English Idioms

Vocabulary

IDIOMS WITH ANIMALS

CAT

• a cat has nine lives = un gato tiene siete vidas (Nótese que en inglés el gato tiene dos vidas más!)
• curiosity killed the cat (satisfaction brought it back) = it may be dangerous to be too curious
• to fight like cat and dog = to fight a lot
• has a cat got your tongue? = ¿te comieron la lengua los ratones?
• to let the cat out of the bag = to reveal a secret carelessly
• That's curious! 
• To let the cat out of the bag
  This idiom was probably originated in English marketplaces many years ago. Traders would put a cat in a bag and would try to deceive possible customers by saying it was a pig. People would buy the bag without close inspection of the contents, but then they would let the cat out of the bag and realize that they had been deceived, which is the meaning it has nowadays.
  Esta frase se originó probablemente en los mercados ingleses hace muchos años. Los comerciantes colocaban un gato en una bolsa y luego intentaban engañar a los clientes diciendo que contenía un cerdo. La gente compraba la bolsa sin fijarse en el interior, pero luego al abrirla, dejaban salir al gato y se daban cuenta que habían sido engañados, que es el significado que tiene la frase hoy en día.
• like a cat on hot bricks = very nervous
• no room to swing a cat = not enough space
• to have a cat nap = to have a short sleep
• to play cat and mouse with somebody = to keep somebody in uncertain expectation, treating him alternately cruelly and kindly
• when the cat's away, the mice will play = cuando el gato no está, los ratones se divierten
• all cats are grey in the dark = por la noche todos los gatos son pardos
• to put/set the cat among the pigeons = to introduce somebody/something that is likely to cause trouble
• it's raining cats and dogs = it's raining a lot = está lloviendo a cántaros
• That's curious!   
• It's raining cats and dogs
  This is a very old expression linked to the ancient beliefs of sailors and also to Norse mythology. Cats were associated with heavy rain and dogs with storms and wind. Therefore, this expression was used to refer to severe rainstorms. Nowadays, it has become old-fashioned.
  Esta es una vieja expresión relacionada con las antiguas creencias de los navegantes y también con las mitología nórdica. Los gatos eran relacionados con las fuertes lluvias y los perros, con las tormentas y el viento. Por lo tanto, esta expresión se usaba para referirse a terribles tormentas de lluvia y viento. En la actualidad, ha caído en desuso y se considera un poco anticuada.
• a cat in gloves catches no mice = gato con guantes no caza ratones
• hunt with cats and you catch only rats = you should choose you allies wisely