People Animal Lot Eat Stubborn Personality Traits Round

In this episode, we talked about "pigheadedness" and being as stubborn as a "mule" (an animal born to a female horse and a male donkey). Many other animals are "associated" (connected) with "certain" (specific) personality traits in English.

Intelligent people are sometimes described as being "as wise as an "owl" (a large bird with round eyes and the ability to turn its head almost in a full circle and is awake at night). And you might hear people say "an elephant never forgets," referring to a general belief that elephants have "long memories" (the ability to remember things for a long period of time).

Lions are generally thought to be "brave" (courageous, not scared of things). But the phrase "to chicken out" means to change one's mind and decide not to do something because one is too scared. Someone who is very "enthusiastic" (wanting to do something and looking forward to it) about doing something, especially work, can be described as an "eager beaver" (a rodent-like animal with a large, flat tail that uses its teeth to cut down trees and use them to block rivers to create ponds).

Shy people are sometimes described as being "as quiet as a mouse." Someone who had a lot to say but suddenly stops talking is said to "clam up," because a "clam" is a sea animal that lives between two round shells that can close like the lips of a person who doesn't want to speak.

People who "eat like a bird" eat very little. The phrase "to pig out" means to eat a lot of something, and people who "eat like a horse" eat a lot of food.