50 English Animal Idioms
Animal idioms add color and vividness to English expressions. Learn these 50 commonly used animal idioms to sound more natural in English.
Cat got your tongue?
Why so quiet? Cat got your tongue?
Let the cat out of the bag
She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Curiosity killed the cat
Stop snooping around. Curiosity killed the cat.
Raining cats and dogs
Take an umbrella. It's raining cats and dogs.
Every dog has its day
Don't give up. Every dog has its day.
Let sleeping dogs lie
Don't bring that up again. Let sleeping dogs lie.
Barking up the wrong tree
If you think I did it, you're barking up the wrong tree.
A dog-eat-dog world
The business world is a dog-eat-dog world.
The black sheep
He's always been the black sheep of the family.
Pull the wool over someone's eyes
He tried to pull the wool over my eyes.
A wolf in sheep's clothing
Watch out for him. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Cry wolf
Nobody believed him because he cried wolf too many times.
Hold your horses
Hold your horses! We're not ready yet.
Straight from the horse's mouth
I heard it straight from the horse's mouth.
Beat a dead horse
Stop bringing it up. You're beating a dead horse.
A dark horse
She's a dark horse in this competition.
Wild goose chase
Looking for that file was a wild goose chase.
Kill two birds with one stone
I'll shop and visit grandma — kill two birds with one stone.
A little bird told me
A little bird told me you got promoted.
Birds of a feather flock together
They hang out together — birds of a feather flock together.
The early bird catches the worm
Get there first. The early bird catches the worm.
Eager beaver
The new intern is a real eager beaver.
Busy as a bee
She's been busy as a bee all morning.
Have a bee in one's bonnet
He's got a bee in his bonnet about recycling.
The bee's knees
This new phone is the bee's knees!
Bull in a china shop
He's like a bull in a china shop at the meeting.
Take the bull by the horns
It's time to take the bull by the horns and ask for a raise.
Like a bull in a china shop
She rushed in like a bull in a china shop.
Elephant in the room
The budget issue is the elephant in the room.
Memory of an elephant
She never forgets anything. Memory of an elephant!
Pig out
We pigged out on pizza last night.
When pigs fly
He'll clean his room when pigs fly.
Pig-headed
Don't be so pig-headed. Listen to others.
Monkey business
No monkey business while I'm gone!
More fun than a barrel of monkeys
The party was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Monkey see, monkey do
Kids copy everything — monkey see, monkey do.
Fish out of water
I felt like a fish out of water at the formal event.
There are plenty of fish in the sea
Forget about him. There are plenty of fish in the sea.
A big fish in a small pond
He was a big fish in a small pond at his old company.
Fishy
Something about this deal seems fishy.
Snake in the grass
Be careful, she's a snake in the grass.
Chicken out
I was going to skydive but I chickened out.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch
Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Wait for the results.
Frog in your throat
Excuse me, I have a frog in my throat.
Crocodile tears
Don't fall for his crocodile tears.
Ant in one's pants
He can't sit still. He's got ants in his pants.
Butterflies in your stomach
I always get butterflies in my stomach before exams.
Get someone's goat
His constant complaining really gets my goat.
Scapegoat
They made him the scapegoat for the project failure.
Rat race
I'm tired of the rat race. I want a simpler life.
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