标题: 美国习语天天记 American English Idioms [打印本页] 作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-14 16:44 标题: 美国习语天天记 American English Idioms
Smell a Rat
feel that something is wrong
感到不对劲儿
A: How come the front door is open? Didn't you close it before we went shopping?
B: I'm sure I did. I can't understand it.
A: Frankly, I smell a rat.
B: Me, too. I'm convinced that something is definitely wrong here.
A: We'd better call the police.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-15 10:55
Go to the Dogs
become run-down
A: Have you seen their house lately? It's really gone to the dogs.
B: It's true that it has become run-down and in serious need of repair, but I'm sure that it can be fixed up to look like new.
A: I guess with a little carpentry work and some paint it could look pretty decent.作者: wuqianizy 时间: 2008-4-15 13:04
继续作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-16 14:21
Fishy
Strange and suspicious
When the security guard saw a light in the store after closing hours, it seemed to him that there was something fishy going on. He called the central office and explained to his superior that he thought something strange and suspicious was occurring.作者: DZ 时间: 2008-4-16 15:59
Julie had always felt that she was missing out on a lot of fun because of her clumsiness on the dance floor. She had been putting off taking lessons, but she finally took the bull by the horns and went to a professional dance studio for help. She was tired of feeling left out and acted decisively to correct the situation.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-17 12:28
Horse of a Different Color
Quite a different matter
Eric likes to play jokes on his friends, but he makes sure that nobody is hurt by any of his pranks. A prank that hurts someone is a horse of a different color! Being playful is one thing, but hurting someone by one’s prank is quite a different matter.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-17 12:30
Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Inform beforehand
Bob was going to retire from teaching in June, and the foreign language department was planning on presenting him with some luggage at his retirement dinner. He wasn’t supposed to know about it, but someone let the cat out of the bag. At the dinner Bob acted surprised, even though someone had told him what he was getting before the official presentation.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-18 11:44
For the Birds
uninteresting and meaningles
毫无意义的；没趣的；乏味的
They went to a poetry reading, but they got bored and restless. As far as they were concerned, it was for the birds! They left during an intermission because they found the reading totally uninteresting and meaningless.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-19 16:14
Straight from the Horse's Mouth
from a reliable source
根据可靠的来源
A: How did you find out that Jill was engaged?
B: I got the information from a very reliable source.
A: You mean Jill told you so herself?
B: That's right. I got it straight from the horse's mouth!
A: Did you hear about Dave's back injury?
B: No. How did he get hurt?
A: Well, after the coach left the gym he decided to stay and horse around on the parallel bars. He somehow lost his grip and fell on his back.
B: That's too bad, but he shouldn't have been aimlessly playing around on the equipment without proper supervision.
A: Come on! Connie! Tell us what you think about our little ride down the rapids yesterday.
B: Well, uh...
A: Wasn't it exciting?
B: I, uh...
A: What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?
B: If you must know, I'm keeping quiet because I was scared out of my wits!作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-25 00:13
Shoot Off One's Mouth
express one's opinions loudly
信口开河；夸夸其谈
Jim doesn't play tennis very much, but he's always shooting off his mouth about how good he is. Yet he's fooling nobody. Jim is somewhat of a braggart and everyone knows that he gives opinions without knowing all the facts and talks as if he knew everything about the game.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-26 15:17
Tongue-In-Cheek
not serious
不是认真的，开玩笑的
A: Why were you teasing Sonia about her new hairdo? She really took offense at what you said.
B: I didn't mean to offend her. I was simply making a tongue-in-cheek remark when I said that it was too elaborate for a girl of her young, tender age.
A: Well, she thought you were serious. She had no idea that you were just saying that as a joke.
B: I'm really sorry. I suppose I owe her an apology.
take offence at
因...而生气, 见怪作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-27 12:19
Shake a Leg
Hurry!
赶快！
A: Mary, you always take such a long time to put on your makeup. Come on, shake a leg!
B: I'll be finished in a minute. Be patient.
A: You've got to hurry or else we won't arrive on time to see the last show.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-28 13:25
Not Have a Leg to Stand On
to have no good defense for one's opinions or actions
没有好的证据支持某人的言行
Tom maintains that the firm owes him some back wages for having worked overtime.
However, he won't have a leg to stand on unless he can prove that he put in all those extra hours. He doesn't stand a chance of getting his money without a strong foundation of facts to support his position.
back wages: 拖欠的工资作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-4-29 12:13
String Someone Along
lead someone on dishonestly
愚弄某人，欺骗某人
Liz had high hopes of marrying Dean. When he ran off with another woman, she realized that he was just stringing her along. She had felt very strongly about him and was really hurt to see that he was deceiving her and had no intentions of ever marrying her.作者: viscas 时间: 2008-4-29 16:34
Wooooool！! Sylvia_scj your are absolutely fantastic
some of the idioms I never heared about. its good to know and keep refreshing myself.作者: viscas 时间: 2008-4-29 16:42
hi Sylvia_scj
I was wornding do people use those idioms only in States? cause some of them I never heared about. Do people use them quiet often?
They are English idioms. So I don't think all the American people would use them. Just like in China, young people would say "酷毙了”, but not all Chinese people would use this expression.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-6 22:47 标题: 回复 22# 的帖子
A: I heard that poor Jud landed up in jail.
B: Yeah. His so-called girlfriend sold him down the river and claimed the reward on him.
A: I can't understand that. I thought she was devoted to him.
B: She couldn't have been very devoted to him if she betrayed him and informed the police about his hiding place.
A: That just goes to show you what people will do for money.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-11 22:36
Leave Someone High and Dry
abandon someone
抛弃某人；丢下某人不管
A: Say, Jill. I thought that John was going to help you out.
B: So did I. But he left me high and dry.
A: Where did he go?
B: Well, he got a call from some of his gals at work to go bowling, and he left me alone to do all this work without any help at all!作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-12 20:53
Sell Someone Short
underestimate someone
低估某人；轻视某人
Just because Tom does not say very much is no reason to sell him short. Actually, he's a profound thinker and a most talented writer. People tend to underestimate him and not give him the credit he deserves because they think he's shy.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-13 21:25
Spill the Beans
reveal a secret
泄密,说漏嘴
A: Did you know that Harry was going to take Kathy on a Caribbean cruise?
B: Yes, I did. He was planning on surprising her with the tickets for their anniversary, but someone spilled the beans.
A: What a shame! That was supposed to have been a surprise.
B: Yes, it's too bad that someone told her about the trip beforehand and ruined Harry's surprise.
A: That's OK. Her enthusiasm was not dampened in the least!作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-14 19:09
Feed Someone a Line
deceive someone
欺骗某人
Mr. Jones had been telling Louise how efficient she was and how much he admired her work at the office. He had promised her a promotion in the near future, but she soon discovered that he was feeding her a line when he passed her by and gave the promotion to someone less capable. Louise was acutely disappointed to find out that Mr. Jones was not telling her the truth, and that he was deceiving her.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-15 22:06
On Ice
搁置，暂缓
A: We've been working on this sales report for some time now. Don't you think we should take a break for some dinner?
B: Now that you mention it, I am kind of hungry. Let's put the report on ice awhile and grab a bite to eat.
A: That's fine. I'd be happy to stop working on it and set it aside until we get some food.
B: Great! Let's lock up and go.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-16 23:34
Shoot the Breeze
chat informally
闲聊
A: What are you going to be doing this afternoon?
B: Oh, I don't have anything in particular in mind.
A: Why don't you come over to my place? We can listen to some records and shoot the breeze.
B: That sounds OK to me. I'd like to relax listening to music and visit and chat informally until my folks get back from shopping.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-19 22:40
Bite the Dust
go down in defeat
一败涂地; 以失败告终
Andy did exceptionally well in all of the track events, but he bit the dust in the high jump competition. Much to the disappointment of his fans, he went down in defeat, losing to a competitor from the visiting team.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-20 21:57
Bend Over Backwards
try very hard
竭尽全力
When Joan first started teaching she didn't like the job very much. She thought it's too hard to be a good teacher. It turned out that she could be a great teacher and loved by all her pupils because she bent over backwards to do the teaching job.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-21 18:57
Hit the Hay
go to bed
去睡觉
A: Listen, Kim. We're going to be really busy with moving tomorrow, and we've got to get an early start.
B: I guess you're right. We'll need all the rest we can get.
A: What do you say we hit the hay now?
B: Agreed. Let's go to bed and get a good night's sleep. It's going to be a long day.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-23 20:59
Cough Up
give unwillingly
不情愿地给予
Say, Greg. Did you finally get that computer that you wanted so much?
Not yet. I needed to raise a couple of hundred dollars more.
Is it going to take you a while to raise the money?
It would have taken me forever, but dad said he'd cough up the money I need since I'm going to be using the computer for my school work.
Maybe it was difficult for your dad to give you the money - but then, he knows that it's for a good cause.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-26 20:44
Jump the Gun
to be hasty
性急的;匆匆的
Denise was planning on telling her grandparents that the doctor said she was going to have twins, but when her dad found out he jumped the gun and told them before Denise could say a word. He was so excited that he became hasty and revealed the news before Denise had a chance to tell them.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-27 20:51
Turn Someone Off
disgust someone
使某人感到厌烦
How was your date with Marty last night?
Well, it started off OK, but he really turned me off when we went for a snack after the movies.
Did he say or do something to annoy you?
Frankly, he disgusted me when he tried to talk with his mouth full.
I don't blame you. That would have really bothered me too.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-5-28 21:21
Go Fly a Kite
Go away!
走开!
For the past three hours Jerry had been trying to convince Linda to go to the art exhibition with him. She had been refusing all along and finally in desperation she told him, "Go fly a kite!" Jerry didn't like to be told to go away in such a forceful manner. Nevertheless, he finally stopped trying to get Linda to attend the exhibition.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-6-9 23:09
Keep Under One's Hat
keep something a secret
保密
Although the contestants were most anxious to know who won the prizes in the panio competition, the judges kept the results under their hats. They kept the results a secret so that the formal announcements could be made in public at the awards ceremony.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-6-11 19:55
Dressed to Kill
wear one's finest clothing
穿着某人最好的衣服
The reception for the new Swedish ambassador at the Jennison's was quite lavish. Naturally, everybody was dressed to kill. Since it was a formal occasion, everyone was dressed in their finest, most elegant clothes.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-6-13 20:34
Give Someone the Slip
make a getaway
逃跑
The police were chasing the thief through the streets of the city, but he managed to give them the slip. No wonder. There were so many people around that the thief managed to escape by getting lost in the crowds.作者: Sylvia_scj 时间: 2008-7-6 12:52
Knock Someone's Socks Off
enthuse and excite
狂热而激动
A: Hi, John. What's new?
B: Oh, nothing too much with me, but you ought to see Alfredo's new car. It'll knock your socks off!
A: So, he finally got that Italian sports car he's been dreaming about.
B: He sure did! When you see all the custom features that it has, you'll get so enthused and excited you won't know what to do!
A: Boy, I can hardly wait to go for a ride in it!
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