as poor as a church mouse
- very poor
My cousin is as poor as a church mouse and never has any money to spend.
as quiet as a mouse
- very quiet, shy
I was as quiet as a mouse when I left my house early this morning.
the best-laid plans of mice and men
- the best thought-out plans that anyone can make
The best-laid plans of mice and men could not prevent our travel problems.
play cat and mouse with (someone)
- to tease or fool someone, to change between different types of behavior when dealing with someone
The man is playing cat and mouse with his company about his plans to quit or not.
when the cat's away, the mice will play
- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble
When the cat's away, the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to play around.
pig/hog Idioms
as fat as a pig
- very fat
The woman in the supermarket was as fat as a pig.
buy a pig in a poke
- to buy something without seeing it or knowing anything about it
You can buy the used computer but it will be like buying a pig in a poke if you do not look at it first.
cast pearls before swine
- to waste something on someone who will not be thankful or care about it
Giving the jewellery to the woman will be casting pearls before swine. She will not appreciate it at all.
eat high on/off the hog
- to eat good or expensive food
We were eating high off the hog during our ocean cruise.
go hog-wild
- to behave wildly
The soccer fans went hog-wild when they arrived in the city for the game.
go whole hog
- to do everything possible, to be extravagant
We went whole hog in our effort to make the convention a success.
in a pig`s eye
- unlikely, not so, never
Never in a pig`s eye will my friend be able to save enough money to go to Mexico for the winter.
live high on/off the hog
- to have the best of everything
My friend has been living high on the hog since he changed jobs.
make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
- to create something of value from something of no value
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. There is no point in trying to teach that woman manners.
piggy bank
- a small bank (sometimes in the shape of a pig) for saving money
The boy has been putting money into his piggy bank to save for a bicycle.
piggyback
- sitting or being carried on someone`s back and shoulders
The boy was riding piggyback on his father`s shoulders.
a road hog
- a car driver who uses more than his share of the road
The person in front of me on the highway was a road hog but I tried not to get angry.
rat Idioms
rat on (someone)
- to report someone's bad behavior to someone
The little boy ratted on his friend at school.
rat out on (someone)
- to desert or betray someone
The boy ratted out on his friends. Now they won`t talk to him.
rat race
- a rushed and confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose
My uncle is tired of being in the rat race every day. He plans to quit his job soon and do something else.
smell a rat
- to be suspicious of someone or something, to feel that something is wrong
I smell a rat. There is something wrong with the free credit card offer.
sheep/goat Idioms
as gentle as a lamb
- very gentle
The girl is as gentle as a lamb when she is with her little sister.
as innocent as a lamb
- having no guilt, naive
The little girl is as innocent as a lamb and everybody loves her.
as meek as a lamb
- quiet, docile, meek
The secretary was as meek as a lamb when she went to ask her boss for a salary increase.
the black sheep of the family
- the worst or the most unpopular or disliked member of a family
My cousin is the black sheep of the family and nobody likes to talk about him.
get (someone`s) goat
- to annoy someone
My friend is always complaining about the way that I do things which gets my goat.
in two shakes of a lamb's tail
- very quickly
I promised that I would meet my friend in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
like lambs to the slaughter
- quietly and without complaining about the dangers that may lie ahead
Our football team went like lambs to the slaughter to play against the best football team in the country.
separate the sheep from the goats
- to divide people into two groups
We had to separate the sheep from the goats when we began to make selections for the school choir.
wolf Idioms
cry wolf
- to give a false alarm, to warn of a danger that is not there
The man is crying wolf. There is no danger from the electrical system.
keep the wolf from the door
- to maintain oneself at the most basic level
My friend's part-time job is enough for him to keep the wolf from the door.
keep the wolves at bay
- to fight against some kind of trouble
Many people are angry about the new tax. The government has to work hard to keep the wolves at bay.
a lone wolf
- someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends
The boy was a lone wolf and spent most of his time alone.
throw (someone) to the wolves
- to send someone into danger without protection, to sacrifice someone
The salesman decided to throw his coworker to the wolves when he asked him to meet the angry customer.
wolf down (something)
- to gulp down something, to eat something quickly
I wolfed down my dinner and left the house for the movie.
a wolf in sheep`s clothing
- a person who pretends to be good but really is bad
"Be careful of that man. He is a wolf in sheep`s clothing."
Idiom Quizzes - Animals
- Choose an idiom to replace the expression in the brackets:
- "Please stop that (mischief) and do some serious work."
(a) dog and pony show (b) monkey business (c) piggyback (d) road hog
Answer(b) monkey business
- The little boy asked many questions until his mother finally said that (asking too many questions will get him into trouble).
(a) the cat had got his tongue (b) you can't teach an old dog new tricks (c) curiosity killed the cat (d) there is more than one way to skin a cat
Answer(c) curiosity killed the cat
- "Please (be patient and wait) while I make a phone call."
(a) call the dogs off (b) have a whale of a time (c) flog a dead horse (d) hold your horses
Answer(d) hold your horses
- The new product is (a good source of money) for our company.
(a) a cash cow (b) as strong as an ox (c) a horse of a different color (d) a dark horse
Answer(a) a cash cow
- The little boys thought that their friend was (easily frightened) because he would not play with the dog.
(a) as awkward as a cow on roller skates (b) a kangaroo court (c) as quiet as a mouse (d) a scaredy-cat
Answer(d) a scaredy-cat
- Our supervisor has a reputation for (watching and controlling) the workers.
(a) living high off the hog on (b) riding herd on (c) horsing around with (d) going ape with
Answer(b) riding herd on
- When the police arrived the two men looked frightened and suddenly (ran away).
(a) hit the bull`s eye (b) let the cat out of the bag (c) turned tail (d) cried wolf
Answer(c) turned tail
- I heard about the plans for the new magazine article (directly from the person responsible).
(a) off his high horse (b) straight from the horse`s mouth (c) in two shakes of a lamb's tail (d) in a pig`s eye
Answer(b) straight from the horse`s mouth
- The car engine stopping while driving on the freeway was the (thing that finally made me decide to do something) so I finally sold the car.
(a) straw that broke the camel`s back (b) black sheep of the family (c) cat on a hot tin roof (d) wolf in sheep`s clothing
Answer(a) straw that broke the camel`s back
- The businessman really (misjudged his chance of success) when he found an unreliable partner for his business.
(a) led a dog`s life (b) bet on the wrong horse (c) cast pearl`s before swine (d) made a mountain out of a molehole
Answer(b) bet on the wrong horse
- He is the (most important person) in his company.
(a) holy cow (b) dog in the manger (c) alley cat (d) top dog
Answer(d) top dog
- I had not seen my cousin for a long time so when we finally met we talked (for a long time).
(a) in the dog house (b) as busy as a beaver (c) until the cows came home (d) like lambs to the slaughter
Answer(c) until the cows came home
- "You should (not worry about the problems from before). It is too late to do anything about them."
(a) lock the barn door after the horse is gone (b) let sleeping dogs lie (c) buy a pig in a poke (d) bark up the wrong tree
Answer(b) let sleeping dogs lie
- "Do not be afraid of your new neighbor. Her (words are worse than her actions)."
(a) tail is wagging the dog (b) tail is between her legs (c) looks are like something the cat dragged in (d) bark is worse than her bite
Answer(d) bark is worse than her bite
- My grandfather moved to the country to get away from the (busyness and confusion) in the city.
(a) white elephant (b) horse trading (c) rat race (d) horse sense
Answer(c) rat race
- The young boy (pretended to be asleep) when his friend came into the room.
(a) went to the dogs (b) put on the dog (c) served as a guinea pig (d) played possum
Answer(d) played possum
- The man who owns the store is (very dishonest).
(a) as crooked as a dog's hind leg (b) as clean as a hound's tooth (c) as stubborn as a mule (d) bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
Answer(a) as crooked as a dog's hind leg
- We had (an exciting and interesting time) at the conference.
(a) a cock-and-bull story (b) a whale of a time (c) the best-laid plans of mice and men (d) a bull in a china shop
Answer(b) a whale of a time
- My supervisor is always angry so I do not like to (get into an argument with) her.
(a) lock horns with (b) monkey around with (c) go hog-wild with (d) make a monkey out of
Answer(a) lock horns with
- We were (supporting someone who could not win) but still we continued to support our candidate in the election.
(a) killing the fatted calf (b) making a silk purse out of a sow's ear (c) backing the wrong horse (d) separating the sheep from the goats
Answer(c) backing the wrong horse
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