It’s a Barnyard Full of Animal Idioms

These idioms about animals are the cat’s meow. Here’s a short list of animal-related idioms and what they mean:

• Curiosity Killed the Cat: asking a lot of questions can get you into trouble.

I’d be careful with your investigation. Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

• Cry Wolf: give a cry for help or alarm when there is no danger.

He cried wolf so many times before that when he was attacked, no one came to his rescue.

• Beat a Dead Horse: talk about an idea or issue over and over again.

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but I really think we need to go over our sales strategy again.

• Sick As a Dog: incredibly sick.

I tried to get out of bed this morning, but I’m sick as a dog.

• For the Birds: something that is not worth one’s time; unimportant.

Don’t worry about those little details; they’re for the birds.

• Smell a rat: suspect inauthenticity or deliberate trickery.

He says he just wants to help our cause, but I smell a rat.

If you want to learn more about idioms, read this post explaining idioms about money.