Dog Hause - Animal Idioms and Expressions S-Z


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SADDLE

bring someone's saddle home

to do to someone that which someone has done to you
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

have a burr under one's saddle

to be irritated by something
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

SHARK

card-shark

A person who pretends they don't know how to play cards until they play for money, and then they play well and take all the profits.

SHEEP

a wolf in sheep's clothing

Getting admission under false pretenses.
Source: Funk, Charles

black sheep of the family

most troublesome member of the family
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

one might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb

If you have decided to do something that will have unpleasant consequences, do it to the largest degree possible, so that you will feel the punishment was worth it.
Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

separate the sheep from the goats

To distinguish the good from the bad.
Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

SKUNK

skunk egg

an onion
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

as drunk as a skunk *

describes someone who is falling-down drunk, completely intoxicated
* skunks are not known to imbibe; the meaning is only in the rhyme
(this phrase is an alliteration)
Source: indiana.edu

SNAIL

a snail's pace

Slow.
Source: Big List of Cliches

SNAKE

snake in the grass

There is trouble.
Source: Funk, Charles

if it was a snake it would have bit you

very close
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

mad as a struck snake

cruel and angry
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

to nourish a snake in one's bosom

From the Aesop story, "The Farmer and the Snake."
Source: Funk, Charles

once a snake, always a snake

people do not change

slippery as a snake

Tricky – unable to trust.

SWAN

graceful as a swan

Graceful.
Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

I swan

what a surprise
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

I'll Swan

"I've never heard anyone under the age of 60 use this expression, but it conveys surprise and disbelief."
Source: Dianna Ly

TAIL

the tail wagging the dog

Source: Wag the Dog -- the movie

two shakes of a lamb’s tail

Very fast.
Source: Funk, Charles

have a bear by the tail

to have a very difficult problem to solve
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

eager and alert
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

with the tail between the legs

Thoroughly coward.
Source: Funk, Charles

better be the head of a dog then the tail of a lion

Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

TICK

full as a tick

well-fed
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

ticked off

a little upset, annoyed
Source: Wayne Magnuson

TIGER

he who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount

Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

tiger

a dynamic, forceful, or cruel person
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

have a tiger by the tail

Informal. to find oneself in a situation that has turned out to be much more difficult to control than one had expected.
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

TOAD

ugly as a toad

Ugly.
Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

as calm as a toad in the sun

very calm and content
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

toad sticker

a short knife
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

biggest frog (toad) in the puddle

The person of most importance in any small community or group.
Source: Funk, Charles

TURKEY

to talk turkey

To talk straight or be honest.

as poor as Job's turkey

very poor
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

turkey

Slang, chiefly US and Canadian. a thing or person that fails; dud.
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

freckled as a turkey egg

covered with freckles
Source: Bertram, Anne (Pig's Eye)

turkey

Slang, chiefly US and Canadian. a stupid, incompetent, or unappealing person
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

Stop cold turkey.

Source: Visitor Mathews, Brett

WEASEL

weasel words

Words that weaken or detract from the effectiveness or force of another word or expression.
Source: Funk, Charles

weasel

Informal. a sly or treacherous person
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

weasel

Informal.
1. to go back on a commitment
2. to evade a responsibility, esp in a despicable manner
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

WING

to take under one's wing

to protect, to mentor.

on a wing and a prayer

with only the slightest hope of succeeding
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

on the wing

flying
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

clip (someone's) wings

to restrict (someone's) freedom
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

wing it

Informal. to accomplish or perform something without full preparation or knowledge; improvise
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

WOLF

a growing youth has a wolf in his belly

Young people who are growing fast are hungry all of the time.
Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

wolf

a voracious, grabbing, or fiercely cruel person or thing
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

wolf

a man who habitually tries to seduce women

Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

keep the wolf from the door

to ward off starvation or privation
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

lone wolf

a person or animal who prefers to be alone
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

throw to the wolves

to abandon or deliver to destruction
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

to wolf down

to gulp
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

a wolf in sheep's clothing

Getting admission under false pretenses.
Source: Funk, Charles

when the wolf comes in the door love creeps out the window

If a couple gets married because they are in love, but they do not have any money, they will stop loving each other when the money runs out.
Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

to cry wolf

Taken from the Aesop Fable, "The Shepherd-boy and the Wolf."

WOOL

to pull the wool over one's eyes

To hoodwink.

WORM

even the worm will turn

Even a meek person will become angry if you abuse him or her too much.
Source: Bertram, Anne (Bowl of Cherries)

book worm

one who reads a lot
Source: Wayne Magnuson

can of worms

a controversial issue, an old problem
Source: Wayne Magnuson

the early bird catches the worm

Don't procrastinate (unless maybe you’re the worm.)

worm

a wretched or spineless person
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

worm

a program that duplicates itself many times in a network and prevents its destruction
Source: wordreference.com, The Collins English Dictionary

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