Raining Hats and Hogs

And now a brief analysis of the strange animal idioms I've actually heard (or read) in the workplace:

1. "Tread on a scared cow"
Possible Origin Idiom: "Sacred Cow"
Possible Intended Meaning: Breaching a touchy subject, altering something inviolate
Implied Meaning: Walking atop a frightened bovine

2. "Like an 80 pound gorilla in the middle of the room"
POI:"The elephant in the middle of the room," "800 pound gorilla"
PIM:Avoiding/ignoring a big issue/problem everyone is aware of
IM: Something possibly disruptive and probably adorable, like a baby ape.

3. "The Pink Elephant in the middle of the room"
POI: See #2
PIM: See #2
IM: The issue being ignored is the speaker's gross alcoholism.

4. "We want to avoid escape goats."
POI: "Scapegoat"
PIM: Person used as locus for all blame
IM: It is important to hide from all goats that may have at one point been used to dig underground tunnels from prisons and war zones.

5. "Loaded for Pear" (Or "Pare" or "Pair")
POI: "Loaded for Bear"
PIM: Prepared for any difficult opposition
IM: Armed with weapons appropriate for the murder of fruit

6. "He got his gander up"
POI: "Get your dander up"
PIM: Make angry
IM: He woke up his goose, or something else particularly bawdy.

Others I've heard but won't analyze, because I fear all this is growing boring:
"Let me put a bug in your hair about this," "A Hog and Pony Show" (Which I'd love to see!), and "Parking up the wrong tree."