 20 ANIMAL IDIOMS IN ENGLISH, FROM ESPRESSOINGLISH.NET 1. THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM The elephant in the room is an idiom for a problem or a controversial issue that is too big to ignore, but that everyone tries to avoid talking about because it is embarrassing or will cause conflict. 2. ONE TRICK PONY A pony is a small horse, which is often used for shows, competitions, and exhibitions. People teach ponies tricks to perform at the shows. If a pony only knows one trick, then it doesn't have a great variety of abilities. So describing someone as a one-trick pony means the person only has one ability or one good quality that he or she is known for and doesn't have any other abilities. 3. THE LION'S SHARE The lion's share of something is the biggest part or biggest portion. 4. HOLD YOUR HORSES This idiomatic expression means, wait a minute, don't be in such a hurry. 5. THAT REALLY GETS MY GOAT If something gets your goat, it means it annoys you. The origin of this idiom is unknown. 6. PIG HEADED Describing someone as pig-headed means that person is stupid and stubborn, close-minded and inflexible. 7. WEASEL OUT OF SOMETHING Weasels have a reputation for being sneaky. If a person weasels out of some responsibility, it means they abandon their responsibility or commitment in a way that is sneaky or cowardly. 8. THE CAT'S MEOW If you think something is the cat's meow, it means you think it is excellent, wonderful or really great. 9. LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG This idiom means to reveal a secret. 10. GO TO THE DOGS If something goes to the dogs, it means it goes bad, deteriorates or becomes poor quality. 11. LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE If you make a suggestion to let sleeping dogs lie, it means not to talk about things in the past that might cause problems if you mention them today. This idiom comes from the fact that a sleeping dog is peaceful, but if you wake it up, it might be angry and bite you. 12. WILD GOOSE CHASE This idiom means going after something you are not likely to get or a pursuit that is a waste of time because it is unlikely to succeed. It comes from the fact that it is very hard to catch a wild goose, so if you try to chase one, you are not likely to get it. 13. QUIT COLD TURKEY If you quit something, a habit like coffee, smoking, drinking, etc., cold turkey, it means you stop completely. Quitting smoking cold turkey would be deciding one day never to have another cigarette again, differently from slowly decreasing your smoking habit over time and eventually stopping. There are two possible origins for this idiom. One is that when someone is addicted to drugs and suddenly stops using the drugs, their skin becomes cold and gets bumps like a plucked turkey, a turkey without its feathers. The other possible origin is the fact that cold turkey is a dish that is quick and easy to prepare. 14. WATCH SOMETHING LIKE A HAWK A hawk is a bird of prey. That means it hunts small animals for food. Because of this, a hawk needs to have very good vision and watch carefully to find the animals, so watching something like a hawk means watching extremely carefully. 15. LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER The natural place for a fish to live is in the water. If a fish is outside the water, it would feel very uncomfortable. If you feel like a fish out of water, it means that you are very uncomfortable in a particular situation or environment. 16. FISH OR CUT BATE In the sport of fishing, bait is the food you put on the hook to attract the fish. If you cut bait, it means you abandon the bait and stop trying to catch fish. This idiom means either do something or else get out of the way. You can say it to a person who is indecisive in order to motivate them to take one action or the other action. 17. RED HAIRING A red herring is a piece of information that draws attention away from the real facts of a situation. This idiom comes from the fact that a herring is a type of strong smelling fish. If you are hunting with the help of a dog and the dog smells a herring, it will be distracted by the strong smell and go in the wrong direction. 18. ANTS IN YOUR PANTS If you have ants in your pants, it means you can't stay still because you are very agitated, excited, or worried. 19. MAD AS A HORNET Someone who is mad as a hornet is extremely angry. Hornets are dangerous when they are angry because they can sting. 20. WOULDN'T HURT A FLY If you say that someone wouldn't hurt a fly, you are describing the person as very peaceful and non-violent. It is a person who is so gentle that they wouldn't hurt anyone, even a small insect like a fly. For more English tips, visit www.espressoenglish.net. If you liked this video, please share.