Anglais express

Anglais Express : les expressions liées aux animaux

mimouna
12 October, 2012

Nous vous proposions récemment de découvrir des expressions anglo-saxonnes liées aux animaux ! Cette semaine, nous vous proposons une deuxième série d'expressions qui vous permettront de vous familiariser avec les sonorités anglophones et que vous pourrez réutiliser à l'étranger !

Image courtesy of normanackChiens et chats

  • “Look what the cat dragged in” - something you say when somebody arrives looking dirty or as if they have been in a fight.
  • “She’s going to have kittens when she finds out” - another way of saying that someone will be very angry.
  • The “underdog” – The team or player that nobody expects to win
  • “Working like a dog” – To work very hard or very long hours

Oiseaux

  • “Kill two birds with one stone” – this means to get two things done at once. Traduction : faire d'une pierre, deux coups.
  • A Stool Pigeon - someone who tells the teacher/parents/police about someone else misbehaving (also a “snitch”).
  • “A bird’s-eye view” – A view from above, or a view of the whole situation
  • “To eat like a bird” – to eat very little.

Insectes

  • “To bug someone” – To be irritating or to ask them a series of questions.
  • “A fly in the ointment” – A small problem that ruins everything, or causes much bigger troubles.
  • “I have butterflies in my stomach” – To be very nervous or anxious about something.
  • “Like a moth to a flame” – e.g, “He went straight for that cake, like a moth to a flame”.

Image courtesy of OniladAnimaux aquatiques

  • “To drink like a fish” – To drink a lot of alcohol, or drink very often.
  • “I’ve got other fish to fry” – I have other problems to deal with. Traduction : avoir d'autres chats à fouetter
  • “There are other fish in the sea” - There are plenty of other potential girlfriends/boyfriends out there, so don’t be upset about one getting away
  • “Mad as a box of frogs” – Crazy

Image courtesy of groovysuviAutres

  • “Like rats off a sinking ship” – Rats always escape sinking ships first. e.g, someone who gets out of a job before the company starts to fail.
  • “Like a bull in a china shop” – A very clumsy or destructive person (china is a type of fine porcelain)
  • “Monkey see, monkey do” – When someone just copies what they see rather than think for themselves.
  • “Flogging a dead horse” – To repeatedly moan about something that cannot be changed, or to go over old arguments that were settled a long time ago.
PLUS
anglais expressions idiomatiques expressions animaux
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mimouna (231 Posts)