English language — is one of the most «rich» language in the world, as it more than five hundred thousand words, and every day this number is steadily increasing. The most beautiful and vibrant part of the vocabulary of the English language are turns of phrase (a term that is often used by our scholars of English literature in the former Soviet Union) and idioms (a term which can be found in Western literature). These are stable expression, we can not translate word for word, because often in this case they lose their meaning. What to do with such expressions? There are two ways to solve the problem: you need to look as close as possible the equivalent translation in native language (for example: to take a bull by the horns — «to take the bull by the horns,» which means «to take matters into their own hands»). Or search for descriptive idioms option if translated into the native language is not possible (for example: to see eye to eye — to agree about something or someone — «disagree with anything or anyone»).
Today we will talk about the idioms associated with the animal world. In English, there are so many of such phrases that best help you to express your thoughts.
Idiom / Phrase | Meaning in English | The literal translation | Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
Not enough room to swing a cat | Is used for saying that a room is very small and there is not enough space to live comfortably in it | Not enough space to unleash a cat | Very little space to live comfortably |
Can talk the hind legs off a donkey | About a person who can talk a lot | Maybe «uboltat» (speak) back legs ass | The person who talks a lot |
Straight from the horse’s mouth | To get information directly from someone who knows it | Straight from the mouth of a horse | Get information directly from someone who knows about it |
For donkey’s years | For an extremely long period of time | For donkey years | For a very long time |
To take under someone’s wing | To help and protect someone, especially someone who is younger than you or has less experience than you | Take Wing | To help and protect someone, especially if the person is young and inexperienced |
(be) Like water off a duck’s back | It has no effect on someone at all (usually criticism) | As the water with ducks | Something that has no effect (like water off a duck) |
To go to the dogs | If a country or an organization is going to the dogs, it is becoming less successful than it was in the past (usually in continuous tenses) | Going to the dogs | Something does not work, it breaks down and becomes less successful (go to hell) |
Not to have a cat in hell’s chance | To have no chance at all of achieving something (usually + of + doing sth) | Do not have a pig in a bloody event | It is not able to / chance to reach something to do |
To pussyfoot around | To go about timidly and cautiously | Walk like a cat around | Beat about the bush |
To put a cat among the pigeons | To do or say something that causes trouble and makes a lot of people angry or worried | Plant a cat among the pigeons | Do or say something that will cause problems and a lot of people angry / worry |
To let the cat out of the bag | To reveal a secret or a surprise by accident | Let the cat out of the bag | Open secret or accidentally tell the surprise |
Curiosity killed the cat | Being curious can get you into trouble | Curiosity killed the cat | Curiosity may cause problems |
Be like a red rag to a bull | If a statement or an action is like a red rag to a bull, it makes someone very angry | Like a red rag to the bull | Something makes a person feel very angry / pissed |
I can eat a horse | Be very hungry | Eat horse | Be very hungry |
Eat boiled crow | To be forced to admit that you are wrong and to say you are sorry | Eat crow | To be wrong and admit his guilt, apologizing |
I hope you have seen that in the English language there are many idioms related to animals, and most do not have a direct translation in the Russian language. How can they remember? Better constant repetition has nothing came up! We offer you a test to secure the material.
6565