| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | A big fish | An important person |
| 2. | A cash cow | A steady source of profit |
| 3. | A dark horse | An unexpected contender |
| 4. | A fat cat | A wealthy, powerful person |
| 5. | A hard row to hoe | A difficult task or situation |
| 6. | A one-horse town | A small, dull place |
| 7. | A sacred cow | Something immune from criticism |
| 8. | A wolf in sheep’s clothing | A dangerous person disguised |
| 9. | Back in the saddle | Active again after a break |
| 10. | Bad apple | A corrupting person |
| 11. | Barking up the wrong tree | Pursuing the wrong lead |
| 12. | Beat a dead horse | Pursue a pointless effort |
| 13. | Birds of a feather | Similar people stick together |
| 14. | Bloom where you’re planted | Thrive wherever you are |
| 15. | Bring home the bacon | Earn a living; succeed |
| 16. | Can’t teach an old dog | Old habits are hard to change |
| 17. | Chicken out | Lose courage; back down |
| 18. | Come up roses | Turn out well |
| 19. | Compare apples and oranges | Compare unlike things |
| 20. | Count sheep | Try to fall asleep |
| 21. | Cry wolf | Raise a false alarm |
| 22. | Curiosity killed the cat | Being nosy can be risky |
| 23. | Dangle a carrot | Offer a tempting reward |
| 24. | Dog-eat-dog | Ruthlessly competitive |
| 25. | Don’t count your chickens | Don’t assume success too early |
| 26. | Don’t have a cow | Don’t overreact |
| 27. | Don’t look a gift horse | Don’t criticize a free gift |
| 28. | Drop like a hot potato | Abandon quickly |
| 29. | Egg on your face | Public embarrassment |
| 30. | Every dog has its day | Everyone gets a chance |
| 31. | Every rose has its thorn | Good things have drawbacks |
| 32. | Fight like cats and dogs | Argue constantly |
| 33. | Fish in troubled waters | Exploit a chaotic situation |
| 34. | Forbidden fruit | A tempting but risky pleasure |
| 35. | Fresh as a daisy | Looking rested and healthy |
| 36. | Full of beans | Lively and energetic |
| 37. | Get off your high horse | Stop acting superior |
| 38. | Get someone’s goat | Annoy someone |
| 39. | Get your ducks in a row | Organize things properly |
| 40. | Go to seed | Decline from former quality |
| 41. | Good fences make good neighbors | Boundaries prevent conflict |
| 42. | Half-baked idea | Poorly thought out plan |
| 43. | Hold your horses | Wait; slow down |
| 44. | Horse of a different color | A different matter entirely |
| 45. | Hot potato | A controversial issue |
| 46. | How do you like them apples? | How do you like that outcome? |
| 47. | Keep the wolf from the door | Avoid starvation or poverty |
| 48. | Kill two birds | Achieve two goals at once |
| 49. | Let sleeping dogs lie | Avoid stirring up trouble |
| 50. | Like a bull in a china shop | Clumsy and disruptive |
| 51. | Like herding cats | Hard to organize people |
| 52. | Like lambs to the slaughter | Innocently into danger |
| 53. | Like shooting fish in a barrel | Extremely easy |
| 54. | Lock the barn door | Act too late to prevent harm |
| 55. | Look what the cat dragged | A disheveled arrival |
| 56. | Low-hanging fruit | An easy target or task |
| 57. | Make a beeline | Go straight toward something |
| 58. | Make hay while the sun shines | Act while conditions are favorable |
| 59. | Mend fences | Repair a relationship |
| 60. | Milk it | Exploit for advantage |
| 61. | Mutton dressed as lamb | Trying to look younger |
| 62. | Neither fish nor fowl | Hard to classify |
| 63. | Nest egg | Savings set aside |
| 64. | Nip it in the bud | Stop something early |
| 65. | No spring chicken | Not young anymore |
| 66. | Not worth a hill of beans | Worth very little |
| 67. | Open a can of worms | Create more problems |
| 68. | Other fish to fry | Other priorities to handle |
| 69. | Plant the seed | Introduce an idea |
| 70. | Plow the same furrow | Keep repeating the same approach |
| 71. | Pushing up daisies | Dead and buried |
| 72. | Put all your eggs in one basket | Risk everything on one plan |
| 73. | Put the cart before the horse | Do things in the wrong order |
| 74. | Put the cat among pigeons | Cause trouble or alarm |
| 75. | Reap what you sow | Face results of your actions |
| 76. | Rose-colored glasses | Overly optimistic view |
| 77. | Rotten to the core | Completely corrupt |
| 78. | Rule the roost | Be in charge |
| 79. | Separate sheep from goats | Sort good from bad |
| 80. | Separate the wheat from chaff | Distinguish valuable from worthless |
| 81. | Sick as a dog | Very ill |
| 82. | Sow the seeds | Begin something that grows later |
| 83. | Sow wild oats | Behave recklessly when young |
| 84. | Squirrel away | Hide or save for later |
| 85. | Straight from the horse’s mouth | From the original source |
| 86. | Strut like a rooster | Act proudly and showily |
| 87. | Take the bull by the horns | Face a problem directly |
| 88. | The black sheep | A disgraced family member |
| 89. | The cat’s out of the bag | A secret is revealed |
| 90. | The grass is greener | Others seem better off |
| 91. | There’s plenty of fish | Many other opportunities exist |
| 92. | Throw someone to the wolves | Abandon someone to danger |
| 93. | Till the cows come home | For a very long time |
| 94. | Top dog | The dominant person |
| 95. | Upset the apple cart | Disrupt plans |
| 96. | Walk on eggshells | Act very carefully |
| 97. | When the cat’s away | No authority; people misbehave |
| 98. | Wild horses couldn’t | Nothing could make me do it |
| 99. | Worth one’s salt | Competent and deserving pay |
| 100. | You can lead a horse | Can’t force someone to act |
