ShowAnimal Kingdom

Words, phrases, expressions, idioms, and other linguistic and dialect features from the non-human world of creatures and critters. Animals, pets, fish, insects, and more.

Footprints on Language

Animals leave their footprints in several English words, including chatoyant, or “shimmering like a cat’s eyes” and sleuth, which is short for sleuth-hound, a kind of bloodhound used for sniffing out prey. Pets have also inspired...

A Cute Little Whiffet

Sherry in Williamsburg, Virginia, has long used the phrase cute little whiffet, a fond way of referring to something small and adorable, such as a chubby baby. Since the late 1700s, the term whiffet has been used to denote “a small...