Cows are not just animals on the farm—they also appear a lot in English phrases! This post will explain some common sayings that mention cows. Even kids can understand these fun phrases!
Cow Idioms
Here are 20 cow idioms in English with meaning and example sentences for each.
1. Holy cow
Meaning: An exclamation of surprise
Example: Holy cow! That was a close call!
2. Buy the farm
Meaning: To pass away
Example: He nearly bought the farm in that crash.
3. Cash cow
Meaning: A consistent source of income
Example: That café is a real cash cow for us.
4. Cow on the ice
Meaning: A difficult situation
Example: Looks like there’s a cow on the ice.
5. Don’t have a cow
Meaning: Don’t overreact
Example: Don’t have a cow over a little mistake!
6. Until the cows come home
Meaning: For a very long time
Example: You could wait here until the cows come home.
7. Cow-eyed
Meaning: Having large and gentle eyes
Example: She gave him a cow-eyed look.
8. Cow’s lick
Meaning: A tuft of hair that sticks out
Example: He always has a cow’s lick in the morning.
9. Like a cow on roller skates
Meaning: Very clumsy
Example: He’s like a cow on roller skates.
10. Milk it for all it’s worth
Meaning: Take full advantage of a situation
Example: He’s milking the situation for all it’s worth.
11. Sacred cow
Meaning: Something immune to criticism
Example: That policy is a sacred cow in this company.
12. Cowhide
Meaning: To hide from something
Example: He cowhided from the teacher.
13. Cowbell
Meaning: Something that is urgently needed
Example: This song could use more cowbell.
14. Cow town
Meaning: A small or remote town
Example: He moved out to a real cow town.
15. Cow college
Meaning: An agricultural college
Example: He graduated from a famous cow college.
16. Beef up
Meaning: To strengthen or increase
Example: We need to beef up our security.
17. Take the bull by the horns
Meaning: To confront a problem directly
Example: He took the bull by the horns with his honesty.
18. Chew the cud
Meaning: Think deeply about something
Example: I’ve been chewing the cud on that idea.
19. Cattle call
Meaning: A large, open audition
Example: The audition was a real cattle call.
20. No room to swing a cat
Meaning: A very small space
Example: There’s no room to swing a cat in here.
