People Are Like Animals?

When I ate turkey meat that had been in the refridg too long and I had suggested we might give it to the cat to try and see if it was still good, she responded, “It is nice to have a man-dog around”. March 17, 2012

It seems I am a dog still. She agreed today that I am easy to cook for as I eat just about anything she makes- just like a dog! She agreed to that when I suggested it. At least it is nice to have that kind of dog around. If a dog doesn't mind being compared to a human.

The above musings stirred my imagination in the night time and I began to consider many examples of people picking up examples of behavior and other similarities so that our language has become saturated with examples. When I could not sleep because of this rambling of thoughts, I got up and wrote nearly nonstop more than 50 examples where animal characteristics, or stereotypes of animals have entered into idiomatic talk. We don't think what this might mean for us or the animals in these identifications. Who gains and who loses, and where are there innocent similarities. Well, let me run off my examples so far.

A snail’s pace,                     Fly like a bird, eagle                                    Wolfing food

A whale of a lot                   Greedy pig                                                  Whale-sized

Act like an animal                Happy as a lark                                            Slow as a turtle

A Monkey on your back      Horsing around                                            Hungry as a lion

Acting like a possum            Guinea pig                                                   Germ-sized

Aping                                 Hibernating [like a bear]                                Hogging food

As the crow flies                 Hen-pecked                                                 Horse-sense

Batty                                  Hogging Food                                               Playing possum

Big as a cow, whale, elephant                                                                  Parasite

Bird-brained                       Loan shark                                                   Wise as an owl

Bird's eye view                   Laughing hyena                                              Tall as a Giraffe

Bird told me                       Pigeon toed                                                   Short as a Kid

Blind as a bat                     Purring like a Kitten                                       Run like a Deer

Bully, bullying                    MAN-DOG                                                   Hop like a Bunny, Kangaroo

Cat-eyed                          Jumping like a cat                                           A Nag

Catty (woman)                 Thick as insects                                               Barking out orders

Climbing like a cat            Monkeying around                                          Kids galloping around (like horses)

Doggedly                         Lazy as a dog                                                 Horsey ride

Cold fish                          Memory of an elephant                                   Piggy-back ride

Cowed                            Night owl                                                       Grab the Bull by the Horns

Crowing                          Sing like a bird                                                Ratty Hair

Dirty as a pig                  Sly as a Fox                                                     Ratting Around

Dog-tired                        Out-foxed                                                       Stubborn as a Mule

Eat like a pig, an animal    Pigging out                                                      Busy as a Bee, or Beaver

Fast as a cheetah              Raining cats and dogs                                     To Chicken out

Fast as a horse                 Stork baby                                                      Proud as a Peacock

Fat cats                            Snail mail                                                         Work like a Horse

Fishy                                Strong as an ox, elephant                                 Squirrel away

Floating like a dead fish     Tiny as a wren                                  Bury your head in the Sand (like an Ostrich)

Hungry as a lion               Slow as a Turtle                                                Thick as insects