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Rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way

- to irritate someone (just as you would irritate a dog or cat if you rub their fur the wrong way)

The woman who I work with always rubs me the wrong way.

 

A sacred cow

- a person or thing that is never criticized or changed even if it should be (from a cow which is sacred in India)

The school lunch program is a sacred cow which they do not want to change.

 

A scaredy-cat

- someone who is easily frightened (usually used by children)

The children called their friend a scaredy-cat because she would not enter the empty house.

 

See a man about a dog

- to leave for some unmentioned purpose (often to go to the washroom)

I left our table in the restaurant to go and see a man about a dog.

 

Separate the sheep from the goats

- to divide people into two groups

We had to separate the sheep from the goats when we began to make selections for the school choir.

 

Serve as a guinea pig

- to allow some kind of test to be performed on someone

I was not happy that I had to serve as a guinea pig for the new training material.

 

A shaggy dog story

- a long and often pointless story that is told as a joke and often ends in a very silly or unexpected way

My friend told me a shaggy dog story about how he lost his bicycle.

 

Smell a rat

- to be suspicious of someone or something, to feel that something is wrong

I smell a rat. There is something wrong with the free credit card offer.

 

squirrel away (something) or squirrel (something) away

- to hide or store something

My niece likes to squirrel away as much money as possible from her part-time job.

 

straight from the horse`s mouth

- directly from the person who said something, directly from a dependable source

I heard it straight from the horse`s mouth that our supervisor will be leaving the company next week.

 

the straw that broke the camel`s back

- a small final trouble or problem which follows other troubles and causes everything to collapse or something to happen

The mistake on the bill was the straw that broke the camel`s back. We finally fired the new accounting clerk.

 

one's tail between one`s legs

- feeling beaten or humiliated (like a frightened or defeated dog as it walks away)

The manager left the meeting with his tail between his legs after he was criticized by the company president.

 

The tail wagging the dog

- a situation where a small part controls the whole thing

The tail is wagging the dog. The receptionist controls everything in the office.

 

Take the bull by the horns

- to take decisive and direct action

My aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion.

 

There is more than one way to skin a cat

- there is more than one way to do something

I knew that there was more than one way to skin a cat so I did not worry about the rules and time limit of my project.

 

Throw (someone) to the lions

- to permit someone to be blamed or criticized for something without trying to help or protect him or her

The company threw the manager to the lions and made him take responsibility for the problem.

 

Throw (someone) to the wolves

- to send someone into danger without protection, to sacrifice someone

The salesman decided to throw his coworker to the wolves when he asked him to meet the angry customer.

 

Top dog

- the most important person in an organization

My uncle is the top dog in his company.

 

Turn tail

- to run away from trouble or danger

We decided to turn tail and leave the restaurant before there was an argument.

 

Until the cows come home

- until very late, for a long time

We can talk until the cows come home this evening.

 

Weasel out of (something)

- to not have to do something (like a weasel which can move through small openings)

My friend was able to weasel out of going to the store for his mother.

 

When the cat's away, the mice will play

- when you are not watching someone they may get into trouble, when a person with authority is absent then those below him or her can do whatever they want

When the cat's away, the mice will play and when the teacher left the classroom the students began to play.

 

A white elephant

- something that is not useful and costs a lot of money to maintain

The airport is a white elephant and nobody liked to use it.

 

Wild horses could not drag (someone away)

- there is nothing that will force someone to go somewhere or do something

Wild horses could not drag me away from my favorite TV show last night.

 

A wildcat strike

- a strike spontaneously arranged by a group of workers

There was a wildcat strike at the factory and the workers stopped work.

 

Wolf down (something)

- to gulp down something, to eat something quickly

I wolfed down my dinner and left the house for the movie.

 

a wolf in sheep`s clothing

- a person who pretends to be good but really is bad

"Be careful of that man. He is a wolf in sheep`s clothing."

 

Work like a dog

- to work very hard

The boy worked like a dog on his school project.

 

Work like a horse

- to work very hard

My grandfather worked like a horse when he was a young man.

 

You can lead a horse to water (but you can't make it drink)

- you can give someone the opportunity to do something but you cannot force him or her to do it if they do not want to

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink and no matter how hard we try to help my cousin get a job he will not make any effort to find one.

 

You can't teach an old dog new tricks

- it is difficult for older people to learn new things

You can't teach an old dog new tricks and I do not think that my father will ever change his eating habits.


Cat Idioms

 

Alley cat

- a stray cat

I began to feed the alley cat and now it comes to my house every day.

 

As conceited as a barber's cat

- very conceited, vain

My friend became as conceited as a barber's cat after she won the award at school.

 

As weak as a kitten

- weak, sickly

The girl is as weak as a kitten and cannot carry the books.

 

Cat burglar

- a burglar who enters a building by climbing a wall etc.

A cat burglar entered our apartment and stole our television.

 

cat gets one`s tongue

- one cannot speak because of shyness

The cat got the woman's tongue and she could not say anything at all.

 

A cat has nine lives

- cats can survive accidents that would kill most animals

The boy never becomes injured. He is like a cat with nine lives.

 

Последнее изменение этой страницы: 2016-06-09

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