1、Idioms 1, 2, 3, 4,Ace an exam,A piece of cake,Apple of his eye,Mad as a hornet,(Receive an almost perfect score),(Very easy),(Cherished person),(very angry),The exam was a piece of cake.,His daughter was the apple of his eye,I want to ace the exam on Friday,I was mad as a hornet when the thief stole
2、 my purse.,Idioms 5, 6, 7, 8,Nutty as a fruitcake,Axed,Bad mouth someone,Be my guest,(very crazy),(fired from a job),(to criticize someone),(help yourself),He acts nutty as a fruitcake when he drinks liquor.,He didnt think it was fair that he got axed from his job.,I dont like it when my friend bad
3、mouths someone.,Thanks for coming to the party. Please be my guest.,Idioms 9, 10,Big Cheese,Birthday suit,(top executive of acompany),(completely naked),Dress nice for work tomorrow because the big cheese is coming to see us.,A baby is cute in its birthday suit, but you arent!,Idioms 11, 12, 13, 14,
4、Broke,(have no money),Bull in a china Shop,(A clumsy or tactless person),Butter up or butter up to,(become friends by flattery),Catch Cold,(to become ill),I am really broke since the holidays.,I felt like a bull in a china shop when I knocked over my drink.,It was fun to butter up the secretary when
5、 I went for my job interview.,It is easy to catch cold when the weather is cold.,Idioms 15, 16, 17, 18,Cat got your tongue,(person is not willing to talkbecause of shyness),Chicken feed,(a small amount of money),Cold Turkey,(stopping something abruptly),Cough up,(To give money unwilling),I just have
6、 chicken feed left over after buying groceries.,He stopped smoking cold turkey.,He coughed up the money for the Charity Ball, even though he didnt want to.,The cat got her tongue when she was introduced to Chen.,Idioms 19, 20, 21, 22,Crack a book,(to study),Cry over spilled milk,(complain about some
7、thing that has happened),Cry wolf,Cup of tea,(To give a false alarm),(Something you enjoy or do well or easily),I would like to go to the movie, but I need to crack a book.,It doesnt do any good to cry over spilled milk.,If you cry wolf one more time, help wont come when you really need it.,Playing
8、the piano was her cup of tea.,Idioms 23, 24, 25, 26,Cut off your nose To spite your face,Dead ahead,Double cross,Double-talk,(To make things worse or yourself because of anger),(Exactly in front),(To promise one thing anddo another),(Wording somethingto be misunderstood),We saw the stop sign dead ah
9、ead.,It was silly of her to cut off her nose to spite her face.,I felt bad when my friend double crossed me.,I couldnt understand what they were trying to say because of all their double-talk.,Idioms 27, 28, 29, 30,Down in the dumps,(sad or discouraged),She was down in the dumps when her boyfriend d
10、idnt call her.,Drop a line,(To write and mail a note or letter),I dropped a line to my Grandmother.,Drop by or stop by,(to make a short or unplanned visit),I didnt know my grandparents were coming to town, but I was sure glad that they dropped by for a visit.,Drop dead,(Stop bothering me or go away)
11、,Dont keep asking me the same question, just drop dead.,Idioms 31, 32, 33, 34,Dutch Treat,(Everyone pays for his or her own way),Lets go dutch treat for lunch.,Eat your heart out,(Grieve long and hopelessly),You dont need to eat your heart out just because you didnt get an 100% on your exam.,Eat you
12、r words,(to be forced to take back something you said),Im going to make him eat his words.,Every Tom, Dick and Harry,(Everyone in general),Every Tom, Dick and Harry were at the party.,Idioms 35, 36, 37, 38,Fast buck,(money earned quickly and easily),He thinks gambling is a good way to earn a fast bu
13、ck.,Fat chance,(Little or no possibility),Fat chance that he will be able to lift that 500 pound weight.,Flea Market,(place where used items and antiques are sold),You can get a good bargain at the Flea Market.,Food for thought,(something that is worth thinking about),His presentation on the environ
14、ment Is food for thought.,Idioms 39, 40, 41, 42,Full of beans,(You dont know what You are talking about),He was full of beans when he was bragging about playing basketball as good as Michael Jordan.,Get off my back,(Leave me alone),I told her to get off my back.,Get to the point,(Talk about the impo
15、rtant Idea),It took the lecturer a long time to get to the point.,Give my right arm,(Willing to give something valuable to get something),Id give my right arm to know if she likes me.,Idioms 43, 44, 45, 46,Go jump in the lake,(Go away and stop bothering me),I told him to go jump in the lake after he
16、 had called me 10 times.,Green thumb,(Ability of garden successfully),He had a green thumb and could make anything grow in his garden.,Hang-up,(A delay in some process),There was a hang-up in getting our text books printed.,Hit the ceiling,(To become very angry),I hit the ceiling when he told me he
17、had wrecked my car.,Idioms 47, 48, 49, 50,Hit the hay (sack),(To go to bed),Im tired. Its time to hit the sack,Holy cow,(Expression of strong feeling similar to WOW!),Holy cow, hes so handsome,Hot water,(Having trouble),I got in hot water with my professor for not handing my report in on time.,Ill b
18、uy that!,(I agree with you),After my discussion with Tom, and he suggested I study harder, I said Ill buy that!,Idioms 51, 52, 53, 54,In a nutshell,(In a few words, briefly),Tell me about your weekend, in a nutshell.,In the red,(In an unsuccessful or unprofitable way),My bank account is in the red.,
19、Jump down my throat,(To suddenly become very angry with me),You dont need to jump down my throat, just because I didnt call you.,Kangaroo court,(Self-appointed disciplinary group unfair judgment),The students held a kangaroo court when they thought their advisor had been unfair.,Idioms 55, 56, 57, 5
20、8,Kick the bucket,(to die),You might kick the bucket too soon if you keep drinking and smoking.,Make believe,(to act as if something is true, pretend),It was hard to believe that movie was all make believe.,Make your mouth water,(to look or smell something very good to eat),That soup smells so good,
21、 it is making my mouth water.,Money to burn,Have more money than is necessary,He is so rich. He has money to burn.,Idioms 59, 60, 61, 62,Nail down,(to make sure),I want to nail down that interview for a new job.,Neck and neck,(a race or contest that is nearly equal),The race was neck and neck at the
22、 finish line.,No sweat,(easily accomplished),Its no sweat to catch a fish if you use the right bait.,Off the cuff,(Without preparation),I had to give a speech off the cuff.,Idioms 63, 64, 65, 66,On a shoestring,(with very little money),Many students go to school on a shoestring,Once in a blue moon,(
23、very seldom or never),He attends class once in a blue moon and still wants credit for it.,On the Q.T.,(Secretly),Dont tell me. Its suppose to be on the Q.T.,Out of the frying pan into the fire,(Out of one trouble into a worse trouble),The choice the teenager made put him out of the frying pan into t
24、he fire.,Idioms 67, 68, 69, 70,Pass away,(to die),The soldiers passed away while they were fighting for our freedom.,Piggy back,(to carry a child or a load on your back),He carried his little son piggy back up the mountain.,Pull your weight,(to do your full share of the work),The boss wanted you to
25、pull your weight on the new job.,Put a bug in your ear,(to give important information),He put a bug in my ear about the new project we were starting.,Idioms 71, 72, 73, 74,Raining cats and dogs,(a very hard rain storm.),Lets wait until it stops raining cats and dogs.,Right on,(thats correct),You wer
26、e right on about that book you recommended for me to read.,Run into,(to meet by chance),It was so fun to run into you.,Run that by again,(repeat what you just said),Please run that by me again. I couldnt hear you because the music was too loud.,Idioms 75, 76, 77, 78,Search me,(I dont know),Set the w
27、orld on fire,(to do something unusual or outstanding),When I graduate, Im going to set the world on fire.,Search me about the whereabouts of the cafeteria.,Shape up,(to begin to act or work right),Shape up or I will have to fire you from your job.,Shoot the breeze,(to talk),My friend and I like to s
28、it around and shoot the breeze.,Idioms 79, 80, 81, 82,Snowed,(overwhelmed with work),I cant go to lunch with you today because Im really snowed with work.,Snow job,(flattery to impress someone),He gave her a snow job before he asked her out on a date.,Sob story,(a story to make someone pity you),She
29、 told the class a sob story.,Step on it,(hurry),I asked him to step on it so I wouldnt miss my flight.,Idioms 83, 84, 85, 86,Stick up for,(to defend against attack),But teacher, I had to stick up for my sister.,Stick to your ribs,(very filling food that keeps you from getting hungry),Im glad I had r
30、ice for lunch. It sticks to my ribs so Im not hungry now.,Sweetie pie,(darling or sweetheart),My wife is my sweetie pie. I love her so much.,Take down,(to write or record),Please take down the instructions I am going to give you.,Idioms 87, 88, 89, 90,Take it easy,(to be careful),He said he wanted t
31、o take it easy after a hard day at work.,Take off,(to leave fast),The pilot said it was time to take off.,Take with a grain of salt,(to not believe everything),Take what he says with a grain of salt.,Throw a curve,(to mislead or deceive someone),Its not our policy to throw a curve in our meetings.,I
32、dioms 91, 92, 93, 94,Throw in the towel,(to give up or admit defeat),Im ready to throw in the towel on this project.,Thumb a ride,(to hitchhike),Hurry! Lets thumb a ride to Beijing.,Tie the knot,(to get married),Lets tie the knot during Chinese New Year.,Tighten your belt,(to live on less money than
33、 usual),We are going to have to tighten our belt this month.,Idioms 95, 96, 97, 98,Top banana,(top executive of a company),Mr. Wang was the top banana of his company.,Try on,(to put on clothes or shoes to see if they fit),May I pleaseTe try on this shirt.,Turn on,(to become interested in something),
34、Being in China, turns me on.,Up the creek,(in trouble or difficulty),I felt like I was up the creek without a paddle.,Idioms 99, 100, 101, 102,Up to par,(to be in good health or physical condition),I feel up to par today. Lets go for a hike.,Wait on tables,(to serve food as a waiter or waitress),I g
35、ot a job to wait on tables at TGI Fridays.,Walking on air,(to be happy and excited),I feel like I am walking on air since I got an A on the exam.,Watch it,(be careful),Watch it when you cross the street.,Idioms 103, 104, 105, 106,Wet behind the ears,(not experienced),He is wet behind the ears when i
36、t comes to working on the computer.,When hell freezes over,(never),When hell freezes over, then I will go on a date with him.,Worth his salt,(A very valuable person, usually an employee),Im glad we hired him. He is worth his salt.,Wrap up,(To put on warm clothes),Wrap up its cold outside today.,Idio
37、ms 107, 108, 109, 110,Yes man,(a person who always agrees with the boss),That new employee got this job because he is a yes man.,Hop to it,(get started),Hop to it on that new proposal.,Get on the ball,(do it),I told her to get on the ball.,Level with me,(tell me the truth),Come on and level with me.
38、,Idioms 111, 112, 113, 114,Hang in there,(stay with it),Hang in there until you have finished your assignment.,Off to a flying start,(things are going well),The class got off to a flying start.,Time flies,(time goes quickly),Time flies when you are having fun.,Lend me a hand,(help me),Please lend me
39、 a hand when I move to a new apartment next week.,Idioms 115, 116, 117, 118,Cutting it close,(made it in time),We were cutting it close when we took the bus to the airport instead of a taxi.,Knock me over with a feather,(surprised me),You could have knocked me over with a feather when you brought me
40、 those beautiful flowers.,Go fly a kite,(go away),Go fly a kite and leave me alone.,Hit the road,(get going),Lets hit the road if we are going to make it to Hong Kong.,Idioms 119, 120, 121, 122,Go haywire,(do wrong things),That gang of boys have gone haywire.,Like looking for a needle in a haystack,
41、(hard to find),To find my ring is like looking for a needle in a haystack.,Tough as leather,(hard to cut),The beefsteak I ordered was tough as leather.,Work yourself Into a lather,(get upset),Dont work yourself into a lather over your experiment.,Idioms 123, 124, 125, 126,Wiped out,(tired),I was rea
42、lly wiped out after the three hour test.,Out of this world.,(very good),Her presentation was out of this world.,Eat crow,(take back what you said),Its hard to eat crow when you say the wrong thing.,Eat humble pie,(admit your error),The boss insisted that I eat humble pie.,Idioms 127, 128, 129, 130,B
43、ark up the wrong tree,(going the wrong direction),He was barking up the wrong tree when he told us to turn left.,Chew the fat,(talk),I like to chew the fat with my friends.,Jump the gun,(start before you are ready),It is easy to jump the gun when you are running a race.,Buzz off,(go away),I told him
44、 to buzz off and leave me alone.,Idioms 131, 132, 133, 134,Whats the scoop,(latest news),Whats the scoop on the world oil prices?,He is flying high,(doing well),He is flying high since the business he started is doing so well.,He blew it,(not doing well),He blew it when he robbed the bank.,Looks for
45、 greener pastures,(not happy with what he has),Jim is always looking for greener pastures instead of being happy with what he has.,Idioms 135, 136, 137, 138,Dyed-in-the-wool,(committed to something),He is a dyed-in-the-wool soccer fan.,Caught in a bind,(difficult situation),He got caught in a bind w
46、hen he couldnt pay the loan off.,All tied up,(busy),Every time I called his cell phone, it was all tied up.,Time after time,(constantly, repeatedly),Ive told him time after time to get a haircut.,Idioms 139, 140, 141, 142,Call it a day,(finish for the day),Its time to call it a day.,Kill time,(waste
47、 time),I dont like to just kill time. I would rather do something productive.,Chip off the old block,(to be like or the same as someone)(father),Hes a chip off the old block. They both like the same thing.,Jailbird,(someone who is or has been in prison),We didnt know he had been a jailbird, until af
48、ter we had hired him.,Idioms 143, 144, 145, 146,Open hearted,(sincere, generous),Her daughter was open hearted.,Beside the point,(not pertinent),Saying sorry is beside the point. You took your friends backpack and wouldnt give it back.,Burst into tears,(to start crying suddenly),He burst into tears
49、when their team lost the championship game.,Cute as a bugs ear,(cute and loveable, refers to children),There new baby was cute as a bugs ear.,Idioms 147, 148, 149, 150,Cut corners,(to go by the shortest way, easiest way, not necessarily the best.,She tried to cut corners and found out she did it wrong.,Keep a straight face,(to prevent oneself from laughing when something is funny),It was hard to keep a straight face when he kept telling jokes.,Be on target,(to achieve a desired goal; to be correct),I wanted to be on target when I gave my presentation about enery.,
