C119 words · Advanced

Animal Idioms vocabulary — C1

Animal idioms for describing character and setbacks, with phrases like a snake in the grass, a bull in a china shop and a fly in the ointment.

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Words in this set

a snake in the grass
A deceitful person who seems trustworthy but is secretly working against you.
Example: He smiled to my face, but he was really a snake in the grass.
a bull in a china shop
A careless person who causes damage or upset while handling a delicate situation.
Example: He handled the negotiations like a bull in a china shop, offending everyone.
get someone's goat
To annoy or irritate someone.
Example: His constant tapping on the desk really gets my goat.
till the cows come home
For a very long and indefinite period of time.
Example: You can argue about it till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.
a dog-eat-dog world
A highly competitive environment where people act ruthlessly to succeed.
Example: The fashion industry can be a dog-eat-dog world.
go the way of the dodo
To disappear completely and become obsolete, like something no longer used.
Example: Fax machines have largely gone the way of the dodo.
flog a dead horse
To waste effort continuing to argue for or work on something that has no chance of succeeding.
Example: Trying to convince him again would just be flogging a dead horse.
kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
To destroy something valuable because you want a quick, short-term gain.
Example: Firing your best staff to save money is killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
the tail wagging the dog
A small or unimportant part of something controlling the whole thing, the wrong way round.
Example: Letting one intern set company policy is the tail wagging the dog.
put the cart before the horse
To do things in the wrong order, so a later step happens before the necessary first step.
Example: Buying furniture before signing the lease is putting the cart before the horse.
a canary in the coal mine
An early warning that something is going badly wrong.
Example: Falling insect numbers are a canary in the coal mine for the whole system.
a fly in the ointment
One small thing that spoils something otherwise good.
Example: The only a fly in the ointment is the parking.
an albatross around your neck
A burden you cannot get rid of.
Example: The second property became an albatross around your neck within a year.
a stalking horse
Something used to hide the real intention behind an action.
Example: The consultation was a stalking horse for closing the site.
cat got your tongue
Said to someone who is unexpectedly silent.
Example: Nothing to add? Cat got your tongue all of a sudden?
a wolf at the door
The threat of serious poverty.
Example: Two missed invoices and there was a wolf at the door.
like rats leaving a sinking ship
Abandoning something as soon as it starts to fail.
Example: The senior staff went like rats leaving a sinking ship.
a herd mentality
The tendency to do what everyone else is doing.
Example: The whole market moved on a herd mentality and nothing else.
the runt of the litter
The smallest and weakest of a group.
Example: The branch was always the runt of the litter and closed first.