20 Common Animal Idioms

20 Common Animal Idioms 

20 Animal Idioms in English

English has a wonderfully rich phraseology, and animal idioms are some of the most colourful expressions in the language. They bring humour, imagery, and personality to everyday speech — but they can be confusing if you take them literally! 20 Common Animal Idioms 

Today, we’ll look at eight popular animal idioms that often appear in conversations, stories, films, and even Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced exams. Understanding them will help you sound more natural, confident and fluent.

Let’s dive in!

Bird’s-eye view

Meaning: A view of something from a high position; a general overview of a situation.

• I live on the 17th floor, so I have a beautiful bird’s-eye view of the whole city.
• The report gives a bird’s-eye view of the company’s financial health.

Have a bee in your bonnet

Meaning: To be obsessed or constantly worried about something; to keep thinking about one issue.

• John didn’t get the promotion he expected, and he’s had a bee in his bonnet about it ever since.
• She has a real bee in her bonnet about healthy eating these days — she talks about nothing else!

Let the cat out of the bag

Meaning: To reveal a secret, usually by accident.

• Why did you let the cat out of the bag and tell Mary about the party? It was supposed to be a surprise!
• Tom let the cat out of the bag during the meeting when he mentioned the new project.

Donkey’s years

Meaning: A very long time.

• It’s lovely to see you again! I haven’t seen you for donkey’s years.
• We’ve been friends for donkey’s years — since primary school, actually.

Smell a rat

Meaning: To become suspicious that something is wrong or someone is lying.

• John says he can’t help us paint because he’s “working late”. I smell a rat!
• She noticed money missing from her wallet and immediately smelled a rat.

(Feel) like a fish out of water

Meaning: To feel uncomfortable or out of place in an unfamiliar situation.

• I started my new job last week and still feel like a fish out of water.
• When he moved to London, he felt like a fish out of water at first, but he adapted quickly. 20 Common Animal Idioms 

Straight from the horse’s mouth

Meaning: Information that comes directly from someone who is involved in the situation — reliable, first-hand information.

• “How did you know Julia won’t come to the meeting?”
• “I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
• You don’t need to guess — I got the details straight from the horse’s mouth.

Wouldn’t say boo to a goose

Meaning: Used to describe someone who is extremely shy, timid or quiet.

• Anna is so timid; she wouldn’t say boo to a goose.
• He’s lovely, but he wouldn’t say boo to a goose during group discussions.

The lion’s share

Meaning: The largest or most important part of something.

• Sarah did the lion’s share of the work on the project.
• The marketing department received the lion’s share of the budget this year.

Monkey business

Meaning: Dishonest behaviour or something silly that shouldn’t be happening.

• Stop this monkey business and focus on your homework!
• The manager suspected some monkey business when money went missing.

Kill two birds with one stone

Meaning: To achieve two things at the same time with one action.

• If we visit your parents on the way, we’ll kill two birds with one stone.
• Studying on the train kills two birds with one stone — travel and revision. 20 Common Animal Idioms 

Be a dark horse

Meaning: Someone who keeps their abilities or plans secret; a surprising candidate.

• Nobody expected Emma to win the competition — she was a real dark horse.
• He’s a dark horse; he never tells us what he’s working on.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Meaning: To avoid interfering in a situation to prevent causing trouble.

• I wanted to ask about the argument, but I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
• Just let sleeping dogs lie; bringing it up again will only make things worse.

Make a dog’s breakfast of something

Meaning: To do something very badly; to mess something up.

• He made a dog’s breakfast of the report — it needs rewriting.
• Don’t let Tom fix the shelves; he’ll make a dog’s breakfast of them.

Get your ducks in a row

Meaning: To get organised and prepare thoroughly before doing something.

• Before applying for the job, make sure you get your ducks in a row.
• She spent the weekend getting her ducks in a row for the presentation. 20 Common Animal Idioms 

Be the black sheep (of the family)

Meaning: A person who is considered different, unusual, or a source of embarrassment in a group.

• He’s the black sheep of the family because he chose an unconventional career.
• I sometimes felt like the black sheep when I was younger.

Cry wolf

Meaning: To raise a false alarm so many times that people stop believing you.

• If you keep complaining about problems that don’t exist, people will think you’re crying wolf.
• She cried wolf so often that nobody believed her when she was really in trouble.

A wild goose chase

Meaning: A long and pointless search for something that doesn’t exist or is impossible to find.

• Trying to find that document without a date was a wild goose chase.
• We drove around for hours looking for the café — it turned out to be a wild goose chase.

As stubborn as a mule

Meaning: Extremely stubborn; unwilling to change one’s opinion.

• My grandfather is as stubborn as a mule — he never takes advice.
• Stop being as stubborn as a mule and listen to reason.

Take the bull by the horns

Meaning: To face a difficult situation bravely and deal with it directly.

• She took the bull by the horns and told her manager she needed help.
• It’s time to take the bull by the horns and improve our study habits.

Animal idioms bring character and charm to English. The more you understand them, the more naturally you’ll express ideas and emotions — and the easier English listening tasks will feel. Try using one or two of these expressions in your next conversation or writing task. Little by little, they’ll start to feel like second nature.

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