'Wild Expressions'

We all grew up with them-animal idioms and phrases such as – ‘skin a dead cat’, ‘blind as a bat’, ‘let the cat out of the bag’, ‘beat a dead horse’, ‘take the bull by the horns’, ‘curiosity killed the cat’, dog eat dog’ and on and on and on. And how these phrases have often become part of our everyday language – each having a meaning of their own. Animal rights groups, animal lovers and other enlightened folks are asking for a change to more animal friendly phrases -such as ‘bring home the bagels’ instead of ‘bring home the bacon’, and ‘feed two birds with one scone’ rather than “kill two birds with one stone’ and ‘feed a fed horse’ rather that ‘beat a dead horse’.

Many believe that as our consciousness evolves so should our language-language is powerful and hopefully reflects the person we are on the inside. I know some may see this as another silly folly – another unnecessary, excessive call to action to displace our comfortable, longstanding way of speaking - why take things so seriously, right? But seriously we have spent the last century trying to clean up the way we speak about other humans – why not extend that toward animals as well? They are every bit as much a part of this planet as we are and deserve our respect and care. And though they can’t speak for themselves-I imagine that each one of them appreciates us standing up and speaking up for them.

I’ve never been one to see the human race as having dominion over animals but rather we are called to be their stewards and their caretakers. I have always felt a ‘oneness’ with all of the beautiful critters that we live beside. I wonder how many generations will continue to enjoy deer in their yard, rabbits munching clover, squirrel acrobatics at the birdfeeder, and the delight of an occasional box turtle meandering across the wooded path. What a gift they are to our weary hearts and our crowded world.

Perhaps the nicest thing about animal idioms is that they remind us just how deeply animals are part of our lives and our imaginations. They have helped us tell stories, explain ourselves, and even make each other laugh. So, with affection for all of our furry, feathered, and finned companions, I thought I'd share a fun little "Animal Idiom Emoji Story." If you've never tried writing a rebus before, give it a try—it’s lots of fun!

“Can I Have This Dance?”

I saw him standing like a ‘🪰 on the wall’.

Some might have thought he was the 🐝🐝 knees - but I wasn’t going to put all of my 🥚🥚 in one basket. I thought I might 🐔out – but I didn’t want to 🐎 around so I took the 🐂 by the horns and asked, has ‘the 🐈‍⬛ got your tongue’?

He looked at me 🐑 ishly and said-

“I wasn’t about to cry 🐺, but surely you my dear are the 🐘 in the room.”

Now, I had the 🦁’s share of this nonsense- something is very 🐟y here. We could absolutely be on this wild 🪿chase all night. So, I said, hold your 🐴 🐴 young man, we could indeed be here until the 🐄 🐄 come home, so if you don’t let the 🐈‍⬛ out of the bag in two shakes of a 🐑 tail you will surely be in the 🐕 house.

Ok, ok, maybe I was the one with the 🐜🐜 in my pants but I wasn’t about to be a sitting 🦆 or a scaredy 🙀. Sure, I had 🦋 🦋 in my stomach. I was afraid he might make a 🐝 line for the door so I said it straight from the 🐴 mouth-I don’t want this to be the straw that breaks the 🐫 back-so with a bit of a 🐸 in my throat I said, ‘I think you are the🐈 🐈‍⬛pajamas.’ He stood there like a 🦌 in the headlights and said-

‘Ah, a little 🦜 told me that you indeed are an eager 🦫.’ I had thought you were a book🪱not a night 🦉!

Oh yes indeed-I am a party 🦓🦔🦏🦏🐅🦬🦒!

Let’s go cut the rug! 💃 🕺🏽