75 Common Animal Idioms and Their Meanings

Below is a comprehensive list of 75 animal idioms, their meanings, and examples of how to use them in sentences.

1. Barking Up the Wrong Tree

  • Meaning: Pursuing a mistaken or misguided line of thought.
  • Example: If you think I broke the vase, you’re barking up the wrong tree.

2. Let the Cat Out of the Bag

  • Meaning: Reveal a secret accidentally.
  • Example: She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

3. The Lion’s Share

  • Meaning: The largest portion.
  • Example: He took the lion’s share of the credit for the project.

4. Horse Around

  • Meaning: To play roughly.
  • Example: Stop horsing around and finish your homework.

5. Kill Two Birds with One Stone

  • Meaning: Accomplish two tasks with a single action.
  • Example: By cycling to work, he kills two birds with one stone.

6. A Fish Out of Water

  • Meaning: Uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
  • Example: He felt like a fish out of water at the formal dinner.

7. Hold Your Horses

  • Meaning: Wait a moment; be patient.
  • Example: Hold your horses, the show hasn’t started yet.

8. Elephant in the Room

  • Meaning: An obvious problem that people avoid discussing.
  • Example: The budget cuts were the elephant in the room during the meeting.

9. Pig Out

  • Meaning: To eat a lot.
  • Example: They pigged out on pizza last night.

10. Quiet as a Mouse

  • Meaning: Very quiet.
  • Example: She was as quiet as a mouse during the presentation.

11. Busy as a Bee

  • Meaning: Very busy.
  • Example: She’s been busy as a bee preparing for the exam.

12. Straight from the Horse’s Mouth

  • Meaning: From the original or most reliable source.
  • Example: I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.

13. Smell a Rat

  • Meaning: Suspect something is wrong.
  • Example: I smell a rat; this deal seems too good to be true.

14. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

  • Meaning: Someone who appears harmless but is dangerous.
  • Example: Be careful of him; he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

15. The Black Sheep

  • Meaning: The odd or disreputable member of a group.
  • Example: He’s the black sheep of the family.

16. Eager Beaver

  • Meaning: A keen and enthusiastic person.
  • Example: The new intern is an eager beaver.

17. Bird’s-Eye View

  • Meaning: A view from a high position.
  • Example: The tower offers a bird’s-eye view of the city.

18. Cat Got Your Tongue?

  • Meaning: Can’t you speak?
  • Example: What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?

19. Take the Bull by the Horns

  • Meaning: Confront a problem directly.
  • Example: She decided to take the bull by the horns and ask for a raise.

20. Go to the Dogs

  • Meaning: Deteriorate or become worse.
  • Example: The neighbourhood has gone to the dogs recently.

21. Wild Goose Chase

  • Meaning: A futile search or pursuit.
  • Example: Looking for his lost keys was a wild goose chase.

22. Get Your Ducks in a Row

  • Meaning: Organise things well.
  • Example: Before we launch the product, we need to get our ducks in a row.

23. Ants in Your Pants

  • Meaning: Unable to sit still due to excitement.
  • Example: The children had ants in their pants waiting for the show.

24. Hold a Candle to

  • Meaning: Not equal in quality.
  • Example: No other singer can hold a candle to her.

25. Open a Can of Worms

  • Meaning: Create a complicated problem.
  • Example: Discussing politics at dinner opened a can of worms.

26. Pig in a Poke

  • Meaning: Something bought without seeing or knowing its value.
  • Example: Buying that car without a test drive was a pig in a poke.

27. Curiosity Killed the Cat

  • Meaning: Being too inquisitive can lead to trouble.
  • Example: Be careful with that experiment; curiosity killed the cat.

28. Dog-Eat-Dog World

  • Meaning: Ruthlessly competitive environment.
  • Example: It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the corporate sector.

29. Monkey Business

  • Meaning: Mischievous or deceitful behaviour.
  • Example: Stop the monkey business and get back to work.

30. Cry Wolf

  • Meaning: Raise a false alarm.
  • Example: If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you.

31. Bull in a China Shop

  • Meaning: A clumsy person in a delicate situation.
  • Example: He was like a bull in a china shop at the antique store.

32. As the Crow Flies

  • Meaning: In a straight line.
  • Example: It’s ten miles away as the crow flies.

33. Get Off Your High Horse

  • Meaning: Stop behaving arrogantly.
  • Example: It’s time you got off your high horse and admitted you’re wrong.

34. Birdbrain

  • Meaning: A foolish person.
  • Example: Don’t be such a birdbrain; think it through.

35. Cat Nap

  • Meaning: A short sleep.
  • Example: I took a cat nap during my lunch break.

36. Every Dog Has Its Day

  • Meaning: Everyone gets a chance eventually.
  • Example: Don’t worry; every dog has its day.

37. Guinea Pig

  • Meaning: A test subject.
  • Example: They used me as a guinea pig for their new recipe.

38. In the Doghouse

  • Meaning: In trouble or disfavour.
  • Example: He’s in the doghouse for forgetting their anniversary.

39. Raining Cats and Dogs

  • Meaning: Raining heavily.
  • Example: It’s raining cats and dogs outside.

40. Snake in the Grass

  • Meaning: A treacherous person.
  • Example: Be careful; he’s a snake in the grass.

41. Dog Tired

  • Meaning: Very tired.
  • Example: After the hike, I was dog tired.

42. Birds of a Feather Flock Together

  • Meaning: Similar people associate with each other.
  • Example: They always hang out together; birds of a feather flock together.

43. Have a Cow

  • Meaning: Become very upset.
  • Example: Don’t have a cow; it’s not a big deal.

44. Lionhearted

  • Meaning: Very brave.
  • Example: The firefighters are lionhearted heroes.

45. Wolf Down

  • Meaning: Eat quickly.
  • Example: He wolfed down his dinner before running out.

46. Get One’s Goat

  • Meaning: To annoy someone.
  • Example: Her constant humming gets my goat.

47. Horse of a Different Colour

  • Meaning: A different matter altogether.
  • Example: I thought you wanted to quit, but that’s a horse of a different colour.

48. Cat’s Meow

  • Meaning: Something splendid or stylish.
  • Example: Her new dress is the cat’s meow.

49. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

  • Meaning: Do not disturb a situation as it might cause trouble.
  • Example: Let’s not bring up old issues; let sleeping dogs lie.

50. Swim with Sharks

  • Meaning: Involve oneself with dangerous people.
  • Example: In that business, you’ll be swimming with sharks.

51. Go Cold Turkey

  • Meaning: Quit something abruptly.
  • Example: He went cold turkey on smoking.

52. Copycat

  • Meaning: Someone who imitates another.
  • Example: She’s such a copycat, always wearing similar clothes.

53. Dog Days

  • Meaning: The hottest days of summer.
  • Example: During the dog days of August, it’s hard to work.

54. A Bull Market

  • Meaning: A period of rising stock prices.
  • Example: Investors are optimistic during a bull market.

55. A Fly on the Wall

  • Meaning: An unnoticed observer.
  • Example: I’d love to be a fly on the wall during their meetings.

56. Dark Horse

  • Meaning: Someone who unexpectedly wins or succeeds.
  • Example: He was the dark horse of the competition.

57. Early Bird

  • Meaning: A person who wakes up or arrives early.
  • Example: The early bird catches the worm.

58. Eat Like a Horse

  • Meaning: To eat a lot.
  • Example: Teenagers often eat like horses.

59. Hound Someone

  • Meaning: To persistently pursue someone.
  • Example: The press hounded the celebrity for comments.

60. One-Trick Pony

  • Meaning: Someone good at only one thing.
  • Example: He’s not a one-trick pony; he can adapt to new challenges.

61. Black Cat Crossing Your Path

  • Meaning: Sign of bad luck.
  • Example: Superstitious people think a black cat crossing your path is unlucky.

62. Open Pandora’s Box

  • Meaning: To start something that leads to many problems.
  • Example: Changing the rules opened Pandora’s box of complaints.

63. Peacocking

  • Meaning: Showing off to attract attention.
  • Example: He’s always peacocking at parties.

64. Rabbit Hole

  • Meaning: A complex or bizarre situation.
  • Example: Researching that topic led me down a rabbit hole.

65. Snake Oil

  • Meaning: Deceptive talk or products.
  • Example: That miracle cure is just snake oil.

66. Straight as the Crow Flies

  • Meaning: The most direct route.
  • Example: It’s five miles straight as the crow flies.

67. Like Water off a Duck’s Back

  • Meaning: Having no effect.
  • Example: Insults roll off him like water off a duck’s back.

68. Bullish

  • Meaning: Optimistic about something.
  • Example: Investors are bullish about the new startup.

69. Fox in the Henhouse

  • Meaning: Someone who causes trouble among the vulnerable.
  • Example: Putting him in charge is like letting a fox in the henhouse.

70. Horse of a Different Colour

  • Meaning: A different matter.
  • Example: We agreed on the budget, but the timeline is a horse of a different colour.

71. Top Dog

  • Meaning: The most important person.
  • Example: He’s the top dog in the company.

72. Mad as a March Hare

  • Meaning: Completely crazy.
  • Example: He’s mad as a March hare if he thinks that’ll work.

73. Sly as a Fox

  • Meaning: Very cunning.
  • Example: She’s sly as a fox when negotiating deals.

74. Memory Like an Elephant

  • Meaning: Very good memory.
  • Example: She has a memory like an elephant.

75. Watching Like a Hawk

  • Meaning: Watching very closely.
  • Example: The teacher was watching the students like a hawk during the exam.

How to Use Animal Idioms

Tips for Using Idioms Effectively

  1. Understand the Context: Know when an idiom is appropriate.
  2. Practice Regularly: Use idioms in sentences to become familiar.
  3. Listen to Native Speakers: Watch British films or listen to podcasts.
  4. Start Slowly: Introduce idioms one at a time.
  5. Ask for Feedback: Don’t hesitate to ask if you’re using them correctly.
  6. Keep a Journal: Write down new idioms you learn.
  7. Use in Conversations: Try them out with friends or teachers.

Exercises: Practise Animal Idioms

Test your understanding with these exercises.

Exercise 1: Match the Idiom to Its Meaning

Match each idiom with its correct meaning.

a) Let the cat out of the bag
b) Elephant in the room
c) Monkey business
d) Smell a rat
e) Hold your horses
f) Cry wolf
g) Bull in a china shop
h) Busy as a bee
i) Wolf in sheep’s clothing
j) Raining cats and dogs

  1. Stop; wait a moment
  2. Very busy
  3. Reveal a secret
  4. Obvious problem not discussed
  5. Mischievous behaviour
  6. Heavy rain
  7. Clumsy person
  8. Raise a false alarm
  9. Suspect something wrong
  10. Dangerous person appearing harmless

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct animal idiom.

  1. He’s always ________ around instead of working.
  2. She felt like a ________ out of water at the new school.
  3. The manager took the ________ share of the praise.
  4. Let’s not ________ around the bush; we need to talk.
  5. After running the marathon, I was ________ tired.

Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Idiom

Select the best idiom to complete each sentence.

  1. When he heard the news, he was ________.a) over the moon
    b) in the doghouse
    c) barking up the wrong tree
  2. They ________ on the buffet at the party.a) pigged out
    b) held their horses
    c) smelled a rat
  3. She’s always early; she’s an ________.a) eager beaver
    b) early bird
    c) black sheep

Exercise 4: Idiom Identification

Identify the idiom in each sentence and explain its meaning.

  1. “I think we’re chasing a wild goose here.”
  2. “Don’t let the cat get your tongue.”
  3. “He’s as sly as a fox.”

Exercise 5: Create Your Own Sentences

Use the following idioms in your own sentences:

  1. Hold your horses
  2. Elephant in the room
  3. Let the cat out of the bag
  4. Busy as a bee
  5. Get your ducks in a row

Answers

Exercise 1: Match the Idiom to Its Meaning

a) Let the cat out of the bag – 3. Reveal a secret
b) Elephant in the room – 4. Obvious problem not discussed
c) Monkey business – 5. Mischievous behaviour
d) Smell a rat – 9. Suspect something wrong
e) Hold your horses – 1. Stop; wait a moment
f) Cry wolf – 8. Raise a false alarm
g) Bull in a china shop – 7. Clumsy person
h) Busy as a bee – 2. Very busy
i) Wolf in sheep’s clothing – 10. Dangerous person appearing harmless
j) Raining cats and dogs – 6. Heavy rain

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

  1. He’s always horsing around instead of working.
  2. She felt like a fish out of water at the new school.
  3. The manager took the lion’s share of the praise.
  4. Let’s not beat around the bush; we need to talk.
  5. After running the marathon, I was dog tired.

Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Idiom

  1. When he heard the news, he was over the moon.
  2. They pigged out on the buffet at the party.
  3. She’s always early; she’s an early bird.

Exercise 4: Idiom Identification

  1. “I think we’re chasing a wild goose here.”
    • Idiom: Wild goose chase
    • Meaning: A futile search or pursuit.
  2. “Don’t let the cat get your tongue.”
    • Idiom: Cat got your tongue
    • Meaning: Why are you not speaking?
  3. “He’s as sly as a fox.”
    • Idiom: Sly as a fox
    • Meaning: Very cunning.

Exercise 5: Create Your Own Sentences

Answers will vary. Here are some examples:

  1. Hold your horses, we haven’t finished the preparations yet.
  2. No one mentioned the budget cuts—the elephant in the room.
  3. He accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the new project.
  4. She’s busy as a bee getting ready for the wedding.
  5. Before starting the event, let’s get our ducks in a row.

Feel free to ask any questions, share your thoughts, or write your own sentences using animal idioms in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!