英语美语习语视频教学：native发音

MONEY IDIOMS 金钱习语（中英对照完整版）

Let’s go Dutch

English：Meaning: Share the bill. If you are in a pub for example, you can either offer to pay for the drinks or you can say, ‘let’s go Dutch’. 50/50

中文

：含义：

AA 制、平摊费用

。比如在酒吧，你可以主动买单，也可以说 “我们 AA 吧”，各付一半。

Nest egg

English：Meaning: When you have a ‘nest egg’, it means you have put money aside for emergencies or you can inherit money and this can be called a ‘nest egg’. A ‘nest egg’ is usually a substantial amount of money. If it is not a lot of money, then we say: ‘I’ve got a small nest egg put aside’ just in case an unexpected expense *crops up.

中文

：含义：

储蓄金、备用金、养老钱

。指为应急存起来的钱，或继承来的钱，通常是一笔可观的数目。如果钱不多，可以说：“我存了一小笔备用金，以防意外开销突然出现。”

English：Examples: I’ve got a nest egg to *fall back on when I retire.

中文

：例句：我存了一笔钱，退休时可以应急依靠。

English：John inherited a small nest egg when his aunt died.

中文

：例句：约翰在姑姑去世后继承了一小笔钱。

English：*To crop up = to unexpectedly arise

中文

：*crop up = 突然出现、意外发生

English：*To fall back on = to have a reserve of in case of emergency.

中文

：*fall back on = 有储备可依靠、以备不时之需

A golden handshake

English：Meaning: It doesn’t mean that someone with a golden hand is going to shake your hand. It is a payment paid to an employee when he leaves the company or if he takes early retirement. This payment is seen as a token of thanks for the years of work.

中文

：含义：不是 “金手和你握手”，而是

解雇金、离职补偿金、退休金（一次性）

。指员工离职或提前退休时，公司给的一笔钱，作为多年工作的感谢。

English：Example: When my father left the company after 40 years service, he received a golden handshake.

中文

：例句：我父亲为公司工作 40 年后离职时，拿到了一笔丰厚的离职补偿金。

Put your money where your mouth is

English：Meaning: To do something rather than to just talk about it.

中文

：含义：

说到做到、用实际行动证明

，不只是嘴上说说。

English：Example: Instead of talking about how sorry you feel for the poor, you should put your money where your mouth is and go out and do something to help them.

中文

：例句：别光嘴上同情穷人，你应该拿出实际行动去帮助他们。

To live beyond your means

English：Meaning: If a person lives beyond their means, they spend more than what they can afford to spend or more than what they earn.

中文

：含义：

入不敷出、超前消费、超出自己财力生活

。

English：Example: He’s living beyond his means. He’s bought a house that is far too expensive for him. If he isn’t careful, the bank will repossess it.

中文

：例句：他一直在超前消费，买了一栋远超负担能力的房子。再不谨慎，银行就会收回房子。

Money for old rope

English：Meaning: This means earning money for doing a very simple task.

中文

：含义：

轻松赚来的钱、不费力气得来的钱、容易赚的钱

。

English：Example: I bought some books at a charity sale for two pounds and resold them on the internet for two hundred pounds. It was money for old rope.

中文

：例句：我在慈善义卖花 2 英镑买了几本书，在网上卖了 200 英镑，这钱赚得太轻松了。

To be paid peanuts

English：Meaning: To earn a very low salary.

中文

：含义：

薪水极低、挣小钱

。

English：Example: I’m going to have to look for another job. I can’t make ends meet. I’m paid peanuts in this one.

中文

：例句：我得另找工作了，根本入不敷出。这份工作工资太少了。

MONEY IDIOMS - WEALTH 金钱习语 —— 财富

To be a fat cat

英文：Don’t start visualizing a big fat cat. This expression has got nothing to do with a real cat. It refers to someone who has a lot of money.

中文

：别脑补一只大肥猫。这个表达和真正的猫毫无关系，指

有钱有势的人、大款

。

英文：Example: He’s a real fat cat. He owns a lot of property.

中文

：例句：他是个名副其实的大款，名下有很多房产。

To be in the money

英文：Meaning: To have a lot of money, usually it refers to ‘new money’ just acquired.

中文

：含义：

突然暴富、腰缠万贯

，通常指刚到手的 “新钱”。

英文：Example: He’s really in the money. Lately his standard of living has gone right up. He’s bought himself another flash car.

中文

：例句：他最近发大财了，生活水平直线上升，又买了一辆豪车。

英文：*To go up = increase

中文

：*go up = 上升、提高

To be born with a silver spoon in your mouth

英文：Meaning: When you are born into a rich family and want for nothing/have everything you desire and live an easy comfortable life.

中文

：含义：

含着金汤匙出生

，出身富贵之家，衣食无忧、想要什么有什么，生活安逸舒适。

英文：Example: He’s so lucky. His parents buy him everything he wants and he’s got private tutors going to his house every afternoon. He won’t even have to look for a job when he grows up. He’ll inherit his father’s company. He really was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

中文

：例句：他太幸运了，父母有求必应，每天下午还有私教上门辅导。长大后连工作都不用找，直接继承父亲的公司，真是含着金汤匙长大的。

英文：To grow up = to grow from a baby into an adult.

中文

：*grow up = 长大成人

To be loaded

英文：Meaning: To be full of money.

中文

：含义：

非常有钱、腰缠万贯

。

英文：Example: Her new boyfriend must be really loaded. He takes her to expensive restaurants every night.

中文

：例句：她的新男友肯定超级有钱，每晚都带她去高档餐厅。

To be rolling in it

英文：Meaning: To have lots and lots of money (similar to ‘be loaded’).

中文

：含义：

富得流油、钱多得花不完

（和 be loaded 意思相近）。

英文：Example: I don’t know where Johnny gets all his money from. He’s rolling in it. He eats out every night and goes on a cruise once a month.

中文

：例句：真不知道约翰尼哪儿来这么多钱，富得流油。他天天在外吃饭，每个月还去坐一次游轮。

英文：*To eat out = to eat in restaurants or similar places.

中文

：*eat out = 在外就餐

英文：*To go on = a verb/noun collocation commonly used with the following nouns:

Go on holidayGo on a cruiseGo on a tripGo on a picnicGo on an excursion

中文

：*go on 常用动词搭配：去度假去坐游轮去旅行去野餐去短途游览

Money is no object

英文：Meaning: To have no money problems whatsoever; you can buy what you want, when you want. (This has a similar meaning to the previous two idioms)

中文

：含义：

钱不是问题、不差钱

，完全没有经济压力，随时想买什么就买什么（和上面两个习语意思相近）。

英文：Example: Money is no object to her. She’s always out buying new clothes every day.

中文

：例句：对她来说钱根本不算事儿，她天天出门买新衣服。

Money to burn

英文：Meaning: People who have ‘money to burn’ have so much money that they can buy whatever they want - the same as the above idiom ‘money is no object’.

中文

：含义：

钱多到花不完、挥金如土

，和 money is no object 意思一样。

英文：Examples: A Ferrari is no problem for Johnny. He’s got money to burn.

My son seems to think I’ve got money to burn. He’s always asking me to buy him this, that and the next thing.

中文

：例句：法拉利对约翰尼来说小菜一碟，他钱多到没处花。我儿子好像觉得我家钱多到烧不完，总让我给他买这买那。

To have more money than sense

英文：Meaning: When someone spends a lot of money on foolish things.

中文

：含义：

钱多但人傻、乱花钱、不会理财

，把大把钱花在愚蠢的事情上。

英文：Example: He spends a fortune on scratch cards. If you ask me, he’s got more money than sense.

中文

：例句：他花大笔钱买彩票刮刮乐，在我看来，他就是钱多无脑。

英文：The expression ‘if you ask me’ in this context = if you want my opinion.

中文

：*if you ask me 在此语境中 = 依我看、我觉得

BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR MONEY IDIOMS理财省钱类英语习语（中英对照）

“A penny saved is a penny earned”

English：Every penny you do not spend is the same as having earned an extra penny.

中文

：省一分钱就等于赚一分钱。（中文谚语：

省一文等于赚一文 / 省钱就是赚钱

）

Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves

English：Meaning: This means that if you are careful not to make useless expenditures, the money saved by not spending will soon *mount up.

中文

：含义：留意小钱，不乱花不必要的钱，省下的钱很快就会

积少成多

。（中文谚语：

积少成多，聚沙成塔

）

English：Example: I’ve *given up my daily cup of coffee in the cafeteria. By the end of the year I will have saved about £500.

中文

：例句：我戒掉了每天在食堂买咖啡的习惯，到年底能省下大约 500 英镑。

English：*Mount up = accumulate

中文

：*mount up = 积累、增加

English：*Give up = renounce/quit

中文

：*give up = 放弃、戒掉

Penny wise - pound foolish

English：Meaning: This refers to someone who is very careful about spending when it comes to the small things. They may go to the cheapest supermarket to save a couple of pennies but *end up spending a fortune for something big.

中文

：含义：指在小事上精打细算，却在大事上挥霍无度的人。他们可能为了省几便士跑去最便宜的超市，结果

最后

在大件物品上花一大笔钱。（中文谚语：

小事精明，大事糊涂 / 捡了芝麻，丢了西瓜

）

English：Example: He walks for miles to buy all the special offers on at the various supermarkets, but when he saw that expensive car he couldn’t resist buying it. He’s penny wise - pound foolish.

中文

：例句：他为了超市特价跑好几公里，可看到那辆豪车却忍不住买了。他真是捡了芝麻丢了西瓜。

English：*End up = in the end something not planned occurs.

中文

：*end up = 到头来、最终发生（意料之外的事）

VERY LITTLE MONEY IDIOMS 形容 “钱很少、很穷” 的习语（中英对照）

“Money never starts an idea. It is always the idea that starts the money.”

英文

：Money never starts an idea. It is always the idea that starts the money.

中文

：金钱永远不会催生想法，永远是想法催生金钱。

To be living on the breadline

英文：Meaning: When you only earn enough money to pay for your living expenses and you’ve got nothing left over.

中文

：含义：

勉强糊口、生活在贫困线边缘

，只够维持基本生活开销，一分钱富余都没有。

英文：Example: I’m *fed up with living on the breadline. I’ve never got any money to go out or to buy myself anything.

中文

：例句：我受够了这种穷得叮当响的日子，从来没钱出去玩，也没钱给自己买东西。

To make ends meet

英文：Meaning: The same as ‘to be living on the breadline’.

中文

：含义：

勉强维持生计、收支相抵、量入为出

（和上一个意思相同）。

英文：Example: My rent has *gone up and I’m finding it really difficult to make ends meet.

中文

：例句：我的房租涨了，我发现真的很难维持收支平衡。

英文：*Go up = increase

中文

：*go up = 上涨、增加

To be living on a shoestring

英文：Meaning: The same as ‘to be living on the breadline’ and ‘make ends meet’.

中文

：含义：

省吃俭用、靠极少的钱过日子

（和前两个习语意思一样）。

英文：Example: I’ve been living on a shoestring for too long. It’s time I found a job with a higher salary.

中文

：例句：我紧巴巴过日子太久了，是时候找一份薪水更高的工作了。

To live from hand to mouth

英文：Meaning: The same as ‘to be living on the breadline’, ‘make ends meet’ and ‘to be living on a shoestring’.

中文

：含义：

挣一点花一点、现挣现吃、勉强糊口

（意思同上）。

NO MONEY IDIOMS 形容 “没钱” 的习语

“The best part about growing up with no money is that you know how to have fun without it.”

英文

：The best part about growing up with no money is that you know how to have fun without it.

中文

：在贫穷中长大的最大好处是，你知道如何不花钱也能过得开心。

To be broke

英文：Meaning: To have no money.

中文

：含义：

身无分文、没钱、破产

。

英文：Example: “Can you lend me some money ‘til Friday? I’m broke.” “Sorry, I can’t. I’m broke as well.”

中文

：例句：“能借我点钱撑到周五吗？我一分钱都没有了。”“抱歉，我也没钱。”

英文：The idioms that follow have the same meaning.

中文

：下面的习语意思相同。

To be hard up

英文：Meaning: To have very little money.

中文

：含义：

手头紧、缺钱、拮据

。

英文：Example: I’m really hard up this month so I won’t be able to spend any money.

中文

：例句：我这个月真的手头很紧，所以一分钱都不能花了。

To be strapped for cash

英文：Meaning: The same as ‘to be hard up’.

中文

：含义：

手头拮据、现金短缺

（和 hard up 意思一样）。

To not have two pennies to rub together

英文：Meaning: This refers to a person who is very poor indeed.

中文

：含义：

穷得叮当响、一贫如洗、穷到连两个便士都没有

。

英文：Example: I can’t go on holiday this year. I haven’t got two pennies to rub together.

中文

：例句：我今年不能去度假了，我实在是太穷了。

HOME IDIOMS

家庭 / 家居类习语

“Home is where the heart is”.

意思

：家是心之所向。

To make yourself at home

Meaning: What you say to a guest to make him or her feel comfortable and relaxed.

意思

：别客气，像在自己家一样；随意一点。

Example:

Man to friend: “If you want anything to eat while I am out, just open the fridge and eat what you want. There is no need to ask me. Just make yourself at home.”

例句

：男人对朋友说：“我不在的时候，你想吃什么就自己开冰箱拿，不用问我，

尽管随意，像在自己家一样

。”

To be homesick

Meaning: This means to feel the absence of your own home. Some college students may miss their family and feel homesick.

意思

：想家；思乡。

Example:

Whenever I am homesick I call my mother and father. Just hearing their voices makes me feel much better.

例句

：每当我

想家

的时候，我就给爸爸妈妈打电话。只要听到他们的声音，我就感觉好多了。

To move house

Meaning: To leave your current house and go to live in another one.

意思

：搬家；搬迁。

Example:

I’m moving house next week. I’ve found a bigger place that costs less than this one. I can’t wait to have more space to move around.

例句

：我下周要

搬家

。我找到了一个比这里更大、更便宜的房子。我已经迫不及待想要更大的活动空间了。

To move in

Meaning: To begin living in your new house. (This is a phrasal verb)

意思

：搬入；住进（新家）。（短语动词）

Example:

“When are you moving in to your bigger place?”“If all goes well I should have the keys by next Monday.”

例句

：“你什么时候

搬进

那个更大的房子？”“如果一切顺利，我下周一就能拿到钥匙。”

To move out

Meaning: The opposite of ‘move in’. (This, too is a phrasal verb)

意思

：搬出；搬走。与 move in 相反。（短语动词）

Example:

“I hope to move out on Monday morning and move in to my new place on the same day.”

例句

：“我希望周一早上

搬出

这里，同一天就搬进新家。”

MADNESS - INSANITY IDIOMS

疯狂 / 精神失常类习语

“No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness”.

~ Aristotle

意思

：任何伟大的天才，都或多或少带有一丝疯狂。—— 亚里士多德

When you think that someone is crazy- insane or eccentric, you can use the following idiomatic expressions to describe them:

意思

：当你觉得某人疯了、精神失常或行为古怪时，可以用下面这些习语来形容他们：

To be not all there

Meaning：（原文此处无额外解释，含义：脑子不太正常；不太机灵；精神不太对劲）

意思

：精神不太正常；脑子不太好使。

Example: He walks around talking to himself all day. He’s not all there.

例句

：他整天四处游荡、自言自语，

脑子不太正常

。

All the following idiomatic expressions can be used in the same way:

意思

：下面所有习语用法都相同（都表示 “疯了、精神不正常”）：

He’s got a screw loose.

意思

：他脑子少根筋；他有点疯疯癫癫。

He’s dotty.

意思

：他疯疯癫癫的；有点傻里傻气。

He’s on another planet.

意思

：他活在另一个世界；想法太离谱。

He’s out of his mind.

意思

：他疯了；也可指他喝醉酒了。This can have two meanings, either he is crazy or he is drunk.

意思

：这个短语有两个意思：要么是疯了，要么是喝醉了。

He’s bonkers.

意思

：他疯了。

He’s off his flipper.

意思

：他疯了；脑子不正常。

He’s off his rocker.

意思

：他发疯了；脑子坏了。

He’s demented.

意思

：他精神错乱；发狂。

He’s nutty.

意思

：他疯疯癫癫的。

He’s a loony bin.

意思

：他就是个疯子。

He’s crackers.

意思

：他疯了。

He’s off the wall.

意思

：他行为古怪；不可思议。

He’s lost his marbles.

意思

：他失去理智；疯了。

He’s a nutcase.

意思

：他是个疯子。

He’s balmy.

意思

：他疯疯癫癫的；古怪的。

He’s nuts.

意思

：他疯了。

He’s wacky.

意思

：他古怪疯癫；行为怪异。

He’s not living in the real world.

意思

：他活在虚幻里；不切实际。

He’s spaced out.

意思

：他神情恍惚；魂不守舍。(This has a triple meaning)

意思

：这个短语有三层含义：He’s insane, he’s drunk or he has taken drugs.

意思

：精神失常、喝醉了，或是吸毒后意识模糊。

INTELLIGENCE IDIOMS

智慧类习语

A smart cookie

Meaning: This refers to a very clever person - one who is a quick thinker.

意思：指非常聪明、反应快的人。

Example: My boyfriend is a real smart cookie. He is a real whizz kid at computer programming.

例句：我男朋友特别聪明，他在计算机编程方面绝对是个天才少年。

A bright spark

Meaning: A person who is very clever and understands things easily and quickly.

意思：头脑灵光、悟性高、一点就通的人。

Example: My son is a real bright spark. He’s only six and he can already read and write.

例句：我儿子特别聪明，才六岁就已经会读写了。

On the ball

Meaning: To always be active, attentive and aware of what is going on.

意思：机警、专注、反应快、状态在线。

Examples: He’s really on the ball since he started eating healthily.

例句：自从开始健康饮食，他整个人状态特别好，反应特别快。

I have to go to bed early as I need to be on the ball all day in my job.

例句：我得早点睡觉，因为工作时一整天都需要保持专注、反应灵敏。

* What is going on? = what is happening?

意思：发生什么事了？

LOVE IDIOMS

爱情类习语

“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says: ‘I need you because I love you.’”

意思

：不成熟的爱说：“我爱你，因为我需要你。”成熟的爱说：“我需要你，因为我爱你。”

To be head over heels

Meaning: This means that you are madly in love with someone.

意思

：深爱某人；爱得神魂颠倒；深陷爱河。

Example:

Girl to her friend: “You look very happy today.”Friend: “Yes, that is because I am very happy. I met a boy at a party last night and I’m already head over heels.”

例句

：女孩对朋友说：“你今天看起来好开心。”朋友：“是啊，因为我真的很幸福。我昨晚在派对上认识了一个男孩，我已经

爱得无法自拔

了。”

To pop the question

Meaning: Ask someone to marry you.

意思

：求婚。

Example:

At long last he has popped the question; I thought he would never ask.

例句

：他终于

向我求婚

了，我还以为他永远都不会开口呢。

To fall for someone

Meaning: To be strongly attracted to someone, possibly be infatuated by someone.

意思

：爱上某人；被某人深深吸引；迷恋某人。（短语动词）

Example:

She’s really fallen for that new actor on TV. Her room is covered in posters of him.

例句

：她真的

迷上了

那位电视上新出道的演员。她的房间里贴满了他的海报。

To get hitched

Meaning: To get married.

意思

：结婚；喜结连理。

Example:

He’s finally going to get hitched after years of putting it off.

例句

：拖延了这么多年，他终于要

结婚

了。

* To put (something) off = to postpone/move forward to a later date.

意思

：推迟；拖延。

To keep someone at arm’s length

Meaning: If you keep a person at arm’s length then you avoid any familiarity with them. You do not allow yourself to have any close contact with the person. There may be several reasons for this. Maybe you don’t like the person or maybe you know this person could hurt you emotionally. You keep your distance from the person. Maybe the person is in love with you and you do not have any feelings for him/her and you do not wish to hurt them by allowing them to get too close to you.

意思：与某人保持距离；不与某人亲近。指刻意避免和某人变得熟悉，不与其有密切来往。原因可能是你不喜欢对方，或知道对方可能会伤害你的感情。也可能是对方喜欢你，但你对其没有感觉，不想让对方靠太近而伤害到他 / 她。

Examples:

The new boss keeps us all at arm’s length. The last one was much friendlier and much more approachable.例句：新老板对我们所有人都保持距离。上一任老板要友善得多，也更平易近人。

I’m keeping my ex boyfriend at arm’s length. I do not wish to get involved with him again. He keeps phoning but I rarely answer the phone whenever he rings me.

例句：我在刻意疏远我的前男友。我不想再和他有任何瓜葛。他一直打电话，但我几乎都不接。

COLOUR IDIOMS

颜色类习语

To have green fingers

Meaning: To be very good at gardening.

意思：擅长园艺；有园艺天赋；种花种草很厉害。

Example:

My husband has green fingers. All our plants are coming on really well.例句：我丈夫很会种花养草。我们家所有植物都长得特别好。

* To come on = make progress

意思：生长；进展；茁壮成长

A bolt from the blue

Meaning: When something happens very unexpectedly.

意思：晴天霹雳；突如其来的意外。

Example:

It was like a bolt from the blue to find out that he had been lying to me for so long. I trusted him so much.例句：发现他骗了我这么久，对我来说简直是晴天霹雳。我那么信任他。

* To find out = become aware of / discover / obtain information.

意思：发现；查明；了解到

Out of the blue

Meaning: To appear suddenly or happen suddenly without any warning.

意思：突如其来；毫无预兆地发生。

Example:

I received a phone call out of the blue from my cousin in New York who I hadn’t heard from in years.例句：我突然接到了纽约表哥的电话，我们已经好几年没联系了。

Once in a blue moon

Meaning: Extremely rarely / almost never.

意思：千载难逢；极其罕见；几乎从不。

Example:

Scotland has an Indian summer once in a blue moon.例句：苏格兰极少会出现秋老虎天气。

To be off colour

Meaning: When you do not look very well. Your face is pale.

意思：气色不好；脸色苍白；身体不舒服。

Examples:

I’m taking my son to the doctor. He has been off colour for the past two days.例句：我要带儿子去看医生。他这两天气色一直很差。

Our next door neighbour was a bit off colour this morning when I saw him. I wonder what’s wrong with him.

例句：我今天早上看到隔壁邻居，他看起来不太舒服。不知道他怎么了。

To be in the red

Meaning: To have debt with the bank.

意思：出现赤字；负债；欠银行钱。

Example:

I will have to pay off my credit card debt. I’m in the red.例句：我得把信用卡欠款还清了，我现在负债了。

* To pay off = to completely finish paying money you owe.

意思：还清；偿清（债务）

Play it by ear

Meaning: To deal with a situation as it develops.

意思

：见机行事；临场应变；走一步看一步。

Example:

“The weather forecast says there may be a storm tomorrow so we might not be able to go out on the boat.”“Let’s wait and see what happens. We’ll just play it by ear.”

例句：

“天气预报说明天可能有暴风雨，我们也许没法出海划船了。”“那就等等看情况吧，我们见机行事。”

To be all ears

Meaning: This means, ‘don’t worry, I’m paying attention to what you are saying.’

意思

：洗耳恭听；全神贯注听你说。

Examples:

Boy to Mother: “You are not listening to me, are you?”Mother to boy: “Yes, of course I am. I’m all ears.”

Girl to friend: “I’ve got some really exciting news to tell you.”

Friend to girl: “Great, tell me all about it. I’m all ears.”

例句：

男孩对妈妈：“你根本没在听我说话，对吧？”妈妈对男孩：“我当然在听啊，我洗耳恭听。”

女孩对朋友：“我有个超激动的消息要告诉你。”

朋友对女孩：“太棒了，快跟我说说，我认真听着呢。”

Two heads are better than one

Meaning: This means that if two people are working on a problem, they stand a better chance of finding a solution than if only one person was to work on it.

意思

：两人智慧胜一人；三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮。

Example:

Two of the company’s top executives discussed why their contrasting strengths have created the perfect business relationship. Each of them has a different perception to any problem which may arise so they complement each other. They firmly believe that two heads are better than one.

例句：

公司两位高管谈到，为何他们互补的优势形成了绝佳的合作关系。面对任何可能出现的问题，他们都有不同的看法，因此彼此相辅相成。他们坚信两人智慧胜一人。

Keep your eyes peeled

Meaning: To closely watch out for someone or something.

意思

：密切留意；睁大眼睛盯着；仔细寻找。

Example:

Man to neighbour: “My cat has disappeared. You don’t happen to have seen it?”Neighbour to man: “No I haven’t seen it but I will keep my eyes peeled while I’m out with my dog this afternoon. I’m sure it’ll turn up sooner or later.”

例句：

男人对邻居：“我的猫不见了，你有没有碰巧看到它？”邻居对男人：“我没看到，但我下午遛狗时会帮你留意。我相信它迟早会出现的。”

To break your back

Meaning: To work extremely hard.

意思

：拼命工作；累死累活；竭尽全力。

Example:

I’m up every morning at the crack of dawn just as the night becomes day and home again late at night. I’m really breaking my back to pay all these bills.

例句：

我每天天刚亮就起床，深夜才回家。为了付清这些账单，我真的在拼命干活。

Out of the goodness of (one’s) heart

Meaning: If you do something out of the goodness of your heart, you do it as a kind act towards someone else. You have no wish to benefit from it, and you do not do it out of duty.

意思

：出于好心；真心实意地；不求回报地。

Example:

Person A: “I’ll pay your mother for cleaning my house while I was ill in bed.”Person B: “There’s no need to pay her. She did it out of the goodness of her heart. She’s very happy to help people.”

例句：

A：“你妈妈在我卧病在床时帮我打扫了房子，我要给她付钱。”B：“不用给她钱。她是出于好心才帮忙的，她很乐意帮助别人。”

To be back on your feet

Meaning: If you are back on your feet, after being ill, you are healthy again. We can also use this for a business if it is going badly and then things get better.

意思

：（病后）康复；恢复健康；（生意）东山再起，重回正轨。

Examples:

“Have you got over that bad flu you had?”“Yes, I’ve been back on my feet now for a few days.”

The company almost had to close down after going through a bad period. Thanks to that big order that came in we are slowly getting back on our feet again.

例句：

“你那场重感冒好了吗？”“好了，我已经恢复几天了。”

这家公司经历一段低谷期后差点倒闭。多亏了那笔大订单，我们才慢慢重回正轨。

附带注释（中英对照）

To watch out for (someone) or (something) = be attentive in order not to miss someone or something.

意思

：留意、提防（某人 / 某物），集中注意力以免错过。

To turn up = appear

意思

：出现；露面

To close down = not be in business anymore / close a business for good (forever)

意思

：停业；倒闭；永久关门

To go through = experience something (usually unpleasant)

意思

：经历；遭受（通常指不好的事）

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

Meaning: This expression is used when someone does you a wrong and you pay them back in the same way. We can also say -“Give someone a taste of his/her own medicine”.

意思

：以眼还眼，以牙还牙。指别人伤害了你，你用同样的方式报复回去。也可以说：以其人之道，还治其人之身。

Example: He ripped me off so now I am going to find a way to rip him off good style. As the saying goes, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

例句

：他坑了我，所以我现在要狠狠地坑回去。俗话说，“以眼还眼，以牙还牙”。

*Good style implies ‘in a very big way’.

*Good style 意为：大大地、狠狠地*Rip (someone) off = swindle a person*Rip (someone) off = 坑人、诈骗*Pay (someone) back = to have revenge on someone*Pay (someone) back = 报复

To see eye to eye

Meaning: This means to agree with someone. It is used very often in the negative, that is, to disagree with someone.

意思

：意见一致、看法相同。常用否定形式，表示意见不合。

Example: My boyfriend and I have broken up because we didn’t see eye to eye. (We didn’t agree on anything)

例句

：我和男朋友分手了，因为我们完全合不来。（我们什么事都谈不拢）

*To break up = end a relationship, usually a romantic one.

*To break up = 分手

To foot the bill

Meaning: Who is going to pay the bill? Who is going to foot the bill?

意思

：买单、付账。

Example: She ran up a huge phone bill and left her father to foot the bill.

例句

：她欠下了巨额话费，让她爸爸来买单。

*To run up = accumulate debt.

*To run up = 欠下（债务）

Hit the nail on the head

Meaning: You really hit the nail right on the head = you understood perfectly well what I meant/ you got the precise point.

意思

：一语中的、说到点子上、完全猜对 / 说对。

Example: He hit the nail on the head when he said Jane was only going out with him for his money.

例句

：他说简只是为了他的钱才和他交往，真是一语中的。

*Go out with (someone) = frequent a person as a boyfriend or girlfriend.

*Go out with (someone) = 谈恋爱、交往

Scratch someone’s back

Meaning: Do someone a favour if they will return it.

意思

：帮人一把，以便日后得到回报。

Example: You scratch my back and I will scratch yours = you do me a favour and I will return the favour.

例句

：你帮我，我也帮你。

Like music to my ears

Meaning: When someone says “it was like music to my ears,” it means that it is exactly what you wanted to hear.

意思

：悦耳之音、正中下怀、听着太舒服了。

Example: When he told me he loved me, it was like music to my ears.

例句

：当他说他爱我时，这话简直悦耳极了。

To take something at face value

Meaning: Accept by appearance instead of going deeper into something.

意思

：只看表面就相信，不深入探究。

Example:

When I was younger and you went for a job interview, the employer hired you at face value.(He trusted you by your appearance and the way you spoke and presented yourself)Nowadays you have to go through psychology tests for some jobs and produce endless qualifications before you are even accepted for an interview.

例句

：我年轻的时候，你去参加面试，雇主会

只凭表面印象

就录用你。（他会根据你的外表、谈吐和表现来信任你）而如今，有些工作你必须先通过心理测试，出示一大堆资质证明，才有可能获得面试机会。

To be written all over your face

Meaning: This means that it is very clear by your expression that you have done something. Usually it refers to guilt.

意思

：全都写在脸上；神情明显表露出来（通常指愧疚）。

Example:

It was definitely John who stole the money. Even though he denied it, it was written all over his face.

例句

：钱肯定是约翰偷的。尽管他否认，但一切都

写在他脸上

了。

It’s no skin off my nose

Meaning: This means that you are unaffected by a situation - it makes no difference to you.

意思

：跟我没关系；对我毫无影响；我无所谓。

Example:

Person A: “Sorry you didn’t get that job you went for”.Person B: “It’s no skin off my nose. I didn’t want it anyway.”

例句

：A：“很遗憾你没得到那份申请的工作。”B：“

我一点都不在乎

，反正我也不想要。”

To be a pain in the neck

Meaning: No, it is not what you think it is. This doesn’t mean that your neck hurts. We use this idiom to describe a very annoying person.

意思

：不是你想的那样，不是脖子疼。这个习语用来形容

非常惹人烦的人

。

Example:

She’s a real pain in the neck. She’s always borrowing my things and she never gives me them back. I’m going to have to stop lending her my things.

例句

：她真是个

讨厌鬼

。老是借我的东西，还从来不还。我不能再借给她了。

To be on the tip of (one’s) tongue

Meaning: We use this expression when we are about to say something but as the words are about to come out our mouths, we can’t remember them. We become frustrated in that moment because we knew what we were going to say but in one second it disappears from our memory. We try desperately to remember.

意思

：话到嘴边却说不出来；差点想起来，却一时记不起。

Examples:

What’s the name of that new shop round the corner? I know the name - I’ve been there three times this week. Just a second, it’s on the tip of my tongue.

例句

：街角那家新店叫什么来着？我知道名字 —— 这周都去了三回了。等一下，

话到嘴边了

。

Oh gosh!!!!! I don’t remember what this is called in English. I have always known. Give me a second or two and I’ll remember. It’s on the tip of my tongue.

例句

：天啊！我忘了这个用英语怎么说了。我明明一直都知道的。等我一下，我肯定能想起来，

就在嘴边了

。

To bite (one’s) tongue

Meaning: This doesn’t mean that you are going to hurt yourself by biting your tongue with your teeth. It means that you refrain from saying what you really want to say, probably because it could cause some trouble.

意思

：不是真的用牙咬舌头，而是

忍住不说、把话咽回去

，通常因为说出来会惹麻烦。

Example:

I always have to bite my tongue when my mother in law tells me in continuation that I’m not suitable for her son.

例句

：每当婆婆不停地说我配不上她儿子时，我都只能

忍住不反驳

。