The Metaphor Zoo

'A joyous, fascinating and utterly delightful dive into the worlds of nature and language, through the words and phrases of zoological origin we use (often without thinking) in our day-to-day lives.' —Stephen Moss, author of Ten Birds that Changed the World

'The English language is crawling, hopping, slithering and soaring with animal words. The Metaphor Zoo lets them all run wild, to glorious effect.' —Sally Coulthard, author of A Short History of the World According to Sheep

'If you want to rouse your slumbering canines, release your bull from the Wedgewood emporium and tell your inquisitive feline to mind her own business, you’ll savour every fauna-fuelled page of Jeremy Butterfield’s enchanting The Metaphor Zoo. If you are searching for creature comforts look no further than this comically caustic compendium and don’t forget to read it with your "kids".' —Vanessa Feltz

'When I was a kid (animal metaphor alert!), I was devoted to dense compendia of facts, facts, and more facts, particularly if those compendia were word-oriented. What a joy, as a full-tilt grownup, to read Jeremy Butterfield's charming, scholarly, boisterously playful, thoroughly engaging The Metaphor Zoo, which from kangaroos in the top paddock (a new one for me) to holy cows tours us through the busy intersection of the animal kingdom and the English language. Readers will learn a lot, I think, and have great fun doing it, and one can't really ask for more than that, can one.' —Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer's English 

'This splendid book opened my eyes to the furred and feathered creatures that shape our language. The Metaphor Zoo is a linguistic Ark, and we're all on the voyage together. And I'll tell you what: I'll never think about a gannet in the same way again!' —Ian McMillan

'Jeremy Butterfield takes us on a most enjoyable mosey – with many diverting diversions – through the beast-infested thickets of the English lexicon.' —Peter Gilliver, author of The Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

'A hugely illuminating exploration of everyday animal language, full of lexical insight, and told with an appealing blend of humour, scholarly detail, literary perspective and personal history. Linguistic zoology at its best. (Or should that be zoological linguistics?).' —David Crystal, author of The Stories of English

'An original and engrossing book to be read cover to cover or in small bites: to be kept and lent and shared and given.' —Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows

'Witty and entertaining word tales about the fascinating animals that so enrich our lives and our language.' —Ellen Jovin, author of Rebel with a Clause

‘In this fascinating, erudite and original work, Jeremy Butterfield explores the ways in which animal images and animal-related concepts enrich our language, reflecting and enhancing key human emotions and experiences. Accessible and comprehensive, the book allows us to look again at familiar metaphors, and at our deep connections with the living beings who share our world.’ —Tony Thorne, author of The 100 Words That Make The English

'From black sheep to lucky dogs and beyond, in The Metaphor Zoo Jeremy Butterfield takes you down the most delightful rabbit holes.' —Gideon Ben-Ami, creator of The Rambler

'A wonderfully inventive book on a subject rarely discussed of how humans use animals as a metaphor to articulate ideas and thoughts which range from approval and love to anger and rejection. The information about the relationship between humans and animals is scholarly but written in a light style which makes it very readable.' —Mihir Bose, author of The Spirit of the Game

'This is a fun book on the pet animal metaphors of the English-speaking world. However, underneath the surface it gives the reader a serious glimpse into how the human mind works when thinking with animal imagery. The book will make you both laugh and learn. Highly recommended!' —Prof. Zoltán Kövecses, author of Metaphor and Emotion