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Animal Idioms

The document defines various idioms that use animal references, including their meanings and example sentences. Some common idioms explained are "ants in one's pants" meaning unable to sit still from nerves, "the birds and the bees" referring to sex education, "cat nap" meaning a short sleep, and "dog days" referring to very hot days. The document also includes a short quiz testing understanding of 10 animal idioms.

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155 views4 pages

Animal Idioms

The document defines various idioms that use animal references, including their meanings and example sentences. Some common idioms explained are "ants in one's pants" meaning unable to sit still from nerves, "the birds and the bees" referring to sex education, "cat nap" meaning a short sleep, and "dog days" referring to very hot days. The document also includes a short quiz testing understanding of 10 animal idioms.

Uploaded by

irmathesweet
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Animal Idioms

Idiom

Meaning

Example Sentence

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.

cat nap

a short sleep

I'm going to have a cat nap


while you're cooking dinner.

cat's got one's


tongue

said about someone who


doesn't speak (usually due to
shyness)

It looks like the cat's got your


tongue, Lucy. Are you always
this quiet?

chicken out

to decide not to do something


out of fear (usually just
before)

I was going to take a ride on


Geoff's motorcycle, but I
chickened out when he gave me
a helmet to wear.

clam up

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 car as
me, and now she's applying to
my school.

dog days

very hot days

I sleep in the basement during


the dog days of August.

dropping like
flies

dying/giving up quickly

My roses are dropping like flies


in this early frost.

eager beaver

a person who is excited about


doing certain work

Ever since he got his new drill


set my husband has been an
eager beaver around the house.

fishy

odd, suspicious

I knew something fishy was


going on when I saw all of my
friends' cars in my mom's
driveway.

have a cow

get extremely upset (often


over something minor)

My teacher had a cow when she


realized nobody had done the
homework.

hold your
horses

wait and be patient

Hold your horses! I'll be done in


the washroom in a minute.

holy cow!

Wow, I'm surprised!

Holy cow! I can't believe you ate


everything on your plate.

horse around

play roughly

If you're going to horse around,


please go outside.

get the lion's


share

get the greatest percentage

My aunt got the lion's share of


the inheritance.

in the dog
house

in trouble with another person

I don't think Marsha is coming


out tonight. She's still in the dog
house for forgetting Aaron's
birthday.

kill two birds get two things done at once


with one stone

If you pick the groceries up when


you drop George off for his shift,
you will kill two birds with one
stone.

kitty corner

diagonal direction

The gas station is kitty corner to


the library.

let the cat out


of the bag

reveal a secret

Who let the cat out of the bag


about the surprise party?

(a) little bird


told me

I heard something (usually


secretive or unknown) from
someone (not named)

A little bird told me that you are


thinking of quitting your job.

make a
beeline

go straight for something

My grandma made a beeline for


the smoking room as soon as she
got off the airplane.

monkey see,
monkey do

silly/unintelligent people tend


to copy each other's actions

Our one-year-old is saying bad


words now. I told my husband,
"Monkey see, monkey do!"

nest egg

money saved for the future

We have a nest egg that we


might have to use if Jim goes on
sick leave.

pig out

eat a lot of something

I pigged out on pancakes so I


don't have room for lunch.

raining cats
and dogs

raining heavily

I forgot my umbrella, and it was


raining cats and dogs.

rat race

fierce, competitive struggle


for power, position etc

I'm ready to leave this rat race


and retire in Mexico.

smell a rat

begin to suspect trickery etc

I asked my brothers not to tell


my parents 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.

take the bull


by the horns

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

I could eat pizza and ice cream


until the cows come home.

Animal Idioms Quiz


1

I
for the brownies as
soon as I got to the party.
My aunt could listen to Frank Sinatra until
the

come home.

I'll be in the
too late tonight.

if I stay out

told me that you are


writing a book.

My oldest brother got the


share of the punishment when we were
growing up.

I always feel better after


.

I asked Joe to
left without me.

My mother used to tell us to go to the


basement to

but he

around.

If you want Lisa to date you, you're going


to have to
.

10

The baseball game was cancelled because


it's raining

Reset

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