French Idioms with Animals

Learn some idioms in French referring to animals

How do the French say "when pigs fly" or "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"? Learn some French idioms related to animals, with exercise and audio!

    

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Idioms with Animals

avoir d'autres chats à fouetter - to have better things to do; other fish to fry
avoir un chat dans la gorge - to have a frog in your throat
doux comme un agneau - soft/gentle like a lamb
un froid de canard - very cold
appeler un chat un chat - to call a spade a spade
s'entendre comme chien et chat - to get along like cats and dogs
un mal de chien - difficulties
une vie de chien - difficult life
passer du coq à l'âne - to change subjects quickly
avoir une mémoire d'éléphant - to have a good memory
avoir une faim de loup - to be starving
marcher à pas de loup - to walk silently
revenir à ses moutons - to get back to the subject
avoir la chair de poule - to have goosebumps
quand les poules auront les dents - when pigs fly
une peau de vache - a mean person
une langue de vipère - a person who often speaks badly of others
chercher la petite bête - to nitpick, split hairs
avoir le cafard - to be down, depressed
entre chien et loup - at dusk, sundown
avaler des couleuvres - to swallow one's pride
la brebis galeuse de la famille - black sheep of the family
le bouc émissaire / le dindon de la farce - scapegoat
avoir une araignée au plafond - to have bats in the belfry
être heureux comme un poisson dans l'eau - to be as happy as a clam at high tide
il y a anguille sous la roche - I smell a rat
il faut ménager la chèvre et le chou - you have to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
jetter quelqu'un dans la fosse aux lions - to throw someone to the wolves
se jeter dans la gueule du loup - to put one's hand in the lion's mouth
courir deux lièvres à la fois - to ride two horses at the same time
mettre la charue avant les bœufs - to put the cart before the horse
ce n'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire des grimaces - you can't teach an old dog new tricks
être hardi comme un coq sur son fumier - to be a showoff
avoir une fièvre de cheval - to have a high fever

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