Test Your English # 10 - Animal Idioms

1. 7. Avoiding the topic of racism is like draping a tablecloth over the ___ in the room . You can ignore it, but the ___ still exists.

Whale

Pig

Rhino

Bug

Mouse

Elephant

elephant in the room: a problem that everyone knows very well but no one talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc.

Explanation

elephant in the room: a problem that everyone knows very well but no one talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc.

2. 4. To have a fellow going about the farm as cross with everybody as a ___ with a sore head, with a temper as sour as verjuice and as sharp as a razor, looking as surly as a butcher's dog, is a great nuisance; and yet there may be some good points about the man, so that he may be a man for all that.
[Osgood Eaton Fuller, Brave Men and Women, 2008]

British English

Mole

Bear

Dormouse

Hedgehog

Boar

Buzzard

if someone is like a bear with a sore head, they complain a lot and are unhappy about something

Explanation

if someone is like a bear with a sore head, they complain a lot and are unhappy about something

3. 1. 'Sentimental Journey' was a War II song and the first time I sang it at rehearsal I knew it was going to be a smash hit. And, of course it was!
The guys that were in the service, especially overseas, went ___ over it, and it became a huge hit for us.
[Doris Day]

Tiger

Fowl

Ape

Cock-and-bull

Fishy

Ducky

go ape (over something): to become wildly excited or enthusiastic

Explanation

go ape (over something): to become wildly excited or enthusiastic

4. 9. Trains in those days did not have showers, and we had to make do with what my mother called a ___ ___, a very quick wash, in the fold-down washbasin in the compartment.

Scottish English

Dust bunny

Barrel o' fish

Puppy bath

Otter's dive

Cat's lick

Frog jump

See http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/cat%27s+lick.html

Explanation

See http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/cat%27s+lick.html

5. 11. Eighteen months ago Ben didn't talk a lot. Now he is extremely sociable: he can talk the hind leg off a ___!

British English

Goat

Dromedary

Moose

Donkey

Newt

Turtle

can talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey: to talk a lot

Explanation

can talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey: to talk a lot

6. 5. Words that are used to qualify a statement so as to make it potentially misleading are known as "___ words". The expression first appeared in Stewart Chaplin's short story 'Stained Glass Political Platform' (published in 1900 in The Century Magazine), in which they were referred to as "words that suck the life out of the words next to them, just as a ___ sucks the egg and leaves the shell." [Wiktionary/Wikipedia]

Weasel

Snake

Fox

Raccoon

Rat

Hare

Weasel words are words or phrases that are intentionally used to deceive or manipulate the reader or listener. They are used to qualify a statement in a way that makes it potentially misleading. The term "weasel words" was coined by Stewart Chaplin in his short story, where he compared these words to a weasel that sucks the life out of the words next to them. Therefore, the correct answer is "weasel."

Explanation

Weasel words are words or phrases that are intentionally used to deceive or manipulate the reader or listener. They are used to qualify a statement in a way that makes it potentially misleading. The term "weasel words" was coined by Stewart Chaplin in his short story, where he compared these words to a weasel that sucks the life out of the words next to them. Therefore, the correct answer is "weasel."

7. 6. The phrase "the ___'s knees", meaning "the height of excellence", became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s, along with "the cat's whiskers" (possibly from the use of these in radio crystal sets), "the cat's pajamas" (pyjamas were still new enough to be daring), and similar phrases which made less sense and didn't endure...
[The alt.usage.english FAQ]

_{clipart from https://www.buncombecounty.org/news_Detail.asp?newsID=3811}

Kitten

Giraffe

Flea

Manatee

Bee

Chimpanzee

In the 1920s, there was a trend of using phrases like "the cat's whiskers" and "the cat's pajamas" to describe something excellent or outstanding. During this time, the phrase "the bee's knees" also became popular and had a similar meaning. The use of "bee's knees" may have originated from the idea that bees collect pollen on their knees, which is considered a valuable and important task for them. This phrase, along with others from that era, became part of the American slang but did not endure in the long run.

Explanation

In the 1920s, there was a trend of using phrases like "the cat's whiskers" and "the cat's pajamas" to describe something excellent or outstanding. During this time, the phrase "the bee's knees" also became popular and had a similar meaning. The use of "bee's knees" may have originated from the idea that bees collect pollen on their knees, which is considered a valuable and important task for them. This phrase, along with others from that era, became part of the American slang but did not endure in the long run.

8. 2. It was meant to be a cheerful visit to put the spotlight on successful teachers and charter schools — an event that more cynical observers tend to call a dog and ___ show. But when Arne Duncan, the federal education secretary, arrived in Brooklyn on Tuesday for a tour of some of its schools, he was stepping into a sensitive moment in New York education politics.
[The New York Times. May 18, 2010]

American English

Bone

Flea

Pony

Bear

Puppy

Cat

dog and pony show: an elaborated staged presentation aiming to persuade with little or no real information or content

Explanation

dog and pony show: an elaborated staged presentation aiming to persuade with little or no real information or content

9. 3. She had never found any place in the world intimidating when she was after a story and she had the ability to ___ out facts, an uncanny instinct for the truth.

Fox

Weasel

Monkey

Ferret

Grizzly

Hamster

ferret out: to search and discover through persistent investigation

Explanation

ferret out: to search and discover through persistent investigation

10. 12. Australians call "tomato sauce", or "___ ___" in Aussie slang, what Americans call "ketchup"or "catsup".

Red (kanga)roo

Dead horse

Laughing kookaburra

Dingo blood

Wombat barf

Root rat

See http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup
http://aaronaaa.blogspot.com/2008/09/aussie-slang-pt-1-dead-horse.html

Explanation

See http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup
http://aaronaaa.blogspot.com/2008/09/aussie-slang-pt-1-dead-horse.html

11. 8. In sales, the proverbial ___ ___ is that salesperson or company who totally dominates their market, taking more than their fair share of business, and winning time after time. How can you compete with that?

Winged horse

Fat cat

800-pound gorilla

Lion king

Malayan tiger

Killer whale

See http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/800+pound+gorilla.html

Explanation

See http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/800+pound+gorilla.html