geese

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."

See also: brain, gave, god, squirrel

ain't got the sense God gave geese

Is very foolish or lacking common sense. Jimmy almost crossed the street without looking up from his cell phone. He ain't got the sense God gave geese! 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 sense God gave geese! 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 sense God gave geese."

See also: gave, geese, god, sense

all (one's) geese are swans

proverb One is overexaggerating and not in touch with reality. Geese and swans are quite different, so to think they are the same is a stretch of the truth. I can't listen to another one of Tiffany's stories that casts her as the adored heroine. All her geese are swans if she thinks everyone at work likes her! Wait, he seriously thinks the most popular girl in school would go out with him? Wow, all his geese are swans, all right! Not to be mean, but all George's geese are swans if he really thinks he's getting the promotion. The guy is late to work almost every day!

See also: all, geese, swan

all (one's) swans are geese

proverb One is overexaggerating and not in touch with reality. Geese and swans are quite different, so to think they are the same is a stretch of the truth. I can't listen to another one of Tiffany's stories that casts her as the adored heroine. All her swans are geese if she thinks everyone at work likes her! Wait, he seriously thinks the most popular girl in school would go out with him? Wow, all his swans are geese, all right! Not to be mean, but all George's swans are geese if he really thinks he's getting the promotion. The guy is late to work almost every day!

See also: all, geese, swan

cackling geese

Those who warn of something that is about to happen. Thank goodness for the cackling geese outside who ran in and told us to lock down the building because there was a man with a gun roaming the streets. My wife is skeptical of them, but I always tune in to those cackling geese giving the weather report—I don't want to get caught in a blizzard!

See also: cackle, geese

turn geese into swans

To embellish or exaggerate the merits, skills, or successes of someone or something. My father was such a genuinely affable and generous man, and he had a knack for turning geese into swans—he made you feel like the most special, talented person in the world just by talking about you.

See also: geese, swan, turn

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

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.

See also: brain, gave, god, squirrel

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

all someone's geese are swans

someone habitually exaggerates the merits of undistinguished people or things.

The goose is proverbially contrasted with the swan as being the clumsier, less elegant, and less distinguished bird; compare with turn geese into swans below.

See also: all, geese, swan

turn geese into swans

exaggerate the merits of people.

See also: geese, swan, turn

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017