Animal idioms and expressions in English

Okay. Hi. James, from EngVid. I've just been shocked. And it's bringing out my animal nature.

Today's video is on expressions -- some people say "idioms" -- but expressions using animals.

Now, in English, you will find there are a lot of expressions and animals, and people

never really think about it. In fact, I think in your own language, the same thing happens.

You have expressions with animals, and you use them every day. What I want to do today

is give you about six of them from different animals, and I want you to get the understanding

because this will help you when we do other ones later or for ones you already know.

Animals are usually used to show human behavior. Huh? Well, yeah. When we say, like, "crazy

like a fox", we mean really smart and intelligent, stealthlike. Not stealthlike, but you know,

clever. "Clever" means to have good skill. So we're talking about human characteristics

or things that human have. And we're showing animals that depict -- and "depict" is another

way for saying "show" -- show how or in the best way to illustrate to other people. I

must be a visual person because I like these visual words. Okay. But they show that in

the best way for people to look at the animal and understand instantly. And that's one of

the best reasons for using these kinds of idioms because what you really mean, people

understand, even if you don't use it perfectly. I mean, like, "Smells like a rat". I said

that today, and I meant "smell a rat", and that's one of them you're going to learn today.

Because as soon as you know, you know, "Oh, that must be bad." Even though I didn't say

it correctly, we'll get it better than some other idioms you might try to use to express

yourself. So if you keep in mind that animals are used to show human behavior, then, you'll

basically understand why we use animal idioms, and it will be easier for you to remember.

Okay? You like that? Yeah. Because you're crazy like a fox. Okay.

Where should we start? What the? Whoa. Okay. Apology time. Sorry. The EngVid art department

is not here. Usually these would be drawn much better, but our monkey looks like something

on LSD. Okay? The rat looks like it has rabies, which is a disease. And the pig looks like

it's been going on, like -- I don't know. I don't want to say somebody's diet because

somebody will get angry because it means the pig looks fat. Like it's been on the -- okay,

whatever. Whoever's diet, okay? But let's get to the board and talk about the animal

expressions, okay? I did two for each. And when you think about them, remember what I

said. Animals show human characteristics or actions or behavior, okay? And this will help

you remember.

Well, I like this one, "Monkey see, monkey do." No. 1. What does that mean? It means

to copy. If you watch monkeys or apes [makes monkey sounds], you know, Tarzan's ape, they

copy humans all the time, and we love them, right? You see them walking and talking and

trying to act like us. And because of that, we use the idiom, "Monkey see, monkey do",

to talk about a person who is copying you or copying someone else, especially babies

and children. If you take up a cigarette and smoke, if you look down, a baby will pick

up a pen or a pencil and pretend to smoke. And the mother might say, "Monkey see, monkey

do." Okay? In a way, it's an insult. Remember this. Because monkeys are considered lesser

humans -- well, less than humans. So if someone says "monkey see, monkey do", they're not

really giving you a compliment. They're saying, "That person's an idiot, and so are you. Monkey

see, monkey do." Okay? So don't use it on people unless you're using it in a funny way

with a good friend -- like he's copying you; you're like, "Monkey see, monkey do." -- or

you want to insult somebody, "Monkey see, monkey do." Understand? Cool. And that's why

we use it for children, because children don't know any better, so we say they're not as

smart as adults. All right. That's the first one.

Now, monkeys are not only -- they are very intelligent. That's why they can copy humans.

But our second one is "monkey business". If I say, "When I leave, Mr. E, I don't want

no monkey business going on around here." It means I don't want any illegal -- trust

me on this -- illegal or unethical behavior. It seems monkeys aren't just eating bananas

these days. They're running businesses. When we say "no monkey business", it's because

people are playing around. Usually playing around with the rules or the law. And sometimes,

it's unethical, even in relationships, or illegal, right? Stealing money from a company

is monkey business. And even though it sounds funny, it's very serious. They're saying,

"There's a lot of monkey business going on here. Things that are not right." Okay? Someone's

playing in a bad way.

So you notice using the monkey in many idioms is to show there's intelligence, but it's

either in a negative way, or you're not intelligent. So watch when people use monkey idioms. All right?

No. 2. As you can tell -- well, I didn't draw it. Mr. E, did you draw is? Somebody doesn't

like rats. So, "I smell a rat" because this rat doesn't look as happy as the other animals.

When you smell a rat, it means you smell something's wrong. Rats are dirty, disgusting animals.

Rat lovers, hold up. "Hold up" means "wait", okay? Hold your peace. I'm not -- I have nothing

against -- well, I do. I don't want rats in my house, okay? But when we say, "I smell

a rat", it means (a) you think somebody who may be telling secrets, your secrets to someone

else, right? But specifically, "smell a rat" is you smell something is wrong because rats

are typically bad. Most people don't like rats. So if somebody is "ratting" -- one we

even use is "to rat you out", which is to tell your secrets to other people, your bad

behavior. Smelling a rat is not good. So when someone calls you a rat or uses an idiom or

an expression using a rat, they're saying something negative about you or the situation.

I smell a rat. I smell E. I think E did that picture because that rat has a red eye. Look

closely. Okay.

"The rat race." Rats tend to run around because they've got no job. They just run around,

run around. They have no job. They've got nothing to do. They're crazy. Well, not crazy.

They're just running around your house eating everything. We refer to the "rat race" here

as any behavior that keeps you very, very, very busy in activity, but not necessarily

getting anywhere. It's called a "rat race". Get a job. Pay your bills. Die. That's it.

That's the rat race. You go, "What is the significance -- 'significance' means 'importance'

-- of my life? What am I trying to accomplish?" So when you're in the rat race, you don't

have time for that. All the rats are running in the same direction, and so are you. We're

out to get our cheese and get the heck out. We poop it out, and we die. The rat race is

what you do with your life unless you take time to think about it. So once again, it's

kind of negative because people you might -- sorry, I'm going fast. You might say the

rat say so is what everybody does, but people who, you know -- it's not just reading, but

take time to enjoy life go, "No. The rat race is getting caught up in money and business."

And you should be careful about that. Okay? So that's the "rat race".

We've got two more. And I love these two and so will you. "To pig out." Notice our svelte

pig. "Svelte" means "skinny". Quite clearly, this pig is not skinny. "To pig out" means

to eat a lot of food in a short period of time. Generally, we pig out on holidays. When

you go home for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Thanksgiving, Valentine's, or family dinners,

you might "pig out", which means to eat a lot of food in one sitting or at one time.

I like to pig out when I go home to my mom's because she's a very good cook. You might

pig out at McDonald's, right? And that means to eat a lot in one sitting. So don't try

to pig out too much, or you'll get like this pig -- fat. It's not a pretty sight, is it?

Okay.

I've got one more to do, okay? I'll come back to a couple things, here. Okay. "To hog something."

When you "hog something", it means to keep to yourself for a long time when you should

share some with other people. You could "hog" the road, which means your car takes up two

lanes. You know, if you've got two lanes of traffic, okay. If you "hog" the road, you

drive here because nobody can move. But when you hog a pen, maybe everybody should use

the pen for five minutes, and you keep the pen for 30 minutes. You're "hogging" it. Like

all pigs, you keep too much for yourself. Okay? Cool?

I just want to go over the "rat race" one more -- "smell a rat" one more time to make

sure you understand, okay? "To smell a rat" means to know or think something wrong. "I

smell a rat. I smell someone has told my secrets out, right?" You're smelling a rat. If you

watch many old gangster movies, they go, "I smell a rat. Someone's been talking. Someone

in our group or organization." Right? Or -- you know, maybe you go into a negotiation, and

you're like, "I smell a rat. Something's wrong. I don't like this. This doesn't seem right."

Okay? Something doesn't seem right when you smell a rat. Usually, we use it for a person

who is telling your secrets, right, to somebody else that you don't want told, okay? Cool?

All right.

To go over very quickly. Monkeys -- positive or negative? Yeah, I like monkeys, but nobody

likes them. "Monkeying" is usually to do someone playing around when they shouldn't play around

or someone of lower intelligence, right? "Monkey see, monkey do" -- you're not so smart, that's

why you copy someone else. "Monkey business" -- you're intelligent, and you're up to something

you shouldn't be. Illegal activity or unethical activity. Okay? That's my ethical voice. You

like that?

Okay. "Smelling a rat" -- rats are dirty. Okay? If you smell a rat, something's wrong.

Somebody has told your secret to someone else. Another word is "to leak". I didn't want to

use that, but leaking your secrets. Leak -- think of this. You have a tap with water, okay?

Here's the water. And if it's coming out -- a leak -- the water's coming out, and it shouldn't

come out, okay? That's where your rat is. They're telling your secrets and letting them out.

The "rat race" is what most of us engage in. "Engage" means "take part in". We are usually

working and just basically eating, sleeping, working, and doing things that don't really

make us better, and we don't have time to think about it. And when you're in the rat

race, you have to keep working and working hard or you go nowhere. But the real funny

thing -- or the very funny thing about it is the rat race, you're not going anywhere.

You're just running with the other rats.

The pig looks in shock. Pigs usually look happy. This one is shocked, like, "This is

what I look like on EngVid?" Okay. All right. Because he has pigged out, you can see the

swelling. If I'm a doctor, "You can see the swelling of the big area here. It's just -- the

food is accumulating here." All right? If he hadn't "hogged" the food, which means keep

all the food to himself, he wouldn't have pigged out, and he wouldn't be in this state

here. Okay? He looks like a pig. And pig here usually means ugly or disgusting, usually

because you're overweight or -- grotesque. I don't want to go there. That's another word

for another time. Anyway.

Mr. E, that's why he was shocked, saying, "What the? What the?" With animal expressions,

right? So we've got our animal expressions down. Rats, monkey, and pigs. You should know.

They're in the Chinese zodiac, but they're no good, no-good animals. And I've got to

get going because I'm almost over time. So time flies. And we'll talk about birdie games

another time I'm sure.

So where are we? www.engvid.com, "eng" as in "English", "vid" as in "video", where myself,

Mr. E, and seven, eight, twenty teachers by now are looking forward to helping you. And

there's no monkey business there. I'm telling you right now because we don't hog the whole

show. No, no, no, no I share with the other teachers. In fact, you won't smell a rat when

you go there. Promise. Have a good one.