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Theme · 61 lessons across topics

Animal Idioms & Vocabulary

Cry wolf, smell a rat, let the cat out of the bag: English is full of animals. Idioms, slang, proverbs and photo vocab, all in one place.

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All animals lessons

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All 61 Idioms 38 Photo Vocab 14 Proverbs 4 British Culture 3 Lessons 3 Slang 3 Common Phrases 1 In the News 1 Phrasal Verbs 1

A bull in a china shop: a worried bull knocks teacups off a shelf in a British china shop while the shopkeeper watches in horror. Meaning: clumsy in a place or situation that needs care.

Idiom – A Bull in a China Shop

Watercolour of a grinning black sheep in sunglasses and a leather jacket among disapproving white sheep, with the idiom the black sheep of the family, its meaning and an example sentence

Idiom – The Black Sheep of the Family

Cartoon of a farmer counting eggs while a chicken laughs, with the proverb don't count your chickens before they hatch, its meaning and an example sentence

Proverb – Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

Cartoon of a grinning cat licking cream from a bowl, with the idiom like the cat that got the cream, its meaning and an example sentence

British Culture, Idioms

Idiom – Like the Cat That Got the Cream

Retro 1960s illustration of a shepherd boy shouting from a hill while villagers roll their eyes and walk away, with the idiom cry wolf, its meaning and an example sentence

Idiom – Cry Wolf

Watercolour illustration of a nervous goldfish in a bow tie at a cocktail party full of elegant cats, with the idiom a fish out of water, its meaning and an example sentence

Idiom – A Fish Out of Water

Linocut print of a pebble flying towards two surprised sparrows, with the idiom kill two birds with one stone, its meaning and an example sentence

Idiom – Kill Two Birds With One Stone

Illustrated header image for a guide to common English cat idioms

Idioms, Lessons

Cat Idioms

Illustrated header image for a guide to common English dog idioms

Idioms, Lessons

Dog Idioms

swim with sharks idiom

Idiom – Swim With Sharks

bear with a sore head idiom

Idiom – Like A Bear With A Sore Head

Majestic male lion with a full mane resting in the grass

Lion Vocabulary

idiom-smell-a-rat

Idiom – Smell A Rat

idiom-kangaroo-court

Idiom – Kangaroo Court

idiom-elephant-in-the-room

Idiom – Elephant In The Room

idiom-hold-your-horses

Idiom – Hold Your Horses

Giraffe stretching its neck into a tall tree canopy to reach leaves

Giraffe Vocabulary

cat vocabulary

Cat Vocabulary

puppy vocabulary

Puppy Vocabulary

deer vocabulary

Deer Vocabulary

Elephant with trunk and tusks walking beside a young calf

Elephant Vocabulary

sheep vocabulary

Sheep Vocabulary

fish vocabulary

Fish Vocabulary

frog vocabulary

Frog Vocabulary

idiom loan shark

Idiom – Loan Shark

idiom puppy-dog eyes

Idiom – Puppy-dog Eyes

bring home the bacon idiom

Idiom – Bring Home The Bacon

idiom lion's share

Idiom – Lion’s Share

idiom - smell fishy

Idiom – Smell Fishy

50 Animal Idioms: cut-paper collage of a village green showing a flying pig, raining cats and dogs, a cat out of a bag, a whale having a party, a sick parrot, a canary in a miner's helmet, butterflies in a boy's stomach, ants in a man's pants, a goose and a turkey voting

Idioms, Lessons

Animal Idioms in English: 50 Common Expressions With Meanings & Examples

turtle vocabulary

Turtle Vocabulary

Kangaroo photo vocabulary

Kangaroo Vocabulary

high horse idiom

Idiom – High Horse

butterfly vocabulary

Butterfly Vocabulary

bird vocabulary

Bird Vocabulary

Two beekeepers in protective suits removing honeycomb from a bee hive in a garden

Beekeeper Vocabulary

canary in the coal mine idiom

Idiom – Canary In The Coal Mine

cat peeking out of an open bag, illustrating the idiom let the cat out of the bag

Idiom – Let The Cat Out Of The Bag

rat race

Idiom – Rat Race

when the cat's away

Proverb – When the cat’s away, the mice will play.

birds of a feather flock together

Proverb – Birds Of A Feather Flock Together

Silhouette of a horse grazing at sunset, with the idiom 'dark horse', an example sentence and its meaning

Idiom – Dark Horse

as sick as a parrot idiom

British Culture, Idioms

Idiom – As Sick As A Parrot

boo to a goose idiom

Idiom – Wouldn’t Say Boo To A Goose

chicken idiom

Idiom – Chicken

ants in your pants idiom

Idiom – Ants In Your Pants

butterflies in my stomach idiom

Idiom – Butterflies In My Stomach

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys: a smug boss pays office staff in bags of peanuts while his monkey employees cause chaos

Proverb – If You Pay Peanuts, You Get Monkeys

More themes

Idioms, slang and vocab grouped by subject

61 lessonsAnimals 61 lessonsProper British 43 lessonsBody 43 lessonsFood & Drink 28 lessonsWeather & Nature 28 lessonsWork & Jobs 22 lessonsSport & Games 21 lessonsLove & Friends 20 lessonsFeelings 20 lessonsTalk & Secrets 17 lessonsTravel & Transport 15 lessonsSchool & Study 13 lessonsTime & Hurry 12 lessonsMoney 12 lessonsTechnology 11 lessonsColours

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01IdiomsRaining cats and dogs — and why 02SlangChuffed, knackered, gutted 03Phrasal VerbsGet on, get over, get by 04GrammarTenses without the tears 05Common PhrasesWhat people really say 06British CultureQueues, tea and ‘you alright?’07Photo VocabWords you can actually see 08ProverbsOld wisdom, still handy 09LessonsThemed deep dives 10In the NewsEnglish from the headlines

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