Spring 1: butterfly, frog, nest, rabbit
Butterfly
| Idiom | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a social butterfly | an ostentatious, carefree person who goes out often and has a lot of friends | My friend Lisa is such a social butterfly. I don’t think she ever stays home in the evenings – she’s alway out doing things and meeting people. |
| have/get butterflies in your stomach | a nervous feeling in the stomach | I hate public speaking, I always get butterflies in my stomach beforehand. |
Nest
| Idiom | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| nest egg | money saved for the future | We’re not worried about the global financial crisis. We’ve got a nice nest egg saved up for retirement. |
| empty nest syndrome | a feeling of loneliness or sadness which parents experience when their children leave home (not clinical) | After I moved out of home, my mum called me every day. I think she was suffering from empty nest syndrome. |
| feather your nest | make yourself rich, usually in an unfair or dishonest way | She’s been feathering her own nest by blackmailing the CEO. |
| fly the nest | when children leave home to live somewhere else for the first time | Michael and Elizabeth’s children have all flown the nest. |
| stir up a hornet’s nest | cause a lot of trouble | You’ll be sure to stir up a hornet’s nest if you tell her that! |
Frog/Rabbit
| Idiom | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| have a frog in your throat | have a sore throat or need to cough and, therefore, not be able to speak | Can I have a glass of water? I seem to have a frog in my throat today. |
| pull a rabbit out of the hat | suddenly come up with the solution to a problem | Unless we pull a rabbit out of the hat in the next few days, we’re going to have to close the cafe. |
