Idioms and expressions with animals 🦘

Idioms and expressions using animals

One way to sound more natural in another language is to use expressions or idioms which native speakers use. There are so many of them in English, so I thought I would write a quiz using some idioms and expressions with animals.

Look at the expressions/idioms below and match them to the meanings:

• be raining cats and dogs 🐈‍⬛ 🐕
• be as stubborn as a mule 🐴
• be as timid as a mouse 🐁
• have ants in one’s pants 🐜
• have a frog in one’s throat 🐸
• fight like cats and dogs 🐱🐶
• smell a rat 🐭
• feel like a fish out of water 🐟
• let sleeping dogs lie 🐩
• the straw that broke the camel’s back 🐫

• think something is suspicious
• not get along and argue a lot
• ignore a problem or situation in order to avoid making it worse
• be raining heavily
• get scared easily
• a bad thing which happens after many bad things
• not be willing to change your opinion
• feel uncomfortable in new or different surroundings or situations
• be unable to sit still (often due to being excited or nervous)
• have a hoarse voice

Now, use the idioms or expressions to complete the sentences below:

Note: You may have to change some words in the idioms or expressions.

1. You can talk to him but I don’t he will change his mind as he __________________________.
2. My beach holiday was terrible because it __________________________ every day and _________________________was that I got food poisoning and was too sick to leave my hotel when the sun finally came out.
3. When I first went to Japan, I ____________________________as it was so different from Australia.
4. It is hard to believe that she __________________________when she was a child as she is so bold and brave now.
5. She is going overseas for the first time next week, and she just can’t wait- she ________________and can’t focus in class this week.
6. She was asked to invest in a business venture but pulled out at the last minute as she _________________. Luckily, she did as it turned out to be a scam.
7. They _______________________________as many siblings do but they are always there for each other at the end of the day.
8. Please excuse me as I ____________________ due to a cold. I hope you can understand what I am saying!
9. She wanted to tell her boss about the ongoing issues in the staffroom, but she decided to _________________________as she thought it wouldn’t be worth the trouble it could cause.

You can get my contact information from the contact page of this website or connect with me on social media for the answers and explanations to this quiz 📝