Идиомы о животных

  • ahead of the pack
    (быть) впереди всех
    I studied hard so that I could be ahead of the pack in my class.
  • albatross (around someone's neck)
    помеха на пути к успеху
    Jack's lack of a proper education is an albatross around his neck, and it prevents him from getting a good job.
  • alley cat
    бродячая, бездомная кошка
    There is an alley cat which I see near my house very often.
  • as a duck takes to water
    естественно, как рыба в воде
    Sofia plunged into the water and started to swim easily and naturally, just as a duck takes to water.
  • as awkward as a cow on roller skates
    быть очень неловким, "как корова на льду"
    Jane isn't much of a dancer, and she was as awkward as a cow on roller skates when Jim invited her.
  • as bald as a coot
    совершенно лысый (похожий на птицу лысуху)
    My Uncle Robert is as bald as a coot.
  • as blind as a bat
    слепой, "слепой как крот"
    I have lost my glasses, and without them I am as blind as a bat.
  • as busy as a beaver
    быть очень занятым
    Paul seems to be as busy as a beaver all the time.
  • as busy as a bee
    трудолюбивый как пчёлка, очень занятый
    Cora has been as busy as a bee since she moved into her new house.
  • as calm as a toad in the sun
    очень спокойный и довольный (как жаба на солнце)
    Jeremy looked as calm as a toad in the sun during the baseball game.
  • as clean as a hound's tooth
    очень чистый
    When I finished cleaning the kitchen, it looked as clean as a hound's tooth.
  • as conceited as a barber's cat
    тщеславный, полный самомнения
    Having won the award at the Annual Fair, Timothy became as conceited as a barber's cat.
  • as crazy as a bedbug
    сумасшедший
    My old aunt Polly is as crazy as a bedbug.
  • as crazy as a loon
    псих
    My next door neighbor, Miss Darling, is as crazy as a loon.
  • as crooked as a dog's hind leg
    нечестный, бессовестный
    I dislike Jeremy Stuart; he turned out to be as crooked as a dog's hind leg.
  • as dead as a dodo
    мёртвый (как вымершая птица дронт)
    A car hit a cat, and it was as dead as a dodo after the accident.
  • as drunk as a skunk
    очень пьяный, "пьян в стельку"
    The bartender refused to sell Jonny any alcohol because he was as drunk as a skunk.
  • as easy as duck soup
    очень легко, без усилий
    Persuading my father to buy a new computer was as easy as duck soup.
  • as fat as a pig
    жирный как свинья
    "If you go on eating as much as you do now, you'll be as fat as a pig."
  • as free as a bird
    свободный как птица
    I am through with my exams, and now I am as free as a bird.
  • as full/tight as a tick
    переполненный едой или питьём
    The man was as full as a tick after a large meal at supper.
  • as gaudy as a butterfly
    слишком яркий (как бабочка)
    I don't quite like this dress; it's as gaudy as a butterfly.
  • as gentle as a lamb
    нежный, ласковый
    Marion is as gentle as a lamb when she is with her baby daughter.
  • as graceful as a swan
    грациозный как лебедь
    The ballet dancer was as graceful as a swan.
  • as gruff as a bear
    грубый, неприветливый
    Oliver Schmidt is always as gruff as a bear, and most of his co-workers dislike him.
  • as happy as a clam
    счастливый и довольный (как двустворчатый моллюск)
    The little boy was as happy as a clam when he was given a new bicycle.
  • as happy as a lark
    очень счастливый, весёлый
    Maria looked as happy as a lark when she got engaged to Mark.
  • as hoarse as a crow
    охрипший
    I had to talk very much that day and was as hoarse as a crow by the evening.
  • as hungry as a bear
    голодный как волк
    I was as hungry as a bear that afternoon, and I told my mother that I could eat a horse.
  • as innocent as a lamb
    невинный, наивный
    Sara is as innocent as a lamb; she still believes that all people are kind and generous.
  • as mad as a hornet
    очень злой (как оса)
    My brother got as mad as a hornet when he learnt that I had lost his disks.
  • as mad as a wet hen
    взбешённый
    Peter suspected that Joanna had deceived him and was as mad as a wet hen.
  • as meek as a lamb
    послушный, кроткий как ягнёнок
    On the surface Kelly is as meek as a lamb, but I know that actually she is naughty and quarrelsome.
  • as merry as a cricket
    весёлый (как сверчок)
    Laura is a sunny person; she is always as merry as a cricket.
  • as naked as a jaybird
    голый, "в чём мать родила"
    Jeremy had a swim in the lake, and when he got out of the water he was as naked as a jaybird.