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Идиомы на тему Animals

• monkey around with (someone or something)
  попусту тратить время на кого-либо \ что-либо

  "Why are you monkeying around with your camera? You have a lot of homework to do."
• monkey business
  обман, неэтичное поведение, противозаконная деятельность

  Jack is involved in some monkey business; he'd better get rid of it otherwise he may go to prison.
• monkey on one's back
  серьёзная, не решённая проблема

  I am not very good at math, and my math course is a real monkey on my back.
• monkey see, monkey do
  копировать, "обезьянничать"

  It was monkey see, monkey do for Derek. He copied everything that his friend did.
• more fun than a barrel of monkeys
  очень смешной, забавный

  Jonny was more fun than a barrel of monkeys, and everybody loved to hear his jokes.
• not enough room to swing a cat
  недостаточно места

  Let's not have a party at Mary's place; there is not enough room to swing a cat in her apartment.
• on horseback
  верхом на лошади

  I saw Pam ride on horseback yesterday.
• one's bark is worse than one's bite
  чьи-либо слова страшнее, чем его дела

  Ma Brooks is always scolding her children, but they know her bark is worse than her bite, and they are not afraid of her.
• one's tail between one's legs
  быть пристыженным или побеждённым

  Steve had boasted he would win the tournament, but he went home with his tail between his legs.
• paper tiger
  неопасный противник, "бумажный тигр"

  I think Jim Gardens is a paper tiger and has really no power in the company.
• piggy bank
  копилка (в виде свиньи)

  The mother gave Rita a piggy bank to put small coins into.
• piggyback
  переносить кого-либо на плечах или на спине

  "Dad, I want you to give me a piggyback ride."
• play cat and mouse with (someone)
  дразнить, дурачить; "играть в кошки-мышки"

  "Please, stop playing cat and mouse with me; I want to know your intentions immediately."
• play possum
  притвориться больным или мёртвым; прикинуться не понимающим

  "Don't you try to play possum; you know what I am talking about."
• put (someone or something) out to pasture
  удалить кого-либо на покой, перестать использовать что-либо

  They finally decided to put Old Kenworth out to pasture and asked him to give up his responsibilities.
• put on the dog
  экстравагантно одеваться, свободно вести себя или хорошо развлекаться

  Let's go to a luxurious restaurant and put on the dog.
• put the cart before the horse
  начать не с того конца, поступать шиворот-навыворот, "поставить телегу впереди лошади"

  They put the cart before the horse and took the effect for the cause.
• put the cat among the pigeons
  причинять неприятности, "пустить козла в огород"

  "Don't send your secretary to talk to the angry students; it's like putting the cat among the pigeons."
• rain cats and dogs
  льёт как из ведра

  The sky is overcast, and I bet it's raining cats and dogs in the mountains.
• rat on (someone)
  выдать кого-либо, рассказав о неприглядном поведении; донести

  I asked my sister not to tell Mother about the spoilt carpet, but she ratted on me.
• rat out on (someone)
  бросить кого-либо в беде, предать

  My best friend ratted out on me at a critical time, and I am not going to forgive him his betrayal.
• rat race
  жизнь, как бесконечная гонка и отчаянная борьба за успех; "крысиные бега"

  Working and living in a big city is too much of a rat race that's why Sandra is not satisfied with her life in New-York.
• ride herd on (someone)
  строго следить за кем-либо (как пастух следит за стадом)

  The head nurse was riding herd on the other nurses in the hospital.
• road hog
  водитель, мешающий проезду другого транспорта

  Leo is a regular road-hog; he always uses more than his share of the road.
• rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way
  раздражать кого-либо, "гладить против шерсти"

  Olaf's insolence and rude behavior constantly rubs me the wrong way.
• sacred cow
  кто-либо \ что-либо никогда не подвергающееся критике, "священная корова"

  The ideas of my boss are a sacred cow that should never be criticized or laughed at.
• scaredy-cat
  трусишка

  The children call Vera a scaredy-cat because she is easily frightened.
• see a man about a dog
  пойти в туалет (эвфемизм)

  Jeremy drank too much beer, so he had to stop his car several times to see a man about a dog.
• separate the sheep from the goats
  отделить более компетентных людей от менее компетентных, разделить на две группы

  I am not at all sure that joining the military is a good way to separate the men from the boys.
• serve as a guinea pig
  быть подопытным кроликом

  "Is that a test you are going to perform? I don't want to serve as a guinea pig."
• shaggy dog story
  длинный бессмысленный рассказ

  My cousin told me a shaggy dog story about how she had lost her purse.
• smell a rat
  заподозрить, почуять неладное

  When Clara didn't come back with my money, I began to smell a rat.
• squirrel (something) away
  сделать запас (заначку) чего-либо

  I sometimes have to squirrel some extra money away so that I can use it later.
• straight from the horse's mouth
  услышать прямо из чьих-либо уст

  I heard the news about my friend's promotion straight from the horse's mouth.
• straw that broke the camel's back
  переполнить чашу терпения

  Alan cheated on me again and it was the straw that broke the camel's back; I decided to break off with him.