Common Animal Idioms
frog in one's throat - хрипота
In the middle of the speech he got this terrible frog in his throat
eat like a horse - много есть,
Stop eating like a horse, there won't be enough for our guests.
cry wolf - поднимать ложную тревогу
He accused her of crying wolf.
it's raining cats and dogs - льет, как из ведра
“What sort of day is it?” “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
get smb's goat - раздражать, сердить
"Wouldn't that get your goat? We'd been transferring the same water all night from the tub to the bowl and back again."
live (eat) high on the hog - жить в роскоши; жить припеваючи, как сыр в масле кататься
I have been living high off the hog since I got my new job with its high salary.
make a mountain out of a molehill - делать из мухи слона
You've just got a cold so stop making a mountain out of a molehill. You're not going to die from it!
monkey business - разг.1) несерьёзное поведение, бессмысленная работа; шутливая выходка. озорство, валяние дурака 2) обман, жульничество, надувательство, мошенничество, афера
She wasn’t going to have any monkey business where the reputation of her only daughter was concerned
cat nap - короткий сон (в кресле), to have a cat nap - клевать носом
Winston Churchill wartime leader slept for five hours a night on average but topped it up with cat naps during the day.
eat like a bird - есть мало, как птичка
Dad had been eating like a bird before we came here
to smell a rat - почуять недоброе, подозревать
When he died, investigators were called in and soon smelt a rat.
does the cat have your tongue - вы что, язык проглотили?
Has the cat got your tongue? Why are you not talking?
a road hog - ( досл. дорожная свинья) - дорожный хам, неосторожный автомобилист, лихач
bullheaded - cвоевольный, упрямый
snake in the grass - скрытая опасность; скрытый враг; предатель, змея подколодная
hold your horses - не торопитесь, полегче на поворотах
to bark the wrong tree - напасть на ложный след, обратиться не по адресу ( досл. лаять не на то дерево)
eager beaver - разг. работяга; слишком усердный, ретивый работник, выслуживающий перед начальством
talk till the cows come home - неизвестно, когда, целую вечность, после дождичка в четверг, когда рак на горе свистнет
Those two could talk till the cows came home
let the cat out of the bag - выдать секрет, проболтаться
It was going to be a surprise party until someone let the cat out of the bag.
Everything's cool – Все здорово;
