Animals have always given people colorful ways to describe things. In English, this has ranged from simple similes such as sly as a fox and blind as a bat to slang terms and political jargon.
What does it mean if a cat’s got your tongue? And if you face a tough situation, will you take the bull by the horns, or will you chicken out?
From the farm, from the jungle, and from pets in the home, animals are used to describe personality traits, moods, and more.
Check out some of these animal idioms here and even more in the Quick Targets Idioms series.
Test Your Knowledge
1. If a cat has your tongue, you are:
A. sad
B. silent
C. angry
D. smart
2. The car salesman told us the car was owned by a woman who
only drove it on Sundays. It was a ____ story.
A. cat and dog
B. horse and pony
C. bull and bear
D. cock and bull
3. When you buy stocks, it is best if there is a ___ market.
A. bull
B. bear
C. buffalo
D. bay
4. You can ask me all day, but I won’t tell you my secret. You
can ask until the ___ come home!
A. cats
B. cows
C. bulls
D. bears
5. Now that Donna is the manager at her company, she is going to
take the ___ by the horns and solve the company’s problems.
A. ox
B. cow
C. goat
D. bull
6. When Sarah’s sister arrived at the airport to visit, Sarah
gave her a ___ hug.
A. monkey
B. kitty
C. rabbit
D. bear
7. If Ben drives very slowly, we can say he drives at a ___
pace. (pace = speed)
A. cat’s
B. turtle’s
C. hare’s
D. snail’s
8. Most people use email these days, because ___ mail is too
slow.
A. horse
B. turtle
C. bull
D. snail
9. Bill: We have to go now.
Wendy: Hold your ___. I’ll be ready in a minute.
A. horses
B. bulls
C. rabbits
D. cats
10. The students in Miss Smith’s fifth-grade class were making
noise and causing trouble. She looked at the class and said, “Stop the ___
business!”
A. fox
B. raccoon
C. chimp
D. monkey
11. My office is only five miles away as the ____ flies, but
it’s about ten miles away on the crazy route the bus takes.
A. eagle
B. crow
C. chicken
D. duck
Answers
1. B 2. D 3. A 4. B 5. D 6. D 7. D 8. D 9. A 10. D 11. B
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English Idioms: Animals—Monkey Business: Vocabulary, Fast & Fun.
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