Language Café

carte blanche (Cartu Blaansh) 空白支票 (全权)委托After the assassination of Archeduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Germany gave Austria-Hungary carte blanche to go to war with Serbia.The homeowner gave the interior designer carte blanche when it came to decorating the living room.He tutored me in math so I owed him, since there was nothing I needed from him at the time he gave me a carte blanche.Definition: Refers to unlimited authority.Etymology: French! In the literal sense, it is a cheque that has no numerical value written in, but is already signed.***空白支票 (全权)委托He was given carte blanche to train new recruits. 老板全权委托他培训新人.The famous writer has given his secretary carte blanche to deal with all his publications and this made his family members unhappy. 作家全权委托秘书处理他的出版物,家人很不高兴.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxfemme fatale (Fem Fatel) (女)妖精Ken's mom warned him to stay away from Jojo Tsai, whom she suspected of being a femme fatale. When Ken broke up with her, Jojo posted seductive photos of herself and photos of burning his belongings.James Bond movies always have a femme fatale.The femme fatale had the tables turned on her when her boyfriend robbed her and disappeared.Definition: It is French for "deadly woman". It refers to an attractive woman who seduces and takes advantage of men for her personal goals, after which she discards or abandons them. It extends to any attractive woman with whom a relationship is likely to result in pain and sorrow.Etymology:***(女)妖精This old and unhappy woman calls every young and attractive woman a femme fatale! 这个不幸的老女人把所有年轻漂亮的女人叫做妖精.A girl always falls in love with a bad guy! 男人不坏女人不爱! Can the same be said to describe how a man falls for a girl. Unless a girl turns herself into a femme fatale, a man will never fall in love with her! 女人不妖男人不爱!你懂的,这里的"坏"和"妖"都是带引号的哦!

Get out of jail free card 尚方宝剑 摆平 George Bush used his father's position in politics as a get out of jail free card" to avoid joining the army.Some would argue that rookie cop; Peter Liang used the "Race card" as a get out of jail free card" after shooting an unarmed black man.Okinawa residents were tired of American soldiers using U.S extraterritoriality laws as a get out of jail free card when harming locals.Definition: Something that will immediately resolve or relieve an undesirable situation, especially with minimal consequences.Etymology: A reference to the board game Monopoly, in which this card allows players to leave the jail space without missing a turn.***尚方宝剑 摆平His parents are his get out of jail free card, whenever he has trouble, they appear and bail him out. 他的父母是他的尚方宝剑,一旦他闯祸他们就出面为他摆平.It shocked me to see a friend of mine telling all friends in his friend circle on Wechat that he has a get out of jail free card to deal with traffic violations and he'd love to show it off. 他说他在朋友圈里炫耀能摆平交警,愿意帮助大家!这样的社会风气太可怕了!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxFootloose 无牵无挂 心无羁绊Eric did not mind getting laid off from his job since he was footloose.The poor country was concerned that the wealthy country was both footloose and insincere about developing factories and infrastructure there.Doug avoided relationships like the plague because he wanted to remain footloose.Definition: Refers to having no attachments or ties. Etymology: ***无牵无挂 心无羁绊 (heart without fetters)For extremely sensitive people, to be footloose is such an unattainable goal in life. 敏感之人做不到无牵无挂.The more one is concentrated on his career, the more footloose he or she can manage to be. So in order to be footloose, it's better to work harder than to work less! 要做到心无羁绊,需要多工作而不是少工作.

Bottle up 憋在心里 压抑Kim bottled up her problems even though talking about them would make her feel better.Madelyn bottled up her irritation that the men in her company were promoted ahead of her.Even though Harry's cat died he bottled up his sadness because he wanted to look tough.Definition: To keep one's feelings hidden. Etymology: It's like putting something in the bottle and do not let it spill out.***憋在心里 压抑It's said bottling up problems or pains is very unhealthy to a person, sometimes it can lead to depression or cancer. It is better to share your issues with people, speak out or seek professional help. 把痛苦憋在心里不健康,要学会排解.The couple has been bottling things up until the marriage finally came to an end. 这一对过得一直很压抑,直到他们离婚. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxA pill 令人讨厌的人Tom Petty was being a pill for insisting that another artist's song sounded like his.Damien was being a pill for always bullying the little brother he was jealous of.Emma was being a pill for always sulking at family reunions.Definition: Being a "pill" is being a pain, like a cranky child or a boring guest.Etymology: Many people dislike or have trouble taking pills, so to call a person a pill means that he or she is hard to deal with.***令人讨厌的人He is such a pill that he imposes his perfectionist way of doing things on others. 他把完美主义强加于人,大家都讨厌他.His mom is being such a pill when pressing for marriage, so he tries to visit home less often.妈妈逼婚,很讨厌,他决定以后少回家.

On edge 紧张 坐立不安 心烦意乱The presidential candidate was on edge after he found out his wife was rushed to the hospital midway through his speech.Mark the pilot was on edge after a strange light appeared on his plane.Abigail was on edge when her uncle claimed her house was haunted.Definition: Means one is nervous.Etymology: If you are on the edge of something you are not balanced.***紧张 坐立不安 心烦意乱The pending situation of his green card application put him on edge and he found it difficult to concentrate on anything.He has been on edge since he got a new job assignment in a remote and poor region. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxStreet Credit (民间/江湖)声望/地位Roger got street credit for turning down a job by his competitors to spy on his own company.Connor got street credit for turning down a role in a superhero blockbuster in favour of doing a thought-provoking drama movie.Amy Williams got street credit for shedding light on the sexual harassment at a beauty pageant.Definition: Street credit is the points you get for doing something impressive and bold. The more street credit you have the cooler you are. The term is especially used when you are not selling out.Etymology: A level of respect in an urban environment due to experience in or knowledge of issues affecting those environments.***(民间/江湖)声望/地位The garbage collector got street credit by assisting poor students through college.The good Samaritan lawyer got street credit for defending people who couldn't afford to pay for legal services.

Take names 叫板Manny Pacquiao was taking names after his victory at the Macau Cotai.The news team was taking names after covering an exclusive interview with a warlord.Obama was taking names after his amazing 2004 Speech at the Democratic National Convention.Definition: Phrase used in reference to someone or something that is having multiple successes in succession. Etymology: The term "taking names" means that you are recording a list of future contestants who will also have to be beaten or defeated in the defined task.***叫板After winning the first international award, the boxing champion started to take names and is aiming to beat all his rivals in the country.After winning the Maths Olympiad, the student is taking names.I am not afraid of your taking names, because I believe in my cooking skills. Shall we cook together one day? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThrow under a bus 推人下水 出卖/牺牲朋友During the football scandal, which involved deflated footballs, the NFL coach threw his star player Tom Brady under a bus to save himself.Many people thought Apple threw their users under the bus when they introduced a new phone with a totally new charger socket. This forced their loyal fans to fork out more money to buy the smartphone.Donald Trump threw his campaign manager under a bus after the manager made just one mistake.Definition: To sacrifice a friend or ally for selfish reasons. It is typically used to describe a self-defensive severance of a previously-friendly relationship when the relation becomes controversial or unpopular.Etymology: A journalist wrote "In the rock 'n' roll business, you are either on the bus or under it." ***推人下水 出卖/牺牲朋友Someone has to come out and take responsibility for the country's financial crisis, in this case the economist was thrown under a bus by the policy makers in the government.In order to get both his name published and all the award money, he threw his friend under the bus by deleting his co-researcher's name from the book before publicizing their research project.

Cleaning house 手气好The tall dark handsome man was cleaning house when he went to the singles party.Ralph knew how to count cards and was cleaning house at the blackjack table.Jessica, the policewoman, was cleaning house when she played BB guns with her friends.Definition: To win without effort.Etymology: Derived from people play against the house (another term for a casino) and win effortlessly.***手气好She never plays Mahjong. That day her friends made her join the fun since they had only three people. To everyone's surprise, she was cleaning house that day beating everybody. The whole family is expecting the little baby to clean house in the lucky draw but unfortunately the little one started to cry and refused to cooperate.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxHave a knack forCarrie has a knack for spotting animals in the wild.Larry has a knack for being able to sing a song for any occasion.Eddie has a knack for picking up a new sport easily.Definition: A special talent or skill, especially one that is difficult to explain or teach.Etymology: The Dutch term to "strike".***天赋 诀窍 He has a knack for making friends. So perhaps he will either be a good diplomat or a sales person in the future.The little girl has a knack for diffusing tension between her parents.She has a knack for remembering telephone numbers.

Catch-22 第二十二条军规 左右为难To apply for a job, you need to have a few years of experience. But in order to gain experience, you need to get a job first. It's a catch-22If you don't have a place to stay, you can't get a job and with no job, you can't get an apartment. It's a Catch-22 situation.Girls always find guys who have a girlfriend more attractive, because girls like something they cannot have. But guys cannot be attractive to a girl until he has a girlfriend. It's a catch-22.Definition: A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules.Etymology: Joseph Heller coined the term in his 1961 novel Catch-22, which describes absurd bureaucratic constraints on soldiers in World War II. The term is introduced by the character Doc Daneeka, an army psychiatrist who invokes "Catch 22". He says that any pilot who tries to avoid flying missions on the ground of insanity, ironically just proved that he is sane. As a result he cannot be declared insane.***第二十二条军规 左右为难With a second child family planning policy in place, many women find themselves in a catch 22 situation, if they decide to have a second child, they will have to discontinue their career and if they are reluctant to discontinue their career, they won't be able to have a second child.A job vacancy appeared but it's a catch 22 opportunity, she has to move to Shanghai and be separated from her family. The job also does not pay enough to allow her to rent an apartment.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxPow-wowThe Military officers had a pow-wow on how to deal with the discovery of crashed nuclear submarine in foreign waters.The company had a pow-wow on who should be the next boss after the last boss retired suddenly.The relay team had a pow-wow to decide who should finish the race.Definition: A brief discussion about a matter concerning a person or event. Usually to come to a unanimous conclusion that needs to be addressed quicklyEtymology: It is a gathering of some of North America's Native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader"***碰头会The professor was killed in a car crash on his way to deliver a lecture to the students and the university faculty had a pow-wow to remedy the situation.Before tying the knot, the young man was not expected to be given a betrothal gift list by his fiancee and he decided to call her parents to have a pow-wow on this thorny matter.

Big guns 杀手锏 In order to convince her daughter not to date a tattoo artist. Molly brought out her big guns and showed her daughter their weird middle-aged neighbor with tattoos.In the movies Fast and Furious, many characters bring out the big guns in their street races by using nitrous gas.In the quiz competition, that team brought out their big brainy guns by inviting a rocket scientist to join their team.Definition: To bring out the big guns is to make use of a concealed plan to defeat an opponent in an argument, a game, a debate or a competition.Etymology: Derived from actually bringing out artillery to win a battle.***杀手锏 The Monkey King is afraid of Tangsheng, the Monk's big guns!The youngest daughter is the big gun of the family trying to persuade the extremely stubborn father; the father always caves in to her.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtake the high roadJordan took the high road by stopping his friend fighting a racist thug, since he knew his friend's job would be at risk if he got into a fight.Gwen took the high road by offering to apologize to her friend, Emma, even though both were wrong to begin with.Josh took the high road by discouraging his friend Alex from talking behind other people's back.Definition: Doing the right thing even when it is not popular or easy. Etymology: Derived from the moral high ground.***做正事 Mary took the high road by pointing out the boss's mistake.The woman took the high road by turning down her best friend's request to vote online for someone she doesn't know.

Mic drop 句号 扔麦 就这样 President Obama addressed the Congressional Black Caucus and told them to stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying, and help him fix the economy and get reelected. Mic drop.Ryan keeps making fun of me for not having a girlfriend. Well check out my girlfriend now. Boom mic drop.After Hilary Clinton called on Donald Trump to delete his Twitter account. Trump asked what were on her secret emails she deleted. Mic drop.Definition: When a performer or speaker intentionally drops/throws the microphone on the floor after an awesome performance.Etymology: Used by comedians and rappers since the 1970s, but popularized by a comedy show called Key and Peel using it. It was later used by Obama himself.***句号 扔麦 就这样 There are people who claim themselves not being materialistic but secretly consume luxurious goods. I find these people totally hypocritical. Mic drop!If you keep complaining about the company not doing very well, why not give us your plan to fix it or simply move aside! Mic Drop! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxPiece of cakeCesar Milan was happy to whisper to the barking dog since it was a piece of cake.Mr Grylls thought teaching the children outdoor survival skills was a piece of cake.The daring raid on the criminal hideout was a piece of cake for the Police SWAT team. Definition: Something easily accomplished.Etymology: Originated in the Royal Air Force in the late 1930s for an easy mission. It possibly refers to how easy it is to swallow a slice of sweet dessert.***小菜儿一碟 小菜Maths is a piece of cake for him, but a huge mountain for me.Working on the night shift is a piece of cake for night owls!

Drop the ball 出错 掉链子Harry dropped the ball when he scared away his daughter's new boyfriend who was a great guy.Susan dropped the ball when she forgot her lines in the play.The Republican candidate's election was going great until the campaign manager dropped the ball.Definition: To make a blunder; to fail in some way.Etymology: This expression comes from sports where a player who fails to catch a ball is charged with an error. Its use for more general kinds of mistakes dates from about 1950.***出错 掉链子It had always been his dream to become one of the country's top translators until one day he dropped the ball when translating incorrectly during an important meeting.The live coverage of the event was meticulously well planned. However, it didn't go on very well because one of the hosts dropped the ball and asked for sick leave at the last minute. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxIn one's elementValerie was in her element in the swimming race.Jen was in her element whenever she was singing.People are usually only confident when they are in their element.Definition: In their comfort zone.Etymology: This term alludes to one's natural abode, as does the antonym, out of one's element. It is first used by the character Daniel Defoe in Robinson Crusoe when he said, "When they came to make boards ... they were quite out of their element".在行 是...专长Cooking is her element but not talking, so we need to look for more talkative people to join our party.The talent show will help judges to find students in their respective element. I am in my element when teaching and broadcasting.