expressions about animals Flashcards
working hard
working like ants
to make a complaint against the wrong person
to bark up the wrong tree
someone comes across as being very mean and nasty, but doesn’t necessarily act on his/her threats
his bark is worse than his bite
very hungry
hungry as a bear
i won’t tell you who told me
a little bird told me
telling something which has been a secret, de aap komt uit de mouw
to let the cat out of the bag
sometimes you cannot get what you want by being carefull and polite
a cat in gloves catches no mice
to look proud of oneself
to look like the cat who swallowed the canary
why pay for something that you can get for free otherwise
why buy a cow when you can get the milk for free
very sick
sick as a dog
a ruthless competition or self-interest
dog eat dog
assume the obvious
if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it must be a duck
never
when pigs fly
a task that is too easy, a game without challenge
shooting fish in a barrel
able to hear and see what a fly would see and hear
a fly on the wall
just wait a second
hold your horses
That which is seen is copied
monkey see, monkey do
something against the ‘rules’ (illegal, immortal, etc.)but not too serious
monkey business
zo blind als een mol
as blind as a bat
beter 1 vogel in de hand dan 10 in de lucht
a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush
soort zoekt soort
birds of a feather flock together
de ochtendstond heeft goud in de mond
the early bird catches the worm
2 vliegen in 1 klap
killing 2 birds with one stone
een zondebok
a scapegoat
wie bij de hond slaapt, krijgt vlooien
if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas
het regent pijpenstelen
it is raining cats and dogs
de koe bij de hoorns vatten
to take the bull by the horns
door dezelfde microbe gebeten zijn
bitten by the same bugs
de bloemetjes en de bijtjes
the birds and the bees
als een olifant in de porseleinenwinkel
like a bull in a china shop
als de kat van huis is, dansen de muizen
when the cat’s away, the mice will play
het vel van de beer niet verkopen voor hij geschoten is
don’t count your chickens before they hatch
een wolf in schapenvacht
a wolf in sheep’s clothing
