Cow — Figures of Speech 6-23

6.

milch cow =  a source of  easy income; a source of easy profit; a source of easily gained income; a person from whom one can get money easily

7.

Malley’s cow  =  a complete loss

8.

cow slaver  =  nonsense; rubbish

9.

cow’s breakfast  =  a hat, usually a farmer’s, made of straw (dry grass)

10.

cow-tongued  =  dishonest

11.

cow-footed  [said of someone whose shoes wear out on one side only]

12.

(a)  as graceful as a cow (?) (b)  as solemn as a cow(?)

13.

as dark as the inside of a cow’s belly = very dark

14.

slender in the middle as a cow in the waist = (said of something or someone that is not slender, slim or thin)

15.

like a pimple on a cow’s arse [said of something very little in quantity – ‘a small hat on a large head’]

16.

worth a cow-price  =  very valuable

17.

to show the cow tail  =  to show cowardice; to be afraid of simple things

18.

to a cow’s thumb  =  exactly; perfectly

19.

to put more beef into … =  to use more muscle power, energy (‘beef’ = cow meat)

20.

no more than a crabapple in a cow’s mouth [said of something that is not sufficient for someone or something]

21.

to wait till the cows come home  =  to wait for a long time; forever

22.

you can’t sell the cow and drink the milk [said of a situation where a person, usually greedy, wants to have the product and the profit, without selling the product]

23.

to have a cow  =  to become very angry or worked up; upset; to become amazed