1、1现代英语口语表示法 500 例160 Ones brain child 某人的主意，某人想出来的等同于 ones original ideaones brain children（复数）The new ways of teaching which have been proved very effective are brain children of all teaching staff of our department. Have a chip on ones shoulder 叫阵，叫板He is not popular among his peers. He always seem
2、s to have a chip on his shoulder.此外该语还有“不满”，“对抗”的意思Mary has got a chip on her shoulder about not having obtained the scholarship.He is not merely a chip off the old block, but the old block itself.他不单只跟老头儿长得一模一样，简直就是老头儿本身。chip inTo contribute money or labor:捐钱或出力：We all chipped in for champagne.我们一齐
3、凑钱买了香槟To interrupt with comments; interject.插话；插入 Clam(蛤) up 守口如瓶，拒不开口，沉默不语I dont understand why my students are quite talkative during the break but all clam up in class. Take someone to the cleaners 使人囊中如洗，一贫如洗Dont ask me to play in a crap game. I dont want to be the cleaners. A cliff-hanger 扣人心玄的
4、事情Peter was nearly involved in a car accident. He called it a narrow escape. But it was really a cliff-hanger. Fight the clock 争分夺秒，与时间赛跑等同于 work against the clockIf you dont fight the clock to enrich yourself, you will surely be lagged behind soon. A clotheshorse 讲究穿戴的人Princess Diana was a real clo
5、theshorse. Its hard to imagine how much she had spent on clothes. Get hot under the collar 发怒，怒气冲天Make someone hot under the collar2He got hot under the collar when he found his bicycle was missing. Come through with flying colors 干得出色，大获成功In the 13th Asian Games, Chinese athletic team came through
6、with flying colors Show (reveal) ones true colors 原形毕露He always appears polite and gentle. But his quarrelling with others in dirty words show his true colors. Come up with 找出，想出，弄出，提出等同于 to produce, to find out, to think outAfter three days of deep thinking, the manager came up with an idea of prom
7、oting the products. Jump to conclusions 仓促的下结论Being a teacher, he shouldnt jump to conclusions that a student is not worth teaching simply because he fails one exam. To ones hearts content 心满意足Today is weekend. The lights wont go off after 11 oclock. We can chat to our hearts content.此外该语还有“随心所欲”的意思
8、Mary loves keeping diary. She can express her emotion to her hearts content. Lose ones cool 沉不住气反义词 keep ones coolIn the boxing match. Tyson lost his cool and bit Hollyfields ear. Play it cool 不露声色，沉着冷静Sampras, the No. 1 tennis player in the world, always plays it cool when he wins in the match. Be
9、rotten to the core 坏透了、烂透了Keep away from that boy. He is rotten to the core. cut corners 偷工减料、走捷径、图省事、节约Student is a serious thing. You cant expect to cut corners.cut corners 并不是都是贬义的，还表示节约，节省With only $100 left, he had to cut corners to make his journey back home. have a crush on someone 迷恋某人3Some
10、teenager girls got a crush on the film star be a far cry from.与相差甚远（一般用来表示水平或程度等的差距）Though Dick has tried hard, it is still a far cry from what his father expects of him. chew the cud(ka:d反刍的食物 )好好琢磨琢磨I dont want to jump to conclusions, I have to chew the cud on it for a few days. be cut out for.天生适
11、合于（用于否定句中）Thank you for your kindness, but I cant accept it. You know, Im not cut for a manager. be completely in the dark 一无所知，仍蒙在鼓里keep someone in the dark; be left(kept) in the darkHe is a dictator. Though Im the production manager, Im completely in the dark as what to do next. a blind date 初次约会J
12、ames was too excited to have dinner. He was having a blind date with Sue in the evening. have seen better days 今非昔比Look at our dean, He has seen better days. be out of ones depth 力所不及Liu was extremely happy to have been admitted to Oxford, but soon he found he was out of his depth in his major. give
13、 someone a dose of his own medicine 以其人之道还制其人之身On April Fools Day, my classmates made me an April Fool. Next year, Ill give him a dose of his own medicine. a drop in the bucket 沧海一粟He has suffered a lot in his life. Losing his job this time was only a drop in the bucket. play dumb with someone 装聋作哑I
14、ts no use playing dumb with teachers. They know very well their students. be down in dumps(抑郁 ) 垂头丧气，深情沮丧I burned midnight oil yesterday. So I feel down in the dumps today. make the dust fly 干得很起劲4Many volunteers are helping in the Olympic Games. They are making the dust fly without getting pay. go
15、easy on.酌情处理；节约使用；对手下留情I hope the teacher will go easy on me. Otherwise, Ill have no chance to pass the exam.当介词 on 的后面跟得是 something 的时候，此语用来是“节约使用”或“小心对待”Go easy on salt. We have to save some for the next meal. egg someone on to do something 怂恿，鼓动某人干某事Havent you seen him through? He can help you no
16、thing but egg you on to do illegal things. rub elbows with someone 和某人没有很深的交情I suppose Jack doesnt know me well. We have only rubbed elbows with other for several times. be at the end of ones tether(范围) 山穷水尽Mark feels worried because he cant write any new books. He is afraid that he is at the end of
17、 his tether. be at ones wits end 不知如何是好My boy is such a mischief-maker. I am at my wits end with him. be at loose ends 心里没有着落Many old people feel at loose ends after their retirement. make both ends meet 收支平衡The newly-wed couple found it hard to make both ends meet. be green with envy 羡慕极了Dont be gr
18、een with envy. He deserves the prize, since he has spent a whole month on that paper. be of the essence 绝对不可少，关键的As for study, diligence is of the essence. a poor apology for.蹩脚货，名不副实That travel agency was first-class, but it offered a poor apology for its service make an exhibition of oneself 出洋相5如
19、果表示总出洋相可以在 exhibition 一词前加上形容词， regularShe is a bit insane. She always makes a regular exhibition of herself by raging at almost everybody. keep an eye open 密切注视Keep an eye open for anyone who arouses your suspicion. see eye to eye with 与 意见一致Though they are twins, they never see eye to eye with eac
20、h other on anything. turn a blind eye on 装做没看见It is not right for teachers to turn a blind eye to those who cheat in the exam. feast ones eyes on.观赏，一饱眼福Yesterday we went to a fashion show. We really feasted our eyes on beauties and fancy clothes. have a face would stop a clock 奇丑无比The old lady has
21、a face that would stop a clock, but she is the helpful person I have ever met. keep a straight face 板着脸He likes telling jokes . But always keeps a straight face when others are shaking their sides with laughter. be fed up with.对烦透了My roommates are too noisy. Im really fed up with them. fall for.迷恋上S
22、he fell for that guy simply because he behaved quite differently from others. be riding for a fall 自讨苦吃That big country is riding for a fall if it keeps interfering with others internal affairs. play fast and loose with.敷衍了事，不正经干John played fast and loose with the girls affections.约翰玩弄那姑娘的感情。He play
23、ed fast and loose with the companys good name.他做事不顾公司名声。 play favorites with.对有偏心眼6The girl isnt on good terms with her parents. They play favorites with her little brother. put out a feeler to do.试探的反应The chairman put out a feeler to see peoples reactions to his election speech. be dead on ones fee
24、t 筋疲力尽Our boss regards us his slaves. Everyday after work I am dead on my feet. land on ones feet 安全摆脱困境With the loan from the bank, the company landed on its feet. stand on ones feet 自食其力The Chinese Communist Party decided to stand on their feet during the Liberation Campaign. People in Naniwan wer
25、e called upon to develop agriculture. sit on the fence 保持中立Who would you vote for? You bet I wont vote for him. He likes sitting on the fence on important issues. play the field 从事方面的活动，交住，不专一He is really a playboy, He likes to play the field and is never serious with any one girl. burn ones fingers
26、 因管闲事而吃苦头I always tell you to keep away from the scoundrels. Now you are burning your fingers. have sticky fingers 手不老实。有小偷小摸的陋习The old lady fired the maid because she had sticky fingers.61121 keep ones fingers crossed 祈求成功The leader was guilty of a serious dereliction of duty. He kept his fingers c
27、rossed that he could escape severe punishment. let something slip through ones fingers 眼睁睁地看着跑掉The lawyer studied the case very carefully. He wouldnt let something slip through his fingers. build a fire under someone 紧催促某人That guy is a slowpoke. I wish there were some way to build a fire under him.7
28、put a fire under someone 其主语一般是物，而不是人。 have other fish to fry 有其他要紧事要做Come on out! Forget about the exam, Youre got other fish to fry. a flash in the pan 昙花一现He used to be called a young entrepreneur. But soon he was forgotten by the public. He was a flash in the pan. a fly in the ointment 美中不足Mobil
29、e phone are quite popular nowadays, but they ring at any time in the public areas. It is a fly in the ointment. be nobodys fool 不傻，精明You can not easily take him in. It is obvious that he is nobodys fool. get off on the right foot 开门红Everything will go smoothly if we get off on the right foot. put on
30、es foot down 气愤的表示反对The boy wanted to quit school, but his father put his foot down. play footsy(调情, 挑逗, 脚) with.与调情Jack was so in love with Mary that he couldnt help playing footsie with her while having dinner. marry a fortune 嫁给了有钱人Scariet was in trouble, She wanted to marry a fortune and save th
31、e whole family. as sly as a fox 非常狡猾Though the suspect was as sly as fox, he had to admit his crime in front of solid evidence. a dime a dozen 数不清，很多Pagers were rare ten years ago. Now they are a dime a dozen. make free with.擅自使用Do you think Im a millionaire? Dont make free with my things. a freeloa
32、der 白吃白喝，爱占便宜的人In America, even if you live with your relative, you cant be a freeloader.8 a fair-weather friend 不能同患难的朋友I have searched my conscience, and believe I have never mistreated you. But you turned out to be a fair-weather friend. get stage fright 怯场，紧张The student got stage fright when he
33、stepped into exam room. add fuel to the flames 火上浇油The boy refused to make an apology to his father, which added fuel to the flames. have a barrel of fun 极开心Children had a barrel of fun in the masquerade. make fun of someone 取笑某人It is not right to make fun of the disabled. play to the gallery 哗众取宠，收
34、买人心 迎合低级趣味Hes so good at playing to the gallery, especially in front of girls. gang up on someone 结伙对付某人The local ruffians ganged up on the policemen. be in high gear 全力进行，快速进行Construction on the subway is in high gear. get away with.逃脱惩罚Law offenders cant get away with their offence. have the gimmi
35、es 患伸手病（来自小孩子 give me 的说法，后来就说成gimmies）Dont you know you have grown up? How shameful of you to have the gimmes. give as good as one gets 不服输，不示弱He is a small boy, but he gives as good as he gets in chess match. fit like a glove 恰倒好处，非常适合A: How do you like the frame? B: It fits like a glove. It well
36、matches with the room decoration. handle.with kid gloves 小心，谨慎对待9The antique is very precious. Youd better handle it with kid gloves. get someones goat 使人恼怒，惹人生气The way he boasted that he was an authority got my goat. for good 永远地I hope war will disappear for good in the world. be too good to be tru
37、e 好的令人难以置信Yesterday Joe received a letter saying that the company decides to offer her a job with a salary which was too good to be true. have the goods on someone 有某人犯罪的证据Fred was sure that he would win the case. He had the goods on the culprit. goof off 偷懒耍滑 goof n.呆瓜 vt.弄糟 vi.混, 打发时间, 出大错Williams
38、 has been goofing off at school and his report card shows it. through the grapevine 道听途说，小道消息I hear through the grapevine that Jim has been dismissed from his post. The grass is always greener on the other hill 这山望着那山高He write to his brother, persuading him to keep his mind on his work and not to th
39、ink the grass is always greener on the other hill. use elbow grease 费很大的劲头How long havent you cleaned your kitchen? Itll use elbow grease to get it shine again.elbow-grease 常指“费劲儿的体力活儿”You have to use a bit of elbow-grease to clean all windows. get the green light 得到批准Were got the green light from o
40、ur dean that we can have some changes on teaching curriculum.give the green light 给予批准，准许某人干The employees can have a day off. The director has given them the green light. grin and bear it 一笑忍之，相当于汉语的“逆来顺受”You have had enough insults from your boss. How can you grin and bear it?10 catch someone off g
41、uard 乘虚而入Within three days, the run-away was exhausted. He fell asleep in a basement. The police caught him off guard. hate somebodys guts 恨之入骨He dismissed my for no reason at all. I hate his guts. kick the habit 戒除恶习You are doomed to be broke one day if you dont kick the drug habit. get in somebody
42、s hair 惹恼某人Every day, salesmen come to my door. I cant concentrate on studied. They do get in my hair. let ones hair down 无拘无束Our supervisor is a stone-faced young lady. In front of her, you cant let your hair down and do what you desire. without turning a hair 保持冷静的态度，不动声色The president talked about
43、 the international situation without turning a hair. a half-wit 弱智者Do you think it is a good idea to send a half-wit to a normal school? bite the hand that feeds one 恩将仇报Sorry, I can tell you nothing about my master. Otherwise, I will be biting the hand that feeds me. gain the upper hand 占上风In stren
44、gth, their team gain the upper hand; but in skill, we can have a chip on our shoulder. have someone eating out of ones hand 使人完全服从某人的摆布Money can let him eating out of your hand. live from hand to mouth 勉强糊口With three children to support, the window had to live from hand to mouth. overplay ones hand
45、做的过火了，做得过头了11We may have overplayed our hand by urging him to give us an early reply. tip ones hand 无意中亮底Our rival was drunk. He tipped his hand by murmuring that his company will cut down the price of its products. try ones hand at.试着干Michael Jordan is a great basketball player, and he has ever tri
46、ed his hand at baseball. fly off the handle 大发雷霆Its no use flying off the handle. You can reason with us. play into someones hand 正中某人下怀Think it over. If we reduce the price, Im sure were playing into his hand. wash ones hands off something 洗手不干某事Mr. Butcher, with a long family history of gambling,
47、decided to wash his hand off gambling. get the hang of something 掌握某事的窍门Ive got the hang of the new computer system pretty soon. go haywire（捆干草用的铁丝,取去干草后的杂乱缠绕的铁丝）乱了套The computer opposes me. Everything goes haywire when I use it. bury ones head in the sand 逃避现实The environmental pollution is getting w
48、orse and worse. We cant bury our head in the sand, or the nature will punish us. make neither head nor tail of.对摸不着头脑Tim scribbled a note to me during the lecture. But I couldnt make head or tail of it. have ones head in the clouds 满脑子幻想I know you have been dreaming of becoming a professor. But you
49、shouldnt have you head in the clouds all the time. Settle down and do something. turn ones head 使某人满意All the praise she received, however, didnt turn her head.她受到的一赞扬并没有使她头脑不清醒，12He have his head turn by a concert of praise.他因受到异口同声的赞颂而忘乎所以。122181 have ones heart set on.一心想要Once he had his heart set on something, hell accept no t
