和十二生肖有关的趣味习惯用语趣谈_英语写作指导

    习语是约定俗成、习惯通用的特殊语言，其形式简洁生动，与众不同，折射出民族的特色。“生肖”是中国特有的表达人出生年份的方式，在中也有以十二生肖中的动物构成的习语，甚有，与您共赏。

　rat

　　smell a rat觉得可疑

　　i smelt a rat when he started being so helpful!

　　the rat race激烈的竞争

　　living in a big city is one big rat race.

　　play cat and mouse with sb. 欲擒故纵，(像猫抓耗子似地)欺负(折磨、虐待)某人

　　the policeman decided to play cat and mouse when he saw the woman steal the dress in the store.

　　ox

　　a bull in a china shop经常闯祸的人，笨手笨脚的人

　　he's like a bull in a china shop, always knocking things over.

　　take the bull by the horns不畏艰险

　　you can't just sit back in a situation like this. you should take the bull by the horns.

　　like a red rag to a bull使愤怒

　　any statement against the government is like a red rag to a bull to that minister.

　　till the cows come home永远地，无限期地

　　if you're waiting for him to pay you, you'll wait till the cows come home!

　　kill the fatted calf热情款待，设宴欢迎

he welcomed me at home by killing the fatted calf.

tiger

paper tiger

as long as we are not afraid of this kind of threat, the paper tiger's true face will come out in the wash.

hare

hunt with the hounds and run with the hare,

which team are you going to support? make up your mind now. you can't hunt with the hounds and run with the hare.

dragon

sow (the) dragon's teeth

wherever he went, he sowed (the) dragon's teeth by preaching racial segation.

snake

a snake in the grass

how could i ever trust that snake in the grass?

horse

hold your horses

don't get so angry. just hold your horses and find the appropriate solution.

put the cart before the horse

surely you're putting the cart before the horse by buying all this furniture before you've got the house.

flog a dead horse

you'll just be flogging a dead horse if you try to make her change her mind about it.

high horse

when the president visited his hometown in the remote village, he rode the high horse among the local people.

sheep

a wolf in sheep's clothing

mrs. martin trusted the lawyer until she realized that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

as well be hanged for a sheep as (for) a lamb

dad said i was to be home from the dance by eleven o'clock, but i enjoyed myself so much that it was midnight before i realized it, so i thought i might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb and stopped on till the end.

a black sheep

every privileged class tries at first to whitewash its black sheep; if they prove incorrigible, they're kicked out.

monkey

monkey about / around

the boys were monkeying about in the playground, and one of them got hurt.

monkey with

you'll break the tv if you don't stop monkeying about with it.

get (have) one's monkey up

don't get your monkey up for nothing.