Animal Idioms
To have ants in one’s pants – unable to sit still or remain calm out of nervousness or excitement Lisa had ants in her pants the day before her interview. The birds and the bees – sex education I learned about the birds and the bees when my baby brother was born. To have/take a cat nap – a short nap I’m going to take a cat nap while you’re cooking dinner. Cat’s got your tongue – said about someone who doesn’t speak, usually due to shyness Looks like the cat’s got your tongue. Are you always this quiet?
To chicken out – to decide not to do something out of fear (usually at the last minute) I was going to take a ride on Jeff’s motorcycle, but I chickened out when he handed me the helmet. To clam up – to become quiet suddenly Arthur clammed up when I asked him about his family. Copy cat – a person who does the same thing as someone else My sister is such a copy cat. First she bought the same purse as me, and now she wants the same phone case, too. Dog days – very hot days I sleep in the basement during the dog days of summer.
To drop like flies – dying/giving up quickly Due to the spread of cholera, people were dropping like flies. Eager beaver – a person who is excited about doing certain work Kathy is an eager beaver when it comes to planning office parties. Fishy – suspicious, odd I knew something was fishy when I saw all of my friends’ cars in my mom’s driveway. To have a cow – to get extremely upset (often over something minor) My teacher had a cow when she realized none of us had done the homework.
Hold your horses – wait and be patient Hold your horses! We can’t buy the tickets until we know whether Alex can come for sure. To horse around – to play roughly; wrestle or goof around If you boys are going to horse around, please go outside. Alright, enough horsing around. Let’s get back to work! Holy cow! – wow! I’m surprised! Holy cow! I can’t believe you finished the entire pizza. To get the lion’s share – to get the greatest percentage My aunt got the lion’s share of the inheritance.
To be in the dog house – in trouble with another person Lexi saw Jimmy talking to his ex at her birthday party so he’s in the dog house right now. To kill two birds with one stone – to get two things done at once If you pick up the groceries when you drop George off at work, you can kill two birds with one stone. Kitty-corner (catty-corner) – diagonal direction The gas station is kitty-corner to the library. To let the cat out of the bag – to reveal a secret Who let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party?
To be the cat’s pajamas / meow – an excellent person or thing Fred’s new car is the cat’s pajamas. A little bird told me – I heard something from someone (usually secretive or unknown) A little bird told me you went out to dinner with John last night. To make a beeline – to go straight for something My grandma made a beeline for the smoking area as soon as she got off the airplane. Monkey see, monkey do – silly/unintelligent people tend to copy each other’s actions Don’t light anything on fire in front of Tommy. Monkey see, monkey do!
Nest egg – money saved and held in reserve for emergencies, retirement, etc. They built up a nest egg for the son’s college education. To pig out – to eat a lot of something We pigged out on pancakes and muffins this morning so we don’t have room for lunch. To rain cats and dogs – to rain heavily I forgot my umbrella and it was raining cats and dogs, so by the time I got home I was soaked. To smell a rat – to begin to suspect trickery or deception I asked my brother not tell my mom that I went out, but I could smell a rat as soon as I opened the door.
Straight from the horse’s mouth – directly from the original source I know Jenny is pregnant because I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth. To take the bull by the horns – to face a challenge or danger boldly If you really think you deserve a promotion, you’ll have to take the bull by the horns. Until the cows come home – for a very long time If you ask her about her ex, she’ll talk until the cows come home. It’s a dog eat dog world – a very competitive world It’s a dog eat dog world out there. You have to do whatever you can to survive. To beat a dead horse – to waste time doing something that has already been attempted Do you think it’s worth sending my manuscript to other publishers or am I just beating a dead horse?