Useful Animal Idioms in English
International English Test Editorial Team·21 Jan 2024·1 min read
Are you interested in incorporating animal idioms into your language? Discover expressions related to animals here!
On this occasion, I’ve compiled some amusing animal idioms for you. You might find a couple of them familiar, as our language shares similarities with some English expressions.
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- To cast pearls before swine
- To back the wrong horse
- A cat gets one’s tongue
- To have a tiger by the tail
- An alley cat
- As poor as a church mouse
- A paper tiger
- To make a mountain out of a molehill
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Frequently Asked Questions
It means offering something valuable to people who cannot appreciate it, the way pearls would be wasted on pigs. You might use it when good advice, fine food, or a thoughtful gift is given to someone who treats it carelessly or fails to understand its worth.
A paper tiger is something or someone that looks threatening but is actually weak and harmless. Having a tiger by the tail describes being caught in a situation that is far harder to control than expected, where letting go feels as dangerous as holding on. One signals false power, the other signals a real and risky struggle.
The expression "a cat gets one's tongue" is used when a person suddenly cannot speak, usually from shyness, surprise, or embarrassment. People often phrase it as a question, asking "has the cat got your tongue?" to gently prompt someone who has gone unexpectedly quiet to say something.
It describes someone who has very little money or almost no possessions at all. The image comes from a mouse living in a church, where there is no kitchen or pantry and therefore nothing to eat, making it the poorest mouse imaginable. You use it to stress extreme poverty rather than ordinary tight finances.
You use it when someone treats a small, unimportant problem as if it were a huge crisis. The phrase contrasts a tiny molehill with a towering mountain to highlight the overreaction. It fits situations where a minor mistake, delay, or disagreement gets blown far out of proportion by worry or complaint.
It draws its image from betting on a losing horse at the races, but in everyday speech it means supporting a person, plan, or side that ends up failing. You might back the wrong horse by choosing a candidate who loses, investing in a project that collapses, or trusting an idea that proves mistaken.
An alley cat refers to a stray cat that lives rough in back streets rather than in a home. Applied to a person, it suggests someone who lives an unsettled, independent, or rough lifestyle without strong ties or a fixed place. The tone is usually informal and can carry a slightly disapproving edge.
International English Test Editorial Team
ALTE Associate Member · UK English assessment provider · Est. 2023
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