IdiomAnimals
English
Englishsacred cow
Meaning: An idea or thing that cannot be altered.
Example: “The annual office picnic is a sacred cow nobody dares to cancel.”
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: vaca sagrada Literally: Sacred cow
Origin: Cows are revered in Hinduism and traditionally may not be killed. Western writers, especially in America from the late 19th and early 20th century, borrowed the image for any idea or institution treated as beyond criticism.
More English idioms
- apple of one's eye A person or thing that is precious or loved above all else.
- big cheese An important, powerful or influential person.
- bite the dust To be destroyed or ruined beyond repair; slang for "to die".
- bitter pill to swallow A difficult or unpleasant reality to deal with.
- chew someone out To scold someone harshly.
- chew something over To think slowly and carefully about something.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? A 'w/ch/ck' drill that accelerates comically — and nobody really knows the answer.
- The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick. Believed by Guinness to be among the hardest in English — 'six/sick/sheikh/sheep' blur in…
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.
Keep exploring