English idioms-animals-birds-fish

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English idioms relating to ANIMALS - BIRDS - FISH - INSECTS
Ants in one's pants	People who have ants in their pants are very restless or excited about something "I wish he'd relax. He's got ants in his pants about something today!"
Like a bat out of hell	If something moves like a bat out of hell, it moves very quickly. "He grabbed the envelope and ran like a bat out of hell."
Like a bear with a sore head	If someone is behaving like a bear with a sore head, they are very irritable and bad-tempered. "When his team lost the match, Brad was like a bear with a sore head."
Eager beaver	The term eager beaver refers to a person who is hardworking and enthusiastic, sometimes considered overzealous. "The new accountant works all the time - first to arrive and last to leave - a real eager beaver!"
Have a bee in one's bonnet	A person who has a bee in their bonnet has an idea which constantly occupies their thoughts.
The bee's knees	If you say that someone or something is the bee's knees, you think they are exceptionally good. "Julie thinks she's the bee's knees" means that Julie has a high opinion of herself!
Birds of a feather	To say that two people are birds of a feather means that they are very similar in many ways.
Kill two birds with one stone.	If you kill two birds with one stone, you succeed in doing two things at the same time. "By studying on the train on the way home every week-end, Claire kills two birds with one stone."
Like a red flag to a bull	To say that a statement or action is like a red flag to a bull means that it is sure to make someone very angry or upset. "Don't mention Tom's promotion to Mike. It would be like a red flag to a bull!"
Take the bull by the horns	To take the bull by the horns means that a person decides to act decisively in order to deal with a difficult situation or problem.
A social butterfly	This term refers to a person who has a lot of friends and acquaintances and likes to flit from one social event to another. "Julie is constantly out and about; she's a real social butterfly."
A cat in gloves catches no mice	This expression means that if you are too careful and polite, you may not obtain what you want. "Negotiate carefully, but remember : a cat in gloves catches no mice!"
A cat can look at a king.	This expression means that nobody is so important that an ordinary person cannot look at or be curious about them.
A fat cat	To refer to a rich and powerful person as a fat cat means that you disapprove of the way they use their money or power.
Herding cats	This expression refers to the difficulty of coordinating a situation which involves people who all want to act independently. "Organizing an outing for a group of people from different countries is like herding cats!
Let the cat out of the bag	If you let the cat out of the bag, you reveal a secret, often not intentionally.
Like a cat on hot bricks	A person who is like a cat on hot bricks is very nervous or restless. "The week before the results were published, she was like a cat on hot bricks."
Like something the cat dragged in	If you compare a person or thing to something the cat dragged in, you think they look dirty, untidy or generally unappealing. "My teenage son often looks like something the cat dragged in."
Wait for the cat to jump	If you wait for the cat to jump, or to see which way the cat jumps, you delay taking action until you see how events will turn out. "Let's wait for the cat to jump before we decide."
Cat-and-dog life	This term refers to a life in which partners are constantly or frequently quarrelling. "They lead a cat-and-dog life. I don't know why they stay together."
Raining cats and dogs	If it's raining cats and dogs, it's raining very heavily. "We'll have to cancel the picnic I'm afraid. It's raining cats and dogs."
Play cat and mouse	To play cat and mouse with someone means to treat them alternately cruelly and kindly, so that they do not know what to expect.
Chicken out of something	If you chicken out of something, you decide not to do something because you are afraid. "He decided to join a karate class, but chickened out of it at the last minute!"
Like a headless chicken	If a person rushes about like a headless chicken, they act in a disorderly way, without thinking or analyzing the situation carefully. "As soon as the store opened, my mother started running around like a headless chicken, eager to find bargains."
Till the cows come home	To say that a person could do something till the cows come home means that they could do it for a long time. "You can ask till the cows come home, but I'm not buying you a scooter!"
Crocodile tears	To shed crocodile tears means to shed false tears or show insincere grief. "Caroline pretended to be sad but we all knew her tears were crocodile tears."
Eat crow	If you eat crow, you admit that you were wrong about something and apologize. "He had no option but to eat crow and admit that his analysis was wrong."
As the crow flies	This expression refers to distance measured in a straight line. "It's two miles from here to the station as the crow flies, but of course it's much further by road."
Dog's life	People use this expression when complaining about a situation or job which they find unpleasant or unsatisfactory. "It's a dog's life working in the after-sales department."
Dog eat dog	This expression refers to intense competition and rivalry in pursuit of one's own interests, with no concern for morality. "The business world is tough today. There's a general dog-eat-dog attitude."
A dog in the manger	A person referred to as a dog in the manger is someone who stops others enjoying something he cannot use or doesn't want.
Every dog has its day	This expression means that everyone can be successful at something at some time in their life. "I didn't win this time, but I'll be lucky one day. Every dog has its day!"
Give a dog a bad name	People who lose their reputation have difficulty regaining it because others continue to blame or suspect them. "Tom was suspected as usual. Give a dog a bad name!"
Help a lame dog over stile	If you help a lame dog over stile, you help someone who is in difficulty or trouble. "You can trust him - he always helps a lame dog over a stile."
Like a dog with two tails.	If somebody is like a dog with two tails, they are extremely happy. "When Paul won the first prize, he was like a dog with two tails."
A dog's breakfast	To describe something as a dog's breakfast means that it is a complete mess. "The new secretary made a dog's breakfast out of the filing system!"
Go to the dogs	To say that a company, organization or country is going to the dogs means that it is becoming less successful or efficient than before. "Some think the company will go to the dogs if it is nationalized."
Let sleeping dogs lie	If you tell somebody to let sleeping dogs lie, you are asking them not to interfere with a situation because they could cause problems.
The tail wagging the dog	This expression is used to refer to a situation where there is a reversal of roles, with a small or minor element of something having a controlling influence on the most important element. "If you let your children decide on everything, it will be a case of the tail wagging the dog."
Why keep a dog and bark yourself?	This expression means that if someone can do a task for you, there's no reason to do it yourself. "The shuttle stops in front of our house but my father continues to drive to the airport. Why keep a dog and bark yourself!"
Dog and pony show	A dog and pony show is a marketing event or presentation which has plenty of style but not much content.
Donkey work	This expression is used to describe the unpleasant, boring parts of a job. "I do the donkey work - my boss gets the credit!"
Talk the hind leg off a donkey	This expression is used to describe a very talkative person. "It's difficult to end a conversation with Betty. She could talk the hind leg off a donkey!"
Take to something like a duck to water	If you take to something like a duck to water, you do it naturally and easily, without fear or hesitation. "When Sophie first tried skiing, she took to it like a duck to water"
A dead duck	This expression refers to a project or scheme which has been abandoned or is certain to fail. "The new cinema is going to be a dead duck because it's too far away from the town centre."
A sitting duck	A sitting duck is an easy target, a person who is easy to deceive. "The young girl was a sitting duck for the photographer."
Like water off a duck's back	To say that something, such as criticism or advice, is like water off a duck's back means that it has no effect at all. "He's warned of the dangers of smoking but it's like water off a duck's back."
Fish in troubled waters	If you fish in troubled waters, you try to gain advantages for yourself from a disturbed state of affairs. "Between the declaration of independence and the first elections, some people were accused of fishing in troubled waters."
Fish out of water	If you feel like a fish out of water , you feel uncomfortable because of an unfamiliar situation or unfamiliar surroundings. "As a non-golfer, I felt like a fish out of water at the clubhouse."
A different kettle of fish	To describe a person, thing or situation as a different kettle of fish means that it is completely different from what was previously mentioned. "You may have good business relations, but living in the country is a different kettle of fish."
Drink like a fish	A person who drinks like a fish is a heavy drinker or one who drinks a lot. "I'm nervous if Joe drives when we go out because he drinks like a fish!"
Have other fish to fry	A person who has other fish to fry, has more important things to do. "I don't think he'll attend the office party; he's got other fish to fry."
There are (plenty of) other fish in the sea	To say this means that that there are many other people just as good as the one somebody failed to get. "The candidate we chose refused the job? Never mind - there are other fish in the sea!
Neither fish nor fowl	This is said to describe people or things that are difficult to classify, that are neither one thing nor another. Interns are neither fish nor fowl. They are neither students nor fully qualified practitioners.
Flea in one's ear	After an attempt at something, if you are sent away with a flea in your ear, you are angrily reprimanded or humiliated. "When he tried to put the blame on Pete, he was sent away with a flea in his ear."
Drop like flies	If people drop like flies, they fall ill or die in large numbers. "There's an epidemic of flu at the moment. Senior citizens are dropping like flies."
Fly in the ointment	The expression a fly in the ointment refers to someone or something that prevents a situation from being completely satisfactory. "Tony's poor English was a fly in the ointment when he applied for the job."
Fly on the wall	This expression is used to describe a person who watches a situation without being noticed. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the management discusses my project."
Have a frog in one's throat	A person who has a frog in their throat has difficulty in speaking clearly, because they have a cough or a sore throat. "Teaching was difficult today. I had a frog in my throat all morning."
All his geese are swans	This expression refers to someone who constantly exaggerates the importance of somebody or something. "Don't let him impress you. He always exaggerates; all his geese are swans!"
Cook somebody's goose	To cook somebody's goose means to spoil that person's chance of success. "When the burglar saw the police car arriving, he realized his goose was cooked."
Have goose pimples	If you have goose pimples, you are so cold or so afraid that your skin is temporarily raised into little lumps. "I was so scared that I had goose pimples all through the film!"
A wild goose chase :	If you say that you were sent on a wild goose chase, you mean that you wasted a lot of time looking for something that there was little chance of finding. "They tried to find out who sent the anonymous complaint, but it turned out to be a wild goose chase."
Knee-high to a grasshopper	This term refers to a very young and small child "Look how tall you are! Last time I saw you, you were knee-high to a grasshopper!
Guinea pig	People who are used as guinea pigs are people on whom new methods, treatment or ideas are tested.
Back or bet on the wrong horse	If you back or bet on the wrong horse, for example the loser in a contest, match or election, you support the wrong person. "When I voted for him, I was convinced he would win, but I backed the wrong horse!"
Get on your high horse	If you get on your high horse, you start behaving in a haughty manner, as though you should be treated with more respect. "He got on his high horse when he was asked to show his membership card."
A dark horse	If you refer to a person as a "dark horse", you mean that they are secretive, or that little is known about them.
I could eat a horse!	To say that you could eat a horse means that you are very hungry. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving. I could eat a horse!"
One-horse town	A place referred to as a one-horse town is a small, boring town where nothing much ever happens. "I wish my grandparents didn't live in that one-horse town. It's such a boring place!"
Walk into the lion's den	If you walk into the lion's den, you find yourself in a difficult situation in which you have to face unfriendly or aggressive people.
Like a moth to a flame	To say that a person is attracted to someone or something like a moth to a flame means that the attraction is so strong they cannot resist. "He's drawn to the casino like a moth to a flame."
Mouse potato	This term refers to a person who spends a lot of time in front of the computer. "My son and his friends are all mouse potatoes - constantly glued to the computer!"
As stubborn as a mule	If someone is as stubborn as a mule, they are very obstinate and unwilling to listen to reason or change their mind. "His friends advised him to accept the offer, but you know Jack - he's as stubborn as a mule!"
The world is your oyster	This expression means that you are free and able to enjoy the pleasures and opportunities that life has to offer. "She left college feeling that the world was her oyster."
Proud as a peacock	A person who is as proud as a peacock is extremely proud. "When his son won first prize, Bill was as proud as a peacock."
Pigs might fly (also: when pigs have wings)	To say "...and pigs might fly expresses disbelief, or the idea that miracles might happen but are extremely unlikely. "My grandmother buying a computer? ... Yeah, and pigs might fly!"
Make a pig of yourself	If you make a pig of yourself, you eat and drink too much. "Watch what you eat - don't make a pig of yourself!"
Shank's pony	If you go somewhere on Shank's pony, you have to walk rather than travel by bus, car, etc. "It was impossible to find a taxi after the party so it was Shank's pony for us!"
Smell a rat	To say "I smell a rat" means that you suspect that something is wrong, or that someone is doing something dishonest or incorrect.
Packed like sardines	If a group of people are packed like sardines, they are pressed together tightly and uncomfortably because there is not enough space. "The bus was very crowded - we were packed like sardines!"
A snake in the grass	This expression refers to someone who pretends to be your friend while actually betraying you. "I thought I could trust my new colleague but he turned out to be a snake in the grass."
Black sheep	The black sheep of the family is one who is very different from the others, and least respected by the other members of the family,
Like turkeys voting for Christmas	This expression is used to say that a particular option is unlikely to be chosen because it would not be in the interest of the people concerned. (In many countries people eat turkey at Christmas.) "Expecting them to accept a decrease in salary would be like turkeys voting for Christmas!"
Have a whale of a time	When people have a whale of a time, they enjoy themselves very much. "We had a whale of a time at the party last night."
Worm's-eye view	To offer a worm's-eye view of a situation is to give your opinion based on what you see at close range from an inferior position, so it is therefore not a general view. "I'm not sure I can be of much help. I can only offer you a worm's-eye view of the situation.

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