English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions 

COMPARISONS - SIMILARITY, page 4

Idioms relating to comparisons and similarities
from:  'as ugly as sin'   to:  'like a cat that ate the canary'

• as ugly as sin
  • This expression is used to refer to people or things that are considered to be very unattractive.
    "Have you seen the new neighbour's dog? It's as ugly as sin!"
    
    
• as ugly as a toad
  • Someone as ugly as a toad is extremely unattractive.
    "The driver was as ugly as a toad but he was very kind and patient."
    
    
• as useful as a chocolate teapot
  • Something which is of no practical use at all is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
    "When there are no roads, a car is about as useful as a chocolate teapot!"
    
    
• as white as a ghost
  • A person who is as white as a ghost looks very pale and frightened.
    "She went as white as a ghost when she saw the gun."
    
    
• as wise as an owl
  • Someone who is as wise as an owl is very knowledgeable and experienced.
    "Mr.Knowles is the best person to ask for advice. He’s as wise as an owl."
    
    
• like apples and oranges
  • This expression means that it is senseless to try to draw similarities between two things that are very different.
    "Comparing modern kitchen appliances to 18th century utensils is like comparing apples and oranges."
    
    
• like the back of one's hand
  • If you know something like the back of your hand, you are very familiar with it and know it in detail.
    "Of course I won't get lost. I know London like the back of my hand!"
    
    
• like a bat out of hell
  • If someone or 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."
    
    
• like bringing a knife to a gunfight
  • To say that an action was like bringing a knife to a gunfight means that there was a total lack of preparation.
    "Asking an inexperienced lawyer to defend such a difficult case was like bringing a knife to a gunfight!"
    
    
• (sound) like a broken record
  • Someone who says the same thing again and again is said to sound like a broken record.
    "Dad! Stop telling me to be careful when I drive. You sound like a broken record!"
    
    
• 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 a scalded cat
  • If something or something moves like a scalded cat, they move very fast, usually because they are frightened or shocked.
    "As soon as he saw the policeman, he ran off like a scalded cat."
    
    
• like a cat that ate the canary
  • If, after an achievement or success, a person appears very self-satisfied or pleased with themselves, you can say that they look like the cat that ate the canary.
    "When the boss complimented him on his work, Steve looked like the cat that ate the canary."