67 Animal Idioms in English With Their Meanings & Examples

Learn 67 popular animal idioms with meanings and examples. Make your conversations more vivid with these fun expressions!

Wolf in sheep's clothing

Idioms are phrases that have meanings different from their literal words. They help to illustrate points more clearly and can make communication more interesting and relatable.

Animals appear in many common idioms. Some idioms compare behavior to animals, while others express emotions or warnings.

For example, saying “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” describes someone who appears harmless but is actually dangerous, not an actual wolf wearing a fleece! While saying “hold your horses” instead of “wait” conveys patience more effectively. Similarly, “the elephant in the room” highlights an obvious issue that people avoid discussing.

Animal idioms bring language to life by comparing human actions to animal traits. Understanding them will help improve your communication and enable you to sound more natural in conversation. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most common animal idioms.

Animal Idioms List

Below, you’ll find popular animal idioms, their meanings, and examples of how to use them. These expressions can add color, humor, and deeper meaning to conversations.

1. A bee in your bonnet

Meaning: Obsessed with an idea.
Example: She has a bee in her bonnet about recycling.

2. A bull in a china shop

Meaning: A clumsy person in a delicate situation.
Example: He’s like a bull in a china shop when handling fragile items.

3. A dark horse

Meaning: Someone who unexpectedly succeeds.
Example: She was a dark horse in the race and won.

4. A fish out of water

Meaning: Feeling uncomfortable in a situation.
Example: I felt like a fish out of water at the gala.

5. A frog in your throat

Meaning: A hoarse voice or difficulty speaking.
Example: Sorry, I have a frog in my throat today.

6. A little bird told me

Meaning: Someone told me a secret, but I won’t reveal who.
Example: A little bird told me you’re getting a promotion.

7. A sitting duck

Meaning: An easy target.
Example: Without a defense, the team was a sitting duck.

8. A whale of a time

Meaning: Having a great time.
Example: We had a whale of a time at the party!

9. A wolf in sheep’s clothing

Meaning: Someone who appears harmless but is actually dangerous.
Example: Be careful of him; he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

10. Ants in your pants

Meaning: Unable to sit still.
Example: The kids had ants in their pants before the trip.

11. As blind as a bat

Meaning: Having very poor eyesight.
Example: Without her glasses, she’s as blind as a bat.

12. As busy as a bee

Meaning: Extremely busy and hardworking.
Example: She’s been as busy as a bee planning the wedding.

13. As free as a bird

Meaning: Completely free, without restrictions.
Example: Now that school is over, I feel as free as a bird.

14. As quiet as a mouse

Meaning: Extremely quiet.
Example: She was as quiet as a mouse during the meeting.

15. At a snail’s pace

Meaning: Very slow.
Example: Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace today.

16. Back the wrong horse

Meaning: To support the losing side.
Example: I backed the wrong horse in the election.

17. Barking up the wrong tree

Meaning: Making a wrong assumption.
Example: You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I stole your book.

18. Beat a dead horse

Meaning: To continue arguing about something already settled.
Example: Stop bringing up that topic; you’re beating a dead horse.

19. Bird’s-eye view

Meaning: A view from above.
Example: The drone gave us a bird’s-eye view of the city.

20. Busy as a beaver

Meaning: Very hardworking and active.
Example: He’s been as busy as a beaver finishing his project.

21. Cat got your tongue?

Meaning: Why are you so quiet?
Example: You were talking a lot earlier—what happened? Cat got your tongue?

22. Cry wolf

Meaning: To lie about danger when there is none.
Example: If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you.

23. Curiosity killed the cat

Meaning: Being too curious can lead to trouble.
Example: Stop asking so many questions—curiosity killed the cat.

24. Dark horse

Meaning: Someone who is unexpectedly successful.
Example: She was a dark horse in the competition and won.

25. Dog-eat-dog world

Meaning: A competitive environment.
Example: The corporate world is a dog-eat-dog world.

26. Dog-tired

Meaning: Extremely tired.
Example: After working all day, I’m dog-tired.

27. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Meaning: Don’t assume success before it happens.
Example: You haven’t won yet, so don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

28. Eager beaver

Meaning: A very enthusiastic person.
Example: He’s an eager beaver at work, always volunteering for extra tasks.

29. Eat like a horse

Meaning: Eat a lot.
Example: He eats like a horse after practice.

30. Elephant in the room

Meaning: An obvious problem people avoid discussing.
Example: Nobody mentioned his job loss—it was the elephant in the room.

31. Fish out of water

Meaning: Someone who feels uncomfortable in a situation.
Example: I felt like a fish out of water at the fancy party.

32. Fishy

Meaning: Suspicious or questionable.
Example: Something seems fishy about this deal.

33. Fly on the wall

Meaning: A silent observer.
Example: I’d love to be a fly on the wall during that meeting.

34. Get someone’s goat

Meaning: To annoy someone.
Example: His constant interruptions really get my goat.

35. Go cold turkey

Meaning: To quit something suddenly.
Example: He went cold turkey on smoking last year.

36. Go to the dogs

Meaning: To deteriorate or worsen.
Example: The neighborhood has really gone to the dogs.

37. Have a cow

Meaning: To overreact.
Example: Don’t have a cow—it’s just a small mistake.

38. Hold your horses

Meaning: Be patient.
Example: Hold your horses, we’ll leave in a minute.

39. Holy cow!

Meaning: An expression of surprise.
Example: Holy cow! That’s an amazing view!

40. Horse around

Meaning: To play roughly.
Example: Stop horsing around and do your homework.

41. In the doghouse

Meaning: In trouble.
Example: He’s in the doghouse after forgetting their anniversary.

42. Kill two birds with one stone

Meaning: Solve two problems at once.
Example: By biking to work, I kill two birds with one stone—exercise and transport.

43. Let the cat out of the bag

Meaning: Reveal a secret.
Example: He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

44. Lion’s share

Meaning: The biggest portion.
Example: He took the lion’s share of the credit for the project.

45. Monkey business

Meaning: Misbehavior.
Example: Stop the monkey business and pay attention.

46. Open a can of worms

Meaning: Create more problems.
Example: Bringing up politics will open a can of worms.

47. Play cat and mouse

Meaning: Engage in a strategic chase.
Example: The police played cat and mouse with the suspect.

48. Rain cats and dogs

Meaning: Rain very heavily.
Example: It’s raining cats and dogs outside.

49. Rat race

Meaning: A competitive, exhausting lifestyle.
Example: I left the corporate rat race for a simpler life.

50. Red herring

Meaning: A distraction.
Example: His excuse was a red herring to avoid the real issue.

51. Sacred cow

Meaning: Something untouchable or beyond criticism.
Example: In this company, the CEO is a sacred cow.

52. Smell a rat

Meaning: Suspect something wrong.
Example: I smell a rat—this deal seems too good to be true.

53. Snake in the grass

Meaning: A hidden enemy.
Example: Watch out for him—he’s a snake in the grass.

54. Straight from the horse’s mouth

Meaning: Directly from the source.
Example: I heard the news straight from the horse’s mouth.

55. The bee’s knees

Meaning: Something outstanding or excellent.
Example: This new smartphone is the bee’s knees!

56. The cat’s meow

Meaning: Something outstanding.
Example: His new car is the cat’s meow.

57. The early bird catches the worm

Meaning: The first to act gets the reward.
Example: I woke up early because the early bird catches the worm.

58. Till the cows come home

Meaning: For a long time.
Example: He can argue till the cows come home.

59. To be a chicken

Meaning: To be scared.
Example: Don’t be a chicken—just try it!

60. To go the whole hog

Meaning: To do something completely or thoroughly.
Example: If we’re redecorating, let’s go the whole hog and change everything.

61. To have bigger fish to fry

Meaning: To have more important things to do.
Example: I can’t stay for the meeting—I have bigger fish to fry.

62. Top dog

Meaning: The most important person.
Example: He’s the top dog in the office.

63. Watch like a hawk

Meaning: Observe very closely.
Example: She watches her kids like a hawk.

64. Wild goose chase

Meaning: A pointless search.
Example: Looking for that old book was a wild goose chase.

65. Wolf down

Meaning: Eat quickly.
Example: He wolfed down his lunch before the meeting.

66. Work like a dog

Meaning: Work very hard.
Example: She worked like a dog to finish her project.

67. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks

Meaning: Old habits are hard to change.
Example: He refuses to use email—you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

What Next?

Enjoy learning about these animal idioms? You might also like to check out:

And, if you want to stick to animals take a look at:

James Prior

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