Oddest Pets
Animal Phrasal Verbs · Idioms · Lie vs Lay · Word Formation
Quick Reference: ferret out · beaver away · clam up · worm out of · badger · squirrel away · leech off · parrot · hound · weasel out of
Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Phrasal Verb
Read each sentence and select the animal phrasal verb that best completes it.
1.She spent months _____ information that the company had been hiding from the public.
2.He's been _____ on his thesis for the last six months without a break.
3.When asked directly about the missing money, he _____ and refused to answer.
4.She always manages to _____ the washing up — someone else always ends up doing it.
5.My landlord keeps _____ me to repaint the kitchen every time he visits.
6.He's been _____ a small amount from each paycheck for years — he now has a decent savings.
7.She just _____ whatever the professor says without forming her own opinion.
8.His flatmate doesn't work and just _____ him, expecting him to pay for everything.
9.The detective _____ the suspect relentlessly until he finally confessed.
10.He's clever enough to _____ any difficult commitment if given the chance.
Exercise 2: Match the Idiom to Its Meaning
Click an idiom on the left, then click its meaning on the right.
Idiom
Meaning
LIE (intransitive) — you do it to yourself | Past: lay | Past participle: lain
LAY (transitive) — you do it to something else | Past: laid | Past participle: laid
Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Form — Lie vs Lay
Choose the correct form of lie (intransitive) or lay (transitive) for each sentence.
1.The doctor told her to _____ down and rest for the remainder of the day.
2.She _____ out all the documents on the table before the meeting began.
3.The final decision _____ with the board, not the individual managers.
4.The criminals decided to _____ low until the police had stopped searching.
5.He _____ his phone on the desk and walked out of the room without a word.
6.We don't know what challenges _____ ahead for the new generation.
7.She's been trying to _____ aside a little money each month for a future trip.
8.Yesterday he _____ on the sofa all afternoon watching films.
Exercise 4: Choose the Correct Word Form
Choose the correct form derived from the base words: exotic · captive · venom · conserve · domesticate.
1.The _____ of wild animals for entertainment is increasingly controversial.
2.The spider was described as highly _____, capable of causing serious harm.
3.His presentation was so _____ that no one in the audience moved for an hour.
4.She lives very _____, always saving rather than spending on luxuries.
5.The government launched a major _____ programme to protect endangered species.
6.Most families prefer _____ animals that are used to living with humans.
7.The market sells spices, fabrics, and jewellery — everything looks wonderfully _____.
8.It took generations to _____ the horse — now it's one of our closest working animals.
N
E
R
D
Word Origin
Naturally Eccentric, Remarkably Different
Word Origin
Naturally Eccentric, Remarkably Different
| Word / Phrase | Category | Origin & Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ferret out | idiom | Ferrets were trained to chase rabbits and rodents out of burrows — pushing into narrow spaces to flush out what was hidden. To 'ferret out' information is to dig it up by persistent, clever searching. |
| Beaver away | idiom | Beavers work with relentless, methodical energy — felling trees, damming rivers, building lodges — rarely stopping. To 'beaver away' at something is to work steadily and hard for a long period. |
| Clam up | idiom | Clams snap their shells shut the instant they sense a threat, making them almost impossible to open. To 'clam up' is to suddenly go silent and refuse to speak, especially under questioning. |
| Worm out of | idiom | Worms wriggle through tight, resistant soil by slow, twisting movements. To 'worm out of' a commitment is to avoid it through sly maneuvering rather than direct refusal. |
| Badger | idiom | From the old sport of badger-baiting, where dogs would relentlessly harass a badger in its den. To 'badger' someone is to pester them repeatedly and persistently until they give in. |
| Squirrel away | idiom | Squirrels cache hundreds of nuts in hidden locations before winter, returning to them months later. To 'squirrel away' money or supplies is to save and hide them gradually for future use. |
| Leech off | idiom | Leeches attach to a host and feed on blood while contributing nothing. To 'leech off' someone is to take their money, time, or resources while giving nothing back — parasitic dependence. |
| Hound | idiom | Hounds track prey by scent over great distances, pursuing without giving up. To 'hound' someone is to follow and pressure them relentlessly — often until they break or confess. |
| Weasel out of | idiom | Weasels are noted for their slender, flexible bodies that let them slip through the smallest gaps, and for their sly reputation. To 'weasel out of' something is to escape it through cunning rather than honesty. |
| Parrot | idiom | Parrots can reproduce human speech with striking accuracy — but with no understanding of what they're saying. To 'parrot' someone is to repeat their words or views mechanically without forming your own opinion. |
| The elephant in the room | idiom | An elephant in a room would be impossible to overlook — yet the phrase describes exactly what people do. It refers to an obvious, serious problem that everyone present is aware of but deliberately avoids mentioning. |
| A can of worms | idiom | Opening a tin of fishing bait releases a writhing tangle of worms that is immediately harder to contain than expected. Used to describe any situation that appears simple but, once examined, reveals far more complexity and trouble. |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | idiom | A sleeping dog is harmless; waking it risks being growled at or bitten. The idiom advises leaving a past problem or conflict alone — raising it again will only create new trouble. |
| A wild goose chase | idiom | Coined by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet (1597). Originally a horse race where competitors had to follow the leader's exact path — unpredictably erratic, like a wild goose. Now means any fruitless, exhausting pursuit. |
| A bee in one's bonnet | idiom | A bee trapped inside a hat would cause frantic, obsessive movement — impossible to ignore or stop. To have 'a bee in your bonnet' is to be completely fixated on one idea, to the point of boring everyone around you. |
| Take the bull by the horns | idiom | From bull-wrestling and rodeo, where grabbing the animal's horns is the only way to gain control of it. To 'take the bull by the horns' is to confront a difficult situation directly and boldly rather than avoiding it. |
| Lie vs Lay | grammar | Lie (intransitive) — Old English licgan, 'to recline'. No object needed: I lie down. I lay down yesterday. I have lain here for hours. — Lay (transitive) — Old English lecgan, 'to place something'. Requires an object: I lay the book down. I laid it there. I have laid it aside. The confusion arises because the past tense of lie (lay) is identical to the present tense of lay. |
| Exotic | etymology | From Latin exoticus, from Greek exōtikos — 'from outside' (exō = outside). Anything foreign, unfamiliar, or striking in appearance because it originates far from the familiar world. |
| Venom | etymology | From Latin venenum — 'poison, drug, magic potion'. Fascinatingly, it shares its root with Venus, goddess of love — a love potion was once called venenum. The meaning gradually shifted to any harmful substance. |
| Captive / Captivating | etymology | Both from Latin capere — 'to seize or take'. Captive = physically seized and held. Captivating = seized in the mind — so completely holding your attention that you cannot look away. Same root, two very different kinds of imprisonment. |
| Domesticate | etymology | From Latin domesticus, from domus — 'house'. To domesticate an animal is literally to bring it into the home — a process that took thousands of years of selective breeding to make wild species suitable for human life. |
| Conserve | etymology | From Latin conservare — con- (together, completely) + servare (to keep, guard). To conserve is to keep something whole and intact — protecting it from loss or decay over time. |