Animal Idioms

Match the idioms with the definitions and then try to fill in the sentences with the right
expressions

1- Don't count your chickens

before they hatch.

a- Someone who is too accustomed to

old habits won't want to change.

2- Like a fish out of water.

b- False tears to give impression of

sadness

3- You can't teach an old dog

new tricks

c- Someone in a bad mood

4- Dog tired

d- Have an exciting, interesting time.

Enjoy oneself enormously

5- Bear with a sore paw

e- Tell a person in authority about the

bad behaviour of another person

6- Have a whale of a time

f- Period of time without something

you are addicted to

7- Crocodile tears

g- Don't presume anything until it is

certain

8- A bee in your bonnet

h- Husband who is nagged at

by his wife

9- A fly in the ointment

i- Someone in a strange situation

they are not used to

10- Cold turkey

j- Extremely tired.

11- To rat on somebody

k- One big problem in an otherwise

faultless plan

12- Hen pecked

l- Be angry, resentful about

a certain issue

1. I don't want him crying ____________ for me. I know he couldn't care less about
me failing that exam.
2. I have been working on my thesis for 3 days without sleeping. I feel ____________.
3. Some people say the best way to beat a drug addiction is to have a week of
____________.
4. When we went to Disneyland, we had ____________. We went on all the rides, met
Mickey Mouse and bought loads of souvenirs too.
5. Stay away from Don today. He's like ____________. I don't know what could've
happened.
6. Our new secretary is ____________. She worked in a supermarket for ten years
before and I say ____________.
7. Don't mention you went to Harvard to Jim. He has got a real ____________ about
that place!
8. You have only been for one job interview and you are already planning how to spend
your first salary!! You shouldn't ____________.
9. Everything is planned for the vacation. The visas arrived yesterday and we have
booked a great hotel by the beach. The only ____________ is that there is a hurricane
on its way to the island!
10. I didn't think anyone had seen me copy the test but William ____________ to
Professor Sykes and I got expelled.
11. That poor Mr. Dyson looks totally ____________ by that dragon of a wife he has.
She never stops complaining about every little thing he does.

KEY
The definitions and idioms have been lined up in the table...and the answers filled in
for each sentence.

3- You can't teach an old

a- Someone who is too accustomed

dog new tricks

to old habits won't want to change.

7- Crocodile tears
5- Bear with a sore paw
6- Have a whale of a time

11-To rat on somebody

10- Cold turkey

b- False tears to give impression

of sadness
c- Someone in a bad mood
d- Have an exciting, interesting time.
Enjoy oneself enormously
e- Tell a person in authority about
the bad behaviour of another person
f- Period of time without something
you are addicted to

1- Don't count your chickens

g- Don't presume anything until

before they hatch.

it is certain

12- Hen pecked

2- Like a fish out of water
4- Dog tired
9- A fly in the ointment

8- A bee in your bonnet

h- Husband who is nagged at by his wife

i- Someone in a strange situation
they are not used to
j- Extremely tired.
k- One big problem in an otherwise
faultless plan
l- Be angry, resentful
about a certain issue

1. I don't want him crying __CROCODILE TEARS__ for me. I know he couldn't care less
about me failing that exam.
2. I have been working on my thesis for 3 days without sleeping. I feel __DOG
TIRED__.
3. Some people say the best way to beat a drug addiction is to have a week of __COLD
TURKEY__.
4. When we went to Disneyland, we had __A WHALE OF A TIME__. We went on all the
rides, met Mickey Mouse and bought loads of souvenirs too.
5. Stay away from Don today. He's like __A BEAR WITH A SORE PAW__. I don't know
what could've happened.
6. Our new secretary is __A FISH OUT OF WATER__. She worked in a supermarket for
ten years before and I say __YOU CAN'T TEACH OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS__.
7. Don't mention you went to Harvard to Jim. He has got a real __BEE IN HIS
BONNET__ about that place!
8. You have only been for one job interview and you are already planning how to spend
your first salary!! You shouldn't __COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH__.
9. Everything is planned for the vacation. The visas arrived yesterday and we have
booked a great hotel by the beach. The only __FLY IN THE OINTMENT__ is that there is
a hurricane on its way to the island!
10. I didn't think anyone had seen me copy the test but William __RATTED ON ME__ to
Professor Sykes and I got expelled.
11. That poor Mr. Dyson looks totally __HEN PECKED__ by that dragon of a wife he
has. She never stops complaining about every little thing he does.