animals

ENGLISH  IDIOMS  &  IDIOMATIC  EXPRESSIONS

Animals   Like a bat out of hell

   If something moves like a bat out of hell, it moves very quickly.  

"He grabbed the envelope and ran like a bat out of hell." Like a bear with a sore head

If someone is behaving like a bear with a sore head, they are very irritable and bad-tempered.

"When his team lost the match, Brad was like a bear with a sore head."

AnimalsEager beaver

The term eager (horlivý, dychtivý) beaver refers to a person who is hardworking and enthusiastic, sometimes considered overzealous (příliš horlivý).

Birds of a feather

To say that two people are birds of a feather means that they are very similar in many ways.

AnimalsKill two birds with one stone

If you kill two birds with one stone, you succeed in doing two things at the same time.

"By studying on the train on the way home every week-end, Claire kills two birds with one stone."

Like a red flag to a bull To say that a statement or action is like a red flag to a

bull means that it is sure to make someone very angry or upset.

"Don't mention Tom's promotion to Mike.  It would be like a red flag to a bull!"

AnimalsTake the bull by the horns

To take the bull by the horns means that a person decides to act decisively (rozhodně) in order to deal with a difficult situation or problem.

 A social butterfly

This term refers to a person who has a lot of friends and acquaintances (známý) and likes to flit (poletovat) from one social event to another.

AnimalsA cat in gloves catches no mice

This expression means that if you are too careful and polite, you may not obtain what you want.

"Negotiate carefully, but remember : a cat in gloves catches no mice!"

 Like a cat on hot bricks A person who is like a cat on hot bricks is very

nervous or restless (nepokojný, neklidný). "The week before the results were published, she was

like a cat on hot bricks." restlessness - nervozita

AnimalsRaining cats and dogs

If it's raining cats and dogs, it's raining very heavily. "We'll have to cancel the picnic I'm afraid.  It's raining

cats and dogs.„

 Wait for the cat to jump

If you wait for the cat to jump, or to see which way the cat jumps, you delay taking action until you see how events will turn out.

"Let's wait for the cat to jump before we decide." 

AnimalsChicken out of something

If you chicken out of something, you decide not to do something because you are afraid.

"He decided to join a karate class, but chickened out of it at the last minute!"  

 Like a headless chicken If a person rushes about like a headless chicken, they

act in a disorderly way, without thinking or analyzing the situation carefully.

"As soon as the store opened, my mother started running around like a headless chicken, eager to find bargains."

AnimalsDog's life

People use this expression when complaining about a situation or job which they find unpleasant or unsatisfactory.

"It's a dog's life working in the after-sales department."  Dog eat dog

This expression refers to intense competition and rivalry in pursuit (snaha) of one's own interests, with no concern for morality.

"The business world is tough today.  There's a general dog-eat-dog attitude."

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