42 Animal Idioms: Have A Whale Of A Time!

Hello and welcome to 42 animal idioms! Practice these to give your English vocabulary + comprehension a huge boost! Which animal is your favorite? Chances are, there is an English idiom about it! I hope you can be an eager beaver with all these, and while you are learning them, you have an absolute whale of a time!

animal sayings, animal quotes — Animal sayings

Animal idioms

Here are the first 10 of today’s animal idioms, and also explanations about their meanings.

Animal idiom	Idiom meaning
Bull-headed	The idiom bull-headed implies someone is stupid, reckless, and wild, doing things without due consideration. They act like a bull might. Related to another idiom: bull in a China shop.
Sweat like a pig	Sweat like a pig means to sweat, or perspire profusely.
Cast pearls before swine	If we cast pearls before swine, then we are offering advice, help, or assistance to a person who does not want or appreciate it. It is basically a waste of our effort and time.
Bull market	This is a business-related expression. We use this term to describe the market when securities are rising.
Crocodile tears	When we say that someone is shedding crocodile tears, we mean that they are acting in a fake way. They behave like they are sad or upset but are just doing it to garner sympathy. A very negative English expression, this is!
Cash cow	When we have a cash cow, we have a product that consistently makes a good profit for us, over the long term. It is viewed as very good for a business to have a few cash cow items or properties, but also a bad thing if they rely solely on them.
Whole hog	The idiom whole hog, or the whole hog, means to do something fully, without compromise.
Death roll	We use the expression death roll to explain various tragic things. For example, if there was a plane crash and the plane was going out of control, then we could say the plane was in a death roll or a death spiral.
Eager beaver	An eager beaver is someone who is really enthusiastic about something. It can relate to almost anything, but common topics are to do with studying, learning, and doing housework.
Elephant in the room	This idiom works as a kind of analogy. An elephant is large and symbolizes a big problem or topic. When there is an elephant in the room, we have a huge issue of concern that everyone is either pretending doesn’t exist or is purposefully ignoring it because it is difficult or uncomfortable.

Are you an eager beaver?

Idiom examples: 1 through to 10

Here are 10 idiom examples taken from the above table:

The slim tablet is the company’s cash cow product, without a doubt.
Mike is behaving in a really bull-headed way. I’m sick of it.
It’s so hot today. I’m sweating like a pig!
We are in a bull market right now.
Jack, you are just casting pearls before swine. Ophelia doesn’t want your help on the work project, so I would stop offering it. You can help me instead!
Theo is an eager beaver. He always arrives at school first!
The dragonfly fell to the ground in a death roll.
The elephant in the room right now is Tom’s divorce. Don’t talk about it!
I went the whole hog and bought a new car – at first, I was thinking about just getting a bicycle!
Don’t believe her crocodile tears!

Animal idioms: 11 to 20

Here are animal idioms 11 through until 20, including some definitions.

Animal idiom	Idiom meaning
Gift horse	gift horse is usually said as a set phrase: don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. What it means is we should accept a kind of help or present we have been given with gratefulness.
Have a cow	This is a very casual English expression, and it means to get very angry. Is often used with don’t, and we mean to say a person should not get angry or overreact.
Holy cow	Usually, we say this idiom with an exclamation mark, like this: Holy cow! It is used as an interjection or an exclamation(!).
Monkey’s uncle	I’ll be a monkey’s uncle means that we are surprised, or shocked. We often use it as an exclamation when we can’t believe something because it is so surprising.
Pigs might fly	Pigs might fly is an idiom that means that we think something is highly unlikely to happen or impossible! We often say this after another person has claimed something is true or going to happen and we think it is very unlikely.
Lion’s share	The Lions share means we get the majority of something. this could mean one person receives most of the presents at Christmas. It could mean we get the lion’s share of attention from someone.
Pigs in mud	Like a pig in mud means you are joyful and having a wonderful time. Use this idiom to describe someone we are watching, for example, our daughter looks like a pig in mud, playing in the park.
Like a bull in a china shop	A china shop is a place that sells plates and cups. Delicate things which can be broken very easily. If we placed a bull in a china shop, then certainly many things would be destroyed. This is an analogy.
Make it snappy	The term “make it snappy” is used as an order or instruction. We are telling someone to do something very quickly. Right now!
Monkey see monkey do	When an English speaker says monkey see monkey do, what they’re trying to say is the person is doing stuff without thinking about the process or the reason. Their behavior is relatively simplistic and is imitating other people. It doesn’t indicate high intelligence!

Have you ever looked a gift horse in the mouth?

Idiom examples: 11 through to 20

Here are example sentences for idioms 11 to 20:

I told my son not to look a gift horse in the mouth when I offered him a ride into town.
David, don’t have a cow! I only spilled a few crumbs on your book.
A: Olivia just won the lottery! B: Holy cow! How much did she win?
Emma passed the English grammar test? Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. I never thought she’d pass considering her lack of hard work!
A: Theo said he’s going to a famous football player! B: Really? Pigs might fly! He can’t even run fast.
Emma gets the lion’s share of the attention from our school teacher, even though she doesn’t work hard. It isn’t fair!
You look like a pig in mud now that you have gotten a promotion and bonus, too!
Sebastian acted like a bull in a china shop when he was playing at Logan‘s house. He got too excited and broke the coffee table!
Samuel, clean your room. And make it snappy we are going out soon.
Timmy copied my science report, even though I knew I had many mistakes in it. It just goes to show, monkey see monkey do.

Animal idioms: 21 to 31

Here are animal idioms 21 to 31 together with explanations.

Animal idioms	Idiom definition
Monkey around	To monkey around means to play, have fun and be completely unproductive. We are doing things that aren’t helping or being useful towards any goal.
Milk it	When people say you are milking it, they mean that you are trying to extract all the benefits from something. In fact, you are trying too hard or too much. It is used as a criticism or a way to laugh at someone’s behavior.
Take the bull by the horns	This means that we tackle a problem directly, with gusto, or seriousness.
Nature of the beast	We use the expression, nature of the beast, to describe a natural or typical behavior that we expect. For example, our dog will always want to fetch a stick. That is the nature of the beast. It is also used for things other than animals. We can apply it to many kinds of predictable behavior.
One trick pony	A one trick trick pony is a person or company that has succeeded only once or has only one technique or way to do things. it is generally viewed as a negative trait, as we lack variety or ingenuity.
On the spot	This means right now. It can also mean we are subject to questioning or accusations.
Pet peeve	A Pet peeve is something that annoys or irritates us on a routine basis.
Pigs in a poke	We use the expression pigs in a poke when we are looking at buying something but are unsure as to its quality. It is often used when buying things secondhand.
Pig out	To pig out means to eat lots in a greedy satisfying way. It sometimes refers to snacks or fast food. For instance, people like to pig out on potato chips or popcorn.
Pig-headed	Pig-headed means stubborn or obstinate. If we are pigheaded, we do not listen to other people for we are unable to correct our wrong actions.

Have you ever pigged out on anything?

Idiom examples: 21 through to 31

Here are example sentences for the above 10 idioms:

The students just monkeyed around all afternoon, instead of working on the group project.
You are milking your injured arm for sympathy, aren’t you?
I took the bull by the horns today, and I asked my boss for a pay rise directly!
Buying a house is a big financial responsibility. But that is the nature of the beast.
That singer is a one trick pony. After releasing his first hit song, all his latest songs were flops.
I was really on the spot today at work. Three managers were asking me about the new sales program. I was so nervous!
The driver was fined on the spot!
One of my pet peeves is when people think it is okay to start smoking right outside a building entrance. It’s unpleasant for me.
Could you be careful at the car dealership? You may end up buying pigs in a poke.
Last night I pigged out on pizza and ice cream!
Martin is just so pigheaded. I told him to turn left at the junction but he carried on straight, even though he knew it was probably the longer route.

Idioms on animals 33 to 42

Here is the last set of our idioms on animals, along with their meanings.

Animal idioms	Idiom definition
Rat race	This idiom refers to the highly competitive life some people experience working for corporations and big businesses.
Whole hog	The idiom whole hog, or the whole hog, means to do something fully, without compromise.
See you later alligator, in a while crocodile	These two rhyming expressions are slightly comical and for adults rather clichéd. However, we use them a lot when talking to children, because they are fun expressions if we say see you later alligator, we mean “See you soon!” If we say in a while crocodile, we also mean see you shortly! They are friendly ways to say bye. Also, for casual conversation, we often change the spelling of you to ya.
Smell a rat	If you smell a rat, then you begin to realize someone is not being truthful. They are cheating or being deceptive towards you.
The straw that broke the camel’s back	When we say the straw that broke the camel’s back, we mean something happened which was the final thing in a series of unfortunate events. It led to a culmination of anger or disappointment.
Till the cows come home	hen someone can do something endlessly, they sometimes say I can do this until the cows come home. It is often used to discourage someone else.
To make a monkey out of someone	When we make a fool out of someone, mock or demean them then it could be said we are making a monkey out of them.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing	This idiom is used to describe someone who is deceptive in appearance. A wolf symbolizes someone strong or dangerous; a sheep the opposite. That person is disguised as a sheep but in reality, they are strong, potentially evil, or dangerous.
Whack-a-mole/whack a mole	This is the only one of our idioms on animals that includes the cute underground creature. You can describe a situation or the way we deal with the situation as whack-a-mole. When we whack-a-mole, we try to deal with the situation in a very basic aggressive way without due consideration. We tried to fix the problem, but our rudimentary ways will most likely lead to no improvements.
Whale of a time	A very fun or enjoyable experience.

Please have a whale of a time with all of these animal idioms today!

Idiom examples: 33 through to 42

Here are example sentences with the above expressions:

Noah quit the rat race and moved to the countryside to set up a small farm.
I went to the whole hog, and bought a house yesterday! I hope I don’t regret it!
Son: goodbye Dad. Dad: See you later alligator!
I don’t know how to smell a rat. I guess I’m too trusting!
Alexander coming to work late again was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. We had to fire him, unfortunately. He has been underperforming for so long now.
I can keep defending your shots till the cows come home. You won’t score a goal past me!
Jack is so immature. He just spends most of his time trying to make a monkey out of his friends.
Do not underestimate Oliver. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He will get promoted in this company very quickly, and soon be your boss! If you say bad things to him now, he will get revenge on you. Watch out!
Michael’s whack-a-mole approach to dealing with customer complaints really doesn’t work. He should follow company guidelines.
Sophia had a whale of a time at the concert on the weekend.

Animal Idioms: FAQs

Here are some commonly asked questions related to animal idioms. We can use these to further expand our English!

What are some great animal sayings?

Animal sayings are as cool as a cucumber! They add color to our language, like “squirrel away” or “busy as a bee.” When were you last busy as a bee?

What is the animal idiom for fox?

“Sly as a fox” is the idiom! It means someone is clever and cunning, just like these clever creatures. It has a negative feeling to it. Do you know anyone who is as sly as a fox?

What does sick as a pig mean?

“Sick as a pig” doesn’t refer to real pigs, but it means feeling really unwell. Don’t worry, real pigs are usually quite healthy! I do hope you have never been as sick as a pig!

Is it rude to call someone a pig?

Yup, it’s not nice at all. Calling someone a pig is impolite, so let’s stick to kinder words!

Is cash cow an idiom?

You bet! “Cash cow” is an idiom that describes something, like a business, that consistently brings in a lot of money. Do you know any cash cow products?

Animal Idioms: From eager beaver to whale of a time!

Today we have looked at many animal idioms across the spectrum of species and also the English alphabet. From near the start (eager beaver) to near the end (whale of a time). As an English teacher, I hope that you are an eager beaver when it comes to learning the language. Also, I hope that you had a whale of a time reading and repeating all these idioms on animals today!