Special Sub-Topic: Animal Aphorisms For Kids Click Here To Play: Animal Aphorisms For Kids

Which of the following most closely means the same as: "If it had been a snake, it would have bitten you"?

It was right in front of you all the time. Have you ever heard anyone say this when they finally find something that was not really hidden at all?

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Be happy when someone gives you a gift, whatever it is. This saying is an interesting one. You can tell how old a horse is by looking at its teeth. An older horse can't do as much work as a younger one, so if you got a horse as a present and looked at its teeth, it meant you were trying to judge its value and might not be happy if it was an older horse instead of a younger one. You should have been happy to get any horse at all!

"Let sleeping dogs lie."

Don't stir up trouble. Another way of saying "Let sleeping dogs lie" is to say "Leave well enough alone". Both sayings mean "Don't stir up trouble" or "Don't make things worse".

"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary."

You look guilty, as though you did something you shouldn't have. Do you ever wonder how your parents KNOW you've done something wrong even if you don't tell them? It's because you have that guilty "cat who swallowed the canary" look!

"Like a fish out of water."

Uncomfortable and out of place. Although a fish out of water would be gasping, unable to swim, and eventually dead, this saying means "uncomfortable and out of place". You might feel like a fish out of water the first day at a new school.

Which of the following answers most closely describes the meaning of the aphorism "Like a bull in a china shop"?

Clumsy and destructive. A bull in a china shop would cause a LOT of breakage! This saying is applied to clumsy people.

"A leopard can't change his spots."

People don't change that much. Another way to put this might be "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." (There are really a LOT of animal aphorisms, aren't there?)

"What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."

If one person can do something, so can another. Another way to say this might be "Two can play at that game". Sometimes the saying "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander" can mean that women (geese) and men (ganders) should be treated equally.

"I wish I had been a fly on the wall."

I would have liked to listen in (eavesdrop) without anyone noticing me. This saying probably comes from the fact that flies on the wall can hear everything people say and no one notices them eavesdropping...if flies listen!

"Don't cast pearls before swine."

Don't waste things of value on people who won't appreciate them. This saying comes from the Bible. The whole quote is "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matthew 7:6) I hope you have enjoyed this quiz and learned a few fun facts about aphorisms!