Food+Idioms食物与谚语.doc

Food IdiomsQuizIdiomMeaningExample Sentenceapple of ones eyea person that is adored by someoneBaby Jessica is the apple of her fathers eye.(have a) bun in the ovenbe pregnantI dont think Jan will come to the bar because she has a bun in the oven.bad egga person who is often in troubleI dont want my little brother hanging around with the bad eggs on the street.big cheesevery important person (VIP)I thought I was just going to interview the secretary, but they let me talk to the big cheese himself.bread and butternecessities, the main thingJust explain the bread and butter of your report. You dont have to go into details.bring home the baconearn the incomeMy husband has had to bring home the bacon ever since I broke my leg.(score) brownie pointsthings done or said that make someone else like you betterI scored brownie points with my teacher by bringing her a cup of coffee.butter someone upbe extra nice to someone (usually for selfish reasons)Well have to butter Angie up before we tell her the news about the broken vase.(have ones) cake and eat it toowant more than your fair share or needRick wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to be single but he doesnt want me to date anyone else.carrot topperson with red or orange hairSimon is the first carrot top Ive ever gone out with.cheesysillyI love reading cheesy romance novels because I dont have to think.cool as a cucumbervery relaxedI thought I was afraid of flying, but I was cool as a cucumber all the way to England.cream of the cropthe bestWe hired the cream of the crop to entertain us at the Christmas party.(dont) cry over spilled milkget upset over something that has happened and cannot be changedThe mirror is broken and we cant fix it. Theres no need to cry over spilled milk.cup of joecup of coffeeLets stop for a cup of joe before we head to work.(not my) cup of teasomething you enjoy (usually used negatively)Opera isnt exactly my cup of tea.egg someone onurge someone to do somethingThe gang tried to egg us on but we didnt want to fight.freeze ones buns offbe very coldI froze my buns off at the ice rink.full of beanshave a lot of (silly) energyThe kids were full of beans after the circus.gravy trainextremely good pay for minimal workThe unionized grocers have been enjoying the gravy train for twenty years.(have something) handed to someone on a silver platterreceive without working for somethingThe professors daughter had her college diploma handed to her on a silver platter.hard nut to crackdifficult to understand (often a person)Angelo is a hard nut to crack when something is bothering him like this.hot potatoa controversial or difficult subjectChoosing a location for our new store is a hot potato right now.in a nutshellsimplyIn a nutshell, Im having a bad day.nuts about something, someonelike a lotIm nuts about classical music these days.out to lunchcrazy or madHarry has been out to lunch ever since he lost his job.one smart cookiea very intelligent personYour daughter is one smart cookie. She reads much higher than her grade level.peach fuzzsmall amount of hair growthExcept for a bit of peach fuzz, the baby came out bald.piece of cakevery easyThe exam was a piece of cake.put all of ones eggs in one basketrely on one single thingEven though Im majoring in Art, Im taking a maths course because my Dad says I shouldnt put all of my eggs in one basket.souped upmade more powerful or stylishThe car was souped up with shiny rims and a loud stereo.sell like hot cakesbought by many peopleThe new Harry Potter books sold like hot cakes.spice things upmake something more excitingI wanted to spice things up in the office, so I bought some red and gold paint.spill the beansreveal the truthOn Monday, Im going to spill the beans about my travel plans.take something with a pinch (grain) of saltdont consider something 100% accurateTake Mandys advice with a pinch of salt. She doesnt always do her research.use your noodleuse your brainYoure going to have to really use your noodle on this crossword puzzle. Its an extra difficult one.Sports IdiomsQuizSports idioms generally originate from a specific sport such as baseball or sailing. Over time these phrases have come to mean something that can be used in everyday life. While most sports idioms can still be used when discussing sports, they are even more common in other areas of life, especially the business world. You can study these idioms just as you would any other vocabulary. Look at the model sentences and practise writing your own. When you think you have mastered all of the idioms, take the quiz and test your knowledge. More importantly, try using them at work, school, and social events. You will sound like a pro!Idiomsport of originMeaningExample Sentenceacross the boardcardsequal for everyoneTen percent raises were given across the board.at this stage in the gameany sportat this timeNobody knows who is going to win the election at this stage in the game.the ball is in your courttennisits your decision or responsibility to do something nowDo you think I should accept the job offer?Dont ask me. The ball is in your court now.bark up the wrong treehuntingyouve got the wrong person or ideaI think youre barking up the wrong tree by blaming Matt for the missing money.blind-sidedany sportto not see something comingGeorge blind-sided Eric with his fist at the bar.blow the competition awayany sportwin easilyIf you wear that dress to the beauty pageant you are going to blow the competition away.call the shotsbilliardsmake the decisionsWhile our boss is on vacation, Bob will call the shots.chip ingamblinghelp by donating money or timeThe staff members chipped in 5 dollars each to buy Jody a birthday gift.down to the wirehorse racingright at the endIts coming down to the wire to get these done on time.front runnertrackone of the people who is expected to winAngela is a front runner for the new supervisor position.get a head starthorse racingstart before all othersThey gave the walkers a head start in the run for cancer.get into the full swingtennisbe comfortable doing something after some timeIt will probably take a month of working at my new job before I get into the full swing of things.get off the hookfishingescape, have responsibility removedThe child got off the hook for stealing because the security camera was broken.give something or someone a fair shakegamblingtry for a while before giving upYou should give Nadine a fair shake before you decide she isnt good enough for the job.get a second windsailinghave a burst of energy after tiringI was exhausted after 3 kilometres of running, but I got a second wind after I passed the beach.give it your best shothuntingtry your hardestGive it your best shot and you may just make it to the finals.give one a run for ones moneyhorseracingtry ones hardest to defeat another personI know the other team is expected to win, but lets give them a run for their money tonight.go overboardsailingdo or say more than you need toYou cant believe everything Janice says about Rick. She tends to go overboard when shes complaining about him.go to bat for someonebaseballdefend someoneAndy is asking for a salary increase, and Im going to go to bat for him if the boss says no.have the upper handcardshave a better chance of winning or succeedingThe Blues have the upper hand in the tournament, because none of their players is injured.hit below the beltmartial artsdo or say something that is very unfair or cruelAmanda was hitting below the belt when she called Adrian an unfit father.hit a snagboatingcome up against a problemThe renovations were going along great until we hit a snag with the carpet installation.hold all the acescardsexpected to win or succeedThe children hold all the aces when it comes to the father-son baseball tournament.the home stretchbaseballalmost the endI think Alices pregnancy is in the home stretch.hot shot (big shot)huntinga person who thinks they are the bestEven though Luke only placed 20th in the ski race, he thinks hes a hot shot.jump the guntrackstart too earlyI guess I jumped the gun by buying Pam and Steve a wedding gift. They called off the engagement.keep ones head above waterswimmingtry not to fall behind in work or other dutiesWe are so busy during the tourist season I can barely keep my head above water.learn the ropessailingunderstand new thingsThe first week on the job you will just be learning the ropes.let her ripboatinggo ahead nowOkay, here are the keys to your new car. Let her rip!level playing fieldany field sporteveryone has an equal chanceThe spelling bee is a level playing field because all of the kids are in grade nine.long shothuntinga very difficult thing to accomplishJim thinks we can afford the house, but I think its a long shot.make the cutany sportbe chosen to be part of a team or groupI didnt get a second interview, so Im pretty sure I wont make the cut.neck and neckhorse racingto be in a close tie with someoneGeorge and Stan are neck and neck in the hockey pool. Either of them could win the money.no sweatany sportno problemI told Lily it was no sweat for us to babysit next weekend.not playing with a full deck of cardscardsnot having full brain capacityI think Jerry was still drunk at work on Sunday because he wasnt playing with a full deck of cards.not up to pargolfnot good enough for a job or positionIm afraid your resume isnt up to par for the engineering position.to be off basebaseballnot making a fair or true remarkYou were way off base when you said Bill needed to lose weight.on targetdartsdoing the right thing to succeedWe are on target to meet our budget this month.on the ballbaseballready and ableThe new receptionist is really on the ball when it comes to answering the phone.out in left fieldbaseballnowhere near being true, nowhere near doing something correctlyAll of the students laughed when Joe gave an answer that was out in left field.out of someones leagueteam sportnot as good as someoneId like to date Maria, but Im afraid Im out of her league.par for the coursegolfan expected circumstanceWaiting in line is par for the course at Christmas time.plenty of other fish in the seafishingthere are many other men and women to dateI know you still love Jack, but remember there are plenty of other fish in the sea.race against timetrackthere is almost no time left to accomplish somethingIts a race against time to find a kidney donor for my cousin.settle a score with someoneany sportget even with a person after a previous battleMy brother wants to settle the score with that guy who stole my wallet.shot in the darkhuntinga guessI was lucky to win the quiz. All my answers were shots in the dark.skate on thin iceskatingdo something risky, take a chanceYoure skating on thin ice by not sending in your college application before now.start the ball rollingball sportsbegin somethingPlease can everyone be seated so we can start the ball rolling.step up to the platebaseballdo the honourable thing, take responsibilityIts time you stepped up to the plate and apologized for your mistake.take a rain checkbaseballaccept at a later timeSorry, I cant go to the movies today, but Id love to take a rain check.take sidesany sportchoose a person or group to supportI hate to take sides, but I think Jerry is right about the paint colour.take the bull by the hornsbull fightingaccept the challenge and try your hardestEven though this new job will mean relocating, I think you should take the bull by the horns for once.take the wind out of ones sailssailingmake someone feel deflatedI think I took the wind out of Angelas sails when I told her she was a terrible singer.throw in the towelboxinggive upIf they dont accept our offer this time we are going to throw in the towel and look at houses elsewhere.time outany sportbreakLets take some time out and grab a coffee.three strikes and youre outbaseballyou only get three chancesThe schools no smoking policy is three strikes and youre out.two strikes againstbaseballyou only have one chance remainingNancy is going to be fired in no time. She already has two strikes against her for coming in late.under the tablegamblingillegallyI dont have a work visa, so they have to pay me under the table.win hands downgamblingeasy victoryThe other team was missing half of its players. We won hands down.Clothing IdiomsQuizIdiomMeaningExample Sentenceat the drop of a hatwithout needing any advance noticeMy Grandma will babysit for anyone at the drop of a hat.(have a) bee in ones bonnetsomething that is annoying someoneMilan has had a bee in his bonnet all day, but he wont tell me whats wrong.below the beltbeyond what is fair or socially acceptableHis comment about Manfreds handicap was below the belt.bursting at the seamsnot fitting anymoreI ate too much. Im bursting at the seams in these jeans.caught with ones pants downunpreparedMy students caught me with my pants down on Monday. I forgot about the field trip.(have a) card up ones sleevehave a secret or reserve planI think Josh has a card up his sleeve cause he wants me to wear a dress to the fast-food restaurant.buckle downwork extra hardIts almost exam time, so I need to buckle down this weekend.burn a hole in ones pocketmoney that one is tempted to spendLets go to the mall after school. Theres a hundred dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket.dress to kill, dress to the ninesdress in nice or sexy clothesMy cousin was dressed to kill on her birthday.fit like a glovefit perfectly (tight to ones body)Anitas prom dress fits me like a glove.fine-tooth combin great detail, extremely carefullyThe police looked for fingerprints with a fine-tooth comb.fly by the seat of ones pantsdo by instinct, not by planI had never taught art to kids before. I had to fly by the seat of my pants.handle with kid glovestreat delicatelyPlease handle my grandmothers tea set with kid gloves.hand-me-downused clothingWe buy hand-me-down skates because the kids feet grow so quickly.hat trickthree goals scored by one personThe fans cheered when the hockey player got a hat trick.in ones birthday suitin the nudeThe swimmers in the lake were in their birthday suits.keep ones shirt ontry to stay calmI know youre in a hurry, but please keep your shirt on.keep something zippedkeep something a secretWe know were having a boy, but were keeping it zipped from the grandparents.off the cuffsaid without planningI didnt have a speech prepared. Everything I said was off the cuff.pull up ones sockstry harderMarco will have to pull up his socks if he wants to make the football team.put a sock in itstop talkingPut a sock in it! Im trying to tell a story.put ones thinking cap onthink hard in order to solve a problemI cant remember where the Christmas decorations are. Ill have to put my thinking cap on.put oneself in someone elses shoesimagine what it would be like to be in someone elses situationPut yourself in Ambers shoes. She doesnt even have a car to drive.ride ones coattailslet someone else do all of the workIt was a group project, but everyone rode Andrews coattails.roll up ones sleevesget down to hard workThe celebrities rolled up their sleeves and washed cars for charity.take ones hat off to someonerecognize or honour someone for somethingI take my hat off to Jim. The doctors said hed never walk, and he just ran a marathon.wear ones heart on ones sleevedisplay emotions openlyMy Dads not afraid to cry. He always wears his heart on his sleeve.wear the trousersbe in charge, make the rulesBy the looks of things, the kids wear the trousers in this household.Animal IdiomsQuizIdiomMeaningExample Sentenceants in ones pantsunable to sit still or remain calm out of nervousness or excitementLisa had ants in her pants the day before her interview.(the) birds and the beessex educationI learned about the birds and the bees when my baby brother was born.cat napa short sleepIm going to have a cat nap while youre cooking dinner.cats got ones tonguesaid about someone who doesnt speak (usually due to shyness)It looks like the cats got your tongue, Lucy. Are you always this quiet?chicken outto decide not to do something out of fear (usually just before)I was going to take a ride on Geoffs motorcyle, but I chickened out when he gave me a helmet to wear.clam upbecome quiet suddenlyArthur clammed up when I asked him about his family.copy cata person who does the same thing as someone elseMy sister is such a copy cat. First she bought the same car as me, and now shes applying to my school.dog daysvery hot daysI sleep in the basement during the dog days of August.dropping like fliesdying/giving up quicklyMy roses are dropping like flies in this early frost.eager beavera person who is excited about doing certain workEver since he got his new drill set my husband has been an eager beaver around the house.fishyodd, suspiciousI knew something fishy was going on when I saw all of my friends cars in my moms driveway.have a cowget extremely u