Animal idioms

There are plenty of interesting idioms in English featuring animals. These are very good for conversational English. You can use them now and again to make your English natural, and knowing a few helps you not to be puzzled when other people mention them.

Here are a few:

To take the bull by the horns: this means to deal directly and boldly with something difficult, instead of avoiding it.

'She had been having trouble at work but she took the bull by the horns and raised it with her boss.'

You could also say to grasp the nettle, for dealing with something hard or unpleasant. The nettle is a plant that stings the fingers when you touch it - the idea here is that if you take hold of it strongly, tightly and with courage, then it will be less painful.

'She hated the idea of learning to dance, but she decided to grasp the nettle and take dancing lessons.'

To ruffle someone's feathers: this is a bird image meaning to upset, offend or annoy somebody. Normally a bird's feathers lie smoothly and evenly on it and all point in the right direction. If their feathers get ruffled, then they are raised up out of position.

'The teacher was rather critical of his students and ruffled their feathers with what he said.'

'My new book will ruffle some feathers when it comes out.' (It will say things that some people will not want to hear.)

Let sleeping dogs lie. Perhaps your dog is sleeping peacefully. But if you wake them up, then they might start to run around or bark or be naughty! So just let your dog finish its nap. This idiom means to leave a situation alone, so that you do not cause trouble from it.

'He had had an argument with his neighbour the other week, but he decided to let sleeping dogs lie and not mention it again.'

'At last, my boisterous friend is finally having a nap! Let's have peace and quiet and let sleeping dogs lie.'

Boisterous means full of noise and energy!

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