Animal Idioms

He copies everything that his friend does.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys

- very funny, fun
The children love their teacher because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

not enough room to swing a cat

- not very much space
There was not enough room to swing a cat in the small apartment.

on horseback

- on the back of a horse
We rode to the river on horseback.

a paper tiger

- a person or organization that is supposed to have a lot of power but is actually very weak
The manager wa...

He plans to quit his job soon and do something else.

ride herd on (someone)

- to watch closely and strictly supervise someone (as a cowboy would supervise a herd of cattle)
The manager has been riding herd on his employees so that they can finish the job quickly.

a road hog

- a car driver who uses more than his share of the road
The person in front of me on the highway was a road hog but I tried not to get angry.

rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way

- to irritate someone (j...

There is no point in trying to teach that woman manners.

monkey around with (someone or something)

- to play with or waste time with someone or something
The boy spent the morning monkeying around with the old radio.

monkey business

- unethical or illegal activity, mischief
The boy should stop the monkey business and do the job correctly.

a monkey on one's back

- a serious problem that stops someone from being successful at something
Seven games without scoring a goal was a monk...

The receptionist controls everything in the office.

take the bull by the horns

- to take decisive and direct action
My aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion.

there is more than one way to skin a cat

- there is more than one way to do something
I knew that there was more than one way to skin a cat so I did not worry about the rules and time limit of my project.

throw (someone) to the lions

- to permit someone to be blamed or criticized ...

He copies everything that his friend does.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys

- very funny, fun
The children love their teacher because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

not enough room to swing a cat

- not very much space
There was not enough room to swing a cat in the small apartment.

on horseback

- on the back of a horse
We rode to the river on horseback.

a paper tiger

- a person or organization that is supposed to have a lot of power but is actually very weak
The manager wa...

There is something wrong with the free credit card offer.

squirrel away (something) or squirrel (something) away

- to hide or store something
My niece likes to squirrel away as much money as possible from her part-time job.

straight from the horse`s mouth

- directly from the person who said something, directly from a dependable source
I heard it straight from the horse`s mouth that our supervisor will be leaving the company next week.

the straw that broke the camel`s back

- a sm...

He does such stupid things."

eager beaver

- a person who is always eager to work or do something extra
The woman is an eager beaver and will do very well in this company.

eat high on/off the hog

- to eat good or expensive food
We were eating high off the hog during our ocean cruise.

eat like a horse

- to eat a lot
My brother eats like a horse.

every dog has his day

- everyone will have his chance or turn, everyone will get what he deserves
"Don`t worry about him.

There was a flood and the damage is already done.

a lone wolf

- someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends
The boy was a lone wolf and spent most of his time alone.

look a gift horse in the mouth

- to complain if a gift is not perfect
The girl should not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Now they won`t talk to him.

rat race

- a rushed and confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose
My uncle is tired of being in the rat race every day.

Every dog has his day and he will eventually suffer for all the bad things that he is doing."

ferret (information or something) out of (someone)

- to get something from someone by being persistent
I worked hard to ferret the location of the party out of my friend.

fight like cats and dogs

- to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other)
The two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room.

flog a dead horse

- to continue fighting a b...

He thought that it was better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.

the black sheep of the family

- the worst or the most unpopular or disliked member of a family
My cousin is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes to talk about him.

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

- to be very cheerful and eager (like a squirrel with bright eyes and a bushy tail)
The children were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when they woke up in the morning.

a bull in a china shop

- a tactless person ...

I decided to hoof it when I came downtown this morning.

horse around

- to play around (in a rough way)
The teacher told the children not to horse around while they were getting ready for class.

a horse of a different color

- another matter entirely, something else, something different than the subject that is being discussed
Changing locations is a horse of a different color and was never discussed in the meeting.

horse sense

- common sense, practical thinking
The boy does not h...

There is no point in trying to teach that woman manners.

monkey around with (someone or something)

- to play with or waste time with someone or something
The boy spent the morning monkeying around with the old radio.

monkey business

- unethical or illegal activity, mischief
The boy should stop the monkey business and do the job correctly.

a monkey on one's back

- a serious problem that stops someone from being successful at something
Seven games without scoring a goal was a monk...

He plans to quit his job soon and do something else.

ride herd on (someone)

- to watch closely and strictly supervise someone (as a cowboy would supervise a herd of cattle)
The manager has been riding herd on his employees so that they can finish the job quickly.

a road hog

- a car driver who uses more than his share of the road
The person in front of me on the highway was a road hog but I tried not to get angry.

rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way

- to irritate someone (just as ...

He copies everything that his friend does.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys

- very funny, fun
The children love their teacher because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

not enough room to swing a cat

- not very much space
There was not enough room to swing a cat in the small apartment.

on horseback

- on the back of a horse
We rode to the river on horseback.

a paper tiger

- a person or organization that is supposed to have a lot of power but is actually very weak
The man...

The manager has not changed and the letter does not mean anything.

let sleeping dogs lie

- do not make trouble if you do not have to
You should let sleeping dogs lie and not ask our boss about the dispute.

let the cat out of the bag

- to tell something that is supposed to be a secret
The teacher let the cat out of the bag when she began talking about the plans to close the school.

like a bat out of hell

- with great speed and force
I ran like a bat out of hell to catch the bus.
...

I decided to hoof it when I came downtown this morning.

horse around

- to play around (in a rough way)
The teacher told the children not to horse around while they were getting ready for class.

a horse of a different color

- another matter entirely, something else, something different than the subject that is being discussed
Changing locations is a horse of a different color and was never discussed in the meeting.

horse sense

- common sense, practical thinking
The boy does not have any...

The receptionist controls everything in the office.

take the bull by the horns

- to take decisive and direct action
My aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion.

there is more than one way to skin a cat

- there is more than one way to do something
I knew that there was more than one way to skin a cat so I did not worry about the rules and time limit of my project.

throw (someone) to the lions

- to permit someone to be blamed or criticized ...

Every dog has his day and he will eventually suffer for all the bad things that he is doing."

ferret (information or something) out of (someone)

- to get something from someone by being persistent
I worked hard to ferret the location of the party out of my friend.

fight like cats and dogs

- to argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other)
The two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room.

flog a dead horse

- to continue fighting a b...

Remember, curiosity killed the cat."

a dark horse

- a candidate who is little known to the general public
The candidate for mayor was a dark horse until he gave some good speeches on TV.

dog and pony show

- something that you disapprove of because you think that it has only been organized to impress you (like a dog and pony show in a circus)
We had serious questions about the project but we only got a dog and pony show when we questioned our business partners.

dog-eat-dog

- read...

He thought that it was better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.

the black sheep of the family

- the worst or the most unpopular or disliked member of a family
My cousin is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes to talk about him.

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

- to be very cheerful and eager (like a squirrel with bright eyes and a bushy tail)
The children were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when they woke up in the morning.

a bull in a china shop

- a tactless ...