Download the Animal Idioms List & PDF Worksheets
View the updated web-version of the animal idioms list in the table below.
The idiom worksheets and games are also free to download.
- Download and print the PDFs.
- Use the materials for interactive learning activities in class.
- Students can also complete the worksheets to review or for self-study.
Animal Idiom Worksheets for ESL Students
Worksheet A: Defining Idioms & Writing Sentences with Idioms
Worksheet B: Reading Idioms in Context & Describing Meanings
Fun Animal Idiom Games for the Classroom
50 Idioms and Phrases About Animals
*Updated: March 23, 2020
| Idiom / Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| a little bird told me | someone told me a secret | A little bird told me that you're getting a divorce. |
| a whale of a time | an exciting experience | The family had a whale of a time at the theme park. |
| ants in your pants | anxious or nervous | Frank had ants in his pants before taking his exam. |
| bark up the wrong tree | look in the wrong place or falsely accuse | He asked me if I broke his laptop. I said he was barking up the wrong tree. |
| beast of burden | someone carries others problems | I will never be your beast of burden. You have got to deal with your own problems. |
| beat a dead horse | dwell on a topic beyond resolution | I told you several times that I won't do it. Don't beat a dead horse! |
| black sheep | unaccepted group member | Tom was the black sheep of the family and preferred to do things on his own. |
| cat got your tongue | said when someone doesn't speak | What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? You haven't said a word since we arrived. |
| cat nap | a short sleep | My father always takes a cat nap after work. |
| chicken out | avoid doing something because of fear | Mary was going to go skydiving, but she chickened out. |
| clam up | become quiet | Tom always clams up when you ask him about his ex-girlfriend. |
| copy cat | someone who copies another | You're such a copy cat! Do your own work! |
| crocodile tears | fake tears | Her little daughter always cries crocodile tears to get whatever she wants. |
| dog days | very hot days | The dog days of summer are really humid and uncomfortable. |
| don't count chickens before they hatch | don't plan for something that may not happen | Zoe bought the dress, before anyone asked her to the prom. I told her not to count her chickens before they hatch. |
| drop like flies | dye or give up quickly | The other candidates dropped like flies at the end of the election. |
| eager beaver | someone who is excited about something | She's such an eager beaver when checking updates on Instagram. |
| early bird | someone who likes to wake up early | Sara is such an early bird. She gets up before the sun rises. |
| elephant in the room | a sensitive unaddressed issue | The couple's money problem was an elephant in the room. They never talk about finances. |
| fishy | strange or suspicious | Something fishy is going on. He takes his wedding ring off when he leaves. |
| fly in the ointment | annoyance that spoils enjoyment | The wedding crasher was such a fly in the ointment. |
| have a cow | get upset | Don't have a cow! It's not like I scratched the car on purpose! |
| hold your horses | wait and be patient | Hold your horses! I'll be ready in a minute. |
| holy cow | that is surprising | Holy cow! Did she really dye her hair blue? |
| horse around | play roughly | Stop horsing around kids. You're in the library. |
| in the dog house | in trouble | The coach won't let me play. I'm in the dog house. |
| keep the wolves at bay | stay safe from or prevent near disaster | He needed a part-time job to keep the wolves at bay and to avoid serious debt. |
| kill two birds with one stone | accomplish two things at once | Why not kill two birds with one stone and brush your teeth in the shower? |
| kitty corner | diagonally across from | Starbucks is kitty corner to the gas station. |
| let the cat out of the bag | reveal a secret | Don't let the cat out of the bag about the birthday party. |
| lion's share | the majority of something | You took the lion's share of the money. All I got was a couple pennies. |
| monkey see, monkey do | silly people copy each other | Monkey see, monkey do. Your brother spilt ketchup on his shirt too. |
| nest egg | saved money | She has a huge nest egg, so she doesn't have to work anymore. |
| pig out | eat a lot | Last night, I pigged out on a bag of potato chips. |
| plenty of other fish in the sea | there are many other available partners | Don't worry. You'll find another girl. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. |
| puppy love | teenager romantic love | It was just puppy love during high school but they broke up in university. |
| raining cats and dogs | raining heavily | It's raining cats and dogs. Remember your umbrella. |
| rat race | competitive struggle | I escaped the rat race in the office and moved to Hawaii. |
| red herring | something that draws attention away from an important topic | The President's gambling addiction was just a red herring for the pipeline problems. |
| screw the pooch | fail | Carl really screwed the pooch on the exam. He's the only one who failed. |
| shooting fish in a barrel | easy or not challenging | For my brilliant little brother, setting up the Wifi connection is like shooting fish in a barrel. |
| sleep with the fishes | die | Before pulling the trigger, he told the gangster to sleep with the fishes. |
| smell a rat | suspect deception | I smell rat. I know I left my wallet on my desk, but it's gone. |
| straight from the horse's mouth | directly from the source | The boss said we're bankrupt. The news came straight from the horse's mouth. |
| take the bull by the horns | be brave and face a challenge | If you want to be rich, take the bull by the horns and work harder. |
| the birds and the bees | sex education | I remember learning about the birds and the bees in middle school. |
| the lion's share | the majority | She was upset because her sister got the lion's share of the inheritance. |
| until the cows come home | for a long time | She can watch Netflix until the cows come home. |
| water off a duck's back | a harmful remark that has no effect on someone | She insulted me but I didn't care. It was like water off a duck's back. |
| wild goose chase | lengthy undertaking that accomplishes little | Making the playoffs is now a wild goose chase. The team should focus on player development. |
Extra Examples of Animal Idioms in Use
Do you want to read more examples and sentences with animal idioms?
Try entering the expressions in a corpus database or language app.
We highly recommend the following corpus resources and tools: