1. Animal
idioms
Created for eTwinning project
TOP 10 FAVOURITES WITH THE EU TEENAGERS

2. kill two birds
with one stone
solve two problems at one time
with a single action
I killed two birds with one stone and saw some old friends
while I was in Leeds visiting my parents.

3. donkey’s years
a very long time
I’ve been doing this job for donkey’s years

4. the elephant
in the room
a problem or situation that everyone knows
about but no one mentions
The soaring oil price and its underlying causes are the
invisible elephant in the room in the presidential race.

5. cat nap
a short sleep
All of this studying makes me want to take a cat nap.

6. let the cat
out of the bag
to reveal a secret, often without intending to
Amazingly, not one of the people who knew about
the surprise let the cat out of the bag.

7. crocodile tears
to shed crocodile tears means to shed false
tears or show insincere grief
Caroline pretended to be sad but we all knew her tears were
crocodile tears.

8. barking dog never
bites
someone who makes threats all the time but
seldom carries out the threats
Mrs. Smith keeps saying she'll call the police if we walk on her
lawn, but don't worry. A barking dog never bites.

9. let sleeping dogs
lie
not try to change a situation because you
might cause problems
His parents never referred to the shoplifting incident again.
I suppose they thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie.

10. black sheep
of the family
the worst member of the family
Mary is the black sheep of the family. She's always in trouble
with the police.

11. buy a pig in a poke
to buy something without looking inside first
I just took the salesman's word that this camera worked.
I guess I bought a pig in a poke.

12. be as stubborn
as a mule
to be very stubborn
I tried to convince Jake to go to the doctor, but he's
as stubborn as a mule.

13. be as busy
as a bee
to be very busy or active
She's as busy as a bee, always going to meetings
and organizing parties.

14. be as quiet
as a mouse
to be very quiet
She sneaked into the house, quiet as a mouse.

15. like a fish
out of water
appearing to be completely out of place; in a
very awkward manner
At this luxurious party I felt like a fish out of water because I
did not know any of the wealthy guests.

16. a bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush
it's better to have a small actual advantage
than the chance of a greater one
‘Dan has asked me to go to a party with him. What if my
boyfriend finds out? I don't know if I should go.’
‘Don't go. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.’

17. it’s raining cats
and dogs
it’s raining heavily
Take an umbrella! It’s raining cats and dogs.

18. a little bird told me
I was told by a private or secret source
Jane: How did you find out it was my birthday?
Bill: A little bird told me.

19. have butterflies in
one’s stomach
feel very nervous
I always get butterflies in my stomach before
making a speech.