Idioms — Set 16

Set 16 of Idioms covers 5 idioms: like shooting fish in a barrel, let sleeping dogs lie, like a dog with two tails, hold your horses, be as poor as a church mouse. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. like shooting fish in a barrel · idiom/laɪk ˈʃuɾɪŋ fɪʃ ɪn ə ˈbɛrəl/

   very easy to do or accomplish

   Kaitlyn is a nursery teacher so taking care of two kids for a couple of hours was like shooting fish in a barrel.

   Origin: An American expression from the 1900s — describes a task so easy that anyone could accomplish it.

2. let sleeping dogs lie · idiom/lɛt ˈslipɪŋ dɔɡz laɪ/

   to leave things as they are in order to avoid possible problems

   If your parents haven't said anything about it, I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lie and not bring up the subject.

   Origin: Used by Chaucer in the 1380s — warns against waking a sleeping dog that might bite you.

3. like a dog with two tails · idiom/laɪk ə dɔɡ wɪð tu teɪlz/

   very happy

   Hans was like a dog with two tails when he finally bought his own house after years of saving.

   Origin: A 19th-century expression — happy dogs wag their tails, so a dog with two would express twice the joy.

4. hold your horses · idiom/hoʊld jʊr ˈhɔrsɪz/

   to stop for a moment; calm down

   The rent is very good, but hold your horses, you haven't seen the inside of the house yet, you might change your mind.

   Origin: From American horse-and-carriage days — drivers pulled their reins back to make excited horses pause.

5. be as poor as a church mouse · idiom/pʊr əz ə tʃɜrtʃ maʊs/

   to be extremely poor

   Margot's father was as poor as a chuch mouse when he came here in 1980, but in a few years, he became one of the richest people in the city.

   Origin: From the 1600s — churches stored no food in their pantries, so any mouse living there would starve.