THÀNH NGỮ TIẾNG ANH VỀ ĐỘNG VẬT Ants in one‟s pants People who have ants in their pants are very restless or excited about something (bồn chồn kiến đốt) “I wish he‟d relax He‟s got ants in his pants about something today!” Like a bat out of hell If something moves like a bat out of hell, it moves very quickly (chạy bán sống bán chết) “He grabbed the envelope and ran like a bat out of hell.” Like a bear with a sore head If someone is behaving like a bear with a sore head, they are very irritable and bad-tempered “When his team lost the match, Brad was like a bear with a sore head.” Break the back of the beast If someone breaks the back of the beast, they succeed in overcoming a major difficulty “After hours of effort, the technicians finally broke the back of the beast and turned the electricity back on again.” Eager beaver The term eager beaver refers to a person who is hardworking and enthusiastic, sometimes considered overzealous “The new accountant works all the time – first to arrive and last to leave – a real eager beaver!” Have a bee in one‟s bonnet A person who has a bee in their bonnet has an idea which constantly occupies their thoughts (bị ám ảnh việc gì) “She’s got a bee in her bonnet about moving to New York.” The bee„s knees If you say that someone or something is the bee’s knees, you think they are exceptionally good “Julie thinks she’s the bee’s knees” means that Julie has a high opinion of herself! Birds of a feather To say that two people are birds of a feather means that they are very similar in many ways (ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã) For the birds If you think something is for the birds, you consider it to be uninteresting, useless, or not to be taken seriously “As far as I’m concerned, his theory is for the birds!” Kill two birds with one stone If you kill two birds with one stone, you succeed in doing two things at the same time (1 mũi tên trúng chim) “By studying on the train on the way home every week-end, Claire kills two birds with one stone.” Bitten by the bug If you develop a sudden interest or enthusiasm for something, you are bitten by the bug “My dad decided to take up golf and was immediately bitten by the bug.” Snug as a bug in a rug This is a humorous way of saying that you are warm and comfortable “Wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa, she looked as snug as a bug in a rug.” Like a red flag to a bull To say that a statement or action is like a red flag to a bull means that it is sure to make someone very angry or upset “Don’t mention Tom’s promotion to Mike It would be like a red flag to a bull!” Take the bull by the horns To take the bull by the horns means that a person decides to act decisively in order to deal with a difficult situation or problem “After a number of children were hurt in the school playground, Sally took the bull by the horns and called the headmaster.” Face like a bulldog chewing a wasp To say that someone has a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp means that you find them very unattractive because they have a screwed-up ugly expression on their face “Not only was he rude but he had a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp! A social butterfly This term refers to a person who has a lot of friends and acquaintances and likes to flit from one social event to another “Julie is constantly out and about; she’s a real social butterfly.” A cat in gloves catches no mice This expression means that if you are too careful and polite, you may not obtain what you want “Negotiate carefully, but remember: a cat in gloves catches no mice!” A cat can look at a king This expression means that nobody is so important that an ordinary person cannot look at or be curious about them A fat cat To refer to a rich and powerful person as a fat cat means that you disapprove of the way they use their money or power “The place was full of fat cats on their big yachts.” Like herding cats This expression refers to the difficulty of coordinating a situation which involves people who all want to act independently “Organizing an outing for a group of people from different countries is like herding cats! Let the cat out of the bag If you let the cat out of the bag, you reveal a secret, often not intentionally “When the child told her grandmother about the plans for her birthday, she let the cat out of the bag It was supposed to be a secret!” Like a cat on hot bricks A person who is like a cat on hot bricks is very nervous or restless (ngồi đống lửa) “The week before the results were published, she was like a cat on hot bricks.” Like a scalded cat If someone or something moves like a scalded cat, they move very fast, usually because they are frightened or shocked “As soon as he saw the policeman, he ran off like a scalded cat.” Like the cat that ate the canary If, after an achievement or succe ss, a person appears very self-satisfied or pleased with themselves, you can say that they look like the cat that ate the canary “When the boss complimented him on his work, Steve looked like the cat that ate the canary.” Like something the cat If you compare a person or thing to something the cat dragged in, you think dragged in they look dirty, untidy or generally unappealing “My teenage son often looks like something the cat dragged in.” Like cat and dog Two people who fight or argue like cat and dog frequently have violent arguments, even though they are fond of each other “They fight like cat and dog but they’re still together after 30 years.” Wait for the cat to jump If you wait for the cat to jump, or to see which way the cat jumps, you delay taking action until you see how events will turn out “Let’s wait for the cat to jump before we decide.” Cat‟s whiskers This expression refers to someone who considers themselves to be better (also: the cat‟s pyjamas) than others in a particular area – beauty, competence, intelligence, sport, etc., “Ever since she got a promotion, she thinks she’s the cat’s whiskers!” Fight/argue like cat and dog Two people who fight or argue like cat and dog frequently have violent arguments, even though they are fond of each other “They fight like cat and dog but they’re still together after 30 years.” Cat-and-dog life This term refers to a life in which partne rs are constantly or frequently (Also: argue/fight like cat and dog) quarrelling “They lead a cat-and-dog life I don’t know why they stay together.” Like herding cats This expression refers to the difficulty of coordinating a situation which involves people who all want to act independently “Organizing an outing for a group of people from different countries is like herding cats!” Raining cats and dogs If it’s raining cats and dogs, it’s raining very heavily “We’ll have to cancel the picnic I’m afraid It’s raining cats and dogs.” Play cat and mouse To play cat and mouse with someone means to treat them alternately cruelly and kindly, so that they not know what to expe ct