BY NORMAN ROZEFF
It is remarkable how our daily language imparts much to the animal kingdom and how much we either transmute human characteristics into animals or their characteristics into humans.
The word cliché is defined as a trite phrase or expression or one that is hackneyed, common place, or overly familiar.
Newcomers to our shores face a steep learning curve when it comes to deciphering the numerous cliches utilized in the English language, let alone those related to the animal kingdom.
Whether we use those cliches more of animals than others is hard to say, so I’ll leave it up to the reader of the compiled list below to decide:
‘fraidy cat, a albatross around his neck,
to be an argue ‘til the cows come home as the crow flies
badger him,
to barking up the wrong tree,
to be barnacle encrusted
beast of burden,
a beat a dead horse,
to bee in her bonnet,
a bee’s knees,
the beef up,
to begin as a lark bird brain,
a bird brained idea,
a bird in a gilded cage,
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.,
A birds and the bees,
the Birds of a feather flock together,
birds-eye view
black sheep of the family
bluebird of happiness, the
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
buffaloed by …, to be
Bug off!
bug out,
to bug-eyed
bugaboo,
Build a better mousetrap, and they will come.
build a nest egg
bull in a china shop, a bull-rush, to bull-headed
bull his way into …,
to bum steer,
a busy beaver, a busy as a bee butterflies in the pit of his stomach.,
To have buy a pig in a poke,
to call off the dogs,
to canary in the mine,
a card shark,
a case of the chickens come home to roost,
a case of the tail wagging the dog.,
a cat and mouse game,
a cat burglar,
a cat got your tongue?
cat has nine lives.,
A cat’s pajamas,
the catbird seat,
in the chick flick,
a chicken feed
chicken in every pot.,
A chickens coming home to roost., A case of the circle like vultures, to clam up,
to clothes horse,
a clutter bug,
a cock of the roost
cock of the walk, the
cockroach heaven, a
cocksure of himself
cold fish, a
cold turkey, to go
come home to roost, to
complete hogwash
contrary as a mule
cook (pluck) his goose, to
cool cat, a
cowed by …, to be
crabby attitude, a
crazy like a fox
crow about…, to
crow flies, as the
… crowed the politician.
crow’s feet under her eyes
cry crocodile tears
curb your dog.
curiosity killed the cat.
dark horse …, a
dead duck, a
different kettle of fish, a
do the bunny hop
do the turkey trot
doe-eyed
dog and pony show, a
dog eared
dog eat dog
Dog gone it!
dog his every move, to
dog house, in the
dog in the hunt, don’t have a
dog the …
dog tired
dog-eared book
dog-eat-dog world,
a dogfight, to be in a dogged by … dogged pursuit
Don’t be a jackass.
Don’t bug him!
Don’t hog all the …
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Don’t monkey with it.
double dog dare, a
dovish attitude, a
down a rabbit’s hole
down a rat hole
drink like a fish, to
drunk as a skunk
duck soup., It’s
dumb bunny, a
dyed in the wool …, an eager beaver,
an eagle eyes,
early bird gets the worm., The
early bird, an
easy as shooting fish in a barrel
eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, an
elephant in the room, the
fat cat, a
feather his own nest, to
filled to the gills
fish out of water, a
fish story, a
fish to fry
fishing expedition, a
fishing for a compliment
fishy deal
fly in the ointment, a
fly the coop, to
frog in his throat, a
furry friends
get his ducks in a row, to
get his goat, to
get off his high horse
get skunked, to
get the monkey off his back
give him a bear hug, to
given a bum steer, to be
go ape over …
go cold turkey
go hog wild
go whole hog
gobbledegook
going like a bat out of hell
going to the dogs
Golden Fleece
goose someone, to
goose that laid the golden egg, the goose the …, to
got fleeced., He
got his goat
grease monkey, a
guinea pig for …, to be a
hare-brained
have a dog in the race, to
have bigger fish to fry, to
have butterflies in the pit of his stomach, to
He doesn’t give a hoot.
He has bats in his belfry.
He lacks any horse sense.
He’s a fox.
He’s a pussycat.
He’s a rare bird.
He’s a shrimp.
He’s a stud.
He’s no spring chicken.
healthy as a horse, to be
henpecked husband, a
His bark is worse than his bite.
his goose is cooked
hog wild
Hogwash!
Hold your horses, … !
horn in on
horns of dilemma, on the
horse and buggy era
horse of a different color, a
horse sense
horse trading
horse’s mouth, from the
How many clams for this?
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.
It’s a horse race between …
It’s a turkey.
jumbo shrimp
jump the shark
junkyard dog, a
kangaroo court, a
knock him off his high horse, to
lab rat for …, to be a
lame duck …, a
lap dog
lark, on a
lay an egg, to
leapfrog …, to
legal beagle, a
leopard can’t change its spots., A
let the cat out of the bag. To
like a bat out of hell
like a deer in the headlights
like a fish out of water
like a lamb to the slaughter
like a wounded deer
line snaked around the block., The
line up their ducks, to
lion’s share, the
lipstick on a pig
little bird told me., A
live high off the hog, to
loaded (out) for bear
loaded to the gills
lock horns, to
lone wolf, a
look like the cat who swallowed the canary
Look what the cat dragged in.
Look what the stork brought.
make a mountain out of a molehill, to
made the goat., He was
make a beeline to …
make it a horse race, to
Monkey see, monkey do.
morals of an alley cat, the
needs a good horse whipping
neither fish nor fowl
nest of vipers, a
nice kettle of fish, a
nip at his heels, to
nit picking
no fish to fry
not give a rat’s tail about …, to
odd duck, an
old coot, an
old goat, an
one horse town, a
out for bear, to be
out of the nest
outfoxed by …
Oysters are in season in months containing the letter “r”.
pack rat, a
packed in like sardines
pick of the litter, the
pig out, to
pig pen, a
pig’s eye!, In a
pigeon hole, to
pony up, to
proud as a peacock, to be
pull a rabbit out of the hat
puppy love
pussy-foot around, to
put all his ducks in a row
put on the feed bag
put the cart before the horse
Quit horsing around.
rabbit ear antenna, a
rabbit’s foot for good luck, a
rat him out, to
rat race, a
ravenous appetite, a
red herring, a
ruffle his feathers, to
rule the roost, to
runt of the litter, the
scapegoat, a
scaredy cat, a
sell snake oil
shaggy dog story, a
sing his swan song, to
sitting duck, a
sitting ducks, to be
sitting in the catbird seat
skunked., He was
sleep with sharks, to
slick chick, a
slow to a snail’s pace, to
smell a rat, to
snail’s pace, at a
snake his way to the front, to
snake in the grass, a
snake oil salesman, a
snake pit, a
snug as a bug in a rug
social butterfly, a
someone’s pigeon, to be
something fishy about it
squirrel away, to
squirrel shoot, a
stampeding herd of …, a
stool pigeon, a
Stop bugging him.
Stop horsing around.
straight from the horse’s mouth
straw that broke the camel’s back, the
stubborn as a mule (ox)
swim with the sharks
tail between his legs, with his
tail wagging the dog, the
take her under his wing, to
take the bull by the horns, to
talk turkey, to
That dog won’t hunt.
That’s the cat’s meow.
There’s plenty of other fish in the ocean.
Trojan horse, a
thrown to the wolves
top dog
turn tail, to
underdog, an
weasel out of …, to
whale of a tale, a
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
when pigs fly
when the chickens come home to roost
when the worm turns
white elephant, a
Who will get gored by this bull?
Who’s ox is being gored now?
Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
wing it, to
wise owl
wolf at the door, the
wolf down his food, to
wolf in sheep’s clothing, a
world is his oyster., The
work his tail off, to
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
You low lying snake in the grass, you!
