Идиомы на тему Animals

  • eager beaver
    трудолюбивый человек, энтузиаст
    Sally is a very industrious and enthusiastic person; she is a regular eager beaver.
  • not enough room to swing a cat
    недостаточно места
    Let's not have a party at Mary's place; there is not enough room to swing a cat in her apartment.
  • as fat as a pig
    жирный как свинья
    "If you go on eating as much as you do now, you'll be as fat as a pig."
  • take the bull by the horns
    решительно взяться за дело, "взять быка за рога"
    Margaret decided to take the bull by the horns and ask Desmond if he was going to marry her.
  • as quiet as a mouse
    тихий как мышь, робкий
    The child was playing with her toys and was as quiet as a mouse.
  • as sly as a fox
    хитрый как лиса
    Our neighbor Miss Cunning is as sly as a fox.
  • serve as a guinea pig
    быть подопытным кроликом
    "Is that a test you are going to perform? I don't want to serve as a guinea pig."
  • like a bat out of hell
    очень быстро, со всех ног, во весь опор
    The thief left the house like a bat out of hell.
  • as meek as a lamb
    послушный, кроткий как ягнёнок
    On the surface Kelly is as meek as a lamb, but I know that actually she is naughty and quarrelsome.
  • there is more than one way to skin a cat
    есть много способов добиться своего
    "How did you get your son to study so hard?" I asked my friend. "I disconnected the television set," she answered. "There's more than one way to skin a cat."
  • you can lead a horse to water (but you can't make it drink)
    можно предоставить кому-либо возможность, но нельзя заставить делать что-либо силой
    Alec was given the opportunity to study at a community college, but he decided not to enter the college. Well, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
  • straight from the horse's mouth
    услышать прямо из чьих-либо уст
    I heard the news about my friend's promotion straight from the horse's mouth.
  • buy a pig in a poke
    купить кота в мешке
    You can buy a second-hand car, but it will be like buying a pig in a poke if you do not look at it properly first.
  • to hound (someone)
    подвергать гонениям, изводить кого-либо
    It seemed to Edna that the boss was hounding her, and she decided to quit her job.
  • until the cows come home
    бесконечно долго, допоздна
    We are going to throw a New Year's party and stay up until the cows come home.
  • separate the sheep from the goats
    отделить более компетентных людей от менее компетентных, разделить на две группы
    I am not at all sure that joining the military is a good way to separate the men from the boys.
  • play cat and mouse with (someone)
    дразнить, дурачить; "играть в кошки-мышки"
    "Please, stop playing cat and mouse with me; I want to know your intentions immediately."
  • as gruff as a bear
    грубый, неприветливый
    Oliver Schmidt is always as gruff as a bear, and most of his co-workers dislike him.
  • horse around
    беситься, шуметь
    The children were horsing around in the back yard.
  • sacred cow
    кто-либо \ что-либо никогда не подвергающееся критике, "священная корова"
    The ideas of my boss are a sacred cow that should never be criticized or laughed at.
  • curiosity killed the cat
    любопытство убило кошку (говорят о любопытном человеке)
    "Curiosity killed the cat," Leila's mother said, when she saw Leila hunting around in closets just before Christmas.
  • make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
    сделать что-либо из ничего
    You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear; the girl is not a good tennis player, so she won't be able to win in the competition.
  • as innocent as a lamb
    невинный, наивный
    Sara is as innocent as a lamb; she still believes that all people are kind and generous.
  • copycat
    ученик, списывающий работу у другого; подражатель
    Alfred is only a copycat; he hasn't created anything of real value.
  • best-laid plans of mice and men
    хорошо продуманные планы
    Even the best-laid plans of mice and men cannot prevent you from misfortune.
  • wolf in sheep's clothing
    волк в овечьей шкуре
    Mrs. Parker trusted the lawyer until she understood that the man was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
  • straw that broke the camel's back
    переполнить чашу терпения
    Alan cheated on me again and it was the straw that broke the camel's back; I decided to break off with him.
  • wolf down (something)
    есть, заглатывать что-либо с жадностью
    The boy hurriedly wolfed down his dinner and left the house.
  • cry wolf
    поднять ложную тревогу
    David needn't have cried wolf; there was no real danger of fire in the house.
  • bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
    (быть) очень весёлым, полным радости
    The kids are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed because their mother has promised to take them to the zoo.
  • monkey on one's back
    серьёзная, не решённая проблема
    I am not very good at math, and my math course is a real monkey on my back.
  • badger (someone)
    донимать кого-либо
    I was writing an essay and didn't like my little sister to badger me with her silly questions.
  • have bats in one's belfry
    быть не в своём уме, "винтика не хватает"
    I think Molly has bats in her belfry; she always talks gibberish.
  • hit the bulls-eye
    попасть в точку, в цель
    Samantha hit the bull's-eye when she spoke about the problems in the office.
  • work like a horse
    много работать, "работать как лошадь"
    My grandmother is very fond of gardening, and she works like a horse to make the garden look nice.