a homeless, usually mongrel, cat that scavenges for food in alleys, streets, etc.
Examples:
While she finds him amusing, an alley cat isn’t her type.
As poor as a church mouse
Meaning:
extremely short of money.
Examples:
They’ll take one look at my clothes and know I’m as poor as a church mouse.
A paper tiger
Meaning:
a person or thing that appears threatening but is ineffectual.
Examples:
The Soviet Union was suddenly revealed as a paper tiger.
To make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning:
exaggerate the importance of something trivial.
Examples:
You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. You wrote one bad essay – it doesn’t mean you’re going to fail.
To serve as a guinea pig
Meaning:
something is tested on them that has not been tested on people before
Examples:
We’ll have a limited release of the product and let this region serve as a guinea pig. If it is received well, we can expand production and distribution to the rest of the country.
The black sheep of the family
Meaning:
a person who is regarded as a disgrace or failure by his or her family or peer group the black sheep of the family
Examples:
The black sheep of the family might be called it, the one despatched to Australia to live on a monthly remittance from home.
To cast pearls before swine
Meaning:
offer valuable things to people who do not appreciate them.
Examples:
To sing for them is to cast pearls before swine. To serve them French cuisine is like casting one’s pearls before swine.
To back the wrong horse
Meaning:
make a wrong or inappropriate choice.
Examples:
In all his years as a book publisher, he rarely backed the wrong horse.
A cat gets one’s tongue
Meaning:
an expression that is used when someone is quiet and isn’t talking or responding when you expect them to.
Examples:
You’re breaking up with me? I don’t know what to say. Cat’s got my tongue I guess.
To have a tiger by the tail
Meaning:
have embarked on a course of action which proves unexpectedly difficult but which cannot easily or safely be abandoned.
Examples:
If you push me down again you might find that you have a tiger by the tail.