Animal Idioms

• Smell a Rat (feel that something is wrong)

- Didn’t you close  the front doo before we went shopping? 

-I’m sure I did. I can’t understand it. Frankly, I smell a rat.

-Me, too. I’m convinced that something is definitely wrong here. We’d better call the police. 

• Go to the Dogs (become run down)

-Have you seen their house lately? It’s really gone to the dogs. 

-It’s true that it has become run-down and in serious need of repair, but I’m sure that it can be fixed up to look like new. 

• Fishy (strange and suspicious)

When the security guard saw a light in the shop after closing hours, it seemed to him that there were something fishy going on. He called the central office and explained that he thought something strange and suspicious was happening. 

• Take the Bull by the Horns (take decisive action in a difficult situation) 

Karen had always wanted to learn to dance properly. She had been putting off taking lessons, but she finally took the bull by the horns and went to a professional dance studio for help. She was tired of feeling left out and acted decisively to correct the situation. 

Let the Cat Out of the Bag (reveal the secret)

Bob was going to retire in July, and his colleagues were planning on presenting him some presents at his retirement dinner. He wasn’t supposed to know about it, but someone let the cat out of the bag. At dinner Bob acted surprised, even though someone had revealed the secret.

• For the Birds (uninteresting an meaningless)

They went to a poetry reading, but they got bored. As far as they were
concerned, it was for the birds! They left during a break because they found the reading totally uninteresting and meaningless. 

• Straight From the Horse’s Mouth (first-hand, from a reliable source)

-How did you find out that Jill was engaged? I got the information from a very reliable source. 

-Do you mean Jill told you so herself? 

-That’s right. I got it straight from the horse’s mouth! 

• Horse Around (behave in a silly way)

-Did you hear about Dave’s back injury? 

-No. How did he get hurt?

-Well, after the coach left the gym he decided to stay and horse around on the parallel bars. He somehow lost his grip and fell on his back. 

• Cat Got Your Tongue?(can’t talk)

-Come on, Connie! Tell us what you think about our little ride down the rapids yesterday. Wasn’t it exciting?

-Well, uh... 

 -What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? 

-If you must know, I’m keeping quiet because I terrified! 

• Horse of a Different Colour (quite a different matter)

Tom likes playing jokes on his friends, but he makes sure that nobody is hurt by any of his pranks. A prank that hurts someone is a horse of different colour! Being playful is one thing, but hurting someone by one’s prank is quite a different matter.