Animal verbs

Animals are basic part of human existence and vocabulary.  Even in our modern era, small children immediately learn words to distinguish animals from people.  So, it is no wonder that many animals have lent their name to a behavior, albeit without their permission.

The farmyard is the dream place for behaviorists.  They can see horses horse around, running and mock fighting as well as pigs pig out, eating all they can. If those horses get lazy, dogs will dog them while hounds will hound them to get them moving again. Not all is fun and games. The goat goats you while the ram rams you for no reason at all, not to mention the goose goosing you, which can give you quite a jump. It is not all that wonderful for the animals, to tell the truth.  The cows feel cowed by just about everything despite their large size while chickens chicken out from any confrontation from a non-fowl, maybe for a good reason. All this action is at the doorstep of farmer.

Not that is much quieter in the wild. The weasel try to weasel his way into anywhere there is food, using his intelligence. The hawk hawks all the best food for himself, often being the apex bird of prey. The wolf wolves down its food since it has to share it with its group. A buffalo can buffalo its way into any field. By contrast, a fox has to outfox its prey or dies. A duck ducks when it hears a rifle shot, as it should. On a more relaxed level, monkeys monkey around when they are not looking for food, as when an ape apes a behavior, imitating it. Those deer are just as active. Bucks buck the system and try to steal away the does while fawns fawn to those same does to ensure that they receive milk and protection. Parrots parrot the behavior of other animals to gain an advantage.  We won't even talk about what the bears bear.

Don't underestimate the insect kingdom.  As anybody who has ever tried to take a nap during the day, flies fly, making it sometimes hard to kill them. Worms can generally worm themselves into anywhere, including our skin. Leaches, both the insect and people versions, leech our energy and health. These critters are not friendly.

So, the next time you are slothful, are tired of the bull or even in a foul or catty mood, look outside in the yard or at a nature documentary.  You will realize that, as they say in that awful British commercial for a credit company, you are not alone. 

Living among the animals

Animals are a vital part of human existence. We would starve without them, for one thing.  This significance is expressed in our vocabulary.  Children learn animal names very early, even today when the animals around us are not very threatening.  Accordingly, animal homes are also part of human lexicon.

First, animals live in our house or immediately around it.  However, if a married man goes to a cat house, a brothel, he might end up in the dog house, i.e. sleeping alone on the sofa. The reason for this behavior in the first place is they many men find marriage a gilded cage, very nice on the outside but quite restrictive in practice.

Second, farm animals have their place of residence, close to our heart. A pig’s sty is a messy place as are the rooms of many people.  Others feel cooped up in their room, like the chickens.  If you are part of a stable, you have value but not exclusive. Still, that is better than being put out to pasture, no longer needed due to age.

On the wild side, old wooden ships had crow’s nests high on the main beam to serve as lookout points. If you have a nest egg, you were financially protected for the future.  Of course, you had to avoid entering a lion’s den, which is filled with dangerous people. All in all, nothing is safer than being in your own lair, without the foxes of course.

Your home may be your castle, but your pet’s home definitely isn’t.