List of animal idioms beginning with L and meanings

How does the list works?

There are 3 parts to each idioms the first part is what the idiom is, then an explanation of what it means and the last part is an example of how to use it in a sentence.

How do I use the list of animal idioms A to Z?

To use the list of idioms click on each letter of the alphabet to get the list of the animal idioms for that letter.

[ A ] [ B ] [ C ] [ D ] [ E ] [ F ] [ G ] [ H ] [ I ] [ J ] [ K ] [ L ] [ M ] [ N ] [ O ] [ P ] [ Q ] [ R ] [ S ] [ T ] [ U ] [ V ] [ W ] [ X ] [ Y ] [ Z ]

Animal idioms beginning with L

lead a dog`s life

- to lead a miserable life

The man is leading a dog`s life since he married the woman who everyone told him not to marry.

a leopard can't change its spots

- you cannot change someone's basic human nature or bad qualities

The manager wrote a letter of apology to the customer but a leopard can't change its spots. The manager has not changed and the letter does not mean anything.

let sleeping dogs lie

- do not make trouble if you do not have to

You should let sleeping dogs lie and not ask our boss about the dispute.

let the cat out of the bag

- to tell something that is supposed to be a secret

The teacher let the cat out of the bag when she began talking about the plans to close the school.

like a bat out of hell

- with great speed and force

I ran like a bat out of hell to catch the bus.

like a deer caught in the headlights

- like someone who is very confused and does not know what to do

The boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights when we discovered him in the locked room.

like lambs to the slaughter

- quietly and without complaining about the dangers that may lie ahead

Our football team went like lambs to the slaughter to play against the best football team in the country.

lion's share of (something)

- the larger part or share of something

We found the lion's share of the lost tickets but some are still missing.

a live dog is better than a dead lion

- it is better to be a live coward than a dead hero (this is from Ecclesiastes in the Bible)

A live dog is better than a dead lion and I told my friend not to get into a fight with the angry man in the restaurant.

live high on/off the hog

- to have the best of everything

My friend has been living high on the hog since he changed jobs.

loaded for bear

- very angry

The man was loaded for bear when he went in to see the supervisor.

lock horns with (someone)

- to get into an argument with someone

I locked horns with my neighbor yesterday morning.

lock the barn door after the horse is gone

- to try to deal with something after it is too late

My friend wants to fix his house. However, it is like locking the barn door after the horse is gone. There was a flood and the damage is already done.

a lone wolf

- someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends

The boy was a lone wolf and spent most of his time alone.

look a gift horse in the mouth

- to complain if a gift is not perfect

The girl should not look a gift horse in the mouth. She should be happy that she received a present from her friends.

look like something the cat dragged in

- to look tired or worn out or dirty

I was very tired and I looked like something the cat dragged in.

look like the cat that swallowed/ate the canary

- to look smug and self-satisfied, to look as if you have just had a great success

"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What happened?"

Lessons that are related to the exercise

To view any of the lessons below click on link.

Idioms human body English lesson

A to Z Idioms - list English phrases

Small List of idioms A - Z English phrases

Dictionary and how to use dictionaries

Click on the following link for the Online English dictionary - English lesson