1、Practical English: 精彩习语汇总（41） 1.Short and sweet 简单明了例如：I was really tired after a hard day at the office. But the first thing I saw after I got home was this short and sweet note from my wife. It said: Im going out to have some fun. Please pick up the kids and get them something to eat.这位可怜的丈夫说：在办公室
2、忙了一天，我真是很累。可是，一回家首先看到的就是我太太留给我的这张简短的条子。条子上说：我出去玩。请接孩子，给他们吃点东西。2.full of beans 精力旺盛，情绪很好例如：Getting married seems to be good for our friend Joseph. Hes sure full of beans these days. He works a lot harder in the office and looks like hes enjoying life a lot more.结婚似乎对我们的朋友约瑟夫很有好处。最近，他确实是精力充沛。在办公室工作也比以
3、往更卖力。看来，他比以前高兴多了。3.to bad-mouth 说坏话，企图损坏他的名誉例如：I really get tired of hearing Sally bad-mouth her mother and father. She never says anything good about them, and yet I know they are good decent people who give her everything she wants.萨利老是说她父母怎么不好。我真是听得烦死了。她从来也没有说过他们什么好话。然而，我知道他们都是很好，很正派的人。不管萨利要什么，他们
4、都给她。4.on thin ice 各种危险的处境例如：Young man, unless you start turning in your assignments on time and pull up your test scores, I have to tell you that you are on thin ice in this class. Right now youre very close to failing.小伙子，我得告诉你，你现在在这个班里的学业情况很危险，除非你及时交作业而且提高你测验的分数。你现在的情况是近乎不及格。5.thin-skinned 脸皮很薄，对别
5、人的批评比一般人更为敏感例如：The trouble with Harry is that he is so thin-skinned. He does good work, but he must feel very unsure of himself. Ask him a friendly question about how his work is going and he thinks youre criticizing him.哈里的问题是他太敏感，脸皮太薄。他的工作很好，但是他肯定对自己缺乏自信。你要是很善意地问他他的工作进展如何，他就会认为你是在批评他。6.to bark up
6、the wrong tree 找错门了例如：If my brother-in-law hopes to borrow any more money from me, he will be barking up the wrong tree.“要是我的小舅子再想问我借钱，那他算是找错了门了。7.to fly off the handle 发火例如：Honey, please dont fly off the handle -I had a little accident with the car, but it certainly wasnt my fault.亲爱的，你可别发火。我出了一点小车
7、祸，但是那绝不是我的错。8.Pull your socks up 振作起来例如：I have bad news: our sales were off 18% for the last quarter. So Im telling you guys - you have to pull your socks up and get out there and sell more stuff, or youll be looking for new jobs this summer.我们上一季度的销售量下降了 18%，所以我告诉你们，你们赶快振作起来到外面去加紧推销。否则，你们今年夏天就要另外找工
8、作了。9.Pay through the nose 付出比真正的价值高得多的例如：Its a nice apartment but we have to pay through the nose of it. 这套房间挺不错的，不过价钱太贵。10.fat cat 很有钱、很成功的人例如：I hate to see fat cats showing off all their money, but I would sure love to be one myself. But I guess my only chance of being a fat cat is to win ten mill
9、ion dollars in the lottery.我不喜欢那些有钱人眩耀他们的钱，可是我自己也确实很想成为一个有钱人。但是，我要成为一个有钱人的唯一机会就是中一张一千万美元的彩票。1.under your nose 一样东西离你很近，但是你就是没有看到例如：Did you read in the paper how bold that robber was at the art museum? He cut three paintings from their frames and walked out with them right under the guards noses.你有没有
10、在报上看到关于那个去博物馆偷东西的贼有多么大胆的消息吗？他把三幅画从镜框里割了下来，然后就竟然在警卫的鼻子底下带出了博物馆。2.a black sheep 败家子例如：Uncle Joe is the black sheep in the family. Instead of getting a job, all he does is drink too much, gamble away any money he gets and chase after women.乔叔叔是他们家的败家子。他不是去找个工作，而是成天喝酒，有了一点钱就去赌，还老是玩女人。3.to brainstorm 群策群
11、力例如：Im sorry to tell you our client has turned down the ads we did for him. Lets meet at 2 oclock and brainstorm ideas.我很抱歉我得告诉你们，我们的顾客不喜欢我们替他录制的广告。让我们两点开个会，一起出主意再重新替他做广告。4.roll up ones sleeves (ready to take action) 准备做 例如：A: Whats up? You look so energetic today.有什么新鲜事？你今天看起来活力十足。B: Well, Im ready
12、 to roll up my sleeves and get to work on these reports.嗯，我已经准备好开始写这些报告了。5.snail mail (a sarcastic term for ordinary postal service) 蜗牛邮件（邮寄信件） 例如：A: Can you e-mail me the information about that music school?你能不能把那所音乐学校的资料以电子邮件的方式寄给我？B: Sorry, itll have to be snail mail because I dont have a compute
13、r.抱歉，恐怕得用邮寄方式寄给你，因为我没有电脑。6.to make hay 看到赚钱的机会就尽量从中获利例如：If you ask me, some oil companies are really making hay out of the Gulf crisis. They keep raising the price of a gallon of gas, even though the experts say theres enough gas to go around if people dont get greedy.要是你问我啊，我告诉你，有些石油公司乘着海湾危机而大发其财。他
14、们不断抬高每加伦汽油的价钱，尽管那些专家们说，只要人们不太贪心，汽油供应是足够的。7.a dog in the manger 占着茅坑不拉屎的人；占有有利条件却不会利用的人例如：A：Give the skates to me!把冰鞋给我！B：You shut up!你闭嘴！A：If you dont know how to skate, why dont you give the skates to me? Dont be a dog in the manger.你若不知道怎么滑冰，干吗不把冰鞋给我？别占着茅坑不拉屎了！8.out of the blue 从天而降，突如其来例如：She arr
15、ived out of the blue.她没有事先告知就来了。9.cupboard love 别有所图的爱例如:I dont think Tom actually loves his spinster aunt. Its simply cupboard love.我想，汤姆不是真心关怀他那个老去没嫁的姑母，只是爱她的财产罢了。10.pig in the middle 站在争执双方之间完全无能为力的人例如:The power struggle between the Republicans and Democrats has led to the stoppage of government
16、services, and we pigs in the middle have to put up with all the inconvenience.共和党跟民主党争权，使政府种种服务停顿，诸多不便，我们身在权争缝缝里，也只得忍受了1.ride roughshod over 对 为所欲为例如：He rides roughshod over his subordinates.他肆意欺凌属下。2.Put the screw on somebody 对人家施压力，强逼人家做一件事例如：As he refused to return the money, we had to put the sc
17、rews on him.他不肯还钱，我们只有出手段逼他还了。3.all skin and bones 皮包骨例如：Theres nothing sadder to see than a picture of children who are all skin and bones because they live someplace where most people dont get enough to eat.当你看到一张照片，上面全是皮包骨的孩子，因为他们生活的地方大多数人都吃不饱，看到这样的照片比什么都令人感到难过。4.Top-notch 最出众的人或其他东西例如：When Im in
18、 New York I always stay in this hotel. Everything here is top-notch: the rooms, the restaurants, the service. And its close to most of the places I want to go.我到纽约来的时候总是住在这个旅馆里。这儿的一切都是最高级的，这儿的房间，餐馆，他们的服务都非常好；而且这个旅馆离我要去的大多数地方都很近。5.crash course 速成班例如：Im busy taking a crash course in German because my
19、company is sending me to Berlin next month to open a branch office. Its hard work-four hours a day with my tutor and another four or five hours of study at home listening to tapes.我正忙于参加一个短期训练班学德文，因为我的公司下个月要派我到柏林去开一个分公司。这么学非常辛苦，每天跟老师学四个小时，然后回到家再听四、五个小时的磁带。6.Free- wheeler 不愿意遵守自己所属公司或机构的规章制度，自己喜欢怎么做就
20、怎么做的人例如：Joe got fired from that big company because they thought he was too much of a free-wheeler: he wouldnt fit into the system. Now hes working as a used-car salesman.乔伊被那家大公司解雇了，因为他们认为他不能按照公司的制度办事，过于自作主张。现在，他在一个卖旧汽车的地方做推销员。7.Green thumb 很会种花种菜的人例如：All my friends said that I have a green thumb.
21、They keep on asking me what I do to the plants at home as they look so shining and healthy. To tell you the truth, the only thing I do is watering them once a week.我的朋友都说我特别会种花。因为我家里的花草看起来油光光，长得很好。他们老是问我究竟用了些什么方法。说实话，我只不过就是一个星期浇一次水。8.Everything but the kitchen sink 几乎所有的一切例如：Gee, honey, do you reall
22、y need all that stuff for a three-day holiday - it looks like youve brought along everything but the kitchen sink.哟，亲爱的，就渡三天假，你真需要那么多东西呀？看来你几乎把所有东西都搬来啦!9.everything from soup to nuts 包罗万象例如：You ought to go and look around in that big new department store that just opened at the shopping mall. Ive ne
23、ver seen so many different things to buy in all my life - they sell everything from soup to nuts.你得去那个新开的百货公司看看。我一辈子也没见过有那么多不同的东西可买，他们出售的东西真是包罗万象，无奇不有。10.street smarts 是在大学里学不到的，只有在实际的生活经历中逐步得来的例如：I learned a lot of street smarts during the years when I had to walk through Times Square to my office
24、everyday. I walked with confidence, was aware of people around me and held on to my purse real tight.有几年，我每天去办公室都得走过纽约时报广场。在这段时间里，我学到好多关于如何防备坏人的本领。我走起路来总是显得很有信心，注意周围的人，同时紧紧地抓住我的皮包。1.cry baby 哭哭啼啼、抱怨日常生活中一些琐事的人例如：Bill, dont be such a cry baby about going to the dentist. Look at your little sister-she
25、s not making a fuss about it.比尔，别为了去看牙就哭哭啼啼的。看看你的妹妹，她就没有这样大惊小怪的。2.under a cloud 被怀疑做了什么坏事例如：The judge had to let him go because there wasnt enough evidence against him. But hes going around under a cloud because most people think hes guilty.法官由于没有足够的证据来定罪，所以只好放了他。但是，他到哪儿都受怀疑，因为大多数人都认为他是有罪的。3.basket
26、case 老是亏钱例如：This Balkan country used to be an economic basket case. 这个巴尔干国家的经济曾一度处于瘫痪状态。4.turn ones back on someone 不理会某人例如：I wont ever forgive my older brother. He turned his back on me and refused to lend me any money when I lost my job.我永远也不会原谅我的大哥哥。当我失去我的工作的时候，他根本不肯帮忙，一点钱都不愿意借给我。5.to scratch one
27、s back 某人帮了你一下忙，而这个帮你忙的人也期望你下回帮他的忙例如：Linda asked Ham to help her with her lesson Ham said, “You scratch my back and Ill scratch yours.“ 琳达请诲姆帮助她做功课，海姆说：“你帮助我做，我就帮你做。”6.all washed up 彻底完蛋例如：Did you hear that Glorias marriage is all washed up? She found her husband was seeing another woman, so she pac
28、ked up, took the kids and moved out. Now shes suing for divorce.你听说了没有，格洛里亚的婚姻是彻底完蛋了。她发现她的丈夫有外遇，因此她收拾起自己的东西，带着孩子搬出去了。现在，她向法院提出要离婚呢！7.nag 没完没了地唠叨例如：I like my boss except for one thing. Hes always nagging me about getting to work on time. Im never more than five minutes late, and thats only when the bus doesnt show up on time.我的老板什么都挺好，就是老是嘱咐我要按时上班，唠叨个没完。实际上，我即便晚到也从来也没有超过五分钟的，而那也只是在公共汽车晚到的时候才会发生。8.brainchild 脑子里产生的一个想法
