a guinea pig

guinea pig

Someone or something used as the subject of an experiment. Jane used her husband as a guinea pig to try her new baked chicken recipe. Craig earned a little extra money by signing up to be a guinea pig in some local clinical studies.
See also: guinea, pig
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a guinea pig

COMMON If someone is used as a guinea pig, new ideas, methods, or medical treatments are tested on them. The new technology should allow us to study genetic disease without having to use humans as guinea pigs. This is the first time I've cooked this dish so you are my guinea pigs.
See also: guinea, pig
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a ˈguinea pig

a person used in medical or other experiments: Students in fifty schools are to act as guinea pigs for these new teaching methods.
A guinea pig is a small animal with short ears and no tail, often kept as a pet or used for laboratory research.
See also: guinea, pig
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • damn well
  • be (flat) on (one's) back
  • count in
  • come in
  • come in a certain position
  • come on in
  • flat on (one's) back
  • flat on back
  • flat on one's back
  • DYODW
References in periodicals archive
PDSA VET IAN FLEMING ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS QI've recently bought a guinea pig called Cassie, who is seven months old.
Q Can a guinea pig and a Netherland dwarf rabbit live together?
This is because Cavy Haven is actually a guinea pig rescue centre, run by experienced animal lover Irene Jamieson for the past 26 years who has dedicated her life to helping guinea pigs overcome loneliness and find their special friends.
A case was defined as Salmonella Enteritidis infection with a clinical isolate having an identical PFGE pattern to those from the Colorado isolates and closely related to a guinea pig isolate by whole genome sequencing (WGS), and with onset of clinical signs on or after January 1, 2015.
"To force a small animal like a guinea pig to endure this kind of breathing difficulty for four hours is a shocking act of cruelty.
Teeth & Chattering--When a guinea pig does this while showing its teeth, it means "Stay away!" The pig is very angry or upset, and you might get bit!
The 8 animals included were the guinea pig of this case report, a guinea pig that presented bilateral hydronephrosis on necropsy, and six healthy guinea pigs, according to their physical examination, hematology, and blood biochemistry values both performed as in the guinea pig of this case report.
Often a guinea pig can live with a cystic ovary for a number of years, however if it is causing a clinical problem, it is likely to require some form of treatment.
A Guinea Pig at the Guinea Pig Rescue in North Shields
If a guinea pig's diet is deficient in vitamin C, it will lead to a condition called scurvy.
Her adoption fee is just $20 and comes with a free class to teach you all you need to know about being a Guinea pig guardian.
Just like larger pets, the rewards you get from a guinea pig are directly related to the time you invest in them.
The compromise is that they get him a guinea pig named, of course, Fido.
Two-year-old Flash has won the world record for the fastest run by a guinea pig by conquering the 10metre red carpet track in 8.81 seconds.
I WOULD never have imagined it would take a guinea pig to make me marvel at the wonders of computer-generated effects.