25 animals idioms with meaning

by **Mohammad Ahmad** Tue May 29, 2018 6:43 pm

Idioms pertaining to animals are used in vocabulary everyday life
. 1- At a snail’s pace
Meaning: Moving very slowly
Example: Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace.
2- Busy as a bee
Meaning: Extremely busy
Example: My son is working on his science project. He’s been as busy as a bee all day.
3- Open a can of worms
Meaning: Create a whole new set of problems
Example: You’ve opened a real can of worms here.
4- Wild goose chase
Meaning: Chasing something that’s very difficult (or impossible) to catch
Example: You’re taking me on a wild goose chase, will you just give me an exact address where I should go?
5- The world is your oyster
Meaning: You have many good opportunities in front of you
Example: You just graduated from a wonderful university, so the world is your oyster!
6- Watching like a hawk
Meaning: Watching something very, very, closely
Example: The boss watches us like a hawk.
7- Mad as a hornet (USA)
Meaning: Very angry, or furious
Example: Mom was as mad as a hornet when we broke the mirror.
8- Dog eat dog
Meaning: Very competitive
Example: It’s a dog eat dog world out there.
9- Eagle eyes
Meaning: Have excellent vision, or watching something very closely, not missing a detail
Example: The teacher goes over the tests with an eagle eye.
10- Get your ducks in a row
Meaning: Organize things
Example: I’ll be reviewing things to make sure you have your ducks in a row.
11- Guinea pig
Meaning: Test subject
Example: We’re conducting a study and we’re looking for volunteers to act as guinea pigs.
12- Hold your horses
Meaning: Slow down, stop
Example: Hold your horses! There’s no need to rush.
13- I’ll be a monkey’s uncle
Meaning: I’m very surprised
Example: Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. I never thought I’d pass that test.
. 14- Let sleeping dogs lie
Meaning: Leave it alone, leave something in peace
Example: I’m not telling the boss about Mark’s problem, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
15- Pet peeve
Meaning: Common annoyance, something that’s specifically annoying to you
Example: I hate when people don’t put things back where they belong, it’s a pet peeve of mine.
16- Pick of the litter
Meaning: The best choice, or your favorite option
Example: All the boys want to take her on a date, she can have the pick of the litter.
17- Puppy love
Meaning: Feelings of love or affection, usually innocent and temporary, occurring during childhood or adolescence.
Example: I had a crush on my next door neighbor, but that was just puppy love.
18- Like shooting fish in a barrel
Meaning: Very easy to catch or trick
Example: I’m an expert in auto repair, fixing this is like shooting fish in a barrel.
19- A little bird (birdie) told me
Meaning: Somebody secretly told me
Example: I heard you were accepted to Harvard, a little birdie told me!
20- Bull in a china shop
Meaning: Very clumsy person
Example: He was like a bull in a china shop, he completely messed everything up.
21- Butterflies in one’s stomach
Example: I was so nervous before my speech, I had butterflies in my stomach.
22- All bark and no bite
Example: My boss yells a lot, but he’s all bark and no bite.
23 Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Meaning: A question that shows that there may be no right answer
24- Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: Something or someone dangerous presenting as gentle, weak or innocent
Example: Don’t trust him, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
25- You can’t teach an old dog new tricks