Idioms are commonly used phrases that have meanings different from the literal definitions of the individual words. They have figurative meanings and must be understood culturally or contextually.

There are many animal idioms in English that can be used to describe people or situations. Here’s a list of nine common animal-related idioms you can teach your English students. Ask them to create their own examples using each idiom!

1) Dog

Idiom: A lucky dog

Meaning: A lucky person.

Example: He’s such a lucky dog, he landed his dream job right out of university.

2) Cat

Idiom: Curiosity killed the cat

Meaning: Being too nosy can get you in trouble.

Example: Don’t go poking around in her room. Curiosity killed the cat, you know.

3) Pig

Idiom: Eat like a pig

Meaning: To eat messily or too much.

Example: He always eats like a pig at the buffet.

4) Lion

Idiom: Heart of a lion

Meaning: Very brave.

Example: She fought through her illness with the heart of a lion.

5) Elephant

Idiom: Elephant in the room

Meaning: An obvious problem people avoid discussing.

Example: We need to talk about the elephant in the room, our financial problems.

6) Monkey

Idiom: Monkey business

Meaning: Silly or dishonest behavior.

Example: Stop all this monkey business and focus on your work!

7) Snake

Idiom: Snake in the grass

Meaning: Someone who pretends to be a friend but is actually deceitful.

Example: Watch out for him, he’s a real snake in the grass.

8) Horse

Idiom: Hold your horses

Meaning: Wait, slow down.

Example: Hold your horses, we haven’t won the game yet, so don’t celebrate early.

9) Cow

Idiom: Cash cow

Meaning: A consistently profitable product or person.

Example: The first product this company launched is still a cash cow.

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Stay tuned for next week’s article as we’ll cover nine more animals and the English idioms associated with them!