50 Idioms for Animals with Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Animals
1. The lion’s share
Meaning: The largest portion of something.
In a Sentence: Sarah did most of the work and deserved the lion’s share of the credit.
Other Ways to Say: The biggest part, The bulk.
2. Stubborn as a mule
Meaning: To be very determined and unwilling to change one’s mind.
In a Sentence: Tom is as stubborn as a mule; he refused to try the new vegetable dish.
Other Ways to Say: As stubborn as an ox, Obstinate as a mule.
3. A wild goose chase
Meaning: A futile or hopeless search for something.
In a Sentence: Looking for that old photo album turned into a wild goose chase.
Other Ways to Say: Pointless effort, Waste of time.
4. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: Achieve two things at once with a single effort.
In a Sentence: By visiting grandma and shopping nearby, I killed two birds with one stone.
Other Ways to Say: Double benefit, Two-in-one solution.
5. Curious as a cat
Meaning: To be very inquisitive and eager to learn or explore.
In a Sentence: The kitten was as curious as a cat, poking its nose into every corner of the room.
Other Ways to Say: As nosy as a cat, Inquisitive as a cat.
6. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret by mistake.
In a Sentence: He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Other Ways to Say: Spill the beans, Reveal the secret.
7. Like a fish out of water
Meaning: Feeling uncomfortable or out of place.
In a Sentence: At the tech conference, I felt like a fish out of water.
Other Ways to Say: Out of one’s element, Unfamiliar.
8. A sitting duck
Meaning: An easy target.
In a Sentence: With no backup, the lone soldier was a sitting duck.
Other Ways to Say: Vulnerable, Easy prey.
9. The black sheep
Meaning: A person who is different from others in a family or group and often considered a disgrace.
In a Sentence: He’s always been the black sheep of the family.
Other Ways to Say: Outcast, Misfit.
10. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: To make a wrong assumption or pursue the wrong course.
In a Sentence: If you think I took your keys, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Other Ways to Say: Mistaken, Off track.
11. As sly as a fox
Meaning: Very clever and deceitful.
In a Sentence: He’s as sly as a fox when it comes to business deals.
Other Ways to Say: Crafty, Sneaky.
12. Cry wolf
Meaning: To raise a false alarm.
In a Sentence: If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you when you’re really in trouble.
Other Ways to Say: Give a false warning, Alarm unnecessarily.
13. Horse of a different color
Meaning: A completely different matter.
In a Sentence: I thought you were talking about money, but this is a horse of a different color.
Other Ways to Say: Totally different issue, Not the same.
14. Get your ducks in a row
Meaning: To organize things properly.
In a Sentence: Before launching the product, we need to get our ducks in a row.
Other Ways to Say: Be prepared, Get organized.
15. Straight from the horse’s mouth
Meaning: Directly from the source.
In a Sentence: I heard the news straight from the horse’s mouth.
Other Ways to Say: From a reliable source, First-hand information.
16. Hold your horses
Meaning: Wait a moment; be patient.
In a Sentence: Hold your horses! We haven’t even packed yet.
Other Ways to Say: Be patient, Slow down.
17. Monkey business
Meaning: Silly or dishonest behavior.
In a Sentence: There’s some monkey business going on with the accounts.
Other Ways to Say: Mischief, Nonsense.
18. Go to the dogs
Meaning: To become worse or deteriorate.
In a Sentence: This neighborhood has really gone to the dogs.
Other Ways to Say: Decline, Fall apart.
19. Let sleeping dogs lie
Meaning: Avoid restarting old conflicts.
In a Sentence: Don’t bring up that argument again—let sleeping dogs lie.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t stir trouble, Leave it alone.
20. Pig out
Meaning: To eat excessively.
In a Sentence: We pigged out on pizza and ice cream last night.
Other Ways to Say: Overeat, Gorge.
21. Ants in your pants
Meaning: To be restless or impatient.
In a Sentence: The kids had ants in their pants waiting for the party.
Other Ways to Say: Jittery, Fidgety.
22. Chicken out
Meaning: To back out due to fear.
In a Sentence: He chickened out of the bungee jump at the last minute.
Other Ways to Say: Lose courage, Back down.
23. Dog-eat-dog world
Meaning: A very competitive and ruthless environment.
In a Sentence: In the corporate world, it’s truly a dog-eat-dog world.
Other Ways to Say: Cutthroat, Competitive.
24. A fish story
Meaning: An exaggerated or unbelievable tale.
In a Sentence: His story about catching a shark was clearly a fish story.
Other Ways to Say: Tall tale, Exaggeration.
25. Wildcat strike
Meaning: A sudden and unofficial work stoppage.
In a Sentence: The workers staged a wildcat strike over unsafe conditions.
Other Ways to Say: Unofficial strike, Sudden protest.
26. Weasel out
Meaning: To avoid responsibility or an obligation.
In a Sentence: He tried to weasel out of helping with the project.
Other Ways to Say: Dodge, Evade.
27. As fast as a hare
Meaning: Very quick or speedy.
In a Sentence: He ran as fast as a hare to catch the bus.
Other Ways to Say: As swift as a cheetah, Quick like lightning.
28. Dead as a dodo
Meaning: No longer in existence or use.
In a Sentence: That old phone model is as dead as a dodo now.
Other Ways to Say: Obsolete, Outdated.
29. Eat like a bird
Meaning: To eat very little.
In a Sentence: She eats like a bird and still skips dessert.
Other Ways to Say: Light eater, Nibble at food.
30. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret by mistake.
In a Sentence: She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Other Ways to Say: Spill the beans, Give it away.
31. Fish out of water
Meaning: To feel uncomfortable in a new environment.
In a Sentence: He felt like a fish out of water at his new job.
Other Ways to Say: Out of place, Awkward.
32. Hold your horses
Meaning: Wait or be patient.
In a Sentence: Hold your horses! We’re not leaving just yet.
Other Ways to Say: Be patient, Slow down.
33. Cry wolf
Meaning: To raise a false alarm.
In a Sentence: After crying wolf so many times, no one believed him.
Other Ways to Say: False alert, Raise a stir for nothing.
34. Get someone’s goat
Meaning: To annoy or irritate someone.
In a Sentence: His constant humming really gets my goat.
Other Ways to Say: Bug someone, Tick someone off.
35. Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: Someone who appears harmless but is dangerous.
In a Sentence: Don’t trust him—he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Other Ways to Say: Two-faced, Deceptive person.
36. Busy as a beaver
Meaning: Working very hard.
In a Sentence: She’s been as busy as a beaver preparing for her exams.
Other Ways to Say: Industrious, Diligent.
37. As quiet as a mouse
Meaning: Very silent and unobtrusive.
In a Sentence: The children were as quiet as mice during the movie.
Other Ways to Say: Silent, Noiseless.
38. As sly as a fox
Meaning: Clever and deceitful.
In a Sentence: He was as sly as a fox in negotiating that deal.
Other Ways to Say: Cunning, Crafty.
39. Monkey see, monkey do
Meaning: Copying someone without understanding.
In a Sentence: He just repeated what he saw—monkey see, monkey do.
Other Ways to Say: Mimic behavior, Copycat.
40. The lion’s share
Meaning: The biggest part or portion.
In a Sentence: She got the lion’s share of the inheritance.
Other Ways to Say: Major portion, Bulk.
41. Watch like a hawk
Meaning: Observe very closely.
In a Sentence: The teacher watched the students like a hawk during the exam.
Other Ways to Say: Keep an eye on, Observe keenly.
42. Smell a rat
Meaning: Suspect something is wrong.
In a Sentence: I smell a rat—he’s being way too nice.
Other Ways to Say: Be suspicious, Sense deceit.
43. Straight from the horse’s mouth
Meaning: From a reliable source.
In a Sentence: I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth—he’s quitting next week.
Other Ways to Say: From the source, First-hand information.
44. Like water off a duck’s back
Meaning: Not affected by criticism.
In a Sentence: Insults are like water off a duck’s back to her.
Other Ways to Say: Unbothered, Indifferent.
45. As free as a bird
Meaning: Feeling unrestrained or carefree.
In a Sentence: After her exams, she felt as free as a bird.
Other Ways to Say: Liberated, Carefree.
46. Horse around
Meaning: To play or behave wildly.
In a Sentence: The kids were horsing around in the living room again.
Other Ways to Say: Fool around, Goof off.
47. Like a lamb to the slaughter
Meaning: Innocently walking into danger.
In a Sentence: He walked into the meeting like a lamb to the slaughter, unaware of the criticism coming.
Other Ways to Say: Naively, Blindly.
48. Put the cart before the horse
Meaning: To do things in the wrong order.
In a Sentence: Planning the wedding before the proposal is putting the cart before the horse.
Other Ways to Say: Act prematurely, Get ahead of oneself.
49. As meek as a lamb
Meaning: Very gentle and quiet.
In a Sentence: He’s as meek as a lamb around new people.
Other Ways to Say: Timid, Docile.
50. Cat nap
Meaning: A short, light sleep.
In a Sentence: I took a quick cat nap during lunch break.
Other Ways to Say: Power nap, Short rest.
