Cup of coffee as baby lamb

Dialogue this morning around 8 a.m.  I’ve been up for 40 minutes, Sarah for ten.
Sarah, casting her eyes around the room with mild alarm: “whatever you do, don’t throw out my cup of coffee.”
Me: “I’d sooner tear away the baby lamb from the claws of the fierce tiger.”
Sarah: looks at me blankly.  “What?  Why wouldn’t [...]