十二生肖 Chinese Zodiac[ˈzoʊdiæk]
鼠 Rat
英语中鼠分为mouse和rat，mouse指比较小的老鼠，rat指体态较大的老鼠。鼠年就是Year of the rat。
to rat on (someone)打小报告: to report someone's bad behavior to other people.
ex.The little boy ratted on his friend at school.
那小男孩打他朋友的小报告了。
to smell a rat感到不妙: to be suspicious [səˈspɪʃəs] 猜疑的of someone or something, to feel that something is wrong
ex.I smell a rat. There is something wrong with the free credit card offer.
我觉得不对劲。这种免费的信用卡肯定有猫腻。
牛 Ox
我们从小学习的cow其实指的是奶牛，而吃的牛肉一般用buffalo[ˈbʌfəloʊ]，十二生肖中的牛我们用ox。牛年就是year of the ox.
a cash cow摇钱树: a product or service that makes much money (This idiom is a metaphor for a "dairy [ˈderi] 奶制的; 乳品的cow" which is used on farms to produce milk, thus offering a steady stream of income to its owner).
知识链接：【BCG Matrix】波士顿矩阵（叫现金牛，用以判断产品/业务类型）
ex. Our new business is a cash cow. We are making much money now.
新业务能源源不断地为我们赚钱。
have an ox on the tongue:守口如瓶To be unable to talk, often because one has beenbribed贿赂into silence.
ex. Don't worry. He won't say anything. I slipped him some money to make sure he has an ox on the tongue.
别担心，他不会说出去的。我给他塞了点钱，他会守口如瓶的。
虎 Tiger
a paper tiger纸老虎:refers to a person or thing that appears threatening but isineffectual [ˌɪnɪˈfɛktʃuəl] 无效的/无用的人.
看起来很吓人，实际上没啥能耐。
tiger mom虎妈:refers to a ‘strict or demanding mother who pushes her children to high levels of achievement’.
指对子女要求很高以至于严苛的母亲。
A tiger cannot change its stripes江山易改，本性难移:A variation [ˌveriˈeɪʃn] 演变on the more common "a leopard [ˈlepərd]豹子 cannot change his spots", which means ‘people can’t change their basic nature’.
兔 rabbit
英语中表示兔子的单词主要有rabbit，bunny，和hare [her]。hare通常比rabbit要大，而bunny一开始指的是可爱的女郎，现在也指兔子，最著名的莫过于the Easter Bunny——复活节兔子啦。
to pull a rabbit out of a hat:To do something surprising and seemingly impossible; to produce something in a way that has no obvious explanation, as if done by magic.就像变戏法儿一样，完成不可思议的事情
A reference to the magician's [məˈdʒɪʃən] 魔术师 trick of literally pulling a live[laiv] rabbit out of a hat.经典的魔术套路。
龙 Dragon
tickle [ˈtɪkəl] （使）发痒；挑逗 the dragon's tail: 老虎屁股摸不得To do something risky or dangerous
ex.You know dad has a temper! Stop tickling the dragon's tail unless you want to be grounded for weeks!
你知道老爸的脾气不好！别再刺激他了，除非你想接下来几个星期都没得出门！
蛇 Snake
snake in the grass茅草屋里的毒蛇——暗中伤人: one whofeigns[feɪn] 假装，伪装friendship with the intent todeceive 欺诈
ex.Did you hear that Daria's（读音？） best friend stole money from her bank account? What a snake in the grass.
你听说Daria最好的朋友从她银行账户里偷钱的事了吗？真是个险恶的小人啊。
马 Horse
Horse of another color:Something completely different or separate, especially in comparison to something else.
Dark Horse黑马:
Someone who unexpectedly wins a competition.
can eat a horse: to be extremely hungry.
ex.I feel like I can eat a horse right now.
我现在真是饿极了。
羊 Goat
goat山羊 sheep绵羊
play the goat:
To behave comically or playfully, often to amuse others.
ex. Joe never plays the goat--he's always serious.
Joe总是很正经，从不开玩笑。
black sheep of the family害群之马（英文里是害群之羊）: the worst member of the family.
睡觉前数绵羊在英语里也就是count sheep
猴 Monkey
monkey tricks: mischievous [ˈmɪstʃɪvəs]淘气的 behaviour.
monkey around: To waste time or procrastinate [proʊˈkræstɪneɪt] 拖延，耽搁 by doing something unproductive or unhelpful; to fool around or spend time idly [ˈaɪdlɪ] 无所事事地.
就是拖拖沓沓，净干些胡闹的事儿。
鸡 Rooster
千万不要在别人问你属什么的时候回答"I'm a chicken"啊朋友们。chicken在英语中有胆小鬼的意思。
be no spring chicken: 老大不小
To no longer be youthful. A "spring chicken" is in fact a young chicken.
ex. I'm no spring chicken anymore. I'm a grown man already.
我不再是小毛孩啦。我已经是一个男子汉了。
狗 Dog
dog-tired:very tired.
dog-eat-dog你死我活:a situation that is very competitive in a cruel and selfish way.
ex.Working on Wall Street is dog-eat-dog.
在华尔街工作是很残酷的。
猪 Pig
eat like a pig狼吞虎咽:Perhaps the most common idiom that uses the word pig. Eating like a pig is simply to eat food in a very passionate way and/or ignoring social rules of engagement.狼吞虎咽，根本不注意吃相。
If pigs had wings they would fly（你说的要是真的），母猪都上树:A proverb used to express disbelief or to criticize someone’s claim.用来对某事嗤之以鼻的一个俗语。
piggy bank：也是一个有关猪的词语，意思就是存钱罐。
However,a guinea pig [ˈɡɪni pɪɡ]is not a real pig!一般指实验用的小白鼠或是作宠物的豚鼠。
reference:
https://www.easypacelearning.com/english-books/animal-idioms-from-a-to-z/977-animal-idioms-beginning-with-d-and-meanings
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/
https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/6-dog-idioms
http://english-ingles.com/en/pig-idioms/
本期推文主创简介
美化编辑 | 小敏
封面图片 | 宇儿
审核校对 | 小津
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