English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
ANIMALS - BIRDS - FISH - INSECTS, page 11
Idioms
from:
'close as an oyster' to: 'loan
shark'
- close as an oyster
- Someone who is as close as an oyster will never reveal
something told in confidence or betray a secret.
"Sophie will never repeat what you tell her. She's as close as an oyster."
- Someone who is as close as an oyster will never reveal
something told in confidence or betray a secret.
- 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."
- This expression means that you are free and able to enjoy
the pleasures and opportunities that life has to offer.
- (as) 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."
- A person who is as
proud as a peacock is extremely proud.
- 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!"
- If you make a pig of yourself, you
eat and drink too much.
- make a pig's ear of something
- If you make a pig's ear of
something, you do a task or a chore very
badly or make a complete mess of it.
"Gary offered to paint the kitchen but he made a pig's ear of it."
- If you make a pig's ear of
something, you do a task or a chore very
badly or make a complete mess of it.
- on the pig's back
- A person who is on the pig's back is in
a state of luck and everything is going well for them.
"Before the recession, Ireland was on the pig's back, but the situation changed afterwards."
- A person who is on the pig's back is in
a state of luck and everything is going well for them.
- (put) lipstick on a
pig
- This expression means that to 'dress up' something unappealing or ugly,
in a vain attempt to make it look better, is like putting lipstick on a pig.
"Flowers on that ugly old bridge would be (like putting) lipstick on a pig!"
- This expression means that to 'dress up' something unappealing or ugly,
in a vain attempt to make it look better, is like putting lipstick on a pig.
- pigs get fat,
hogs get slaughtered
- You should be satisfied when you have enough; if you are
too greedy, like a hog, you risk losing everything.
- You should be satisfied when you have enough; if you are
too greedy, like a hog, you risk losing everything.
- pigs might fly
- The expression
'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!"
- The expression
'pigs might fly' expresses disbelief,
or the idea that miracles might happen but
are extremely unlikely.
- stool
pigeon
- A person who acts as
an informer, especially one who gives
information to the police or the
authorities, is called a stool pigeon.
"I don't trust Jack. I think he's a stool pigeon for the management."
- A person who acts as
an informer, especially one who gives
information to the police or the
authorities, is called a stool pigeon.
- 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!"
- If you go somewhere on Shank's pony,
you have to walk rather than travel by bus, car, etc.
- play possum
- When someone plays possum, they pretend to be dead
or asleep in order to avoid something they don't want to do.
"She's just playing possum because she doesn't want to come swimming"
- When someone plays possum, they pretend to be dead
or asleep in order to avoid something they don't want to do.
- rats in the attic
- If you say that someone has rats in the attic, you
mean that they are a bit mad or that their behaviour is eccentric.
"She keeps repeating the same question. I think she's got rats in the attic."
- If you say that someone has rats in the attic, you
mean that they are a bit mad or that their behaviour is eccentric.
- 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.
"The profits announced are abnormally low. I 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!"
- If a group of people
are packed like sardines, they are
pressed together tightly and uncomfortably
because there is not enough space.
- loan shark
- A loan shark
is an authorized person who lends money at
extremely high interest rates to people who
are unable to obtain a loan from the bank.
"The young immigrant was beaten because he was late paying back money to a loan shark."
- A loan shark
is an authorized person who lends money at
extremely high interest rates to people who
are unable to obtain a loan from the bank.
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