Animal idioms in English

Animal idioms

English is full of colorful expressions, and animal idioms are some of the most vivid and fun. From cats and dogs to lions and elephants, animals have crept into our language to describe emotions, behaviors, and situations often with a humorous twist.

What is an Idiom?

An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is different from the literal meanings of the individual words. Idioms add flavor to your speech and help you sound more natural and expressive.

List of Common Animal idioms with Meaning and Example Sentence

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
800-pound gorilla	A dominant or overwhelming force	Google is the 800-pound gorilla in the tech industry.
A barking dog seldom bites	People who threaten often don’t act	He yells a lot, but a barking dog seldom bites.
A bull market	A period of rising stock prices	Investors profit during a bull market.
A cat gets one’s tongue	Too shy to speak	Why so quiet? Has a cat got your tongue?
A fish out of water	Someone in an uncomfortable situation	At the formal event, he felt like a fish out of water.
A fly on the wall	An unnoticed observer	I’d love to be a fly on the wall in their meeting.
A paper tiger	Something that seems strong but is weak	The rival company is just a paper tiger.
Albatross around your neck	A heavy burden	His debt is an albatross around his neck.
All bark and no bite	Threatens but doesn’t act	She complains a lot but is all bark and no bite.
An alley cat	A tough stray (person or animal)	He lived like an alley cat, always on the streets.
Angry as a bear	Very angry	When he lost, he was angry as a bear.
Angry as a bull	Extremely furious	She was angry as a bull when she saw the mess.
Ants in one’s pants	Restless or fidgety	The kids had ants in their pants before the trip.
As mad as a wrongly shot hog	Extremely angry	He was as mad as a wrongly shot hog when he found out.
As poor as a church mouse	Very poor	After losing his job, he was as poor as a church mouse.
As rare as hen’s teeth	Extremely rare	Honest politicians are as rare as hen’s teeth.
As the crow flies	In a straight line	The town is 10 miles away as the crow flies.
At a snail’s pace	Very slowly	Traffic moved at a snail’s pace.
Back the wrong horse	Support a losing side	He backed the wrong horse in the election.
Barking up the wrong tree	Accusing the wrong person	If you think I did it, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Bats in the belfry	Crazy or eccentric	He must have bats in the belfry to believe that.
Be on the pig’s back	In a lucky situation	After his promotion, he was on the pig’s back.
Bear market	Falling stock prices	Investors panic during a bear market.
Beard the lion in his own den	Confront someone powerful	He had to beard the lion in his own den to get answers.
Beating a dead horse	Wasting effort on a lost cause	Arguing is just beating a dead horse.
Bee in your bonnet	Obsessed with an idea	She’s got a bee in her bonnet about fitness.
Bee’s knees	Excellent	This new phone is the bee’s knees.
Beeline for	Go straight toward	She made a beeline for the dessert table.
Bell the cat	Take a dangerous risk	Who will bell the cat and confront the boss?
Big fish	An important person	In Hollywood, he’s a big fish.
Big fish in a small pond	Important in a limited area	He’s a big fish in a small pond at his local firm.
Bigger fish to fry	More important things to do	I’ve got bigger fish to fry than this minor issue.
Black cat crossing your path	Bad luck (superstition)	She panicked when a black cat crossed her path.
Black sheep	A disreputable family member	He’s the black sheep of the family.
Blind as a bat	Very poor eyesight	Without glasses, I’m blind as a bat.
Break the back of the beast	Overcome a major challenge	We broke the back of the beast and finished the project.
Bull in a china shop	Clumsy or reckless	He barged in like a bull in a china shop.
Bull market	Rising stock prices	The bull market made investors rich.
Bull session	Informal discussion	We had a long bull session about politics.
Bull-headed	Stubborn	He’s too bull-headed to admit he’s wrong.
Bullish	Optimistic (finance)	Traders are bullish about the economy.
Busy as a beaver	Very hardworking	She’s been busy as a beaver preparing for the event.
Busy as a bee	Extremely active or occupied	He’s always busy as a bee with his projects.
Butterflies in one’s stomach	Nervousness	Before the interview, I had butterflies in my stomach.
By a whisker	Very narrowly	He won the race by a whisker.
Calf lick	A stubborn cowlick (hair)	No matter how I comb it, this calf lick won’t stay down.
Call the dogs off	Stop pressuring or attacking	The boss finally called the dogs off and let us relax.
Camel’s nose	A small problem leading to bigger ones	Allowing overtime was the camel’s nose—now everyone works late.
Can of worms	A complicated issue	Changing the policy opened a can of worms.
Canary in a coal mine	An early warning sign	Rising prices are the canary in a coal mine for inflation.
Cash cow	A profitable business	That product is the company’s cash cow.
Cast pearls before swine	Waste something valuable on the unappreciative	Explaining poetry to him is like casting pearls before swine.
Cast sheep’s eyes at	Look at someone romantically	He kept casting sheep’s eyes at her during dinner.
Cat among the pigeons	Causing trouble	His sudden resignation was a cat among the pigeons.
Cat and dog life	Constant arguing	They lead a cat and dog life, always fighting.
Cat and mouse	A chase or evasion game	The spy played cat and mouse with the agents.
Cat got your tongue?	Why are you silent?	You’re not answering—cat got your tongue?
Cat nap	A short sleep	I took a cat nap before the meeting.
Cat’s pajamas	Something excellent	This new gadget is the cat’s pajamas.
Cat’s whiskers	Outstanding (similar to “bee’s knees”)	Her design skills are the cat’s whiskers.
Cats and dogs	Heavy rain	It’s raining cats and dogs outside!
Cat’s meow	Something impressive	That vintage car is the cat’s meow.
Change horses in midstream	Switch plans at a bad time	We can’t change horses in midstream—stick to the strategy.
Charley horse	A leg cramp	I got a Charley horse while running.
Chickenfeed	A trivial amount of money	The bonus was just chickenfeed.
Cloud cuckoo land	A delusional fantasy	If he thinks he’ll win, he’s in cloud cuckoo land.
Cock and bull story	An unbelievable lie	His excuse was a cock and bull story.
Cock in the henhouse	A disruptive presence	Hiring him was like putting a cock in the henhouse.
Cock of the walk	A domineering leader	He struts around like the cock of the walk.
Cold fish	An unemotional person	She’s a cold fish—she never shows affection.
Cold turkey	Quit something abruptly	He quit smoking cold turkey.
Come out of your shell	Become less shy	She finally came out of her shell at the party.
Constitution of an ox	Very strong health	Despite his age, he has the constitution of an ox.
Cook someone’s goose	Ruin their plans	His betrayal cooked his goose with the team.
Cool as a cat	Calm and composed	Even in chaos, he stays cool as a cat.
Copycat	Someone who imitates	Stop being a copycat and think for yourself.
Could eat a horse	Extremely hungry	After hiking, I could eat a horse.
Count sheep	Try to fall asleep	I was counting sheep all night.
Creature comforts	Basic luxuries	After camping, I missed my creature comforts.
Crickets	Silence or no response	When I asked for volunteers, there were crickets.
Crocodile tears	Fake sadness	She shed crocodile tears at his apology.
Crooked as a dog’s hind leg	Dishonest	That politician is crooked as a dog’s hind leg.
Cry wolf	Give false alarms	If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you when it’s serious.
Cuckoo in the nest	A disruptive outsider	The new manager was seen as a cuckoo in the nest.
Curiosity killed the cat	Being too nosy can be dangerous	Don’t pry into her secrets—curiosity killed the cat.
Cute as a bug	Very adorable	Your puppy is cute as a bug!
Dark horse	An unexpected winner	She was a dark horse in the competition.
Dead as a dodo	Completely obsolete	Floppy disks are dead as a dodo.
Dead cat bounce	A temporary recovery (finance)	The stock’s rise was just a dead cat bounce.
Dead duck	A hopeless situation	Without funding, the project is a dead duck.
Deer in the headlights	Frozen in fear	When asked to speak, he looked like a deer in the headlights.
Dinosaur	Outdated person/thing	His flip phone makes him a dinosaur.
Dirty dog	A deceitful person	That dirty dog stole my idea!
Dog and pony show	A flashy presentation	The CEO’s speech was just a dog and pony show.
Dog days	Hot, lazy summer days	We’re sweating through the dog days of August.
Dog eat dog	Ruthless competition	The business world is dog eat dog.
Dog in the manger	Someone who hoards uselessly	Don’t be a dog in the manger—share the tools!
Dog tired	Exhausted	After the marathon, I was dog tired.
Dog’s dinner	A mess	He made a dog’s dinner of the presentation.
Dog’s life	A miserable existence	Working two jobs is a dog’s life.
Dog-eared	Worn (like a book’s corners)	My favorite novel is dog-eared from rereading.
Dog-eat-dog world	A fiercely competitive environment	Politics is a dog-eat-dog world.
Doggy bag	Leftovers taken from a restaurant	Can we get a doggy bag for this pizza?
Donkey work	Hard, boring labor	Interns often do the donkey work.
Donkey’s years	A very long time	I haven’t seen her in donkey’s years.
Drink like a fish	Drink alcohol excessively	At parties, he drinks like a fish.
Drop like flies	Fail/collapse rapidly	Employees are dropping like flies from burnout.
Duck to water	Adapt easily	She took to skiing like a duck to water.
Ducks in a row	Well-organized	Get your ducks in a row before the meeting.
Eager beaver	An overly enthusiastic person	The new intern is an eager beaver.
Eagle eyes	Keen observation	The editor spotted errors with her eagle eyes.
Eat crow	Admit a humiliating mistake	After his prediction failed, he had to eat crow.
Eat like a bird	Eat very little	She eats like a bird—just a salad for lunch.
Eat like a horse	Eat a lot	Teenage boys eat like horses.
Eat like a pig	Eat messily/gluttonously	He ate like a pig at the buffet.
Elephant in the room	An obvious, ignored problem	His drinking is the elephant in the room.
Enough to cobble dogs with	An excessive amount	She has shoes enough to cobble dogs with.
Even the dogs in the street know	Common knowledge	Even the dogs in the street know he’s lying.
Every ass likes to hear himself bray	People enjoy talking about themselves	He won’t stop bragging—every ass likes to hear himself bray.
Every dog has its day	Everyone gets success eventually	Don’t give up—every dog has its day.
Fat cat	A wealthy, powerful person	Corporate fat cats ignore workers’ struggles.
Feather your own nest	Enrich yourself selfishly	Politicians often feather their own nests.
Feathers fly	A fierce argument	When they debated, feathers flew.
Fight like Kilkenny cats	Fight viciously	The siblings fought like Kilkenny cats over the inheritance.
Fine as frog’s hair	Extremely fine or delicate (also meaning “rare”)	This silk is fine as frog’s hair.
Fish or cut bait	Decide to act or step aside	It’s time to fish or cut bait—commit or quit.
Fish out of water	Someone in an uncomfortable situation	At the formal gala, Jake felt like a fish out of water.
Fishy	Suspicious	His excuse sounds fishy to me.
Fit as a butcher’s dog	Very healthy and strong	After training, he’s fit as a butcher’s dog.
Flash as a rat with a gold tooth	Tackily showy	His new watch is flash as a rat with a gold tooth.
Flat out like a lizard drinking	Working very hard	We’ve been flat out like a lizard drinking to meet the deadline.
Flip someone the bird	Make a rude gesture	He flipped the bird to the driver who cut him off.
Flogging a dead horse	Wasting effort on a lost cause	Arguing about it is just flogging a dead horse.
Fly in the ointment	A small problem that ruins something	The rain was the fly in the ointment at the picnic.
Fly on the wall	An unnoticed observer	I’d love to be a fly on the wall in their meeting.
Fly the coop	Escape or leave suddenly	The prisoner flew the coop during the night.
For donkey’s years	For a very long time	They’ve lived here for donkey’s years.
For the birds	Worthless or unimportant	This meeting is for the birds.
Fox in the henhouse	A dangerous intruder	Hiring him was like putting a fox in the henhouse.
Frog strangler	A heavy rainstorm	We got caught in a real frog strangler yesterday.
From the horse’s mouth	Directly from the source	I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Full as a tick	Completely full (after eating)	After Thanksgiving dinner, I was full as a tick.
Get a sheepskin	Earn a diploma	She finally got her sheepskin after four years.
Get off your high horse	Stop being arrogant	Get off your high horse and listen to others.
Get one’s goat	Annoy someone	His constant bragging really gets my goat.
Get the monkey off your back	Overcome an addiction/problem	He finally got the monkey off his back and quit smoking.
Get your ducks in a row	Organize things properly	Let’s get our ducks in a row before the presentation.
Get your feathers in a bunch	Become upset	Don’t get your feathers in a bunch over small mistakes.
Give a dog a bad name	Damage someone’s reputation unfairly	Once they gave him a dog’s bad name, no one trusted him.
Glory hound	Someone who seeks praise	The senator is just a glory hound.
Go cold turkey	Quit something abruptly	She went cold turkey on caffeine.
Go tell it to birds	Express disbelief	You expect me to believe that? Go tell it to birds!
Go the whole hog	Do something completely	If we’re renovating, let’s go the whole hog.
Go to the dogs	Decline in quality	This neighborhood has gone to the dogs.
Gone fishing	Not available/not working	The boss is gone fishing this week.
Grab the bull by its horns	Face a problem directly	She grabbed the bull by its horns and fixed the issue.
Grease monkey	A mechanic (sometimes derogatory)	The grease monkey fixed my car in no time.
Grin like a Cheshire cat	Smile widely and mysteriously	He sat there grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Guinea pig	A test subject	We need a guinea pig to try this new recipe.
Hair of the dog	Alcohol to cure a hangover	He had a beer as the hair of the dog.
Hangdog expression	A guilty or ashamed look	He wore a hangdog expression after being caught.
Hanged for a sheep as a lamb	Risk big punishment for small gain	If I’m going to be late anyway, I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.
Have a cow	Overreact angrily	Don’t have a cow—it’s just a small scratch.
Hay is for horses	A rebuke for saying “hey”	“Hay is for horses,” the teacher scolded.
Healthy as a horse	Very healthy	Despite his age, he’s healthy as a horse.
Herding cats	Managing something impossible	Organizing the volunteers is like herding cats.
High on the hog	Living luxuriously	After his promotion, he’s living high on the hog.
Hive of worker bees	A place of busy activity	The office was a hive of worker bees before the deadline.
Hold a candle to	Compare unfavorably	No one can hold a candle to her singing.
Hold your horses	Wait a minute	Hold your horses—let’s think before acting.
Hornets’ nest	A dangerous situation	His comments stirred up a hornets’ nest.
Horse around	Play roughly	Stop horsing around and get to work.
Horse of a different color	A completely different matter	I thought we were discussing the budget, but this is a horse of a different color.
Horse trading	Hard bargaining or negotiation	The contract signing involved a lot of horse trading.
Hound someone	Persistently pursue or pester	The bill collectors keep hounding me for payment.
How the hog ate the cabbage	The plain truth	Let me tell you how the hog ate the cabbage—we’re broke.
Hungry as a bear	Extremely hungry	After hiking all day, I was hungry as a bear.
I’ll be a monkey’s uncle	Expression of shock or disbelief	I’ll be a monkey’s uncle—you actually won the lottery?
In a dog’s age	For a very long time	I haven’t seen you in a dog’s age!
In a pig’s eye	Not at all (sarcastic disbelief)	You finished the project early? In a pig’s eye!
In donkey’s years	For a very long time	I haven’t been to the beach in donkey’s years.
In the catbird seat	In an advantageous position	After the promotion, she was in the catbird seat.
In the doghouse	In trouble (usually with a partner)	He forgot their anniversary and is in the doghouse.
Juggle frogs	Manage chaotic tasks	Running this project feels like juggling frogs.
Jump the shark	Pass peak quality (decline)	The show jumped the shark after season 5.
Kangaroo court	An unfair, biased trial	The trial was a kangaroo court with no real justice.
Keep on a short leash	Control tightly	The boss keeps new employees on a short leash.
Keep the wolf at bay	Avoid financial ruin	This job barely keeps the wolf at bay.
Keep the wolf from the door	Have enough to survive	Her part-time job keeps the wolf from the door.
Kettle of fish	A complicated situation	The new tax law is a fine kettle of fish.
Kill the fatted calf	Celebrate lavishly	When he returned, they killed the fatted calf.
Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two goals at once	Cycling to work kills two birds with one stone.
Knee-high to a grasshopper	Very young/small	I’ve known her since she was knee-high to a grasshopper.
Know a hawk from a handsaw	Be mentally clear	After coffee, I could know a hawk from a handsaw.
Lame duck	An ineffective leader	The outgoing mayor is a lame duck.
Lap dog	A submissive follower	The senator was just the CEO’s lap dog.
Leopard can’t change its spots	People can’t change their nature	He’ll never quit gambling—a leopard can’t change its spots.
Let sleeping dogs lie	Avoid stirring up old issues	Don’t mention her ex—let sleeping dogs lie.
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret	She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Like shooting fish in a barrel	Extremely easy	Fixing this bug is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Like water off a duck’s back	Without any effect	Criticism rolls off him like water off a duck’s back.
Lionhearted	Very brave	The lionhearted firefighter saved the child.
Look what the cat dragged in	Mocking someone’s messy appearance	Look what the cat dragged in—where have you been?
Mad as a hornet	Extremely angry	When he saw the damage, he was mad as a hornet.
Mad as a March hare	Crazy or eccentric	He’s mad as a March hare with his conspiracy theories.
Memory like an elephant	Excellent recall	Grandma has a memory like an elephant.
Monkey business	Dishonest or silly behavior	The audit revealed monkey business in the accounts.
One-trick pony	Only skilled in one area	He’s a one-trick pony—great at coding but nothing else.
Open a can of worms	Create complications	Asking about his past opened a can of worms.
Open Pandora’s box	Start unforeseen troubles	The investigation opened Pandora’s box.
Peacocking	Showy display to attract attention	His flashy clothes are just peacocking.
Pet peeve	A minor annoyance	Loud chewing is my pet peeve.
Pick of the litter	The best of a group	She got the pick of the litter from the puppies.
Pig in a poke	A risky blind purchase	Buying that car unseen was a pig in a poke.
Pig out	Eat excessively	We pigged out at the all-you-can-eat buffet.
Plenty of fish in the sea	Many other opportunities	Don’t worry about him—there are plenty of fish in the sea.
Puppy love	Adolescent infatuation	Their romance was just puppy love.
Quiet as a mouse	Very silent	The kids were quiet as mice during the movie.
Rabbit hole	A time-consuming tangent	Researching online led me down a rabbit hole.
Raining cats and dogs	Heavy rain	Take an umbrella—it’s raining cats and dogs.
Rat race	Competitive work grind	He quit the rat race to travel the world.
Road hog	A selfish driver	That road hog won’t let anyone pass.
Sly as a fox	Very cunning	She’s sly as a fox in negotiations.
Smell a rat	Sense deception	I smell a rat—this deal seems too good.
Snake in the grass	A hidden enemy	He pretended to befriend us but was a snake in the grass.
Snake oil	A fraudulent product	That “miracle cure” is just snake oil.
Straight as the crow flies	Direct route	It’s 5 miles as the crow flies, but 10 by road.
Straight from the horse’s mouth	Direct from the source	I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Swim with sharks	Compete with ruthless people	In Wall Street, you’re swimming with sharks.
Take the bull by the horns	Confront a problem boldly	She took the bull by the horns and fixed the issue.
The black sheep	The disreputable family member	He’s always been the black sheep of the family.
The lion’s share	The largest portion	The CEO took the lion’s share of the profits.
The world is your oyster	Unlimited opportunities	After graduation, the world is your oyster.
To back the wrong horse	Support a loser	I backed the wrong horse in that election.
To bug someone	Annoy persistently	Stop bugging me about chores!
To cast pearls before swine	Waste effort on the unworthy	Explaining art to him is casting pearls before swine.
To have a tiger by the tail	Be in a risky situation	Managing this project is like having a tiger by the tail.
To have butterflies in your stomach	Feel nervous	Before the speech, I had butterflies in my stomach.
To make a mountain out of a molehill	Exaggerate a small issue	You’re making a mountain out of a molehill—it’s just a scratch.
To serve as a guinea pig	Be a test subject	I served as a guinea pig for the new vaccine.
Top dog	The leader	She’s the top dog at the law firm.
Until the cows come home	For a very long time	You can argue until the cows come home, but I won’t agree.
Watching like a hawk	Observing closely	The teacher watched us like a hawk during the test.
Wild goose chase	A futile pursuit	Searching for him was a wild goose chase.
Wolf down	Eat quickly	He wolfed down his lunch in two minutes.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing	A deceptive enemy	Beware—he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Animal idioms are a delightful and creative part of the English language. Learning them not only improves your fluency but also gives you insight into how culture and language intertwine. So next time you’re “busy as a bee” or “letting the cat out of the bag,” know that you’re speaking like a native!

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