There are thousands of idioms in the English language – so many that, when you’re learning them, it’s difficult to know where to start. One way of learning idioms is to choose a set that creates vivid pictures in your head. That way, the idioms are easier to remember. Animals are very visual and we think this set of idioms will be easy to remember.
a wolf in sheep’s clothing someone who seems nice and friendly, hiding their true character which is bad
- Unfortunately, he turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
- At first, she seemed so nice – that wolf in sheep’s clothing.
top dog the most important person in an organization
- Amy never took orders from other people – she liked to be top dog.
- It suited him to be top dog, telling other people what to do.
white elephant a very expensive project or building that is a complete failure, having no real purpose
- The project, which cost over £20 million, turned out to be a complete white elephant.
- Ten years later, the building – a great white elephant – stands empty.
could eat a horse If you say you could eat a horse, you mean you are very hungry.
- I’m so hungry today – I could eat a horse!
- Can we find a café? I could eat a horse!
eat like a bird to eat very little food
- I’m not surprised Sophie is so slim. She eats like a bird.
- I’ve never seen you eat much food. You eat like a bird!
If you’ve enjoyed learning these idioms, perhaps you’d like to expand your knowledge by learning 5 idioms a day for a month. Our book: Idioms: 30 days to learn 150 essential idioms will give you a great selection of common, contemporary idioms, with exercises to check your progress. For more general information on idioms, see the post Everything you need to know about idioms.
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