Animal Idioms: 30 Widespread Expressions for Colorful Speech

Starting off our animal idioms list, our first expression is to chicken out. When someone chickens out, it means they decide not to do or participate in something because they are overcome with fear, regardless if it’s rational or not.

Example:

• I had the opportunity to apply for the best college and move across the country, but I chickened out because I had never left my hometown before.
• Jack actually asked Ginny out on a date but chickened out at the last second since he thought she wouldn’t be interested in him.

A top dog refers to a person or a group of people that have achieved success or victory in a particular sphere. Usually, their superiority or authority is reached by fighting through vigorous competition.

Example:

• Over the decades, Apple has become a top dog in electronics and software retail.
• When I was playing for my high school football team, I was an undefeated top dog.

The straw that broke the camel’s back refers to the last or latest situation in a series of many unpleasant or unfortunate events. When such a situation occurs, it typically means the person cannot tolerate or deal with the stress anymore.

Example:

• Mary was struggling with the fact that her job was delaying her paycheck, but when her landlord threatened to evict her, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
• When I was going through a dark place in my life, my family was the only thing keeping the straw that broke the camel’s back away.

Until the cows come home simply means something that has or can go on for a prolonged period of time.

Example:

• Sometimes my mother-in-law and I get into very heated arguments about how to raise children, and it feels like they last until the cows come home.
• To avoid doing any work around the house, I pretend to do my homework until the cows come home.

One-trick pony is among the slightly offensive animal idioms if they are used to describe a person. It refers to someone or something that is only good or skilled at one particular thing and is usually clueless in other spheres.

Example:

• It often feels like modern-day pop stars are one-trick ponies that sound pretty much the same.
• Our marketing department seems to be a one-trick pony with how they rely solely on one tactic that proved to be viable years ago.

When something or someone is going at a snail’s pace, it means it progresses very slowly and without much effort put into it.

Example:

• When we boarded our 12-hour train ride across the country, it felt like we were going at a snail’s pace.
• My relationship with Patrick seems to be going at a snail’s pace, even though we agreed not to rush things.

Plenty of fish in the sea means the world and life are filled with opportunities. This idiom can be used for a variety of situations, for example, it can be a comforting expression when someone’s relationship has ended and emphasizing that there are many other options available out there. In that instance, it can also be described as one of love idioms.

Example:

• There is no reason to cry over the fact that you and your boyfriend split up, there is plenty of fish in the sea!
• Don’t be upset that you didn’t get the job you were hoping to get, you will find something better because there is plenty of fish in the sea.

When someone takes the bull by the horns, it means they are confidently taking a risk at doing something that is granted to be advantageous in the long term. Curiously, take the bull by the horns can be found among idioms about animals within many different cultures.

Example:

• I decided to take the bull by the horns and learn how to ride a motorcycle.
• He took the bull by the horns when he finally told his boss he wanted a long-deserved raise.

The rat race is a part of more figurative and commentary animal idioms since it refers to a social struggle that a large segment of people must endure. Usually, it means competing with others for wealth and status by working extremely hard, often harder than more privileged people.

Example:

• In many first-world countries, it has become a true rat race to get anywhere in life.
• In the previous centuries, the rat race was much more prominent with such a big gap between the wealthy and the poor.

Certainly, among the more funny English idioms on our list is the expression monkey see, monkey do. Typically, it refers to a not-so-smart person that mimics or copies the behavior or opinions of other people because they can’t comprehend it or come up with something of their own.

Example:

• Some kids don’t grow out from the toddler behavior of monkey see, monkey do.
• My little brother won’t stop following me around, he’s monkey see, monkey do game is really starting to annoy me.

When someone lets the cat out of the bag, it means they have told a secret or revealed information that was not intended to be public. This can happen whether intentionally or not.

Example:

• My sister let the cat out of the bag that me and Martin are getting married this summer.
• The press let the cat out of the bag that the current mayor will not be running for a second turn.

Even though it’s one of the idioms about animals that sound rather harsh, the expression “kill two birds with one stone” means to do or achieve two things at the same time successfully. It is usually intended to mean within one action.

Example:

• When I worked as a mailman, I used to kill two birds with one stone by delivering newspapers to my grandma and simultaneously paying her a visit.
• If we stop by the mall, we can kill two birds with one stone by picking up groceries and buying our Halloween costumes.

The lion’s share refers to the largest or the best part of something. Interestingly, this idiom is theorized to have multiple origins from a few ancient fables.

Example:

• As a successor to my father’s business, I got the lion’s share of the stakes.
• My mother used to give the lion’s share of attention to my youngest sister until she moved to another town.

Copycat is similar in meaning idiom to monkey see, monkey do. It talks about a person or a product that is so similar to someone or something else it is practically a copy. Typically, when a thing is a copycat, it means it is unoriginal and is unable to produce its own ideas.

Example:

• You can find so many copycats on Amazon that try really hard to capitalize off famous brands.
• Our teacher lacks any creativity since she basically copycats lessons from the internet.

A leopard can’t change its spots means that a person cannot really change or alter their basic personality characteristics or habitual behaviors. It is certainly among animal idioms that carry a more philosophical meaning.

Example:

• After years of trying to reconcile our relationship, I decided to divorce my husband because the leopard can’t change its spots.
• My parents always taught me that a Leopard couldn’t change its spots, so don’t bother hoping that bad people will one day change.

A can of worms means an unpleasant conversation that is actually more complicated and nuanced than it seems at first glance. Generally, this idiom is constructed as opening a can of worms.

Example:

• The prime minister opened a can of worms on social media when she started talking about inequality within the workplace.
• The art director at our gallery doesn’t want to open a can of worms that is our annual budget.

The idiom “look what the cat dragged in” is an expression that is used to draw attention to someone who has just entered a room. This can be used to express both the disappointment of someone’s arrival or, conversely, a positive attitude toward them.

Example:

• Look what the cat dragged in, we were waiting for you to arrive at our girl’s night out!
• Look what the cat dragged in at our get-together — the local sheriff.

A dog-eat-dog describes a ruthless situation where people will go to various lengths to achieve what they want, even if it means mistreating other people. You can often hear this idiom used as a “dog-eat-dog world”.

Example:

• The competition in large enterprises to get to the highest-paying positions is truly dog-eat-dog.
• My grandfather always told me that we live in a dog-eat-dog world and that I must be careful.

Similar to “plenty of fish in the sea”, the definition of “the world is your oyster” is that we are free to do anything in our lives. In a way, it can also be considered as part of the food idioms.

Example:

• You can choose whichever college to go to, the world is your oyster.
• I realized that the world is my oyster when I quit my job as a waitress and pursued my career as a designer.

The first of our few English animal idioms about dogs is “let sleeping dogs lie”. It means that it is best to avoid disturbing or bringing up the topic of something because it can create more issues. Essentially, this idiom means to leave something alone.

Example:

• I considered bringing up my misunderstandings with colleagues to my boss, but I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
• My mother can’t seem to let sleeping dogs lie and keep bringing up the topic of why she got detained.

When someone says the expression “a little bird told me”, it means they have received secretive or confidential information about something, and the informant prefers to keep their identity anonymous.

Example:

• A little bird told me that our department is going to face a serious wave of layoffs.
• It turns out that our district attorney is going to make a public announcement soon. I know because a little bird told me.

The peculiar phrase “raining cats and dogs” means heavy rain. Since there were never any recorded sightings of thunderstorms containing our four-legged friends, there are many theories about the origin of this idiom. Curiously, a lot of them speculate that the expression is very old, dating as far back as the 17th century.

Example:

• The forecast was looking good, and we decided to go out on a picnic, but when the time came by, it was raining cats and dogs.
• It was raining cats and dogs during our wedding, but we still managed to get good photographs.

Continuing our streak of animal idioms about canines, the phrase all bark and no bite refers to a person that makes a lot of big claims, promises, or threats but does not usually act upon them.

Example:

• My neighbor threatens to call the police every time I throw a party and play music loudly, but she’s all bark and no bite.
• David keeps telling us how he is going to start his own business. However, we all know that he’s all bark and no bite.

This idiom is used to describe a person with harmful intentions that pretends to be innocent to get trust or fit into a group of people. It’s believed that this expression has biblical origins.

Example:

• My stepmother is a wolf in sheep’s clothing because she pretends to be very nice in front of my dad but keeps nagging at me when we are alone.
• I didn’t believe my classmate was a wolf in sheep’s clothing until I saw them cheat on their exams.

When someone is described as a dark horse, it means that this person kept his extraordinary skills or abilities secret and suddenly came on top. Typically, this phrase is used when someone unexpectedly wins a competition or a race.

Example:

• We always disregarded Jane. It turns out she’s a dark horse that is capable of winning a Nobel prize.
• Carl is a dark horse, I don’t have any doubts that his art gallery is going to be a major success.

Sitting duck is among the English animal idioms that are used in more serious situations. It refers to instances when people, particularly soldiers, have no defense against an attack from the enemy.

Example:

• Once after a shootout, we ran out of ammunition and were sitting ducks until the evacuation team rushed to our positions.
• When I was on a ride-along for a police raid, I was told to wait in a car. I felt like I was a sitting duck.

A black sheep is a person in a group of people, like at the workplace or in a family, that has done something wrongful and now brings embarrassment to the group to the point of being ostracized.

Example:

• After I came out to my parents, I became a black sheep at all family gatherings.
• Jack is now the black sheep in our family because he was recently arrested on the charges of robbery.

The idiom Wild goose chase refers to a pointless pursuit of something or someone. The chase is usually largely unsuccessful because the thing being looked after is non-existent or is not present.

Example:

• We were on a wild goose chase searching for the man that stole my wife’s jewelry at the party, but he was long gone.
• My brother embarked on a wild goose chase after a girl, not realizing she already had a boyfriend.

To Weasel out of something is certainly one of the more humorous idioms about animals. It means to avoid doing something or escape responsibility by leveraging the wit of the mind or even dishonesty.

Example:

• My son keeps weaseling out of cleaning his room by saying he has a school project to finish.
• I remember the time I weaseled out of passing my exam by lying to my teacher that I needed to visit my grandma at the hospital.

At last, our final idiom for today is red herring, which means a subject or a point that directs the attention away from more serious or main aspects of the situation. This idiom has very intriguing roots, originally being used literally as a way to prolong a fox hunt.

Example:

• The governor’s speech about sustainability was a red herring, diverting the attention from the decreasing quality of air.
• The movie Knives Out was full of red herrings in order to confuse the viewer about who the villain really is.