Idioms by: Brian Southwick
Idioms about Animals ワークシートのダウンロード
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There are many idioms in the English language. What is an idiom? If we look up the word “idiom” in a
dictionary, we learn that it means “an expression whose meaning
cannot be easily guessed from the meaning of its individual words”. For example, I used an idiom in the last
sentence: “look up”. This expression seems
to mean “to look up at the sky” or “to raise your head and look
at something”. However, the idiom
“look up” means “to search for information” in a dictionary, encyclopedia,
telephone book, or other reference book.
If you can understand and use idioms well, your English will improve.
Today I will introduce you to some
idioms about animals.
| ＜注＞ idiom（慣用句），look up（調べる），mean（意味する），expression（表現），meaning（意味）, guess（推測する），individual（個々の），last（すぐ前の），seem to〜（〜のように見える）， raise（上げる），however（けれども），search for〜（〜を探し求める），encyclopedia（百科事典）， reference book（参考図書），improve（上達する） |
1. It is raining very hard today. It is “raining cats and dogs”.
2. My mother has many things to do. She is “as busy as a bee”.
3. My grandfather knows many things. He is “as wise as an owl”.
4. The girl is always singing and laughing. She is “as happy as a lark”.
5. He is kind to everyone. He is “as gentle as a lamb”.
6. The boy almost never speaks. He is “as quiet as a mouse”.
7. I had a very bad cold yesterday. I was “as sick as a dog”.
8. I usually sleep for about fifteen minutes after lunch. I take a “cat nap” in the afternoon.
9. She always does what other people do. She is a “copycat”.
10. The little boy runs around and makes a lot of noise. He is “as wild as a tiger”.
11. I haven’t had anything to eat all day. I’m so hungry. I could “eat a horse”.
12. Don’t be too shocked when I tell you the news. Don’t “have a cow”.
13. My mother is very practical. She has good “horse sense”.
14. Don’t tell anyone my secret. Don’t “let the cat out of the bag”.
15. The children are always getting into trouble. They are always doing “monkey business”.
16. The girl wanted to save money to buy a new toy, so she put her otoshidama in a “piggy bank”.
17. My judo coach is very strong. He is as “strong as a horse”.
18. The boy often does bad things, but the teachers never catch him. He is “as cunning as a fox”.
19. I don’t think he will ever change his behavior. “The leopard can’t change its spots.”
20. The girl always volunteers to take part in school activities. She is a real “eager beaver”.