In many languages, certain animals seem to have specific characteristics. As you'll find in Chinese, swallows are traditionally seen as lucky, snakes represent evil and danger, and cranes are said to symbolize long life. Similarly, animal imagery can be found in many English expressions, and it has given color to this language.

For instance, 'As quiet as a mouse' is commonly used to describe someone quiet. You can say, 'That boy is as quiet as a mouse in front of his angry father." However, if a person makes a lot of noise, an elephant would be a good choice for a simile. As a result, teacher may say, "The students are running to the playground like a herd of elephants" because they are making so much noise. What's more, if a person uses "a white elephant" to describe a car, it means that the car is very expensive but useless. It will be a waste of money if you busy it. This is because a white elephant costs a lot but cannot be used for work.

Another elephant-related expression is "jumbo jets." Originally, "jumbo" was the word for "elephant" in an African language. Later, it was taken as the name of the first circus elephant in theUSA "Jumbo" gradually became a common name for elephants, since this elephant's famous performances impressed more and more people. For English speakers, it seems that Jumbo" has come to share the meaning of the word "big" nowadays. So, huge jet planes are called "jumbo jets."

In addition to mice and elephants, some birds and insects are commonly used in animal-related expressions, too. A oerson who is "as proud as a peavock" often gives others the impression that he or she is too proud of himself or herself. When you call someone a chicken, you mean that the person is a coward and doesn't have enough courage to do something. Also, bees have a close relation to diligence in English. If a friend of yours is always working or busy with something, then he of she is "a busy bee" or is always "as busy as a bee."

Aside from the above expressions, many sayings that in clude animal imagery make English an interesting language as well. Here are some examples:

"When the cat's away, the mice will play."

"Let sleeping dogs lie."

"There is a black sheep in every flock."

"March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb."