educational activity.

Idiom Bingo:

Create bingo cards with animal idioms on them. Tell the students the meanings of the idioms and let them mark the corresponding idioms on their cards.

Animal Idioms Scavenger Hunt:

Hide cards with animal idioms around the classroom or playground. Wait for the children to find the cards and match them with their meanings. To help them, you can give them clues about the place in this game.

Interactive Online Quizzes:

Use online platforms to create quizzes on animal idioms. EnglishCentral is a good platform for learning animal idioms.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Animal Idioms

How can I use animal idioms in conversation?

Recognize the settings and meanings of animal idioms in order to apply them successfully. Practice using them in narratives or sentences. Reading a variety of literature and listening to native speakers can both be beneficial.

Are animal idioms used in all languages?

Although many languages have animal idioms, the precise idioms and the animals they refer to can differ.

Can animal idioms be translated directly?

Because of cultural variations, animal idioms frequently don’t translate exactly between languages.

How can I remember animal idioms?

Playing games, telling tales, and using visual aids are all enjoyable ways to assist strengthen memory. Retention is also aided by practice and repetition in various settings.

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