8 Animal Idioms

Here is our teacher Rebecca presenting a short video on animal idioms.

1) party ANIMAL = a very sociable person who enjoys going to parties.
“Javier and Michal go to parties every night after lessons, they are such party animals!”

2) to drink like a FISH = to drink alcohol excessively.
“I’ve got such a headache. I drank like a fish last night”

3) to have a WHALE of a time = to enjoy yourself very much.
“We went to see a comedy play in Chorlton on friday night. We had a whale of a time”

4) to be a GUINEA PIG = If you are a GUINEA PIG, new ideas or products are tested on you.
“Ildiko had never cooked duck before, so we volunteered to be guinea pigs for her new dish”

5) to rain CATS and DOGS = to rain heavily.
“What’s the weather like in Scotland today?” “It’s raining cats and dogs as usual!”

6) a little BIRD told me = said if you have some information but you do not want to say who told you about it.
“Who told you that he is leaving his job?” “Let’s just say, a little bird told me.”

7) to have BUTTERFLIES in your stomach = to feel very nervous about something. This could be before something important to you or stressful.
“Stefano is about to meet Debbie for their first date. He’s told me he has butterflies in his stomach”

8) to let the CAT out of the bag = to let a secret be known, usually by accident.
“Ania will not be drinking because she has just found out she is pregnant”
“Really, great news! I didn’t know this”
“On no, I’ve just let the cat out of the bag!”

Can you think of any other idioms associated with animals?