20 Animal idioms in English

Cool & quirky idioms and expressions about animals

Do you know English animal idioms?

[Last updated on 12/07/2023]

Animals have been a part of human life and culture for centuries, and it’s no surprise that they’ve also made their way into the English language. In this blog, we look at some cool and quirky animal idioms and expressions that are commonly used by native English speakers.

Whilst English idioms are natural to the native speaker, they are difficult or impossible to understand from the literal meaning. To help develop your English fluency, we uncover the meanings and give examples of 20 interesting English animal idioms.

20 Animal idioms in English

Join us on this exciting adventure through the world of animal idioms, and you might even discover that some are similar to expressions in your own language!

animal idioms - the elephant in the room

the elephant in the room

a sensitive issue or problem that everyone is aware of but no one wants to discuss openly.

“The company’s financial troubles were the elephant in the room at the board meeting.”

a dark horse

a dark horse

to be mysterious or unknown in terms of abilities or intentions.

“No one expected John to win the marathon, he was a dark horse in the race.”

a whale of a time

to have a very enjoyable or exciting time.

“My family had a whale of a time at the amusement park yesterday.”

animal idioms - butterflies in your stomach

butterflies in your stomach

to feel nervous or anxious, especially before a performance or event.

“Before her big speech, she had butterflies in her stomach.”

as free as a bird

as free as a bird

to be carefree and unrestricted.

“After retiring, he felt as free as a bird and decided to travel the world.”

a bull in a china shop

a bull in a china shop

to be clumsy or careless in delicate or sensitive situations.

“He was like a bull in a china shop during the delicate negotiation at the board meeting, causing tensions to rise unnecessarily.”

kill two birds with one stone

kill two birds with one stone

to accomplish two things at the same time with a single action.

“I can pick up the dry cleaning and groceries on the way home, killing two birds with one stone.”

animal idioms - let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

to reveal a secret or information that was supposed to be kept hidden.

“I accidentally let the cat out of the bag and told Sarah about the surprise party.”

make a mountain out of a molehill

make a mountain out of a molehill

to exaggerate or make a big deal out of something that is trivial.

“I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill, it’s just a minor setback.”

a bee in your bonnet

a bee in your bonnet

to be obsessed with an idea which you can’t stop thinking about.

“Ever since she read that book, she’s had a bee in her bonnet about starting her own business.”

a deer in the headlinghts

a deer in the headlights

to be frozen with fear or shock in a difficult or unexpected situation.

“When the interviewer asked him a difficult question, he was like a deer in the headlights.”

to be a chicken

to be a chicken

to be cowardly or afraid to take risks.

“I don’t want to try skydiving, I’m too much of a chicken.”

a frog in your throat

a frog in your throat

to have difficulty speaking because your throat is dry or hoarse.

“He couldn’t sing the solo at the concert because he had a frog in his throat.”

ants in your pants

ants in your pants

to be restless or unable to sit still.

“The kids had ants in their pants on the long car ride and kept asking ‘are we there yet?'”

the lion's share

the lion's share

to have the largest or biggest portion of something.

“The CEO gets the lion’s share of the company’s annual bonuses.”

a woman smelling a rat

to smell a rat

to sense that something is wrong or dishonest.

“I smelled a rat when he offered me a deal that seemed too good to be true.”

a fish out of water

a fish out of water

to feel uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation or environment.

“As a vegetarian, I felt like a fish out of water at the barbecue.”

a sitting duck

a sitting duck

to be vulnerable or defenseless against an attack or danger.

“The company’s outdated online security system made them a sitting duck for the cyber attack that cost them millions of dollars to fix.”

a wolf in sheep's clothing

a wolf in sheep's clothing

to be deceptive or to appear harmless while having sinister intentions.

“He seemed nice, but turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, stealing from his colleagues.”

man sitting in the doghouse

in the doghouse

to be in trouble or out of favour with someone.

“After forgetting our wedding anniversary, I was definitely in the doghouse with my wife.”

Practise using animal idioms

Developing your English vocabulary with idioms is an entertaining and effective way to improve your understanding of the language. You can have fun and experiment using animal idioms to boost your English fluency and communication skills. Just make sure that you have a good understanding of their meaning if you want to use them in a more formal environment!

Want to develop faster with an English course?

If you don’t have the opportunity to practise speaking English with friends or colleagues, we recommend taking an online English course with a trainer. A qualified trainer can focus on a wide range of language targets to strengthen your communication skills. Our most popular course is Business English to improve skills for the workplace and to boost international career opportunities. With our trainers you can even try animal idioms in English too!
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