Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words. Here are some more animal idioms.
bull in a china shop: Someone who is not careful about what he says or thinks. Here, china refers to the high-quality porcelain that is used for making dishes. A bull in a china shop, therefore, would probably knock over and break many glass objects, making a big mess.
Example:
Henry has no manners at all. He’s like a bull in a china shop, irritating everyone with his lack of common courtesy.
buy a pig in a poke: To buy something without seeing it or checking it out first to make sure there is nothing wrong with it. Here, a poke is a bag or a sack. Someone who bought a heavy bag without first looking inside it might get home and find that he bought some other animal instead of the pig he thought he was getting.
Example:
I’m unhappy with the camera I bought online. The seller said it was in excellent condition, but when I got it, it was all scratched up, and the buttons are difficult to use. That’s the last time I buy a pig in a poke by getting something over the internet.