20+ Animal Idioms | Meanings, Definitions & Examples

Grouping idioms into different categories is a useful way of approaching learning and teaching idioms. This article defines over 20 common English idioms with animals, including cats, dogs, and horses, with examples of how they’re used in a sentence.

Animal idioms about cats

Common cat idioms include “cat got your tongue,” “look what the cat dragged in,” and “look like something the cat dragged in.”

(Has the) cat got your tongue?

Meaning: You say “(Has the) cat got your tongue?” when someone won’t answer a question or is very quiet, and you want them to speak, perhaps to show that you are frustrated that they won’t speak.

Example: “So you’ve got nothing to say about the mess in the living room? Cat got your tongue, has it?”

Look what the cat dragged in

Meaning: You say “Look what the cat dragged in” when someone arrives, especially if it’s a surprise that they have come. It often shows that you don’t like the person, but it can also be a joke.

Example: “Well, look what the cat dragged in. Marie didn’t tell me that she’d invited him to the party!”

Look like something the cat dragged in

Meaning: You say someone “looks like something the cat dragged in” when they arrive and look messy or tired. It is not a nice thing to say to some, but it’s often meant as a joke.

Example: “You look like something the cat dragged in! Got home late from the party last night, did you?”

There’s more than one way to skin a cat

Meaning: You say “There’s more than one way to skin a cat” to express that there is more than one way to do something or solve a problem.

Example: “If that didn’t work, try another approach; there’s more than one way to skin a cat, you know!”

Let the cat out of the bag

Meaning: If you “let the cat out of the bag,” you tell a secret, especially by mistake.

Example: “I think I might have let the cat out of the bag because I asked her whether she was looking forward to going to the theater on Saturday; I didn’t realize it was a surprise.”

Rain cats and dogs

Meaning: If it’s “raining cats and dogs,” it’s raining heavily.

Example: “I hope they took an umbrella; it’s raining cats and dogs out there.”

Animal idioms about dogs

Well-known dog idioms include “let sleeping dogs lie,” “go to the dogs,” and “in the doghouse.”

Let sleeping dogs lie

Meaning: If you “let sleeping dogs lie,” you don’t talk about or ask about something because it might upset someone.

Example: “I’ve asked him about that before, but he avoided the question. It was a long time ago, so why don’t we just let sleeping dogs lie?”

Go to the dogs

Meaning: If something is “going to the dogs,” its quality is getting worse. If something has “gone to the dogs,” it has already become low quality or not as good as it was before.

Example: “The train service here is going to the dogs; it always used to be so reliable.”

In the doghouse

Meaning: You say you’re “in the doghouse” with someone when that person is upset with you because of something you did.

Example: “I think it’s better if you ask her if we can borrow the car. I’m still in the doghouse with her because I scratched it last time.”

Animal idioms about horses

Some frequently used horse idioms include “hold your horses,” “straight from the horse’s mouth,” and “look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Hold your horses

Meaning: You tell someone to “hold their horses” when you want them to slow down or wait before they do something.

Example: “Hold your horses! I’m coming; just let me put my shoes on.”

(Hear something) straight from the horse’s mouth

Meaning: If you heard something “straight from the horse’s mouth,” you got the information directly from the person it’s about or from someone who was directly involved in the situation.

Example: “I spoke to the director yesterday, and she told me the sequel is going to star Jaxon Ryder. So there we have it, confirmed straight from the horse’s mouth!”

(Don’t) look a gift horse in the mouth

Meaning: You “look a gift horse in the mouth” when you unnecessarily question whether to accept a gift or take an opportunity.

Example: “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth; if your parents want to help you out with some money, just take it and say thanks!”

Horse around

Meaning: “Horsing around” means playing in a silly or noisy way, often with pushing, shoving, or rough behavior.

Example: “Some kids were horsing around on the bus and knocked my glasses off.”

A one-trick pony

Meaning: A “one-trick pony” is someone or something that is good at only one thing.

Example: “As a director, I think he’s a one-trick pony who’s essentially made the same film over and over again.”

Animal idioms about birds

There are also many English idioms that reference birds.

A wild goose chase

Meaning: You describe a search as a “wild goose chase” when you’re looking for something that’s impossible to find because the information you got was wrong.

Example: “I’m sorry, but I think I gave you the wrong name and sent you on a wild goose chase; no wonder you couldn’t find any information about her.”

Kill two birds with one stone

Meaning: If you “kill two birds with one stone,” you do one thing that solves two problems or achieves two goals.

Example: “While I was getting the tires rotated, I asked them to change the oil too, killing two birds with one stone.”

(Have/get/put) your ducks in a row

Meaning: If your “ducks are in a row,” you have planned and organized something well.

Example: “I started preparing the day before because I like to get all my ducks in a row when I’m cooking for a large number of people.”

A little bird told me

Meaning: “A little bird told me” is a playful way to say, “I know something, but I won’t say who told me.”

Example: “I know that these are your favorite flowers because a little bird told me so.”

Other animal idioms

There are idioms about all sorts of animals in English—including ones that live in the trees and under the ground or fly about in the air.

Monkey on your back

Meaning: “A monkey on your back” is something difficult in your life that keeps bothering you.

Example: “I’m so glad I finally finished my senior thesis; it was becoming a bit of a monkey on my back, to be honest.”

(Open) a can of worms

Meaning: You “open a can of worms” when you ask a question that has a much more complicated answer than you expected, or when you do something that causes many more problems than you thought it would.

Example: “I opened up a can of worms by asking if there was a good pizza place near the office; people were arguing about the best place for hours.”

Wouldn’t/couldn’t hurt/harm a fly

Meaning: You say that someone wouldn’t or couldn’t “hurt a fly” or “harm a fly” to express that they are a nice, gentle person.

Example: “Yes, he’s a bit grumpy sometimes, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Frequently asked questions about animal idioms

What are some chicken idioms?

Some chicken idioms include:

• “Chickens come home to roost”—If your “chickens have come home to roost,” it means that a problem you have now is the result of something you did in the past. The person saying it usually means that the past action was wrong and that the result is deserved (e.g., “He didn’t do much work this semester, and now his grades are bad; his chickens have come home to roost”).
• “Count your chickens (before they hatch)”—If you “don’t count your chickens” or “don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” you don’t make plans based on something that might not happen (e.g., “I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, so I’m not going to sign the apartment lease until I’ve signed the job contract”).
• “Chicken feed”—If someone says that an amount of money is “chicken feed,” they mean it is a very small or unimportant amount, especially compared to what is normal or expected (e.g., “Paying five million dollars for a startup is chicken feed for a Big Tech company”).

If you’re not sure whether you’re using an animal idiom correctly in a sentence, why not ask QuillBot’s free AI chat for help?

What are some fish idioms?

Some fish idioms include:

• “Big fish in a small pond”—If someone is a “big fish in a small pond,” they are important or successful, but only compared to a small group of people (e.g., “I was the best basketball player in my town, but when I got to college, I realized I had just been a big fish in a small pond”).
• “Have bigger fish to fry”—“Have bigger fish to fry” or “have other fish to fry” means to have more important things to do (e.g., “Let’s not spend too much time on the poster design; we’ve got bigger fish to fry right now”).
• “Like a fish out of water”—If you are “like a fish out of water,” you feel uncomfortable because you are in a very unfamiliar situation (e.g., “I had never worked in such a big company before and felt like a fish out of water”).

QuillBot’s free AI chat can help you if you’re unsure about how to use an animal idiom.

What are some kill two birds with one stone alternatives?

Instead of kill two birds with one stone, you can say “feed two birds with one scone” or “achieve two things at once.”

To get alternatives for other idioms, try QuillBot’s Paraphraser.