Animal Expressions

Bees' knees, dog's dinner, and the menagerie of idioms

简介

英语中充满了动物意象。从勤劳的蜜蜂到狡猾的狐狸，从固执的骡子到骄傲的孔雀，动物以各种方式出现在我们的习语和表达中，揭示着深层的文化态度。

很多表达的来源出人意料。"Bee's knees（蜜蜂的膝盖）"说的不是昆虫解剖学——它是1920年代美国俚语，意思是"顶呱呱"。"Dog's dinner（狗的晚餐）"也不是狗粮——这是英式说法，意思是"乱七八糟"。理解这些短语能打开一个生动的隐喻词汇世界。

这一章探索英语习语中的动物王国——那些以真实的和神话中的、驯养的和野生的动物为主角的表达。这些短语让英语变得多彩，而母语者用它们的时候根本不会想到这些词的"动物起源"。

主题

本章全部英语俚语（71）

• The bee's knees The height of excellence; the best.
• Ants in your pants Unable to sit still; restless; agitated.
• Butterflies in your stomach Nervous feeling; anxious excitement.
• Fly on the wall An unnoticed observer; to secretly witness something.
• Bug someone To annoy or bother someone persistently.
• Snail's pace Extremely slow; moving very slowly.
• A bee in your bonnet An obsessive idea; something that preoccupies or annoys you.
• A can of worms A situation that creates many problems; a complicated mess.
• Busy bee A very busy, hard-working person.
• Spider sense Intuition that something is wrong; a premonitory feeling.
• Dog's dinner A mess; something done badly or chaotically.
• The cat's pyjamas Something or someone excellent; the best.
• Cat got your tongue Why aren't you speaking? Said when someone is unusually quiet.
• Fight like cat and dog To argue or fight constantly.
• A dog's life A miserable, unhappy existence.
• Copycat Someone who imitates another; a person who copies.
• Scaredy-cat A person who is easily frightened; a coward.
• Top dog The leader; the most important or powerful person.
• Make a pig's ear of To do something badly; to make a mess of something.
• Bull in a china shop A clumsy person in a delicate situation; someone causing accidental damage.
• Cash cow A reliable source of income; a profitable product or investment.
• Cold turkey Stopping an addiction abruptly without tapering off.
• Chickens come home to roost Past misdeeds eventually have consequences; karma.
• Pig out To eat greedily or excessively.
• Wolf in sheep's clothing Someone dangerous disguised as harmless; a hidden threat.
• Black sheep The outcast or disreputable member of a group or family.
• Scapegoat Someone blamed for others' mistakes; a person who takes the fall.
• Wild goose chase A futile pursuit; a hopeless search for something unobtainable.
• Eagle-eyed Having sharp, keen eyesight; noticing everything.
• Lone wolf Someone who prefers to work or act alone; a solitary person.
• Sitting duck An easy target; someone vulnerable to attack or criticism.
• Monkey business Mischief; silly or dishonest behaviour.
• Crocodile tears False, insincere tears; pretending to be sad.
• Snake in the grass A treacherous person; a hidden enemy pretending to be a friend.
• Night owl Someone who stays up late; a person most active at night.
• Hold your horses Wait; slow down; be patient.
• Put the cat among the pigeons To cause trouble or controversy; to stir things up.
• Something fishy Suspicious; something that doesn't seem right.
• Bigger fish to fry More important things to deal with; higher priorities.
• Red herring A misleading clue; something that distracts from the real issue.
• Lame duck A person or thing that is ineffective or unable to function properly.
• A bird in the hand Something certain is worth more than uncertain possibilities.
• Birds of a feather People with similar interests or characteristics; like-minded people.
• Dead duck Something doomed to fail; a person or thing with no chance.
• Like a fish out of water Completely uncomfortable; out of one's element.
• One-trick pony A person or thing with only one skill or talent.
• Monkey see, monkey do Copying others without understanding; mindless imitation.
• Take the bull by the horns To confront a problem directly; to face a challenge head-on.
• Cock and bull story An unbelievable or far-fetched tale; a lie.
• Let sleeping dogs lie Don't disturb a situation if it will cause trouble; leave well alone.
• Every dog has its day Everyone gets a chance at success or luck eventually.
• Smell a rat To suspect something is wrong; to sense deception.
• Hawks and doves Those favouring aggressive action (hawks) versus those favouring peaceful app...
• Keep the wolf from the door To maintain a basic standard of living; to stave off poverty.
• Memory like an elephant An excellent, long-lasting memory.
• Fly in the ointment A small problem that spoils something otherwise good.
• Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Don't be critical of a gift; accept gifts graciously.
• The lion's share The largest portion; the majority.
• In the doghouse In trouble; in disfavour with someone.
• A horse of a different colour Something completely different; a different matter entirely.
• Talk turkey To speak seriously and directly about something; to get down to business.
• Eager beaver An enthusiastic, hard-working person; sometimes overly keen.
• Stubborn as a mule Extremely obstinate; refusing to change position.
• Horsefeathers Nonsense; rubbish; an expression of disbelief.
• Like a moth to a flame Irresistibly attracted to something potentially harmful.
• Mad as a March hare Completely crazy; acting wildly irrational.
• Sly as a fox Very cunning and clever; craftily intelligent.
• Happy as a clam Very happy and content.
• Crooked as a dog's hind leg Very dishonest; thoroughly corrupt.
• Albatross around your neck A burden or curse that weighs you down; a persistent problem.
• Plenty of fish in the sea There are many other potential partners; you'll find someone else.