Animals in Idiom Trivia

1. What happens if you "let the cat out of the bag"?

From Quiz Animal Proverbs

Answer: You give away a secret.

It is thought that this phrase originated from the whip called the cat of nine tails. When this was taken out of it's bag it boded badly for someone. It has also been suggested that it relates to a fraud when a pig would be sold and the bag it was put in was switched with one containing only a worthless cat. The earliest documented use of the phrase in the sense of "revealing a secret" comes from a book review in a 1760 issue of "The London Magazine". The reviewer states that "We could have wished that the author had not let the cat out of the bag".

From Quiz Fire in the Hole!

Answer: Ferret

"Ferret out" comes from the old hunting practice of using ferrets to drive rabbits, rats, etc. from their hiding places or holes. In this sense, it meant to drive out from a place of hiding. Over time it came to mean to bring to light information, or basically drive it from its hiding place. Major Burns earned the nickname because the others thought his face looked like a ferret and it became a running gag on the show. This question was created by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

From Quiz What's That You Said?

Answer: Curiosity

The saying "Curiosity killed the cat" is thought to have developed from an earlier saying, "Care'll kill a cat", used by Ben Jonson in his play, "Every Man in His Humour", in 1598 and a year later by William Shakespeare in "Much Ado About Nothing".

From Quiz Idiomatic Canines

Answer: Doggerel

Doggerel is a silly rhyming verse without much literary value. The term was originally used by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 13th or 14th century. Humor is usually the primary goal in constructing such rhymes. The meter may be uneven and the author may stretch words to create rhymes. It often appears in children's books or nursery rhymes.

From Quiz We're Off Like a Herd of Turtles

Answer: Your plan won't work

This expression seems to have originated in the 17th and 18th centuries, when a rooster brought to a cockfight simply wouldn't fight. "That cock won't fight" became a metaphor for a plan or theory that simply wouldn't work. It seems to have naturally evolved into "that dog won't hunt" as the wilds of America were being settled by frontiersmen.

From Quiz Rare as Hen's Teeth

Answer: is worth two in the bush

Meaning: It is better to be content with what is a surety than to risk everything for an uncertainty.

From Quiz A Prayer and a Wing

Answer: fly on the wall

One of the best-known examples of a 'fly on the wall' documentary is the 'Big Brother' franchise, with versions in many countries across the world. The term is also used as an expression as in 'I'd love to be a fly on the wall to be there when...' meaning you would like to observe something secretly while remaining unnoticed.

From Quiz Sad Pandas

Answer: The most important person of an organization

A "top dog" is usually the boss or highest authority in a company, or the best at something. It is the antonym of "underdog", which means a person who is expected to lose. "Top Dog" was also the name of a 1995 movie starring Chuck Norris, as well as the name of a rapper.

From Quiz You can lead a horse to water but...

Answer: Bee

Bees are responsible for much plant pollination but the bee population in several parts of the world is suffering from sudden colony collapse. Not that bats, bears and butterflies are not busy.

From Quiz The Year of the Sheep

Answer: Black

The phrase, "a black sheep in the family", came about due to the occasional birth of a (literally) black sheep to a white flock. The phrase is also one which has negative connotations, both literally and metaphorically. Idiomatically speaking, a "black sheep" is known as a wayward member of the family, and one who doesn't follow suit. In addition to this, in nineteenth-century England a black sheep was considered to be a sign of the devil. Moreover its wool was far less sellable than white wool, as it could not be dyed.

From Quiz That Proverbial Cat!

Answer: Old cats like young mice.

Kitty Kyle may have missed out on that one, but he did come across some more Mexican proverbs that made him smile and would like to share them with you: "Corpses and annoying guests stink by the third day." "The devil knows more for being old than for being the devil." "Tell me who you are with and I will tell you who you are." "Breed crows and they will take out your eyes."

From Quiz Animal Talk 3

Answer: a person receiving the blame for the wrongdoing of another

The origin of this term is in the Bible. Chapter 16 of the book of Leviticus describes how two goats were selected. One was sacrificed as a sin offering and the other one was presented alive to the Lord for making atonement (making amends). It was then released into the desert, symbolizing the removal of sin and guilt from the Israelite community. "It never failed that Wilson, the youngest of five brothers, was always the scapegoat for any mischief that took place on the farm."

From Quiz Catopedia: Cat proverbs and sayings

Answer: mice

This saying goes back to the 17th century at least. In a play written by Thomas Heywood, circa 1590, ("Woman killed with Kindness") there is a line, "Mum; there's an old prouerbe, when the cat's away, the mouse may play."

From Quiz Animal Talk 2

Answer: wasp

If someone has a wasp waist it means that they have a very small or narrow waist. Many women would consider this a compliment. "The wasp-waisted waitress could carry much more than one might think."

From Quiz Proverbially Barking...

Answer: They have no use for something, but still won't let someone else use it

If someone is referred to as a "dog in the manger," quite bluntly put, it just means they're being selfish. This saying comes from a fable by Aesop, where an ox wanted to eat the food out of a manger, but a dog sitting on top of the manger wouldn't let him, even though he had no use for it either.

From Quiz The Proverbial Cat

Answer: All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws

The adage Lady Macbeth refers to is an old Chinese proverb that had become well known in Shakespeare's day - it was probably brought back from China by Marco Polo, and spread through Europe. It's a lovely instance of anachronism, because 'Macbeth' is set in the 11th century and Marco didn't go to China until the 13th century - 1271, in fact. A side serving of trivia: Macbeth was a real person, and he did indeed overthrow Duncan to gain the throne of Scotland. However, it should be noted that Duncan was not the nice person Shakespeare made him out to be - he was a tyrant - and Macbeth was not the vacillating catspaw of an ambitious wife. In fact, after the overthrow of Duncan, Macbeth was elected king by the Scottish nobles and reigned for 17 years.

From Quiz It's A Dog's Life - Idiomatically Speaking

Answer: raining

This expression means it's raining very heavily. It is believed to come from Norse mythology, in which the dog is associated with wind and the cat with storms.

From Quiz Horses for Courses - Idiomatically Speaking!

Answer: Put the cart before the horse

If you decide what to wear before you've even been invited to a party you could be accused of putting the cart before the horse, don't you agree?

From Quiz Idioms Referring To Animal Names

Answer: bat

Rats are certainly not blind. Moles may be near-blind in their underground residences, and in some languages "blind as a mole" is a common idiom, but not in English. Hedge-hogs may not be the most far-sighted among animals, but to call them blind would be an error.

From Quiz Idioms Referring To Animals

Answer: dog

'A dog's life'. Being dressed up like 'a dog's dinner' is not too nice either. Neither is 'a dog's breakfast'.

From Quiz Similes Referring to Animals

Answer: As a bear

Especially bears with sore heads can be VERY cross. Well better don't show a red rag to a bull and remember once bitten always angry is the elephant's motto. Porcupines... well it's not easy to have any dealings with them. Their quills always prick and hurt, whether they are sore or not.

From Quiz The Human Zoo

Answer: weasel

Weasels always steal the beer!

From Quiz Animal Proverbs

Answer: He's crazy.

A belfry is a bell or clock tower. The person's head is represented as the belfry and the implication is that the head is so empty that bats are flying around inside it. In other words, he is a crazy person. The expression was first heard in America at the beginning of 20th century. In October 1900 "The Daily Newark Advocate" newspaper said that "These purile and senseless attacks on Hon. John W. Cassingham are akin to the vaporings of the fellow with a large flock of bats in his belfry",and in July 1907 Ambrose Bierce wrote in "Cosmopolitan Magazine" describing it as a new curiosity and said that "he was especially charmed with the term bats in the belfry and would substitute it for Possessed of the Devil", which is the scriptural way of saying that someone is crazy.

From Quiz Fire in the Hole!

Answer: Rat

The saying is used to describe someone who is drenched to the bone or soaking wet. For example, "He was caught in the storm and came inside looking like a drowned rat". Dictionary.com advises that the saying first appeared in Latin nearly two thousand years ago. There are many varieties of rats and, as a result, they are likely to inhabit a wide range of habitats. Rat species, however, are either terrestrial or arboreal in nature. It is not uncommon to find them living in burrows. This question was prepared by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

From Quiz A Cat May Look at a King

Answer: Face

This term is probably derived from the Old English word "buss" which means face, especially the lips. Over the years, the word began to be pronounced as "puss", (also a Scottish word meaning face), thereby associating it with a cat but with no real connection to a feline. An informal synonym is the word "picklepuss".

From Quiz What's That You Said?

Answer: Dog

The saying refers to the loyalty and companionship that many dogs share with their owners. Although cats and other domesticated animals can give companionship, they don't typically show the same sense of loyalty as dogs. The popularity of dogs as pets has increased enormously in the last century. According to the American Kennel Club, there are more pet dogs in the USA than there are people in Britain.

From Quiz Idiomatic Canines

Answer: Englishmen

This phrase originated during the British colonization of India. In the hot sticky weather natives of India stayed in their homes, but saw the Brits going about their business come what may. The phrase took on a broader meaning, pointing to individuals who appeared to act without much common sense. Noel Coward also wrote a song with this phrase in the lyrics.

From Quiz We're Off Like a Herd of Turtles

Answer: Cute as a bug's ear!

While I've never seen a bug's ear firsthand, I figure they must be awfully cute to have spawned this phrase. Others along the same vein include "as purty as a speckled pup under a red wagon", "as purty as a spotted horse in a daisy pasture" and "cute as a sack full of puppies".

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:49 AM

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