🐵 Monkey
monkey see monkey do （特別指兒童）有樣學樣 Children imitate what they see other people doing
I don't let my children watch TV programs that show kids being disrespectful to their elders。I know what would happen if I did : monkey see monkey do
monkey business （n） 不正當的行為、胡鬧 behaviour that is not acceptable or is dishonest
Come on boys，let's cut out the monkey business and get down to work
I think there’s some kind of monkey business going on in that house。People are going in and out all day long，maybe they’re selling drugs or something
✔ get down to work 開始做正事
monkey on back（n） a serious problem that will not go away
This problem is a real monkey on my back
donkey work 雜事 If you do the donkey work, you do the hard work or the less interesting part of the work that needs to be done
Why should I do all the donkey work while you sit around doing nothing?
🐨 rat
smell a rat 嗅到不尋常的味道 to recognize that something is not as it appears to be or that something dishonest is happening
Why are the police looking for me？ I smell a rat
rat out = rat on 出賣、告密 to not be loyal to someone, especially by giving away secret information about them
Do you always rat out your friends quickly？
I'm going to rat on Mr. E for cheating on the test
➢ rat out someone 告某人的狀
➢ rat on someone 向某人告狀
rat race （n） 激烈的競爭 a way of life in modern society, in which people compete with each other for power and money
Dad wants to get out of the rat race and move back to his hometown
play possum 裝死、裝睡 to pretend to be inactive, unobservant, asleep, or dead
If the tax people ask you any questions，just play possum
✔ possum ［ˈpɑsəm］ 負鼠
🐷 pig
pig out 狼吞虎嚥 to eat a lot or too much
I'm starving！Let's go pig out
hog （v） ［hɔg］ 獨佔 to take or use more than your share of something
He's always hogging the bathroom
⊙ Pigs might fly = when pigs fly 表示不可能發生的事情
Tom：One day I might be a super star
Jerry：Yeah，and pigs might fly
A：Do you think John will have the guts to go traveling alone？
B：Yeah，when pigs fly！He is a mama’s boy
🐶 dog
top dog（n） 首領、主要人物 the person in charge or in power
I hope you will be top dog in your profession
dog eat dog world = rat tace 激烈的競爭
You have to be careful in this dog eat dog world
sick as a dog 生病
Yesterday I was sick as a dog with the flu。I stayed in bed all day
in the doghouse 失寵 If you are in the doghouse, someone is annoyed with you and shows their disapproval
I broke my mother’s mirror yesterday so now I am in the doghouse
dog's life（n） a very unhappy and unpleasant life
Jason lives in a dog's life，he never goes to work
let sleeping dogs lie 別自找麻煩 Leave something alone if it might cause trouble
If I were you，I would not tell Anita you saw her husband having lunch with another woman。 I’d let sleeping dogs lie
If I were you，I would not tell teacher that Austin was cheating on the exam。 He’d be pissed。I’d let sleeping dogs lie
⊙ Every dog has its day 每個人都有機會
Your chance will come soon。Every dog has its day
⊙ You can't teach an old dog new tricks something that you say which means it is difficult to make someone change the way they do something when they have been doing it the same way for a long time
You're never going to teach your father at the age of 79 to use a computer。You can't teach an old dog new tricks，you know
🐮 cow
⊙ Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free 為了一棵樹放棄整座森林 This idiom is usually used to refer to men who don't want to get married, when they can get all the benefits of marriage without getting married
A：I don't have a car because someone always gives me a ride to work
B：Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free？
have a cow 生氣
holy cow 口語中，取代「My God」表示驚訝的慣用語
cash cow（n） 搖錢樹 In business, a cash cow is a product or investment that steadily continues to be profitable
This product has always been a cash cow for our company
😺 cat
⊙ There is more than one way to skin a cat 不只一種方式可以達到目的
⊙ Has the cat got your tongue 講不出話來了嗎？
Why won't you answer my question？ Has the cat got your tongue?
fat cat（n） 有權勢的人 someone who is rich and has a lot of influence, esp. in politics or business
It' seems like you're living like a fat cat these day
copy cat （n） 學人精
I got a new car，so my sister had to get a new car too。She's such a copy cat
raining cats and dogs
I can't wait to get indoors。It's raining cats and dogs out here
cat nap（n） 小盹
I stayed up late last night so I had a catnap at my desk today
➢ have a cat nap
let the cat out of the bag 破壞驚喜 to reveal a secret or a surprise by accident
We tried to keep the party a surprise for my mother but my sister let the cat out of the bag
🐔 chicken、bird
chicken 膽小鬼 If someone calls you a chicken, they mean that you are afraid to do something
I'm scared of the dark。I'm a big chicken
night owl 夜貓子
early bird 早起者
Special price for early birds
hen party 女性派對
Sunday lunch will be a hen party
（like）water off a duck’s back 毫無作用
I keep telling my cousin not to fall in love with that married woman，but maybe it’s like water off a duck’s back when it comes to love
⊙ A little bird told me 小道消息、有人跟我說...
A little bird told me that you love me，And I believe that you do
⊙ It's a chicken and egg situation 這就像是先有雞還是先有蛋的道理一樣
🐎 horse
eat a horse 吃很多、食量很大 something that you say when you are very hungry
I am so hungry。I can eat a horse
dark horse （n） 黑馬 a person who does not tell other people about their ideas or skills and who surprises people by doing something that they do not expect
Jim is a dark horse in the final
put the cart before the horse 本末倒置（把推車放在馬的前面） do things in the wrong order。It implies that someone is impatient
Aren't you putting the cart before the horse by deciding what to wear for the wedding before you've even been invited to it?
beat a dead horse 白費力氣（鞭打死掉的馬）
Quit asking him to do you a favor。you are beating a dead horse
horses for courses 術業有專攻 used to say that it is important to choose suitable people for particular activities because everyone has different skills
It's horses for courses。Just because he is an IT expert doesn't mean that he is an expert in everything to do with computers
back the wrong horse 押錯寶 support someone or something that cannot win or succeed
I guess we should have known that this marketing campaign wouldn't work。We just backed the wrong horse this time
⊙ get off high horse 別擺架子
If you would get off your high horse for one minute and listen to your colleagues，you would find that they have some great ideas for this project
⊙ Don't look a gift horse in the mouth 別挑剔禮物
🐾 other
black sheep 害群之馬 a person who has done something bad that brings embarrassment or shame to his or her family
beeline 最快捷徑、最快速度 If you make a beeline for a place , you go to it as quickly and directly as possible
When we get there，let's make a beeline for the water
➢ make a beeline for a place
crocodile tears 假慈悲 If someone is crying crocodile tears, their tears and sadness are not genuine or sincere
Peter never liked his rich Uncle Joe，but you should have seen his crocodile tears when the old man died and left him a million dollars！
snake in the grass （n） 陰險的人
Don't trust him，he looks honest but he's a snake in the grass
paper tiger 紙老虎 If you say that an institution, a country, or a person is a paper tiger, you mean that although they seem powerful they do not really have any power
Our teacher is a paper tiger。He won’t punish you ever for anything
white elephant 昂貴沒有用的東西（古代暹羅國王會送白化的大象給不喜歡的臣子，導致對方因為昂貴的飼養成本而破產） something that has cost a lot of money but has no useful purpose
The stadium is likely to become a white elephant after the championships are over
stag party = stag night 單身男性派對 a party for a man who is getting married very soon, to which only men are invited
I went to a stag party last night because my friend is getting married today
✔ stag 雄鹿
⊙ a leopard can't change his spots 本性難移
🐟 fish
fine kettle of fish 亂七八糟、不愉快的狀況
This is a fine kettle of fish。My husband is not here to meet me at the train station，and there's no phone here for me to call him
fish out of water （n） someone who is uncomfortable in a specific situation
I was a fish out of water in that luxurious restaurant
fishy （adj） 可疑的 If you describe a situation as fishy, you feel that someone is not telling the truth or behaving completely honestly
There's something fishy about it
fresh off the boat（n） 新移民
dead fish 死魚
－－－ 常見的海鮮（魚） －－－
tuna 鮪魚
salmon 鮭魚
sailfish 旗魚
abalone ［ˌæbəˈloʊni］ 鮑魚
flounder 比目魚
codfish ［'kɒdˌfɪʃ］ = cod 鱈魚
－ cod-liver oil 魚肝油
－ caviar 魚子醬
trout 鱒魚
trouser trout 男性的生殖器官
（trouser trout）
shark 鯊魚
pool shark 撞球高手
clam 蛤蠣
clammy （adj） 黏濕的 Something that is clammy is unpleasantly damp or sticky
My shirt was clammy with sweat
clam up 三緘其口 to become silent suddenly, usually because you are embarrassed or nervous, or do not want to talk about a particular subject
He just clams up if you ask him about his childhood
happy as a clam very happy
The little boy is happy as a clam swimming in the pool
oyster 牡蠣
⊙ The world is one’s oyster If you say that the world is someone's oyster, you mean that they can do anything or go anywhere that they want to
You're young，you've got a lot of opportunity。The world is your oyster
－－－ 常見的甲殼類、軟體類海鮮 －－－
shrimp 蝦子
shrimp （n） 矮小的人 A person who is small in stature
scallop ［ˈskæləp］ 扇貝
lobster 龍蝦
crab 螃蟹
octopus 章魚
squid 花枝
cuttlefish 墨魚、烏賊
sea cucumber 海參
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