At a loss for words: animal kingdom idioms

Mickey Starling ECB Publishing, Inc.  I know you are itching to jump right into this week’s exploration of popular idioms, but hold your horses. America is one of the most animal-loving nations in the world, so it’s no surprise that  many of our idioms come through our experiences with a wide host of lovable creatures. You will likely assume that “hold your horses” originates in the 1800s, and you would be partially correct. The phrase became popular during that time period, but its roots go back much further, like back to the 8th century B.C. Homer first used the phrase in “The Iliad,” when Antiochus, obviously a teen driver, was a bit of a lead foot on his chariot. H