English Idioms

A paper tiger is an expression drawn from a Chinese saying. A paper tiger may pose in a threatening way, but it is actually completely harm...

John was always an eager beaver  whenever he bought a new tool. First, he would be a busy bee  around the house, repairing or renovating eve...

A "busy bee" is someone or some creature who or that is very busy,  like an industrious worker bee. Example: "Lucy was a bu...

Just as something being "fishy" describes something suspicious, to "smell a rat" is to suspect trickery or treachery . ...

The Packrat - genus Neotoma - is a type of rodent of western North America that is famous for hoarding food and other objects. Similarly,...

If a person really did have a frog in his or her throat, that person would have a very difficult time speaking. As an idiom, to have a frog ...

One of English's more colorful idioms, "when pigs fly" describes an extremely unlikely event, one that will never realisticall...

To "horse around" is to play roughly, without regard for normal limitations such as rules or safety . Real horses play very ener...

Someone said to be "an eager beaver" is someone very excited and enthusiastic about doing a particular task. Example: "Ron...

To "wolf down" food is to eat food quickly, without fully chewing it. Often, something that is wolfed down is not really chewed ...

To "pig out" is to eat a great deal of food,  thus resembling a hungry pig. Pigs do not have table manners, so the phrase implie...

Figuratively, to open a can of worms is to create or initiate a situation that will cause trouble or will simply be unpleasant. Worms are...

Letting the cat out of the bag, is a metaphor for revealing a secret . It is far easier to keep a cat in a bag, than to put the cat back in...

Idiomatically, "a fat cat" is someone who is very wealthy and, as a result, is able to eat more food than necessary and otherwise ...

White elephants have been regarded as holy in Thailand, India and other Asian countries since ancient times. The owner of a white elephant w...