Lesson 4: English Idioms from Animals

Introductory Quiz
Guess the correct meaning of each idiom from the context. It's OK if you get a lot of
answers incorrect - the important part is to do your best in trying to figure it out!

Question 1

I'm trying to upload a 10-minute video to the website, but it's going at a snail's pace...
it won't finish for another three hours.

"At a snail's pace" means...

A extremely slowly
B the file is too large
C with lots of errors

Question 2

My daughter is really into astronomy. As soon as we arrived at the museum, she made
a beeline for the exhibit about the galaxy.

To "make a beeline" means...

A to go directly and quickly

B to spend a lot of time
C to run away from

Question 3

A salad and some iced tea - that's all you're ordering? Man, you eat like a bird.

To "eat like a bird" means to eat...

A healthily
B only vegetarian food
C very little

Question 4

The miscommunication between the international branches of our company is really

impacting our efficiency, which leads to fewer sales. You can't just bury your head in
the sand and pretend the issue doesn't exist.

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To "bury your head in the sand" means...

A to ignore a problem despite obvious signs of danger

B to speak the same language all the time
C to try to solve a problem in a way that's actually making things worse

Question 5

I just started taking a class on how to do therapeutic massage. Who wants to be my

guinea pig?

If someone is a "guinea pig," the person is...

A a paying client for a service

B responsible for observing and giving feedback
C used as the subject of an experiment

Question 6

A lot of people send resumes when applying for jobs, but calling to follow up on your
application can really put you ahead of the pack because it shows extra initiative.

"Ahead of the pack" means...

A in favor with important people

B faster when pursuing a goal

C more successful than those you are competing against

Question 7

Over the past month, my business partner contacted a dozen web designers, but nothing
worked out. I finally grabbed the bull by the horns and just designed the site
myself.

"Grab the bull by the horns" means...

A to do something without having any previous experience

B to face and deal with a problem directly
C to take action without your partner knowing about it

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Question 8

My son has been bugging me for weeks to buy him the new video game. I couldn't take
it anymore, so I finally gave in and ordered it online.

To "bug" someone is...

A to annoy the person repeatedly

B to ask politely
C to force someone to do something

Question 9

Stop hogging the couch - make some room for me to sit down.

To "hog" is...

A to block access to an area

B to put lots of things in a particular space
C to take more than one's fair share of something

Question 10

The new iPhone comes out on Friday. All my friends are chomping at the bit to buy it,
but I'm satisfied with the phone I have now.

If you are "chomping at the bit," you are...

A extremely eager and anxious for something to happen

B waiting for a long time for a big event
C willing to spend a lot of money

Question 11

I know for a fact that all the employees are going to get a bonus at Christmas - I heard it
straight from the horse's mouth. The head of the accounting department told me.

If you hear something "straight from the horse's mouth," you've heard it...

A from a dependable source

B very recently - within the last hour
C while listening to someone else's conversation

Question 12

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Martin has already given us a detailed description of the problems with our outdated
technology, so I won't beat a dead horse. I just want to emphasize the fact that we
really need to modernize as soon as possible in order to stay competitive in the industry.

"Beat a dead horse" means...

A disagree with someone publicly

B make lots of criticisms
C waste time doing something that has already been done

Video Explanation
#1 - at a snail's pace = extremely slowly

This animal is called a snail, and the word "pace" means speed or
velocity. A snail moves very slowly - so any process that is going
"at a snail's pace" is moving extremely slowly.

#2 - make a beeline = go directly and quickly

This insect is called a bee. Bees normally fly in straight lines – that
is, they fly directly to their destination. So if you make a beeline for a
place, you go there directly and quickly. For example, if you
drink 5 cans of soda during a car trip, when you get home you’ll make
a beeline for the bathroom.

#3 - eat like a bird = eat very little

Birds are not very heavy, so it is believed that they eat very
little (if a bird got too fat, it couldn't fly!) So if a person eats like
a bird, he or she eats very little food.

The opposite of eat like a bird is “eat like a pig” - this means eating too much and usually
with bad table manners.

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#4 - bury your head in the sand = ignore a problem despite obvious signs
of danger

This idiom comes from an animal called an ostrich. Ostriches are

incorrectly believed to put their heads into the sand to hide from
predators - it would be an ineffective way of hiding, because the
ostrich's entire body is still visible!

So the idiom bury your head in the sand means to ignore a problem
even when it's very obvious that the problem exists.

#5 - guinea pig = a subject for experimentation

This animal is called a guinea pig, and in the early 20th

century, guinea pigs were often used in scientific
experiments. If you say a person is your "guinea pig," it
means you're going to test something on that
person.

For example, if you are learning how to cook, you can say
to your husband or wife: "I'm going to make a new
recipe. You can be my guinea pig."

#6 - ahead of the pack = more successful than those you are competing
against

Wolves usually form groups. A group of wolves is called a

"pack." The wolf pack has one wolf that is the leader. So being
"ahead of the pack" means that you are the leader in a
competition, you are more successful than the other
competitors.

#7 - grab the bull by the horns = face and deal with a problem directly

This animal is called a bull, and it has two horns on its head. The idiom comes from the
dangerous sport of wrestling with bulls. The only way to dominate the animal is to grab

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its horns. This is how the expression "grab (or take) the bull by the horns" came to mean
facing and dealing with a problem directly.

#8 - bug someone = annoy the person repeatedly

"Bug" is another word for insect. Insects are usually annoying - like when
you're trying to sleep and a mosquito keeps flying around your head, for
example. In English, the verb "bug someone" means to annoy the
person repeatedly.

It can be used for people:

"My wife is bugging me to fix the refrigerator; it's been broken for four days."

And for problems in general that are consistently annoying:

"My knee has been bugging me ever since I injured it last month."
"It bugs me when someone interrupts me in the middle of a conversation."

#9 - hog = to take more than one's fair share of something

A hog is a type of pig. Pigs really don't have the best reputation
in English, do they? Apparently pigs are believed to be selfish,
because the verb "hog" means to take more than your fair
share.

Imagine you have two children, and you give them one toy. If
your daughter plays with the toy for an hour and won't let your
son play with it at all, she is "hogging" the toy.

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#10 - chomping at the bit = extremely eager and
anxious for something to happen

The word "chomping" means to make a biting or chewing action

with the jaws and teeth, and a "bit" is the metal piece that is
placed in a horse's mouth to control the horse. If a horse has a
lot of energy and is very excited to start running, it will start
"chomping at the bit." So if a person is "chomping at the bit," he
is extremely eager and anxious for something to
happen.

#11 - straight from the horse's mouth = from a dependable source

Fans of horse racing like to have the best information about which horse is going to win
the race. Of course, the best information of all would come directly from the horse itself!
So if a piece of information is "straight from the horse's mouth," it is coming from a
dependable source - usually someone who is directly involved.

#12 - beat a dead horse = waste time doing something that has already
been done

In this context, the verb "beat" means to hit violently. However, if a horse is already
dead, then beating it won't have any result. So the idiom "beat a dead horse" means to
waste time doing something that has already been done.

This idiom is often used before saying something that has already been said, or
expanding on a point that has already been made many times - you can start the phrase
with "Not to beat a dead horse, but..." - to acknowledge that the subject has already
been discussed.

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You've finished Lesson 4!

Now take the practice quiz, and try the writing or

speaking exercises.

Log in tomorrow for Lesson 5.

Practice Quiz
Question 1

There are so many novels published nowadays that it's hard to stand out, but the
excellent writing and the intriguing character development in this book really put it
_____________.

A ahead of the pack

B chomping at the bit
C straight from the horse's mouth

Question 2

My flight wasn't very comfortable - the guy sitting next to me was __________ the
armrest and invading my space.

A bugging
B beating a dead horse
C hogging

Question 3

There are only two employees helping a hundred people, so this line is moving
______________.

A ahead of the pack

B at a snail's pace
C like a bird

Question 4

He just got hired for his dream job, so he's _____________ to get started.

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 A bugging
B chomping at the bit
C making a beeline

Question 5

You don't need to worry about bringing a lot of food; I eat ____________.

A like a bee
B like a bird
C like a pig

Question 6

The stadium was really crowded, so the moment the game ended I _____________
for the exit.

A grabbed the bull by the horns

B made a beeline for
C went straight from the horse's mouth

Question 7

There was one question on the chemistry test that I couldn't figure out, and now it's
____________!

A beating me like a dead horse

B bugging me
C putting me ahead of the pack

Question 8

When nobody else is taking action, sometimes you just need to _____________.

A be a guinea pig
B bury your head in the sand
C grab the bull by the horns

Question 9

The journalist published an award-winning article after getting the facts about the
corruption _______________.

A at a snail's pace
B grabbing the bull by the horns
C straight from the horse's mouth

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Question 10

My little brother used to get into trouble at school almost every day, but my mother
________________ and never even talked to him about it.

A ate like a bird

B buried her head in the sand
C made a beeline

Practice Quiz Answers

1) A

2) C

3) B

4) B

5) B

6) B

7) B

8) C

9) C

10) B

Speaking / Writing Exercises

1) When you go into the mall, what type of store do you make a beeline for?

2) Describe a situation you've experienced, when another person buried his/her head in
the sand.

3) Have you ever had to grab the bull by the horns because nobody else was making any
progress in solving a problem?

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4) Talk about a time when someone bugged you to do something so much that you
finally did it, just to make them be quiet.

5) Have you ever been the "guinea pig" for someone else's experiment or test?

If you want correction / feedback, you can either e-mail me your writing at
help@espressoenglish.net or leave me a voice mail message:
www.speakpipe.com/espressoenglish

Image Sources:
luigi diamanti, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Alan Manson
Kwh
Gunnar Ries
Manuel González Olaechea
catz_rewl_all
billypoonphotos

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