english idioms.doc

1. English Idioms A day late and a dollar short-If something is a day late and a dollar short, it is too little, too late. 太少也太晚；只差一点，但后果严重 A criticism of a person who never succeeds. The failures may not be drastic but the pattern of small failures is annoying to others, especially in two areas that American value as highly as time and money. Achilles heel-A persons weak spot is their Achilles heel. 唯一致命的弱点Acid test-An acid test is something that proves whether something is good, effective, etc, or not. 严峻的考验；决定性考验Across the board-If something applies to everybody, it applies across the board. 适合每个人；包括所有团体或成员Against the grain-If doing something goes against the grain, youre unwilling to do it because it contradicts what you believe in, but you have no real choice. 违背心愿做，格格不入Ahead of the pack-If you are ahead of the pack, you have made more progress than your rivals. 鹤立鸡群All along-If you have known or suspected something all along, then you have felt this from the beginning. 自始自终All ears-If someone says he is all ears, he is very interested in hearing about something. 聚精会神地听，洗耳恭听All fingers and thumbs-If youre all fingers and thumbs, you are too excited or clumsy to do something properly that requires manual dexterity. All thumbs is an alternative form of the idiom. 笨拙，笨手笨脚All heart-Someone who is all heart is very kind and generous. 和蔼可亲All over the place-If something is completely disorganized or confused, it is all over the place. 乱七八糟All skin and bone-If a person is very underweight, he is all skin and bone, or bones. 骨瘦如柴All the tea in China-If someone wont do something for all the tea in China, he wont do it no matter how much money he is offered. 一切，金山银山An old flame-An old flame is a person that somebody has had an emotional, usually passionate, relationship with, who is still looked on fondly and with affection. 旧情人Any Tom, Dick or Harry-If something could be done by any Tom, Dick or Harry, it could be done by absolutely anyone. 不管张三李四Apple of ones eye-Something or, more often, someone that is very special to you is the apple of your eye. 极珍爱之人或物，掌上明珠Arm and a leg-If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive. 昂贵Armchair critic-An armchair critic is someone who offers advice but never shows that he could actually do any better. 不做调查研究的批评家，纸上谈兵的人Armed to the teeth-If people are armed to the teeth, they have lots of weapons. 全副武装Arrow in the quiver-An arrow in the quiver is a strategy or option that could be used to achieve your objective. 策略，可用之计As one man-If people do something as one man, then they do it at exactly the same time or in complete agreement. 一致As the crow flies This idiom is used to describe the shortest possible distance between two places. 直线地; 最短距离地At a loose end-If you are at a loose end, you have spare time but dont know what to do with it. At ones loose ends is an alternative form of the idiom.闲着，无所事事At deaths door-If someone looks as if he is at deaths door, he looks seriously unwell and might actually be dying. 生命垂危，鬼门关At each others throats-If people are at each others throats, they are fighting, arguing or competing ruthlessly. 激烈搏斗或争论At odds-If you are at odds with someone, you cannot agree with him and argue. 争执, 不一致At sea-If things are at sea, or all at sea, they are disorganized and chaotic. 茫然，迷惑At the drop of a hat-If you would do something at the drop of a hat, youd do it immediately. 随时, 立刻; 动不动就., 一有机会就At the end of ones rope-If you are at the end of your rope, you are at the limit of your patience or endurance. 忍无可忍At ones wits end-If youre at your wits end, you really dont know what you should do about something, no matter how hard you think about it. 智穷计尽Axe to grind-If you have an axe to grind with someone or about something, you have a grievance, resentment and you want to get your revenge or sort it out. In American English, it is ax. 心中别有企图，别有用心Baby boomer-A baby boomer is someone born during 1945-1965, a period when the population was growing fast. 婴儿潮出生的人Back number-Something thats a back number is dated or out of fashion. 过期刊物, 过时(或老式)的人(或物),老古董Back the wrong horse-If you back the wrong horse, you give your support to the wrong person下错赌注Back to square one-If you are back to square one, you have to start from the beginning again.问题回到原态,并没有解决Bad blood-If people feel hate because of things that happened in the past, there is bad blood between them.恨, 恶感Bad egg-A person who cannot be trusted is a bad egg. Good egg is the opposite. bad 坏蛋,坏家伙,不可信任的人Bad taste in ones mouth If something leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, you feel there is something wrong or bad about it. 感觉不对劲Bakers dozen -A Bakers dozen is 13 rather than 12. Bare ones heart-If you bare your heart to someone, you tell him you personal and private feelings. 敞开心扉Barefaced liar-A barefaced liar is one who displays no shame about lying even if he is exposed. 厚颜无耻的撒谎者Barrel of laughs-If someone has a barrel of laughs, he is always joking and you find him funny. 一肚子的笑料Be that as it may-It is an expression which means that, while you are prepared to accept that there is some truth in what the other person has just said, its not going to change your opinions in any significant manner. 尽管是这样，不管怎么样Bear fruit-If something bears fruit, it produces positive results. 结果实; 发生效果Beat about the bush-If someone doesnt say clearly what he means and try to make it hard to understand, he is beating about (around) the bush. 旁敲侧击Behind closed doors-If something happens away from the public eye, it happens behind closed doors. 与外界隔绝地; 秘密地Behind someones back-If you do something behind someones back, you do it without telling him. 在某人的背后Behind the times-Someone that is behind the times is old-fashioned and has ideas that are regarded as out-dated. 落伍；赶不上时代Below par-If something isnt up to standard, or someone isnt feeling or doing very well, he is below par. 低于平均水平，中等以下Below the belt-If someone says something that is cruel or unfair, it is below the belt, like the illegal punches in boxing. 拳击手腰带以下部位(击此部位为犯规行为) 不正当地Bend over backwards-If someone bends over backwards, he does everything he can to help someone. 尽最大的力量(做某事)Better safe than sorry-This idiom is used to recommend being cautious rather than taking a risk. 宁可不做也不要做错Better than a stick in the eye-If something is better than a stick in the eye, it isnt very good, but it is better than nothing. 比没有好Between the devil and the deep blue sea-If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a dilemma; a difficult choice. 进退维谷Between the lines-If you read between the lines, you find the real massage in what youre reading or hearing, a meaning that is not available from a literal interpretation of the words. 暗示, 言外之意Beyond a shadow of a doubt-If somethings beyond a shadow of a doubt, then absolutely no doubts remain about it. 毫无疑问Beyond belief-If people behave in such a way that you find it almost impossible to accept that they actually did it, then you can say that their behavior was beyond belief. 令人难以置信Beyond ones ken-If somethings beyond your ken, it is beyond your understanding. 超过某人的知识范围Beyond the pale-If somethings beyond the pale, it is too extreme to be acceptable morally or socially. 越轨行为；不妥当的行为Big bucks-If someone is making big bucks, he is making a lot of money. 大款Big fish in a small pond-A big fish in a small pond is an important person in a small place or organization. 矮子当中的高个Bigger fish to fry-If you arent interested in something because it isnt important to you and there are more important things for you to do, you have bigger fish to fry. 可以另谋高就，有更好的机会Birds eye view-If you have a birds eye view of something, you can see it perfectly clearly. 鸟瞰Bite the bullet-If you have to bite the bullet, you have to accept or face something unpleasant because it cannot be avoided. 无法推托Bite the dust-This is a way of saying that somebody has died, especially if he is killed violently like a soldier in battle. 一败涂地Bitter end-If you do something to the bitter end, you do it to the very end, no matter how unsuccessful you are. 最后, 结局,到底,至死Black and white-When it is very clear who or what is right and wrong, then the situation is black and white. 白纸黑字Black sheep-Someone who is the black sheep doesnt fit into a group or family because his behavior or character is not good enough. 害群之马, 败家子Bleeding heart-A bleeding heart is a person who is excessively sympathetic towards other people. 软心肠的,对社会问题太感伤的人, 假装同情者Blessing in disguise-If some bad luck or misfortune ultimately results in something positive, its a blessing in disguise. 塞翁失马Blink of an eye-If something happens in the blink of an eye, it happens so fast it is almost impossible to notice it. 一眨眼Blood, sweat and tears-If something will take blood, sweat and tears, it will be very difficult and will require a lot of effort and sacrifice. 挥泪洒汗，全力以赴Blow hot and cold-If you blow hot and cold on an idea, your attitude and opinion keeps changing; one minute you are for it, the next you are against. 摇摆不定Blow out of the water-If something, like an idea, is blown out of the water, it is destroyed or defeated comprehensively. 烟消云散Blow ones own trumpet-If someone blows his own trumpet, he boasts about his talents and achievements. 自吹自擂Blue blood-Someone with blue blood is royalty. 贵族血统Bolt from the blue-If something happens unexpectedly and suddenly, it is a bolt from the blue. 晴天霹雳Bone of contention-If there is an issue that always causes tension and arguments, it is a bone of contention. 争论的焦点主题, 争端Bone to pick-If you have a bone to pick with someone, you are annoyed about something he has done and want to tell him how you feel. 挑剔Born to the purple-Someone who is born to the purple is born in a royal or aristocratic family. (Born in the purple is also used.) 出身贵族Born with a silver spoon in ones mouth-If you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you are born into a rich family. 含金钥匙出生的Bottom line -In accountancy, the bottom line is net income, and is used idiomatically to mean the conclusion. 最后的结局，底线Box and dice-Box and dice means everything. 一切Boxing and coxing-If people are boxing and coxing, they are sharing responsibilities so that one of them is working while the other isnt. It can also be used when couples are sharing a house, but their relationship has broken down and when one is at home, the other stays out. 轮流做某事Break ground-If you break ground, or break new ground, you make progress, taking things into a new area or going further than anyone has gone before. Ground-breaking is used an adjective. 创办Break the ice-When you break the ice, you get over any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start conversing. 打破冷场Bring the house down-Something that brings the house down is acclaimed and praised vigorously. 掌声雷鸣Bull in a china shop-If someone behaves like a bull in a China shop, he is clumsy when he should be careful. 笨拙Burn the midnight oil-If you stay up very late working or studying, you burn the midnight oil. 开夜车Burn ones bridges-If you burn your bridges, you do something that makes it impossible to go back from the position you have taken. 破釜沉舟Bury the hatchet-If you bury the hatchet, you make peace with someone and stop arguing or fighting. 言归于好；和解Bury ones head in the sand-If someone buries his head in the sand, he ignores something that is obviously wrong. 采取鸵鸟政策Busmans holiday-A busmans holiday is when you spend your free time doing the same sort of work as you do in your job. 用来作日常工作的假日By hook or by crook-If you are prepared to do something by hook or by crook, you are willing to do anything, good or bad, to reach your goal. 不择手段By leaps and bounds-Something that happens by leaps and bounds happens very quickly in big steps. 大踏步地By the back door-If something is started or introduced by the back door, then it isnt done openly or by following the proper procedures. 走后门By the book-If you do something by the book, you do it exactly as you are supposed to. 按常规, 照惯例By word of mouth-If something becomes known by word of mouth, it gets known by being talked about rather than through publicity or advertising, etc. 口头地Call a spade a spade-A person who calls a spade a spade is one speaks frankly and makes little or no attempt to conceal their opinions or to spare the feelings of their audience. 直言不讳Carry the can-If you carry the can, you take the blame for something, even though you didnt do it or are only partly at fault. 代人受过，背黑锅Cast doubt on-If you make other people not sure about a matter, then you have cast doubt on it. 怀疑Castles in the air-Plans that are impractical and will never work out are castles in the air. 空中楼阁Catch someone red-handed-If someone is caught red-handed, he is found doing something wrong or illegal. 当场抓住Change horses in midstream-If people change horses in midstream, they change plans or leaders when they are in the middle of something, even though it may be very risky to do so. 中流换马, 在危急中作出重大的变动，中途换将Change of heart-If you change the way you think or feel about something, you have a change of heart. 改变看法Change tack-If you change tack, you use a different method for dealing with something. 改变策略Chew the cud-If you chew the cud, you think carefully about something. 反刍, 深思Clean hands-Someone with clean hands, or who keeps his hands clean, is not involved in illegal or immoral activities. 洁身自好; 清白无辜Close the stable door after the horse has bolted-If people try to fix something after the problem has occurred, they are trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. Close the barn door after the horse has bolted is alternative, often used in American English. 亡羊补牢Close to your heart-If something is close to your heart, you care a lot about it. (Dear to your heart is an alternative.) 亲切的Cloud nine-If you are on cloud nine, you are extremely happy. 极乐心境,狂喜状态Cloud of suspicion-If a cloud of suspicion hangs over an individual, it means that he is not believed or is distrusted. 疑云Come out in the wash-If something will come out in the wash, it wont have any permanent negative effect. 真相大白Come with the territory-If something comes with the territory, it is part of a job or responsibility and just has to be accepted, even if unpleasant. 不可推卸的责任Comfort zone-It is the temperature range in which the body doesnt shiver or sweat, but has an idiomatic sense of a place where people feel comfortable, where they can avoid the worries of the world. It can be physical or mental. 适宜室温(范围)Cook someones goose-If you cook someones goose, you ruin his plan. 破坏某人的计划Couch potato-A couch potato is an extremely idle or lazy person who chooses to spend a lot of time sitting and watching TV.电视迷Crash a party-If you crash a party, or are a gatecrasher, you go somewhere you havent been invited to. 做不速之客Cry wolf-If someone cries wolf, he raises a false alarm about something. 谎报军情, 发假警报Cut and dried-If something is cut and dried, then everything has already been decided and, in the case of an opinion, might be a little stale and predictable. 已成定局的, 干巴巴的Dark horse-If someone is a dark horse, he is a bit of a mystery. 黑马；竞赛中出人意料的获胜者Daylight robbery-If you are overcharged or underpaid, it is a daylight robbery; open, unfair and hard to prevent. 明抢，索价过高Dead in the water-If something is dead in the water, it isnt going anywhere or making any progress. 一潭死水Dead mens shoes-If promotion or success requires replacing somebody, then it can only be reached by dead mens shoes by getting rid of them. 排挤某人Dear John letter-A letter written by a partner explaining why he is ending the relationship is a Dear John letter. 女友给男方的绝交信Diamond in the rough-A diamond in the rough is someone or something that has great potential, but isnt not refined and polished. 有潜力但还不老练的人Dog eat dog-In a dog eat dog world, there is intense competition and rivalry, where everybody thinks only of himself or herself. 人吃人的 Dog in the manger-If someone acts like a dog in the manger, he doesnt want other people to have or enjoy things that are useless to them. 占着茅坑不拉屎的人Dog tired-If you are dog tired, you are exhausted. 筋疲力尽Dogs life-If some has a dogs life, they have a very unfortunate and wretched life. 牛马不如的生活Dog-eared-If a book is dog-eared, it is in bad condition, with torn pages, etc. 书角翘起来的Double-edged sword-If someone uses an argument that could both help him and harm him, then he is using a two-edged sword; it cuts both ways. 双刃剑Drink like a fish-If someone drinks like a fish, he drinks far too much alcohol. 牛饮Drop in the bucket-A drop in the bucket is something so small that it wont make any noticeable difference. 沧海一粟, 九牛一毛Dwell on the past-Thinking too much about the past, so that it becomes a problem is to dwell on the past. 缅怀过去Eat humble pie-If someone apologizes and shows a lot of contrition for something he has done, he eats humble pie. 忍气吞声Eat like a bird-If someone eats like a bird, he eats very little. 吃得极少; 饭量很小Eat like a horse-Someone who eats like a horse, eats a lot. 大吃Eat like a pig-If some eats like a pig, they either eat too much or they have bad table manners. 吃相难看Every trick in the book-If you try every trick in the book, you try every possible way, including dishonesty and deceit, to get what you want. 千方百计Explore all avenues-If all avenues are being explored, then every conceivable approach is being tried that could possibly get the desired result. 千方百计Face like thunder-If someone has a face like thunder, he is clearly very angry or upset about s