ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel

Is very foolish or lacking common sense. Jimmy almost crossed the street without looking up from his cell phone. He ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel! I'm baffled by most things I see on the local news—fools driving cars into houses and doing all sorts of nonsensical things. It's like most people ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel! A: "Todd just put a pizza in the oven for 30 minutes without first turning it on." B: "Whew, that boy ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel."

even a blind squirrel can find a nut

Even people who are usually wrong can be right sometimes, even if just by accident. Usually followed by "sometimes," "once in a while," "now and then," etc. I know Dad is usually out of touch about these things, but even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while! A: "You know how I feel about the mayor, but even I think he's right this time." B: "Even a blind squirrel can find a nut now and then, I guess." A: "I can't believe that doofus Billy figured out the answer to that really hard math question." B: "Hey, even a blind squirrel can find a nut every now and then."

See also: blind, can, even, find, nut, squirrel

even a blind squirrel finds a nut

Even people who are usually wrong can be right sometimes, even if just by accident. Usually followed by "sometimes," "once in a while," "now and then," etc. I know Dad is usually out of touch about these things, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while! A: "You know how I feel about the mayor, but even I think he's right this time." B: "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then, I guess." A: "I can't believe that doofus Billy figured out the answer to that really hard math question." B: "Hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then."

See also: blind, even, find, nut, squirrel

ground squirrel

A burrowing rodent of the squirrel family more commonly known as a gopher. You can really tell that spring is here when the ground squirrels start coming out again. A: "What is that thing moving in the grass? A groundhog?" B: "No, it's too small to be a groundhog. I think it's a ground squirrel." What am I supposed to do about these darn ground squirrels destroying my garden?

seam-squirrel

A louse that has infested clothing or linens. Typically used in the plural. No way am I staying in such a crappy motel! Their beds are probably crawling with seam-squirrels! Our uniforms were so thoroughly infested with seam-squirrels that there was nothing left to do but burn them.

squirrel around

1. To move erratically from place to place. We squirreled around trying to find a doctor in the resort who could help us.

2. To writhe or squirm in an erratic manner. The dog was squirreling around in my arms as I tried to give it the vaccination. The suspect squirreled around in his chair during the interview, obviously nervous.

3. Of thoughts or emotions, to occur or jumble in an erratic or chaotic manner. I get so many anxious thoughts squirreling around in my head at night that I find it hard to fall asleep.

squirrel away

To hide, reserve, or hoard something for future use. A noun or pronoun can be used between "squirrel" and "away." I've been squirreling away a little bit of money each so that I can afford a trip to Spain next summer. It turns out she'd been squirreling office supplies away in the filing cabinet near her desk. The company has been accused of squirreling away huge amounts of customers' data, which it then implemented into its advertising algorithms across its various platforms.

See also: away, squirrel

squirrel food

slang One or more nuts. Squirrel food makes for a great a snack when you're on a high-protein, low-carb diet.

squirrel out of (something)

1. To squirm, wiggle, or squeeze out of something. The cat managed to squirrel out of its cage at the veterinarian's office. Our toddler thinks it's hilarious to squirrel out of his diaper.

2. To avoid or escape from some situation, obligation, or responsibility through sly or devious means. Oh no, you're not squirreling out of doing the dishes this time! I tried to squirrel out of going to the party, but my husband is guilt-tripping me into coming with him.

ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel

and ain't got the sense God gave geese

Rur. is or are very foolish. There goes John, running around barefooted in the snow. He ain't got the brains God gave a squirrel. No use trying to explain anything to Jane. She ain't got the sense God gave geese.

squirrel something away

Fig. to hide something or store something in the way that a squirrel stores nuts for use in the winter. I squirreled a little money away for an occasion such as this. Liz squirreled away a lot of money while she was working.

See also: away, squirrel

squirrel away

Hide or store, as in She squirreled away her savings in at least four different banks. This expression alludes to the squirrel's habit of hiding nuts and acorns in the ground. [First half of 1900s]

See also: away, squirrel

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

squirrel away

To hide or store something: They have been squirreling away money in an offshore bank account. The children were squirreling candy away in their rooms.

See also: away, squirrel

seam-squirrels

n. lice. (see also pants rabbits. Contrived.) I got an itch. Must be seam-squirrels.

squirrel

1. n. a strange or eccentric person. Martin can be such a squirrel.

2. n. a car engine’s horsepower. (Usually plural.) I got 440 squirrels and a gaggle of carburetors.

squirrel out of something

in. to wiggle out of something; to manage to extricate oneself from a situation one does not wish to be in. He will do anything he can to squirrel out of going to the dance.

squirrel something away

tv. to hide something in reserve. Here is some food. I squirreled it away in my suitcase.

squirrel-food

n. a nut; a loony person. The driver of the car—squirrel-food, for sure—just sat there smiling. Some squirrel-food came over and asked for a sky hook.

See also:

References in classic literature

Next morning she ventured back to the nut-bushes to look for him; but the other unkind squirrels drove her away.

WHEN Timmy and Goody Tiptoes came to the nut thicket, they found other squirrels were there already.

Squirrels who bury their nuts in the ground lose more than half, because they cannot remember the place.

BUT when the other squirrels heard that song, they rushed upon Timmy Tiptoes and cuffed and scratched him, and upset his bag of nuts.

View in context

It may sound a bit nuts - but black squirrels are the result of the grey squirrel interbreeding, a study suggests.

Research looks into species' black fur anomaly; SCIENCE

The Lower Nithsdale Red Squirrel Group is seeking volunteers to take part in a scheme to trap noon native greys, in the town.

Plea for help to save native red squirrels

An attempt is underway to try and curb speeding on a Stirling area rural road in a bid to save the red squirrel population there.

'Go slow to save the red squirrels'

"The Lancashire Wildlife Trust needs to spend more time and money making red squirrel habitats safer and more accessible for them to move around to breed and not taking a cruel option of killing other wildlife."

Trust urged: 'Don't kill off the greys to try to save red squirrels' WILDLIFE GROUP TOLD PEOPLE SEEN AS MORE PRESSING PROBLEM FOR RARE SPECIES

Summary: Wisconsin [USA], February 6 (ANI): Squirrels are cute, and one flying type of squirrel also turns pink.

Scientists discover flying squirrels that turn hot-pink

First, we need to look at the big squirrel picture.

Black squirrels are more common than ever in the suburbs

YOU'LL often hear them called "rats with tails", and author Jane Russ says an alternative is "tree rats", but she thinks such descriptions are leftovers from Victorian times when the now-protected red squirrel was hunted and shot.

Saving the red squirrel; Even city-dwellers are surrounded by squirrels running around in parks, gardens and woodland this autumn. But they're far more likely to be bully-boy grey squirrels rather than the endangered and smaller red variety. A new book, which draws on Welsh expertise, celebrates red squirrels and highlights the work being done to stop this native variety becoming extinct. Amanda Powell has been talking to author Jane Russ..

It's a flying squirrel, a most unusual member of the rodent family.

Is That a House in a Tree?

dissertation was on the complexity of squirrel behaviour

Beyond being nutty about nuts

A THIRD case of squirrel pox has been confirmed in Gwynedd, raising further concerns that the red squirrel colony on Anglesey could be wiped out.

Squirrel Pox fears; 'IF WE GET CONFIRMED CASE ON ANGLESEY IT WOULD BE DEVASTATING'

By ROZ LAWS Features Writer roz.laws@trinitymirror.com TV presenter Ben Shephard has caused an outrage after eating SQUIRREL live on air.

TV's Ben outrages viewers by eating SQUIRREL pate! grandmother made delicacy for this morning