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Farmyard Animals in English Proverbs and Sayings

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Meet Cows, Pigs, Sheep and Goats in English Proverbs and Sayings!

There are many English Proverbs and Sayings featuring animals, and it must be very difficult for people learning English as a second language to remember enough of these figures of speech to be able to use them with the ease that English speaking people do.

This web page will be a fun reminder to native English speakers about some of the animals we refer to in figurative speech.

For those who are just learning English, or who speak English as a second language, I am sure that you will find some new English sayings here and you will improve your English.

About Me - Diana Grant

I like animals and enjoy the intricacies of speaking English

.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.

That's me in the photograph, sitting next to Paddington Bear at Waterloo Station, London (I'm the one on the right). We were both wearing similar hats!

Proverbs and Sayings About Pigs

Oink-Oink

(Note to students of English: "oink-oink" is an onomatopoeaic phrase to describe the sound emitted by a pig - but I expect that was pretty obvious!).

To Pig (or to Pig Out) - to gorge oneself with food

He's a pig he's rude, vulgar, dirty or uncultured

A Pigsty - A dirty or untidy place

Live like pigs - live in a dirty or untidy place , uncultured

Pig ignorant - abysmally ignorant or unsocialized

Pig in a Poke - Something which is bought without being seen and turns out to be no good, useless

You Can't Make a Silk Purse Out of a Sow's Ear - You can't make something excellent unless you start with the right basic material

Casting Pearls Before Swine - Giving good things to people who don't appreciate what they are receiving

A Swine - An unpleasant person

Pig Tails - Hair which has been plaited

To Hog To take or hoard selfishly

To Go the Whole Hog - To do something fully

Hogwash - nonsense

Here's a Silly Piggy Poem Which I Wrote

Oddly enough, the word "Piggy" is used by some people as a term of endearment

By way of explanation for those learning English as a second language, the word "piggy" is quite an affectionate diminutive form of pig, whereas the word "swine" has a pejorative meaning, and if you call someone a swine, this indicates someone horrible, or of bad character.

However, I would grade it as much less insulting than the way that Muslims use the word "pig" - English people might use the words "swine" or "pig" in a joking manner, or as a mild insult, whereas if a Muslim were to call someone a "pig", it would be deeply offensive.

PIGGY

Give me your love
I'll give you mine
And never be a little swine.

Be my Piggy,
Eyes that shine -
My Piggy, yes, but not my swine

© Diana Grant

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Proverbs and Sayings About Cattle

A Great Bull of a Man - A huge or strong man

Bullseye - The centre of a target in archery and darts

Like a Bull in a China Shop - Very clumsy and likely to break something

Bullish - someone who wants their own way, headstrong

A Cock and Bull Story An unbelievable story

A Cow - A woman (Derogatory expression)

Image: Jersey Cow - www.ncacaa.org

If You Want To Learn More About Farm Animals, Buy This Book

You can get it from Amazon

Storey's Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Pigs: 163 Breeds from Common to Rare (Storeys Illustrated Breed Gde)

Storey's Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Pigs: 163 Breeds from Common to Rare (Storeys Illustrated Breed Gde)

by: Carol Ekarius

Amazon Price: $9.34 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

This is a very comprehensive guide to farm animals - you'll love it!

Proverbs and Sayings about Sheep and Goats

An Old Goat - An old person

To Get his Goat - To irritate someone

Going Like a Lamb to the Slaughter - Going meekly

A Ram - A rampant male

Sheepish - Embarrassed

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Someone who is not what he seems

Classic Novels About Farms and the Land

Wonderful Stories With a Lasting Effect

I read some of these in my youth, and more recently, and very much enjoyed them
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Proverbs and Sayings About Fish

Not strictly farmyard animals, but they have to go somewhere!

Piranha - Someone who preys on people

As Easy as Shooting Fish in a Barrel - Very easy

Sleeping with the Fishes - Assasinated and thrown in the sea

Set a Spratt to Catch a Mackerel - Use something small and insignificant to lure in the important thing

A Little Shrimp - Someone small or weak

Crabby - Crochetty or bad-tempered

Don't Put Your Fingers in a Piranha's Mouth

You might be sorry!

Rosetta Stone - a first class language course

Buy this from Amazon

It's expensive, b'ut I've heard that it's really helpful for language learning - it's certainly no more than the cost of a language class, and the advantage is that you have it as a permanent record.
Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set

Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set

Amazon Price: $399.20 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now
List Price: $499.00

You can get Rosetta Stone language courses in many different languages

Here are Some Additional Animals in Proverbs and Sayings

You can buy dictionaries on eBay

Why not try an eBay auction?

If you haven't used eBay before, just sign up and register with them, and then you can start bidding. Be careful to check the descriptions and cost of postage carefully to make sure that these fragile items are in good condition, with no cracks or scratches, and that the cost of post and packing is reasonable. Then away you go. You can pay by credit card, or PayPal. I always use PayPal for everything online. Again, it's easy to sign up for PayPal, and most online sellers now accept payments made this way.
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More About The Writer, Diana Grant

I find the subject of Language fascinating - that's why I keep writing about various aspects of the English language.

I studied Latin and Afrikaans in depth for five years, and English is my home language. At various times, and with varying success, I have also learnt a smattering of Russian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Italian, German, French, Dutch, Yiddish, Polish, Greek, Mandarin, Fanagolo, Swahili and Chinyanja, and have studied Spanish a little more seriously.

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Here are a Few of My Recently Updated Web Pages

Do have a look

You might find something here to amuse you
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Just to Wind up this Web Page, Here's a bit of Fun - You Can Get this Paddington Bear Design on a T-Shirt on Zazzle. The wording can be personalized or even removed by you, and you can get the same design on a mug, a button, a bumper sticker, or even a card
Girl's T-Shirt: Paddington Bear shirt
Girl's T-Shirt: Paddington Bear by GloriousConfusion
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Gloriousconfusion

Hello everybody..
I love the English language, and, as a solicitor, it was one of my tools of trade, so to speak.
I retired from my work in London . f... more »

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