Animals in English Proverbs and Sayings
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Quite a lot of animals have found their way into the English language in the form of proverbs and sayings
Meet donkeys, horses, badgers, elephants and rodents - they're all here!
This web page will be a fun reminder to native English speakers about the veritable menagerie of animals we refer to in figurative speech, without even thinking about it. There is even a Quiz About Animals.
And for those who are just learning English, or who speak English as a second language, I hope that you will learn a lot and enjoy the pictures and ideas, which will encourage you to expand your vocabulary and use more figurative language, now that you have already learnt to use basic English language.
About the Writer, Diana Grant
My thoughts about animals
I love animals, especially cats and monkeys.
When I was a child living in Africa, we had a succession of monkeys, a baboon, a bush baby, a duck, a cat and two dogs.
Snakes were a threat, as were malarial mosquitoes, bilharzia bugs, jigger fleas, and rather nasty scorpions and spiders with poisonous bites, and blue-headed lizards which frightened me, even though I never discovered whether their bite was poisonous.
I must confess, I never saw much wild game, as I was not enthusiastic about hunting or going out on safari, and preferred the safety of home.
Make Sure You Match the Right Animal With the Right Phrase
Otherwise it will sound ridiculous
Proverbs and sayings about Donkeys and Mules
And even a Zebra
Doing the donkey work - Doing the mundane work
As stubborn as a mule - Very stubborn
A Zebra Crossing - a pedestrian steet crossing marked with broad white stripes
Image: Donkey (By Ducklover Bonnie)
Proverbs and Sayings About Horses
Horse Faced - An elongated somewhat plain-looking face
Hungry as a Horse - very hungry
Hold Your Horses - Wait a minute
Horseplay - Rough, high-spirited play
To Horse About - to fool about
Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Face - Don't criticize things you get cheaply or for nothing
Pony Tail - A hairstyle where the hair is pulled back and held in a rubber band like a tail
Horses for Courses - Choosing someone to do a particular job
Straight From the Horse's Mouth - Hearing from the person concerned directly
Learn more Proverbs and Sayings
Get this book from Amazon
Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings
Amazon Price: $86.97 (as of 05/28/2012)
List Price: $30.00
If you want to write well, you need a wide range of vocabulary and this book will help you to develop that.
Release Date: 03/05/1996
Proverbs and Sayings About Rodents
To rat on someone - to tell tales about someone which will cause problemsrat-arsed - extremely drunk
rat run - a short-cut used by many people
Poor as a church mouse - very poor
Mousy - nondescript
Mousy Hair - nondescript brown hair
Quiet as a mouse - very quiet or subdued, saying nothing
Bats in the Belfry - eccentric or mad, touched in the head
Batty - mad, touched in the head
An Old Bat - an unpleasant old woman
To Squirrel Something Away - To hide something
To Rat on someone - To inform on someone or to break an agreement or promise
A Rat - An unpleasant person
To Smell a Rat - To suspect something untoward
Ferret Away - To hide something
Ferret Out - To dig something out or to find something
Image: Appley Dappley (See more Beswick figurines on my website )- you can even buy them using secure payment site PayPal
Proverbs and Sayings about Other Animals
An elephant never forgets People don't easily forget what you have doneTo badger - to keep asking for something in an annoying way
To be cowed - to be made fearful and submissive
To have the lion's share - to have the largest share
To lionise - assign great importance to
Image: African lion
Read this Book : Eats Shoots and Leaves
You can buy it right here, from Amazon
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Amazon Price: $4.19 (as of 05/28/2012)
List Price: $14.00
Used Price: $0.01
Very informative, and so funny that you are learning without even noticing.
It would make a great present, especially coming up to Christmas.
Highly recommended.
More About Diana Grant
With Links to Some of Her Other Relevant Web Pages
I love the English language, its nuances and expressions drawn from many historical cultures and philosophies, and I would like to spread my knowledge, in particular helping students of English as a second language to expand their vocabulary and speech
Go to My Website Glorious Confusion. It contains chit-chat, a blog, photographs, poetry, books, earrings, Beswick figurines, a phonograph, ephemera, art and bric-a-brac, some for sale, others just for entertainment.
come and visit!
Go toDiana's Blog at Glorious Confusion My blog contains items on politics, North London, Poetry, Mennonites, Biggles and a few other things.
I am a retired English solicitor. I no longer give professional advice, but still help people to write letters, fill in forms, proof-read things they have written, and help to improve and pinpoint the essence of what they want to say.
I would be happy to help you if you contact me - You can either go to my Bio at the top right hand side of this page. Or, if you prefer, if you want more information, you can go to my website, Glorious Confusion, where there is a page About Me or you can Contact Me on my website Glorious Confusion
Take this Quiz About Animals
How Good is Your Knowledge?
See how you measure up against other people's answers.
You may yet learn something new about animals
Some of My Education and How-to Lenses
Have Your Say on My Guest Book -
Can You Think of More Proverbs or Sayings about Animals?
How did you get on in the Quiz About Animals? Don't be shy - the mere fact that you participated is the first step towards success!
Please say Hallo - it's always good to see who has visited.
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JaguarJulie Mar 25, 2012 @ 6:35 pm | delete
- Ah, that is a funny one that I've heard and said over my lifetime. Hey, hold your horses!!!!
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Thrinsdream
Feb 22, 2012 @ 6:10 pm | delete
- Get that muddy dog out of our room . . . well it's a saying in our house! Also my daughter asks of me if I am down "why the long face aardvark" which always make me giggle. Great lens that made me smile. With thanks and appreciation. Cathi x
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mihgasper
Dec 15, 2011 @ 7:23 pm | delete
- I did terrible on the quiz! Thanks for your lens, it is always good to learn something new:-)
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jimmyworldstar
Dec 2, 2011 @ 3:00 pm | delete
- Great quotes! I like how a lot of them are formed on the traits of animals. Although I'll still never understand the one about the chicken and the road.
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JoyfulReviewer
Nov 25, 2011 @ 10:06 pm | delete
- Cool lens idea ... nicely done!
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Jerrad28
May 23, 2011 @ 5:15 pm | delete
- Very cool!
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awakeningwellness
May 11, 2011 @ 10:51 am | delete
- What a fun collection of proverbs, there are even a few I haven't heard before. :)
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JoanneOtt
May 11, 2011 @ 9:38 am | delete
- I love pets too. It's surprising how many sayings there are that include animals.
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akumar46
May 11, 2011 @ 8:44 am | delete
- Nice collections of proverbs and sayings based on animals.
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Momsbusy247
May 11, 2011 @ 8:28 am | delete
- This was a lot of fun, you must have had a very interesting life with all those animals around you!
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