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When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.

This is a phrase in infectious disease that means consider the most common/probable diagnosis, rather than the exotic. Or, in everyday circumstances, think of the obvious, not the improbable/outlandish.

(I've been known to think "zebra" quite often...)

Take the bull by the horns means to tackle a dilemma head-on. In steer wrestling, the only chance of winning was to grasp the bull by the horns and throw it to the ground with strength and skill.

~~Leequi

Shoot the bull means to chat or talk back and forth. Bulls confined in a pen spend their time bellowing back and forth in an attempt to announce their presence to one another.

Hope you don't think I'm full of bull after my last two contributions. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

~~Leequi

Here's a couple more,
"Dogging my footsteps" very puppy like <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

and of course we can't forget the
"Cat burgular" can we ,

xxx, Ruth :beamedup:

Ooh ooh ooh and,
"As free as a bird"

and looking like,
"The cat that got the cream" :rolling:

xxx, Ruth

This is fun I wonder how many we'll get before we lose our collective minds :rolleyes:

Like a chicken with its head cut off
means to act in a frantic and frenzied manner. (I'm sure we've all been there at one time or another, :beamedup: ) Chickens will sometimes twitch and run even after their heads have been chopped off.

When I was a kid we had neighbors who raised chickens and I can verify that chickens can indeed run-around headless. My own personal experience was that the neighbor's dog got all excited and didn't know what to make of this weird, headless chicken so he took a nip out of my leg! Fortunately, his bark was worse than his bite :rolling:

~~Leequi

Crocodile tears refer to one's attempt to fake sorrow. Legend says that crocodiles will cry false tears for their victim.

~~Leequi

<img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Yo Shelley!!! Yo Marian!!! Are you guys still in the dark?

Like a bull in a china shop

She's the 'cat's meow'

Mean as a snake

White men speak with forked tongue (Indian proverb, I think)

Monkey Mind Going from activity to activity or thought to thought like a monkey.

Birds of a feather flock together

'Til the cows come home

Henpecked husband

Just a few off the top of my head...

(First of all, WELCOME to Janet!!)And no, I'm not in the dark, at the moment. We were however, without power for close to 24 hours and it just came back on here around 12:30 or so (just a few hours ago). Rumour has it, though, that it is on and off, sporadically, all over the city and the province so it could blow at any time. Thought I'd check in while I can!!)

And Ruth, trust me, it will be a LONG while before we tire of this game!!! (wink, wink! former members of our old board at the *other* place, are used to this silliness and we can tend to go on..... <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Also, I LOVED your first entry about the sheep and their, ahem, thingies in their nether regions!!! I laughed right out loud!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Ok, finally, here's my entry for this post:

" It's raining cats and dogs" (or, as I like to say when it's raining even harder than that, though this is entirely my own invention <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> , "it's raining pigs and hippos!")

Shelley

When pigs fly. Meaning an impossible feat.

Lower than a snakes belly. Now that is pretty darn low and refers to a less than honerable person.

Like a snake in the grass. Picture walking through tall grass and having a snake strike. In other words, danger laying in wait.

OK, enough for the moment. Got to get back to my list of chores.

Rose