Common English Idioms

Descriptive
 Hungry as a bear
• When someone is very hungry they say
they can eat as much as a bear.
 Weak as a kitten
• When someone is not strong we say they
are as weak as a kitten.
 Strong as an ox
• Someone who is strong is like an ox
because an ox can do lots of hard work.
 Stubborn as a mule
• Someone who doesn’t listen or follow
directions is stubborn as a mule because
mules do what they want to and rarely do
they listen to their owners.
 Old as the hills
• Someone who is old is called this because
it takes a long time for mountains/hills to
form.
 Older than dirt
• Another version for calling someone old.
Dirt comes from rocks that have been
broken down over a long period of time.
 Busy as a bee
• Bees fly around quickly and are always
working so a busy person is called a bee.
 Quiet as a mouse
• Mice are quiet. We don’t see them in
houses because they are so quiet.
 Light as a feather
• A feather is very light so something that
does not have much weight can be called
a feather.
 Happy as a clam
• A clam looks like it is always smiling so
someone who is happy can be called a
clam.
 Cute as a button
• Originally came from acute which meant
someone was sharp or clever and over
time was changed to cute as a button.
 As cold as ice
• Someone who has no feelings is cold.
 Dumb as a rock
• A rock just sits there and does nothing so
someone who is not smart can be called a
rock.
 Sharp as a tack
• Sharp means someone is smart and a
tack needs to be sharp as well to stick into
the wall.
 Big as a house
• Someone who is quite large can be called
a house because of their size.