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，折射出民族文化的特色。“生肖”是中国文化特有的表达人出生年份的方式，在英语中也有以十二生肖中的动物构成的习语，甚有趣味，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貌似强大而实质虚弱的敌人

　　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同时支持相对立的两派, 脚踩两只船

　　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挑起纠纷或引起争端

　　Wherever he went, he sowed (the) dragon's teeth by preaching racial segregation.

　　Snake

　　a snake in the grass潜伏的危险或敌人，阴险而伪善的朋友

　　How could I ever trust that snake in the grass?

　　Horse

　　hold your horses忍耐，克制，别急躁

　　Don't get so angry. Just hold your horses and find the appropriate solution.

　　put the cart before the horse本末倒置

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

　　flog a dead horse徒劳，浪费精力

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

　　high horse自大，盛气凌人

　　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披着羊皮的狼，伪装善良的坏人

　　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一不做，二不休；索性蛮干

　　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害群之马，败家子

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

　　Monkey

　　monkey about / around胡闹，恶作剧

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

　　monkey with胡乱折腾，瞎摆弄

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

　　get (have) one's monkey up生气，发脾气

　　Don't get your monkey up for nothing.

　　Cock

　　cock one's snook (snoot) to (at) sb. 瞧不起某人

　　The artist cocked a snook at the critics by exhibiting an empty frame.

　　cock up把……弄糟

　　They completely cocked up the arrangements for our holiday.

　　Dog

　　a dog in the manger占着茅坑不拉屎的人，自私自利的人

　　Don't be such a dog in the manger. Lend your bicycle to him since you will not go out this afternoon.

　　top dog处于支配地位

　　Brazil can well be said to be the top dog in the soccer circles of the world.

　　lead a dog's life过困苦的生活

　　Many new immigrants in the U.S. initially endure a dog's life.

　　put on the dog炫耀，摆阔；竭力表现自己，似乎自己非常重要，而事实并非如此

　　They put on the dog in front of their guests, but the guests were not impressed.

　　Pig

　　pigs might fly无稽之谈，奇迹可能会发生

　　“The management might offer us a decent pay rise.” “Pigs might fly！”

　　buy a pig in a poke(未见实物而)乱买东西(吃了亏)

　　You'll have to show me the car; I don't intend to buy a pig in a poke.

　　(文/何　焘；英语辅导报 大学二年级版 04～05学年第21期； 版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)