By Karmel Schreyer

　　English is full of animal sayings…but what are they really talking about?

　　英语中有很多动物谚语……那它们究竟是什么意思呢？

　　1.to let the cat out of the bag —to say something you shouldn’t say, like telling a secret. Because if you let a cat out of a bag, it is hard to get it back in! 说出一些不该说的话，比如告密。因为一旦你把猫从包里拿出来，就很难再把它放进去！

　　Example: Jane let the cat out of the bag and now Mom knows about her surprise birthday party.

　　2.to look a gift horse in the mouth — When buying a horse, you should look in its mouth. Why? Because a horse’s teeth tells its age. But if someone gave you a horse as a present, would you look at its teeth? No, that would be impolite. 买马的时候要看看它的嘴巴。为什么？因为从马的牙齿可以看出它的年龄。不过如果有人送你一匹马作为礼物，你会不会检查它的牙齿呢？不会，那样很不礼貌。

　　Example: If a small child complains about a gift, their mother will say: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

　　3.to be in the doghouse —to make someone angry and receive a punishment. Usually used for married couples. 让某人生气并得到惩罚。通常用于夫妻之间。

　　Example: I didn’t clean my bedroom yesterday and now I’m in the doghouse. Mom says I can’t come to your house today.

　　4.to be a big fish in small pond —someone well-known but only to a small group of people. 在小范围内的知名人士。

　　Example: She’s a Canto-pop singer. She thinks she’s so famous, but really she is just a big fish in a small pond.

　　5.to rain cats and dogs —to rain heavily. 下大雨。

　　Example: Look outside! It’s raining cats and dogs! We’d better wait until it stops a before we go to the bus stop.

　　6.to kill two birds with one stone —complete two tasks by doing only one thing. We also call this “multi-tasking.” 一石两鸟。也叫“多任务处理”。

　　Example: I have to baby-sit my brother and also return my library book. If I take Joey to the library, then I can kill two birds with one stone.

　　7.to be a fish out of water — How would you feel if you were put in unfamiliar surroundings? Scared and unsure of what to do? When this happens, we can say we feel like a fish out of water. 置身于陌生的环境中，你有何感受？会感到害怕、不知所措吗？这时我们可以说自己就像一条离开水的鱼。

　　Example: On my first day in my new school I felt like a fish out of water.

　　8.to be stubborn as a mule — Mules can work hard. But if a mule does not want to work, nothing will change its mind. To be stubborn means to refuse to change your mind. 骡子工作勤奋、认真。不过如果一头骡子不想工作了，什么都改变不了它的心意。倔强、固执就是说拒绝改变想法。

　　Example: My baby sister is as stubborn as a mule. I have tried and tried but she will not eat green vegetables.

　　9.to be strong a an ox — Oxen are big, muscular bulls that can pull heavy loads. Big strong people are often compared to this animal. 公牛十分巨大。肌肉强健的公牛能拉动沉重的货物。高大强壮的人常被比喻成这种动物。

　　Example: I am glad Joe will be on our Tug-o-war team. He’s strong as an ox.

　　10.to be free as a bird —to be completely free. If someone has no responsibilities, their feelings are carefree and happy -- like a bird flying in the sky. 完全自由自在。如果一个人不用承担任何责任，他们会觉得无忧无虑、轻松愉快——就像在天空中飞翔的鸟儿一样。

　　Example: I finished my homework already so I’m free as a bird all weekend.