Idioms - Animal Idioms 1

Idiom

Meaning

Example Sentence

ants in one's pants

unable to sit still or remain calm out of nervousness or excitement

Lisa had ants in her pants the day before her interview.

the birds and the bees

sex education

I learned about the birds and the bees when my baby brother was born.

cat nap

a short sleep

I'm going to have a cat nap while you're cooking dinner.

cat's got one's tongue

said about someone who doesn't speak (usually due to shyness)

It looks like the cat's got your tongue, Lucy. Are you always this quiet?

chicken out

to decide not to do something out of fear (usually just before)

I was going to take a ride on Geoff's motorcyle, but I chickened out when he gave me a helmet to wear.

clam up

become quiet suddenly

Arthur clammed up when I asked him about his family.

copy cat

a person who does the same thing as someone else

My sister is such a copy cat. First she bought the same car as me, and now she's applying to my school.

dog days

very hot days

I sleep in the basement during the dog days of August.

dropping like flies

dying/giving up quickly

My roses are dropping like flies in this early frost.

eager beaver

a person who is excited about doing certain work

Ever since he got his new drill set my husband has been an eager beaver around the house.

fishy

odd, suspicious

I knew something fishy was going on when I saw all of my friends' cars in my mom's driveway.

have a cow

get extremely upset (often over something minor)

My teacher had a cow when she realized nobody had done the homework.

hold your horses

wait and be patient

Hold your horses! I'll be done in the washroom in a minute.

holy cow!

Wow, I'm surprised!

Holy cow! I can't believe you ate everything on your plate.

horse around

play roughly

If you're going to horse around, please go outside.