English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions 

ANIMALS - BIRDS - FISH - INSECTS, page 4

Idioms relating to animals, birds, fish or insects   
from:  'till the cows come home'   to: 'crooked as a dog's hind leg'

• till the cows come home
  • If you say 'till the cows come home' you mean for a long time or forever.
    "You can ask till the cows come home but I'm not buying you a scooter!"
    
    
• why buy a cow when you can get milk for free?
  • This refers to not paying for something that you can obtain for free.
    (Sometimes refers to a decision not to marry when you can have the benefits of marriage without any commitment.)
    "Rent is high so Bobby is still living with his parents.
    He says : why buy a cow when you can get milk for free?"
    
    
• 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."
    
    
• like a deer/rabbit caught in the headlights
  • When you are so surprised that you are momentarily confused or unable to react quickly, you are like a deer (or a rabbit) caught in the headlights.
    "Surprised by the journalist's question, he was like a deer caught in the headlights."
    
    
• (as)dead as a dodo
  • To say that something is (as) dead as a dodo means that it is unquestionably dead or obsolete, or has gone out of fashion.
    (A dodo is a bird that is now extinct.)
    "The floppy disk is an invention that is now (as) dead as a dodo."
    
    
• 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."
    
    
• a 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."
    
    
• dog in the manger
  • A person referred to as a dog in the manger is someone who stops others from enjoying something he/she cannot use or doesn't want.
    "She hates the guitar so she won't allow her son to learn to play it - a real dog in the manger!"
    
    
• a dog and pony show
  • A dog and pony show is a marketing event or presentation which has plenty of style but not much content.
    
    
• (as) crooked as a dog's hind leg
  • To say that someone is as crooked as a dog's hind leg means that they are very dishonest indeed.
    "He can't be trusted - he's as crooked as a dog's hind leg."