Here at FunkyEnglish we love animal idioms, and English is full of them! We use cats, dogs, birds, pigs and even whales to describe people, feelings and everyday situations.
On this page you’ll find 50 of the most common animal idioms in English, each with its meaning and an example sentence. We start with our Top 10 favourites, then list the rest by animal: cats and dogs, birds, farm animals, wild animals, sea creatures and insects.
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Our Top 10 Favourite Animal Idioms
Which one do you like best?
Ten – Like Turkeys Voting For Christmas
We’ll start the list with an idiom featuring the turkey. This idiom describes a situation when you choose to do something that will end badly for you. Christmas is obviously a bad time for turkeys – many of them will end up being eaten over Christmas dinner!
“Cutting overtime pay and asking staff to vote on it themselves? That’s turkeys voting for Christmas.”
Nine – Canary In A Coalmine
Another feathered friend in a precarious situation? Yes! Like the poor turkey at Christmas, our canary is at risk once it enters the coalmine. The helpful canary will serve as an early warning of danger or trouble ahead. How does it warn us? By dropping dead. At least the canary doesn’t get eaten, I guess.
“Rising customer complaints were the canary in the coalmine for bigger problems ahead.”
Eight – Pigs Might Fly
It’s time to move on from the flying birds (yes, turkeys can fly) to an animal that definitely cannot fly. Pigs are – somewhat unfairly – known as fat and lazy animals, hence the difficulty imagining them growing wings and taking to the sky. There really is little chance of that happening. Still, why fly when you can take to the water like the swimming pigs of the Bahamas.
“He says he’ll finish the report early — yeah, and pigs might fly.”
Seven – Whale Of A Time
Let’s swim out past our paddling pigs into the deep blue sea until we find some whales. The whales are mighty creatures; you won’t find anything bigger on Earth. The impressiveness of this mammal led to whale being used to describe a really great example of something. A whale of a time is used to help us understand that the time you had was impressive, or just really enjoyable.
“We had a whale of a time at the festival this weekend.”
Six – Butterflies In My Stomach
Let’s be honest, if I was in the middle of the ocean and I saw a pod of whales I might feel anxious. That anxiousness – that can be described as a fluttery feeling – is sometimes referred to as butterflies in the stomach. Different things give us butterflies: an English test, a smile from someone special or making a speech in front of a large group of people.
“I always get butterflies in my stomach before a job interview.”
Five – As Sick As A Parrot
Our next featured idiom – a British classic – features the beautiful, talkative, intelligent parrot. What joyous emotion does the colourful parrot convey? That’s right! Disappointment, misfortune or despair. The English language doesn’t always make sense. This idiom is often used to describe a sportsperson or team who has suffered a surprising or crushing defeat.
“United lost in the final minute — the fans were sick as a parrot.”
Four – Wouldn’t Say Boo To A Goose
Geese are known as aggressive animals and you should probably avoid startling them. This British idiom is slightly confusing because most people wouldn’t say boo to a goose. This expression – however – is used to describe someone very timid or nervous. You might also come across the similar expression wouldn’t say boo to a fly, which certainly makes more literal sense. Who is frightened of a fly?
“Don’t worry about upsetting him, he wouldn’t say boo to a goose.”
Three – Raining Cats and Dogs
Cats and dogs are our most popular pets, and we even call the dog man’s best friend. We weren’t always so fond of these animals, as this idiom probably originates from dead cats and dogs being discarded in open sewers! Heavy rain would wash the bodies away. Despite the horrible history of this idiom it remains one of the most widely used idiomatic expressions, and often the first learned by people learning to speak English.
“Take an umbrella, it’s raining cats and dogs out there.”
Two – Ants In Your Pants
Are you getting excited because we are nearly at number one in our list? So excited that you are wriggling about as if you have ants in your pants? Probably not, but at least you understand the context of this antsy expression. This idiom can also be used to describe that nervous movement when you are anxious about something. The word pants means different things in the UK and the US. You’d be much better off in America with ants in your pants, that is for sure.
“Sit still! You’ve got ants in your pants today.”
One – Let The Cat Out Of The Bag
Why did we choose this idiom as our favourite? We promise to let the cat out of the bag and tell you! Everyone loves a good secret, and it is normal to get excited when a secret is revealed. This expression paints a great mental picture too – a secret cat being let out of a bag. How awesome is that? Finally, and perhaps most important of all, we get to share a picture of a cute moggy in a bag.
“Someone let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.”
So how did we do? Did you learn any new idioms? Are you satisfied with our top ten, or are we daft for missing your favourite? Keep reading, because it might be in our full list below!
Cat and Dog Idioms
Cats and dogs are our favourite pets, so it’s no surprise they appear in lots of idioms. For even more, see our full guides to Cat Idioms and Dog Idioms.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Let the cat out of the bag | To accidentally tell a secret. | Tom let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party. |
| Raining cats and dogs | Raining very heavily. | Take an umbrella, it’s raining cats and dogs out there. |
| Cat got your tongue? | Said when someone is unusually quiet or won’t answer. | You’re very quiet today. Cat got your tongue? |
| When the cat’s away, the mice will play | People misbehave when the person in charge isn’t there. | The boss is on holiday and everyone’s leaving early. When the cat’s away, the mice will play! |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Don’t bring up an old problem that could cause trouble again. | They’ve finally stopped arguing about it, so let sleeping dogs lie. |
| Copycat | Someone who copies what another person does. | Stop being such a copycat and find your own style! |
| Puppy love | An intense, innocent crush, usually between young people. | It was just puppy love. They were only fourteen. |
| Puppy-dog eyes | A sad, pleading look used to get what you want. | He gave me puppy-dog eyes until I shared my chips. |
| Curiosity killed the cat | A warning that being too curious can get you into trouble. | Stop reading her messages. Curiosity killed the cat! |
| Dog-eat-dog | Very competitive, where people will harm others to succeed. | It’s a dog-eat-dog world in advertising. |
| Like the cat that got the cream (British) | Looking very pleased with yourself because something good has happened to you. | Tom’s been grinning like the cat that got the cream since he passed his driving test! |
Bird Idioms
From tiny canaries to Christmas turkeys, birds give English some of its most colourful expressions.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A little bird told me | Used when you don’t want to say who told you something. | A little bird told me it’s your birthday! |
| Birds of a feather flock together | People with similar interests or characters spend time together. | All my friends love football. Birds of a feather flock together! |
| Canary in the coal mine | An early warning sign of danger. | Rising customer complaints were the canary in the coal mine for bigger problems ahead. |
| Wouldn’t say boo to a goose (British) | Very shy or timid. | Don’t worry about upsetting him. He wouldn’t say boo to a goose. |
| As sick as a parrot (British) | Very disappointed. | United lost in the final minute, and the fans were as sick as a parrot. |
| Like turkeys voting for Christmas (British) | Choosing something that will be bad for you. | Asking staff to vote for a pay cut? That’s like turkeys voting for Christmas. |
| Chicken | A coward; too scared to do something. | Come on, don’t be chicken. Jump in! |
| Kill two birds with one stone | To achieve two things with one action. | I’ll post the letter on my way to the gym and kill two birds with one stone. |
| The early bird catches the worm | People who start early get the best opportunities. | The sale starts at 8am. The early bird catches the worm! |
| A wild goose chase | A hopeless search for something you won’t find. | The map was wrong. It was a total wild goose chase. |
| Run around like a headless chicken (British) | To rush about in a panic without getting much done. | The guests arrive in ten minutes and Dad’s running around like a headless chicken. |
| Don’t count your chickens before they hatch | Don’t make plans that depend on something good happening until it has actually happened. | The job isn’t yours yet, so don’t count your chickens! |
Farm Animal Idioms
Pigs, horses and sheep: the farmyard is full of idioms.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pigs might fly (British) | Said sarcastically about something that will never happen. (In American English: “when pigs fly”.) | He says he’ll finish the report early. Yeah, and pigs might fly. |
| Pig out | To eat far too much. | We pigged out on pizza after the match. |
| Hold your horses | Wait; slow down. | Hold your horses, let me finish explaining! |
| Get off your high horse | Stop acting as if you’re better than other people. | Get off your high horse. You make mistakes too! |
| Dark horse | Someone with hidden talents who surprises people. | Sam’s a dark horse. Who knew he could sing? |
| Straight from the horse’s mouth | Directly from the person who knows the facts. | I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth: the manager told me herself. |
| The black sheep | A family member who is different from the others, or seen as a disappointment. | My uncle was always the black sheep of the family. |
| Donkey’s years (British) | A very long time. | I haven’t seen her in donkey’s years! |
| Bring home the bacon | To earn the money that supports your family. | Since Mum got her promotion, she’s the one bringing home the bacon. |
Wild Animal Idioms
Elephants, lions, bears and rats all turn up in everyday English.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The elephant in the room | An obvious problem that nobody wants to talk about. | Nobody mentioned the budget cuts, but they were the elephant in the room. |
| The lion’s share | The biggest part of something. | My brother always gets the lion’s share of the cake. |
| Like a bear with a sore head (British) | Very grumpy and bad-tempered. | Dad’s like a bear with a sore head before his morning coffee. |
| Smell a rat | To suspect that something is wrong. | The deal looked too good to be true, and I started to smell a rat. |
| The rat race | The stressful, competitive routine of work and modern life. | She left the rat race and opened a café by the sea. |
| If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys | If you pay very low wages, you get poor workers. | No wonder the work was terrible. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. |
| Cry wolf | To keep raising false alarms, so people stop believing you. | He cries wolf so often that nobody believes him when he’s really ill. |
| Crocodile tears | Fake sadness. | She cried crocodile tears, but she was secretly pleased. |
| Kangaroo court | An unfair, unofficial trial where the result is decided before it starts. | The meeting was a kangaroo court. They’d decided to sack him before he said a word. |
Sea Creature Idioms
Dive in: these idioms come from under the sea.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Have a whale of a time | To enjoy yourself very much. | We had a whale of a time at the festival this weekend. |
| Swim with sharks | To deal with dangerous or ruthless people. | Working on Wall Street means swimming with sharks. |
| Loan shark | Someone who lends money at very high interest, often illegally. | Never borrow from a loan shark! |
| Smell fishy | To seem suspicious or dishonest. | His story smells fishy to me. |
| A fish out of water | Someone who feels uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation. | At the fancy dinner, I felt like a fish out of water. |
Insect Idioms
Small creatures, big idioms!
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ants in your pants | Unable to sit still because you’re restless or excited. | Sit still! You’ve got ants in your pants today. |
| Butterflies in your stomach | A nervous feeling before something important. | I always get butterflies in my stomach before a job interview. |
| As busy as a bee | Very busy and working hard. | Mum’s been as busy as a bee getting ready for the party. |
| The bee’s knees (British) | Something or someone excellent. | Have you tried the new bakery? Their croissants are the bee’s knees. |
Bonus: British Animal Slang
Two extra favourites from British slang:
| Slang | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Moggy | A pet cat, especially an ordinary mixed-breed one. | Our moggy sleeps on the sofa all day. |
| Dog and bone | Cockney rhyming slang for “phone”. | Hang on, I’m on the dog and bone! |
New on FunkyEnglish
Our latest animal idiom lessons, added since the list above:
- A bull in a china shop: clumsy in a place or situation that needs care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hundreds! This page covers 50 of the most common ones, but new animal expressions appear all the time, and many are specific to British or American English.
Animals have been part of everyday life and storytelling for centuries, so they became natural, vivid shorthand for human behaviour and emotions — that’s why phrases like “sick as a parrot” or “let the cat out of the bag” stuck around.
Yes — it’s always used sarcastically, to say you think something is very unlikely to happen.
Most of these are informal and work best in conversation. For formal writing, stick to plain language — save “whale of a time” and “ants in your pants” for chatting with friends.
Nothing changes the meaning — it’s simply a more colourful, informal way to say the same thing. Common in speech, less so in formal writing.
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