Animal idioms

[Mad-ox]

hello,

As the crow flies=( of a distance) measured in a straight line.

eg.

From here to Transilvania is about fifty kilometers as the crow flies. ( if you travel in a straight line)

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

:hi::hi::hi:

straight from the horse's mouth=(of information) directly from the person who really knows because they are closely connected with its source.

eg.

It's true, I tell you! Harry is getting married on Saturday. I got it straight from the horse's mouth! ( He told me himself.)

ORIGIN: The most reliable way of ageing a horse was to look at its teeth. So if you wanted to buy a horse, the best way of making sure you were not being cheated was to examine the teeth yourself. ( straight from the horse's mouth)

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hi,

hen party=an all female party for a woman about to be married

It's Emila's hen party on Friday. You are coming, I hope?

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hello,

like a bear with sore head = to be in a bad mood which causes you to treat other people badly and complain a lot;

eg. What's wrong with Twain today? He's like a bear with sore head!

WATCH THIS:
YouTube - Bear with a sore head


Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hi,

wouldn't say boo to a goose= somebody is very shy and afraid of upsetting or annoying people.

eg.

How could he ever succeed in politics? He wouldn't say boo to a goose.

Madox

 

[RonBee]

Beating a dead horse - insisting upon talking about something nobody wants to talk about because the issue is closed ("dead")

GoEnglish.com Idioms = "Beating A Dead Horse" = Today's English Idioms
Beating a dead horse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yahoo! Image Search Results for beating a dead horse
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwDt...7nGFtSe74!5sVUE*1!vg/beating-a-dead-horse.gif
http://borgman.enquirer.com/img/daily/1999/08/080999borgman_600x366.jpg

 

[Mad-ox]

hi,

have a whale of a time = have more fun than a barrel of monkeys= to have a great/very good time; enjoy yourself very much

eg. The kids had a more fun than a barrel of monkeys at the beach and did not want to go home.

have more fun than a barrel of monkeys:

have a whale of a time:

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hello :-D

talk the hind legs off a donkey = talk for a very long time

eg.

Your sister should go in for politics, Mr Mark. She can certainly talk the hind off a donkey!

Madox

 

[RonBee]

How about as stubborn as a mule? (They can be pretty stubborn.)

Example:

You can't talk Jack into anything. He's as stubborn as a mule.​

http://www.missourimuleco.com/Jack-Diaries/MissouriTraveler/P7220154.jpg​

​

 

[Mad-ox]

hello

drop/die/fall like flies = die, become ill in large numbers

eg.

As the flue epidemic struck, people starting dropping like flies.

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hi, :-D:up:

a guinea pig= a person used in medical or other experiments.

eg.

Students in ten schools are to act as guinea pigs for these new teaching methods.


ORIGIN: A guinea pig is a small animal with short ears and no tail, often kept as a pet or used for laboratory research.

a guinea pig:

Madox

 

[cooljamm]

raining cats and dogs

its raining very heavily.

now the question is?

how do you associate cats and dogs to raining heavily?

please elaborate on this tnx ........

 

[cooljamm]

john doe

a term used in other countries for an unknown person.

now how about the other countries?

how do they name their unknown persons?

tnx a lot for the reply...........

 

[Mad-ox]

raining cats and dogs

its raining very heavily.

now the question is?

how do you associate cats and dogs to raining heavily?

please elaborate on this tnx ........

hi cooljamm, :-D

This expession 'raining cats and dogs' may have come from Norse mythology. Cats were supposed to have an influence over the weather, while dogs were the signal of storms.

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

john doe

a term used in other countries for an unknown person.

now how about the other countries?

how do they name their unknown persons?

tnx a lot for the reply...........

hi,

here is your answer: John Doe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

another: John Doe: Definition and Much More from Answers.com.

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hi,

put/set the cat among the pigeons = do something that is likely to cause trouble

eg. She told all the staff they would have to cancel their holidays, and that really set the cat among the pigeons.

set the cat among the pigeons:

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hello :roll:

like the cat that got the cream= very pleased or satisfied with yourself


eg. Ever since she won the that prize, she's been like the cat that got the cream.

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

:-D hello :-D :hi:

drink like a fish= regularly drink too much alcohol

e.g.

Her husband drinks like a fish.

Madox

 

[Mad-ox]

hi,

cold enough to freeze the tail/nose off a brass monkey= freezing cold; very cold; rock shattering cold; as cold as a witch's tit; bone splitting cold.

e.g.

In December, it is cold enough to freeze the tail/nose off the brass monkey.

Madox

 

[RonBee]

What about a bull in a china shop? Does anybody know that one?

~R