# Name the professional animals **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 1, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615 "2009-07-01T19:36:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brainiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@Brainiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/1 "2009-07-01T19:36:51Z")
Which animals are in phrases with skills or professions? Like … loan shark CIA mole publicity hound grease monkey clothes horse : ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/2 "2009-07-01T20:57:55Z")
Literary lion [Railroad bull](http://www.jargondatabase.com/Jargon.aspx?id=379) Zebra (slang for football referee who wears a [striped shirt](http://cgi.ebay.com/ADULT-Black-White-Zebra-SPORTS-REFEREE-COSTUME-XL_W0QQitemZ380133054268QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090623?IMSfp=TL090623159002r15506)) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/3 "2009-07-01T21:14:25Z")
Code Monkey ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/4 "2009-07-02T10:05:22Z")
Cat burglar Cash cow Stock market bull/ bear ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/5 "2009-07-02T14:54:02Z")
Drug mule Legal eagle ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/6 "2009-07-02T15:02:02Z")
Lead dog Workhorse Scapegoat ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/7 "2009-07-02T16:07:11Z")
Lab rat (which in scientist slang refers not only to the subjects, but to the experimenters) ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/8 "2009-07-02T16:56:33Z")
Yellow Dog Democrat Dogface ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/9 "2009-07-02T17:04:49Z")
People in cubicle farms who stand up to see what’s going on are said to be “prairie dogging.” A go-fer (gopher) is someone who runs errands for others. A bad doctor isn’t a duck but a quack. Card shark or pool shark. Drone. **Munch** , Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn once said that just about all legislators can be seen as either show horses (who hold press conferences, host high-profile events, appear on TV shows, etc.) and work horses (who actually get stuff done). ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/10 "2009-07-02T17:46:35Z")
Vulture investors ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@Brainiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/11 "2009-07-02T19:23:17Z")
drain snake saw horse Garden Weasel ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/12 "2009-07-02T19:40:35Z")
Warships in the Age of Sail sometimes had small boys aboard who would carry gunpowder to the guns when it was needed; they were known as “powder monkeys.” ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/13 "2009-07-02T22:26:28Z")
Larry Bird was a true Gym Rat. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/14 "2009-07-03T00:52:35Z")
A photographer is a shutterbug. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/15 "2009-07-03T00:55:47Z")
Tunnel rats are soldiers who go into tunnels and bunkers where enemy soldiers (like the Viet Cong or the Japanese) might be hiding. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/16 "2009-07-03T03:56:09Z")
nevermind - repeat of a prior entry. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/17 "2009-07-03T10:41:13Z")
A bodyguard is sometimes called a Gorilla. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/18 "2009-07-03T13:04:40Z")
An enthusiastic employee is an eager beaver. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@Brainiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/19 "2009-07-03T16:15:38Z")
bat boy pig iron kangaroo court ball cock ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615/20 "2009-07-03T17:09:38Z")
Human guinea pig [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-professional-animals/501615.md?page=2)