Here you will find a list of common phrases related to animals and their meaning. Each of these animal sayings can be tapped for additional details. Additionally, you may notice different groupings listed. This is because certain animals, like dog and cat phrases, have more expressions associated with them. For fun, a more general list was included too.
Tip: Some of the animal phrases and sayings on here can be tapped for further details. You can learn where they came from and even see their first appearance in print.
Common Cat Sayings & Idioms
There are several sayings about cats that are commonly heard in English. This is unsurprising given how popular these animals are. You may know most of these cat idioms because they are old, so they’ve been around for a while. However, if this is your first time seeing these cat sayings, well meow might be a good time to look through them to learn what they mean.
| Cat Sayings | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cat burglar | A thief who stealthily steals from houses and other places |
| Cat fight | A quarrel or fight between two women |
| Cat got your tongue | One who is speechless, having nothing to say |
| Cat nap | Sleeping for a short while |
| Copy cat | Someone who copies from another person |
| Curiosity killed the cat | Typically said to those who are nosy because their prying behavior may lead to harm |
| Having nine lives | One who has escaped a dangerous situation |
| Let the cat out of the bag | This phrase means to make secret information known |
| Raining cats and dogs | A common saying used to describe heavy rainfall |
| Scaredy-cat | Someone who is afraid or terrified |
Familiar Dog Phrases & Expressions
It is only fair for these dog phrases to be here too. These expressions are used regularly by people, even though they do not come up all the time during conversations. Still, these phrases will be familiar to many people because they occur and are used frequently enough. Despite being related to one animal, these common dog phrases can be used in a number of situations, depending on the context.
| Dog Phrases | Meaning |
|---|---|
| All bark and no bite | Being full of talk, but with little or no action behind it |
| Barking up the wrong tree | To make a wrong assumption about someone or something |
| Doggy bag | A bag used at a restaurant to put leftover food in |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Leaving a situation alone in order to not stir up more problems |
| Puppy dog eyes | Making one’s face and eyes look a certain way so as to look innocent |
| Sick as a dog | A person who is very ill |
| The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog | This is a popular pangram in English, a sentence that uses all letters of the alphabet |
| Underdog | A person who is not favored to win |
| With your tail between your legs | Leaving a situation because of being embarrassed |
| You can’t teach an old dog new tricks | It can be challenging to teach a person something new, especially if they are used to doing things a certain way |
A List of Animal Phrases & Sayings
These animal phrases and sayings are related to birds, horses, fish and other animals. They are all grouped together instead of having their own individual category. For many of these common sayings, you can tell which animal they are associated with simply by reading the phrase.
| Animal Sayings | Meaning |
|---|---|
| An elephant never forgets | A person with a good memory |
| Beating a dead horse | Bringing up old issues that have already been resolved or that have already been talked about at length |
| Birds of a feather flock together | People tend to associate with others who share similar interests or values |
| Bull in a china shop | Someone who is clumsy |
| Crocodile tears | Expressing sorrow in a way that fake or insincere |
| Cry wolf | Someone who is lying |
| Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth | One should show appreciation after receiving a gift rather than being ungrateful |
| Elephant in the room | Ignoring a large, obvious problem that stands out in a major way |
| Fish out of water | Being in an unfamiliar situation |
| Give a man a fish | It can be more beneficial to teach a person a useful skill than filling a need for them once |
| Go down the rabbit hole | Starting to do something that may appear simple at first, but later it becomes more complex than previously thought |
| Happy as a clam | The state of being happy; feeling delighted |
| Hold your horses | A way of saying to wait, stop, or hold on |
| I smell a rat | A suspicious feeling that someone is not trustworthy |
| Like shooting fish in a barrel | Something that is easy to do; an activity that is simple to accomplish |
| Long in the tooth | Being old in age |
| Love birds | Two people who are displaying affection towards each other |
| Playing possum | Pretending to be dead, or being purposefully deceitful |
| Sitting ducks | Someone that is in a vulnerable position; being in danger |
| The early bird gets the worm | Arriving early to a place can be advantageous |
| The straw that broke the camel’s back | A series of annoying occurrences that eventually lead to one final thing that causes a person to lose patience |
| Ugly duckling | A person who appears plain at first in appearance or capability, but later they turn out to be spectacular |
| You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink | You can provide someone with a great opportunity, but you can’t force them to take it |
Choose a category for more common sayings!
