Idioms with parts of animals

Idioms with parts of animals

Claw your way back/into/out of/to

to achieve something or move forwards by making a big effort or with difficulty

• I clawed my way to success in business.

Hoof it

informal.to go on foot because transportation is unavailable  

• We have to hoof it to the station.

Raise hackles (make someone’s hackles rise)

to make someone angry  

• His jokes raised my hackles.

Be on horns of a dilemma

having to make a choice between two equally important alternatives

• I found myself on the horns of a dilemma.

Draw in your horns

to behave carefully in order to spend less money than before

• I draw in my horns, after I resign.

Get the hump

informal. to get upset. 

• I get the hump when my team loses.

Be over the hump

informal. to past the hardest part of something

• We are finally over the hump after hard work.

Get your snout in the trough

when you get your snout in the trough, it means you try or hurry to get a lot of money.

Turn tail

to turn around and flee from danger

• They turned tail and ran away from the fight.

Be on someone’s tail

to drive after someone

• There is a red car on my tail.

Can’t make head nor tail of

to not understand at all

• We can’t make head nor tail of this Russian book.

Chase your tail

to work hard to do something but achieve very little

• You can’t repair the bicycle. You’re just chasing your tail.

Be the cat’s whiskers

informal. to be superior person. 

• The model thinks she’s the cat’s whiskers.

By a whisker

narrowly; by a slight amount

• The athlete won by a whisker. 

Come out of your shell

to become more confident and outgoing when spending time with other people

• He came out of his shell and had a very sociable weekend.

Birds of a feather

people with similar characters

• Tony is my best friend. We’re birds of a feather.
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A feather in your cap

a great achievement; success to be proud of

• It’s a feather in your cap to receive the commendation for bravery.

Clip your wings

to restrain someone from acting freely

• My parents never tried to clip my wings.

Wait in the wings

to be ready to replace someone: ready to be active

• Two talented players are waiting in the wings.

On the wing

in flight

• He shot the crow on the wing.

Spread your wings

to feel more confident to try something new

• It is time to leave home and spread your wings.

Take under your wing

to take care of someone

• He took the child with cancer under his wing.

Take wing

to begin to fly

• As soon as it saw me, the stork took wing.

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