ANIMALS
A little bird told me
If someone doesn’t want to say where he got some information from, he can say that a little bird told me.
Albatross around your neck
An albatross around your neck is a problem resulting from something you did that stops you from being successful.
Ants in your pants
If someone has ants in their pants, they are agitated or excited about something and can’t keep still.
As the crow flies
This idiom is used to describe the shortest possible distance between two places.
Back the wrong horse
If you back the wrong horse, you give your support to the losing side in something.
Beard the lion in his own den
If you confront a powerful or dangerous rival on their territory, you are bearding the lion in his own den.
Beating a dead horse
If someone is trying to convince people to do or feel something without any hope of succeeding, they’re beating a dead horse. This is used when someone is trying to raise interest in an issue that no-one supports anymore.
Bee in your bonnet
If someone is very excited about something, they have a bee in their bonnet.
Bee’s Knees
If something is the bee’s knees, it’s outstanding or the best in its class.
Beeline for
If you make a beeline for a place, you head there directly.
Big fish
An important person in a company or an organisation is a big fish.
Big fish in a small pond
A big fish in a small pond is an important person in a small place or organisation.
Bigger fish to fry
If you aren’t interested in something because it isn’t important to you and there are more important things for you to do, you have bigger fish to fry.
Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
This proverb means that it is better to have something that is certain than take a risk to get more, where you might lose everything.
Bird’s eye view
If you have a bird’s eye view of something, you can see it perfectly clearly.
Bird-brain
Someone who has a bird-brain is stupid.
Birds and the bees
If a child is taught about the birds and the bees, they are taught about sex.
Birds of a feather flock together
This idiom means that people with similar interests will stick together.
Blind as a bat
If you are in total darkness and can’t see anything at all, you are as blind as a bat.
Brass monkey
If it’s brass monkey it is extremely cold.
By a whisker
If you do something by a whisker, you only just manage to do it and come very near indeed to failing.
Can of worms
If an action can create serious problems, it is opening a can of worms.
Cat among the pigeons
If something or someone puts the cat among the pigeons, they create a disturbance and cause trouble.
Cat nap
If you have a short sleep during the day, you are cat napping.
Cat’s whiskers
Something excellent is the cat’s whiskers.
Change horses in midstream
If people change horses in midstream, they change plans or leaders when they are in the middle of something, even though it may be very risky to do so.
Chickenfeed
If something is small or unimportant, especially money, it is chickenfeed.
Close the stable door after the horse has bolted
If people try to fix something after the problem has occurred, they are trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Cloud cuckoo land
If someone has ideas or plans that are completely unrealistic, they are living on cloud cuckoo land.
Cock and bull story
A cock and bull story is a lie someone tells that is completely unbelievable.
Cold fish
A cold fish is a person who doesn’t show how they feel.
Cold turkey
If someone suddenly stops taking drugs, instead of slowly cutting down, they do cold turkey.
Constitution of an ox
If someone has the constitution of an ox, they are less affected than most people by things like tiredness, illness, alcohol, etc.
Cook someone’s goose
If you cook someone’s goose, you ruin their plans.
Could eat a horse
If you are very hungry, you could eat a horse.
Crocodile tears
If someone cries crocodile tears, they pretend to be upset or affected by something.
Cry wolf
If someone cries wolf, they raise a false alarm about something.
Curiosity killed the cat
We use this expression to suggest to people that excessive curiosity is not necessarily a good thing, especially where it is not their business.
Dark horse
If someone is a dark horse, they are a bit of a mystery.
Dead as a dodo
If something’s dead as a dodo, it is lifeless and dull. The dodo was a bird that lived the island of Mauritius. It couldn’t fly and was hunted to extinction.
Dead duck
If something is a dead duck, it is a failure.
Dog and pony show
A dog and pony show is a presentation or some marketing that has lots of style, but no real content.
Dog days
Dog days are very hot summer days.
Dog eat dog
In a dog eat dog world, there is intense competition and rivalry, where everybody thinks only of himself.
Dog in the manger
If someone acts like a dog in the manger, they don’t want other people to have or enjoy things that are useless to them.
Dog tired
If you are dog tired, you are exhausted.
Dog’s dinner
Something that is a dog’s dinner is a real mess.
Dog’s life
If some has a dog’s life, they have a very unfortunate and wretched life.
Dog-eared
If a book is dog-eared, it is in bad condition, with torn pages, etc.
Doggy bag
If you ask for a doggy bag in a restaurant, they will pack the food you haven’t eaten for you to take home.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
This means that if you are given something, a present or a chance, you should not waste it by being too critical or examining it too closely.
Donkey’s years
This idiom means ‘a very long time’.
Drink like a fish
If someone drinks like a fish, they drink far too much alcohol.
Duck to water
If you take to something like a duck to water, you find when you start that you have a natural affinity for it.
Eager beaver
A person who is extremely keen is an eager beaver.
Eagle eyes
Someone who has eagle eyes sees everything; no detail is too small.
Early bird catches the worm
The early bird catches the worm means that if you start something early, you stand a better chance of success.
Eat crow
If you eat crow, you have to admit that you were wrong about something.
Eat like a bird
If someone eats like a bird, they eat very little.
Eat like a horse
Someone who eats like a horse, eats a lot.
Eat like a pig
If some eats like a pig, they either eat too much or they have bad table manners.
Elephant in the room
An elephant in the room is a problem that everyone knows very well but no one talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc.
Fish out of water
If you are placed in a situation that is completely new to you and confuses you, you are like a fish out of water.
Flogging a dead horse
If someone is trying to convince people to do or feel something without any hope of succeeding, they’re flogging a dead horse. This is used when someone is trying to raise interest in an issue that no-one supports anymore.
Fly on the wall
If you are able to see and hear events as they happen, you are a fly on the wall.
For donkey’s years
If people have done something, usually without much if any change, for an awfully long time, they can be said to have done it for donkey’s years.
From the horse’s mouth
If you hear something from the horse’s mouth, you hear it directly from the person concerned or responsible.
Go the whole hog
If you go the whole hog, you do something completely or to its limits.
Gone to the dogs
If something has gone to the dogs, it has gone badly wrong and lost all the good things it had.
Grab the bulls by its horns
If you grab the bull by its horns, you deal head-on and directly with a problem.
Grease monkey
A grease monkey is an idiomatic term for a mechanic.
Guinea-pig
If you are a guinea-pig, you take part in an experiment of some sort and are used in the testing.
Hair of the dog
If someone has a hair of the dog, they have an alcoholic drink as a way of getting rid of a hangover, the unpleasant effects of having drunk too much alcohol the night before. It is commonly used as a way of excusing having a drink early on in the day.
Hangdog expression
A hangdog expression is one where the person’s showing their emotions very clearly, maybe a little too clearly for your liking.
Hanged for a sheep as a lamb
This is an expression meaning that if you are going to get into trouble for doing something, then you ought to stop worrying and should try to get everything you can before you get caught.
Herding cats
If you have to try to co-ordinate a very difficult situation, where people want to do very different things, you are herding cats.
Hold your horses
If someone tells you to hold your horses, you are doing something too fast and they would like you to slow down.
Horse of a different colour
If something is a horse of a different colour, it’s a different matter or separate issue altogether.
Horse trading
Horse trading is an idiom used to describe negotiations, especially where these are difficult and involve a lot of compromise.
In donkey’s years
‘I haven’t seen her in donkey’s years.’ This means for a very long time.
In the doghouse
If someone is in the doghouse, they are in disgrace and very unpopular at the moment.
Juggle frogs
If you are juggling frogs, you are trying to do something very difficult.
Kangaroo court
When people take the law into their own hands and form courts that are not legal, these are known as kangaroo court.
Kettle of fish
A pretty or fine kettle of fish is a difficult problem or situation.
Kill the goose that lays the golden egg
If you kill the goose that lays the golden egg, you ruin something that is very profitable.
Kill two birds with one stone
When you kill two birds with one stone, you resolve two difficulties or matters with a single action.
Lame duck
If something or someone is a lame duck, they are in trouble.
Let sleeping dogs lie
If someone is told to let sleeping dogs lie, it means that they shouldn’t disturb a situation as it would result in trouble or complications.
Like a beached whale
Once a whale is on a beach, it cannot get back into the water easily, so if you are completely stuck somewhere and can’t get away, you are stranded like a beached whale.
Like a cat that got the cream
If someone looks very pleased with himself and happy, he look like a cat that got the cream.
Like a duck to water
If someone has a natural talent for something and enjoys it, they take to it like a duck to water.
Like a fish needs a bicycle
If someone needs something like a fish needs a bicycle, they do not need it at all.
Like a fish out of water
If someone feels like a fish out of water, they are very uncomfortable in the situation they are in.
Like a rat deserting a sinking ship
If people leave a company because they know that it’s about to have serious problems, or turn their back on a person about to be in a similar situation, they are said to be like rats deserting a sinking ship.
Like lambs to the slaughter
If somebody does something unpleasant without any resistance, they go like lambs to the slaughter.
Loan shark
A loan shark lends money at very high rates of interest.
Lock the stable door after the horse has bolted
If someone takes action too late, they do this; there is no reason to lock an empty stable.
Mad as a badger
If someone is as mad as a badger, they are crazy.
Mad as a hornet
If someone is as mad as a hornet, they are very angry indeed.
Mad as a March hare
Someone who is excitable and unpredictable is as mad as a March hare.
Make a monkey of someone
If you make a monkey of someone, you make him look foolish.
Memory like an elephant
‘An elephant never forgets’ is a saying, so if a person has a memory like an elephant, he or she has a very good memory indeed.
Monkey business
If children get up to monkey business, they are behaving naughtily or mischievously.
Neither fish nor fowl
Something or someone that is neither fish nor fowl doesn’t really fit into any one group.
On the hoof
If you decide something on the hoof, you do it without planning, responding to events as they happen.
On your high horse
When someone is on his high horse, he is being inflexible, arrogant and will not make any compromises.
Opening a can of worms
If you open a can of worms, you do something that will cause a lot of problems and is, on balance, probably going to cause more trouble than it’s worth.
Paper tiger
A paper tiger is a person, country, institution, etc, that looks powerful, but is actually weak.
Parrot fashion
If you learn something parrot fashion, you learn it word for word.
Pecking order
The pecking order is the order of importance or rank.
Pig in a poke
If someone buys a pig in a poke, they buy something without checking the condition it was in, usually finding out later that it was defective.
Pigs might fly
If you think something will never happen or succeed, you can say that ‘pigs might fly’.
Pup’s chance
A pup’s chance is no chance.
Putting the cart before the horse
When you put the cart before the horse, you are doing something the wrong way round.
Queer fish
A strange person is a queer fish.
Quiet as a mouse
If someone’s as quiet as a mouse, they make absolutely no noise.
Raining cats and dogs
When it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily.
Rat race
The rat race is the ruthless, competitive struggle for success in work, etc.
Red herring
If something is a distraction from the real issues, it is a red herring.
Sacred cow
Something that is a sacred cow is held in such respect that it cannot be criticised or attacked.
Separate the sheep from the goats
If you separate the sheep from the goats, you sort out the good from the bad.
Shanks’s pony
If you go somewhere by Shanks’s pony, you walk there.
Shooting fish in a barrel
If something is like shooting fish in a barrel, it is so easy that success is guaranteed.
Sick as a dog
If somebody’s as sick as a dog, they vomit violently.
Sick as a parrot
If someone’s sick as a parrot about something, they are unhappy, disappointed or depressed about it.
Sitting duck
A sitting duck is something or someone that is easy to criticise or target.
Small fry
If someone is small fry, they are unimportant. The term is often used when the police arrest the less important criminals, but are unable to catch the leaders and masterminds.
Smell a rat
If you smell a rat, you know instinctively that something is wrong or that someone is lying to you.
Snake in the grass
Someone who is a snake in the grass betrays you even though you have trusted him.
Snake oil salesperson
A person who promotes something that doesn’t work, is selling snake oil.
Straw that broke the camel’s back
The straw that broke the camel’s back is the problem that made you lose your temper or the problem that finally brought about the collapse of something.
Strong as an ox
Someone who’s exceedingly strong physically is said to be as strong as an ox.
Stubborn as a mule
Someone who will not listen to other people’s advice and won’t change their way of doing things is as stubborn as a mule.
Swansong
A person’s swansong is their final achievement or public appearance.
Swim with the fishes
If someone is swimming with the fishes, they are dead, especially if they have been murdered.
Take the bull by its horns
Taking a bull by its horns would be the most direct but also the most dangerous way to try to compete with such an animal. When we use the phrase in everyday talk, we mean that the person we are talking about tackles their problems directly and is not worried about any risks involved.
Talk the hind legs off a donkey
A person who is excessively or extremely talkative can talk the hind legs off a donkey.
Their bark is worse than their bite
If someone’s bark is worse than his bite, he get angry and shout and make threats, but don’t actually do anything.
There are many ways to skin a cat
This is an expression meaning there are many different ways of doing the same thing.
Throw someone to the wolves
If someone is thrown to the wolves, they are abandoned and have to face trouble without any support.
Top dog
The most important or influential person is the top dog.
Ugly duckling
An ugly duckling is a child who shows little promise, but who develops later into a real talent or beauty.
Water off a duck’s back
If criticism or something similar is like water off a duck’s back to somebody, they aren’t affected by it in the slightest.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander
This idiom means that the sexes should be treated the same way and not be subjected to different standards.
Which came first the chicken or the egg?
This idiomatic expression is used when it is not clear who or what caused something.
While the cat’s away, the mouse will play
People whose behaviour is strictly controlled go over the top when the authority is not around.
White elephant
A white elephant is an expensive burden; something that costs far too much money to run.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing
A wolf in sheep’s clothing is something dangerous that looks quite safe and innocent.
Work like a dog
If you work like a dog, you work very hard.
World is your oyster
When the world is your oyster, you are getting everything you want from life.
Worm information
If you worm information out of somebody, you persuade him to tell you something he wanted to keep from you.
Worm’s eye view
A worm’s eye view of something is the view from below, either physically or socially.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink
This idiom means you can offer something to someone, like good advice, but you cannot make him take it.
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
If something isn’t very good to start with, you can’t do much to improve it.
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