Animals are the subject of many common idioms. Memorizing idioms can be a challenge, but it’s a great way to gain fluency in English. Here are some popular animal idioms to start incorporating into your English.
Cat got your tongue
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
Curiosity killed the cat
“I wonder what’s behind the padlocked door?”
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
“When I get a job I’m going to make a lot of money and buy whatever I want.”
The early bird catches the worm
“By the time I got to the mall, the sale was over.”
Eat like a horse
to eat a lot
“I was so hungry I ate like a horse.”
Have a cow
overreact, become angry about something
“My mom had a cow when she saw how messy the kitchen was.”
“Don’t have a cow, we’ll fix this.”
Holy cow
used to express shock or amazement; similar to “wow” and “oh my gosh”
“Holy cow, that’s the biggest spider I’ve ever seen!”
“You wrote a ten page paper in one night? Holy cow…”
Monkey see, monkey do
used when someone copies the actions of another person
“After his brother cartwheeled down the street, he did the same.”
Kill two birds with one stone
to accomplish two things at once
“I’m going to kill two birds with one stone by exercising while I watch the news.”
Raining cats and dogs
raining very heavily
“There was a big storm last night; it was raining cats and dogs!”