a bone of contention
爭論的原因；爭議的焦點；爭吵的中心問題。
The length of the project was a major bone of contention during the talks between the city and the developer.
a change of heart
改變主意；變心。
I had a change of heart about not going to Europe for my holiday and finally decided to go.
a flea in one's ear
刺耳的話；尖刻的斥責。
The idea about changing the schedules is a flea in the supervisor's ear that we wish he would forget.
a pain in the neck
討厭的人或事物。
The customer is a pain in the neck and is always complaining about something.
a pat/slap on the back
讚揚，表揚。
The man was given a pat on the back for his efforts to stop pollution in the river.
a shot in the arm
興奮劑；強心針。
The latest opinion polls were a shot in the arm for the lawyer's campaign to become elected.
a skeleton in the/one's cupboard/closet
不可告人的秘密；不可外揚的家醜或醜事。
If you want to be a successful politician, you can't afford to have too many skeletons in your cupboard. (如果你想成為成功的政治人物，你就不能有太多不可告人的秘密)
I learned last night that Mr. Smith's youngest son has been three times sent to prison. I wonder how many other skeletons he's got in his closet. (昨晚我聽說史密斯先生最小的兒子曾三度入獄。我不知道他家還有哪些不可外揚的醜事)
a slip of the tongue
說錯；口誤。
I made a slip of the tongue when I told the woman who everyone hates that we would have a party.
a swollen/swelled head
夜郎自大；自命不凡；趾高氣揚。
My sister has a swollen head since she got the new job that many people had applied for.
after one's own heart
正合己意；正投所好；合某人心意的人或物 (尤指思想或趣味相投)。
My new boss loves to go fishing every weekend. He is a man after my own heart.
all ears
聚精會神地聽；全神貫注地聽。
My sister was all ears last night when I began to talk about starting a home business.
all eyes
聚精會神地看；目不轉睛地看。
He is all eyes when he goes to a basketball game.
an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth)
以眼還眼，以牙還牙。
Some politicians are always calling for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when they hear of a terrible crime.
armed to the teeth
全副武裝；帶齊需用的工具。
The robbers were armed to the teeth when they robbed the bank.
They went into the examination room, armed to the teeth with pens , pencils and rulers.
at heart
內心裡；實際上。
He seems to be very angry all the time but at heart he is a very gentle person.
at/from the bottom of one's heart
衷心地；從心坎裡。
My sister thanked the man from the bottom of her heart for saving her dog's life.
at the top of one's lungs
盡量大聲地叫喊；放大嗓門叫喊；非常大聲地。
I yelled at the top of my lungs to get the attention of the man.
bad blood
(因過去不和所產生的) 仇恨，罅隙。
There has always been a lot of bad blood between the two supervisors.
be at/on the tip of one's tongue
就在嘴邊；差一點就能說出口；差一點就能想起 (某人的名字或某事)。
My former teacher's name is on the tip of my tongue and I will soon remember it.
beat one's brains out
絞盡腦汁。
I have been beating my brains out all day trying to remember who we should invite to the party.
beauty is only skin deep
美貌只是外表；不可以貌取人。
Teresa may not be pretty but you know beauty's only skin deep. (泰瑞莎可能不漂亮，但你知道，美貌只是外表)
Beauty is only skin deep. What matters is a person's character, rather than his/her appearance. (別以貌取人。要緊的是一個人的品格，而非他或她的外表)
behind one's back
暗中；背地裡；秘密地。
He doesn't like people who talk behind his back.
be music to someone's ears
中聽的話；像音樂般悅耳的好消息、喜訊；(好消息等) 像音樂般悅耳；非常中聽。
A: Your daughter has breezed through her English exams. (你女兒已輕易通過英文測驗)
B: Ah, that's music to my ears! (啊，這消息多麼動聽!)
bend one's/the elbow
喝酒；縱飲 (喝酒過量)。
Henry came to work late today; he must have been bending his elbow last night. (亨利今天上班遲到；他昨晚一定喝酒了)
Jack's bending the elbow with his friends all afternoon. (傑克和他的朋友整個下午都在喝酒)
be no skin off one's nose
與某人毫不相干。
It is no skin off my nose as to whether or not I get invited to the party.
be/rise up in arms
勃然大怒，不滿；配備武器準備幹架。
The students were up in arms over the school's plan to make them wear uniforms.
bite the hand that feeds one
恩將仇報；以怨報德。
My niece is biting the hand that feeds her if she keeps abusing the help that her parents are giving her.
blood is thicker than water
血濃於水；親戚總比朋友親 (那也不見得!?)。
Blood is thicker than water and people usually support their family rather than their friends in times of trouble.
blow one's mind
使 (人) 極度興奮。
My friend told me that if I read the new book I would blow my mind.
break one's heart
使...傷透了心；使...斷腸。
It broke my heart to see the woman fall down during the race after she had tried so hard.
break one's neck
盡全力去做某事。
I broke my neck to try and get the report finished on time.
breathe down one's neck
(在某人工作時) 嚴密監督某人。
My boss has been breathing down my neck all day to try and get me to work harder.
burn one's fingers or get/have one's fingers burnt
自討苦吃；吃苦頭；吃虧。
My father burned his fingers on the stock market and doesn't want to invest money there again.
bury/hide one's head in the sand
對困難、問題或危險視而不見；採取鴕鳥態度或政策 (據信鴕鳥在遇險或被追捕時會把頭埋入沙中)。
His father always buries his head in the sand and never wants to deal with any problems.
button one's lip(s)
閉嘴；一聲不吭。
Please button your lip so that we can hear what the speaker is saying.
by the pricking of one's thumbs
靠直覺；憑預感 (不是憑可靠的消息)。
By the pricking of my thumbs I knew that something bad was going to happen. (憑我的直覺，我知道將有不好的事情發生)
附註： 這成語出自莎士比亞戲劇《馬克白》(Macbeth) 第四幕第一景 (Act 4, scene 1) 中的台詞 "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” (從我拇指刺痛的感覺，就知道必將有邪惡之事來臨)。
by the skin of one's teeth
剛好；勉強；僥倖；好不容易才。
We drove to the station at full speed and caught the train by the skin of our teeth.
by the sweat of one's brow
憑自己的血汗；靠自己的辛勤工作。
He built up the business by the sweat of his brow.
chip on one's shoulder
(受了委屈而) 忿忿不平。
Why did you get so angry at the slightest criticism? You seem to have a chip on your shoulder. (你為何對一點點批評都這麼生氣呢? 你似乎是受了委屈而心中忿忿不平)
cool/kick one's heels
(懾於權威而) 空等，久等。
I was forced to cool my heels in the lobby for an hour while I waited for the job interview.
cross one's heart and hope to die
在胸口劃十字發誓 (表示說的是實話或決不會洩漏秘密)。例如："Cross my heart and hope to die!" (我敢發誓!)
"I promise that I will meet you tomorrow. Cross my heart and hope to die."
cross one's mind
突然想起；略過心頭。
It suddenly crossed my mind (= It suddenly occurred to me) that the store would be closed all day on Monday.
curl one's hair
使驚嚇；使震驚；使毛骨悚然。
The movie is very realistic and many of the scenes will curl your hair.
cut off one's nose to spite one's face
跟自己過不去；把氣出到自己頭上。
When he decided not to go to the party he was cutting off his nose to spite his face. He was the one who lost out on a good opportunity to meet many new people.
cut/slit one's (own) throat
自討苦吃；自尋死路；作法自斃；自作自受；自取滅亡。
He is cutting his own throat if he doesn't make an effort to find a new job quickly.
dirty/soil one's hands
幹不名譽的事；做有失身分的事。
The politician dirtied his hands when he became involved in the questionable land deals.
drag one's feet/heels
故意拖拉；慢吞吞地行動。
Our company is dragging their feet in making a decision to hire new workers.
(as) dry as a bone
非常乾燥。
I don't think Kevin's been watering these plants - the soil's as dry as a bone. (我認為凱文一直沒有給這些植物澆水 － 土壤非常乾燥)
The ground was very hard and as dry as a bone. (地面很硬且很乾燥)
eat/tear one's heart out
沮喪；憂傷 (如為情所困)。
My young son is eating his heart out over a girl who lives just down the street.
faint heart never won fair lady
懦夫沒有美人愛。
Paul: I'd really like to go out with Amy, but what if she says no? (保羅：我真的很想約艾美出來，但如果她拒絕，那該怎麼辦呢?)
Peter: You won't know till you ask her. Faint heart never won fair lady. (彼得：你沒有去約怎麼會知道她要不要呢。懦夫是不會有美人愛的)
Don't be so shy about talking to Susan. Faint heart never won fair lady. (別不敢跟蘇珊講話。懦夫沒有美人愛)
fall/be head over heels (in love)
陷入情網；深深地愛戀。
The little boy fell head over heels in love with the girl in his class.
feet of clay
要命的弱點；致命的缺陷。
The new Prime Minister has feet of clay and and may not last very long in his new position.
fight tooth and nail
拚命廝打；奮力作戰；竭盡全力去做。
We fought tooth and nail to get the new wing of the hospital opened.
foam at the mouth
大怒；氣得口沫四濺；氣得吹鬍子瞪眼睛。
The girl's father was so angry that he was foaming at the mouth.
from the heart
由衷地；真心誠意地；誠摯地。
The President gave a speech from the heart after the terrible earthquake.
get/have cold feet
畏縮；膽怯。
I planned to go to Europe with my cousin but he got cold feet and decided not to go.
get off one's back
不再批評或煩擾某人。
I wish that my mother would get off my back about trying to find a better job.
get off one's chest
一吐為快；頃訴衷腸 (以掃除積壓在心頭的憂慮等等)。
I talked to my friend for a long time and was able to get my problems off my chest.
get off on the wrong foot
不好的開始；錯誤的開始。
Unfortunately my relationship with my new teacher got off on the wrong foot.
get/grate on one's nerves
使某人惱怒。
She'd been asking me questions all day and it was starting to get on my nerves. (她整天都在問我問題，讓我覺得好煩啊)
The telephone hadn't stopped ringing all morning and it was starting to grate on my nerves. (整個早上電話響個不停，我都要抓狂了)
附註：英文中還有 get on one's wick, get on one's tits 和 get up one's nose 等成語可表達與 get on one's nerves 相同的意思，如 Sometimes watching TV really gets on my wick because of all the commercials. (看電視有時真的很氣人，因為都是廣告)；That guy I work with has been getting on my tits recently. (跟我一起工作的那個傢伙，最近讓我很不爽)。
get one's feet wet
開始；首次做某事。
We won't have time to finish this job today but at least we can get our feet wet and start.
get/keep out of one's hair
不打擾 (某人)。
My sister wants to get her daughter permanently out of her hair.
get the eye
引起別人投注好奇、不友善或羨慕的眼光。
We got the eye from the manager of the restaurant when we entered in our old clothes.
get through one's head
瞭解；相信。
It was difficult to get it through the bank manager's head that I didn't want to borrow any more money.
get under one's skin
激怒某人；使某人惱火。
She is beginning to get under my skin with her constant complaining about the noise.
(would) give one's right arm
(為了某人或某事) 願做極大犧牲或付出極高代價。
I would give my right arm to be able to go Kaohsiung with my friend next month.
gird (up) one's loins
做好準備；準備行動。
The nation must gird up its loins to face these difficult challenges. (國家必須做好準備來面對這些困難的挑戰)
The manager has called me to his office. I'd better gird my loins and go and see what he wants. (經理叫我到他辦公室去。我最好做好準備，去看看他想要幹什麼)
give/lend someone a hand
幫助 (某人)。
I gave my friend a hand moving into his new apartment.
give someone a piece of one's mind
怒責 (某人)；坦率地批評 (某人)。
I gave the store manager a piece of my mind when I told him about the broken product.
give someone the eye
看著或注視著某人。
I gave the woman in the restaurant the eye but she totally ignored me.
give the cold shoulder
冷落 (某人)；冷淡對待 (某人)；不理睬 (某人)。注意：若 give 改為 get，則意為「受到冷淡對待」(見下面的例句)。
The office staff gave me the cold shoulder when I did not go to the going away party.
We keep getting the cold shoulder from our neighbors these days, because of the argument we had last week.
go to one's head
1. 使某人自高自大；使某人沖昏了頭。2. 使某人醉了。
1. I think that his new job has gone to his head and he thinks that he is much better than everyone else.
2. The alcohol quickly went to his head and he had to sit down for a while.
hate one's guts
對某人恨之入骨；非常討厭某人。
I hate his guts for treating my sister so badly. (他對我妹妹很壞，我對他恨之入骨)
I don't think you should hate my guts just because I like to go fishing. (我認為你不應只因我喜歡釣魚就討厭我)
have a bone to pick (with somebody)
跟 (某人) 有爭端；對…不滿。
Paul always has a bone to pick. (保羅老是有意見)
I have a bone to pick with you. Did you eat that piece of chocolate cake I was saving for my tea? (我有事要跟你算帳。你是不是把我留下來要配茶吃的那塊巧克力蛋糕吃掉了?)
have/with a heart of gold
好心腸。
My grandmother has a heart of gold and is always willing to help a stranger.
have a heart of stone
鐵石心腸；心如鐵石。
The man who murdered his wife and children has a heart of stone.
have/get butterflies in one's stomach/tummy
緊張不安；心神不寧。
The little boy had terrible butterflies in his stomach when he had to give the speech in front of the class.
have eyes in the back of one's head
後腦杓長了眼睛；能看到或知道一切。
The teacher has eyes in the back of her head and always knows what is going on in the classroom.
have light/sticky fingers
手腳不乾淨；有偷竊的習慣。
David and his brothers all have light fingers. (大衛和他的兄弟手腳都不乾淨)
Everyone thinks that the new woman at work has sticky fingers as many things have been stolen recently. (大家都認為辦公室那位新來的女員工手腳不乾淨，因為最近許多東西遭竊)
附註：light-fingered 為形容詞「有偷竊習慣的」，如 light-fingered children。
have one foot in the grave
一隻腳已踏進墳墓；風燭殘年；離死不遠。
The man next door is suffering from cancer and has one foot in the grave.
have/keep one's feet on the ground
腳踏實地；抱持務實的態度。
The new manager has his feet on the ground and will probably be able to come up with a sensible solution to our problems.
have one's fingers in the till; with one's fingers in the till
偷或竊取本店、本公司或自己所任職之工作場所的錢 (尤指金額不多但已持續一段時間)。
He had his fingers in the till, and that's why he lost his job. (他偷了他店裡的錢，所以被炒魷魚了)
Jordan was caught with his fingers in the till. (喬登在偷他公司的錢時當場被逮)
have rocks in one's head
愚蠢的；判斷力欠佳的。
He must have rocks in his head if he thinks that I am going to lend him any more money.
heads up
事先透口風；事先告知或提醒。
Our boss gave us a heads up about/on the change in the procedure.
附註："a heads up"是美國人常用的一句口語，雖然名詞 heads 為複數，但其前卻是使用單數冠詞 "a"，請特別注意。
hold one's breath
屏息以待。
I held my breath and waited to see if my name had been called for an interview with the movie company.
in the lap of luxury
在優裕的環境中。
Carla lives in the lap of luxury because her family is very wealthy. (卡拉生活在優裕的環境中，因為她家很有錢)
They live in the lap of luxury in a huge great house in Taipei. (他們住在台北一間大豪宅中，過著豪華的生活)
jump down one's throat
突然對某人大發雷霆。
His wife jumped down his throat when he came home late for the third day in a row.
jump out of one's skin
嚇一大跳；大吃一驚。
I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw my girlfriend at the movie theater with someone else.
keep a stiff upper lip
保持堅定沈著、堅毅鎮定。
We managed to keep a stiff upper lip when the company announced that they would close down our office.
keep/have an/one's ear to the ground
非常關注或留意 (某事)；關注或留意 (某事的) 發展動向。
There have been rumors of a new round of layoffs. Better keep an ear to the ground. (傳聞會有新一波的裁員。最好留意這事的發展)
Can Mike help me rent a house? － Yes, he always keeps/has his ear to the ground. (麥可能幫我租一間房子嗎? － 能，他一直留意這件事)
keep body and soul together
維持溫飽；餬口；存活。
He has been working very hard to try and keep body and soul together after his illness.
keep one's chin up
毫不氣餒；振作精神。
My brother is trying to keep his chin up even though he has lost his job.
keep/have one's fingers crossed
希望成功；祈求好運。
I will keep my fingers crossed that you are able to get the new job that you have applied for.
keep one's hair/shirt/wig on
保持鎮靜；不發火；不激動；沈住氣。(通常用於祈使句)
Keep your hair on! I only wanted to borrow ten dollars from you.
keep one's head
保持鎮靜；不慌張；不害怕。
Everyone tried to keep their head during the fire at the hotel.
keep one's head above water
使...免於負債；使...擺脫困境、困擾、麻煩。
My brother has been having a hard time keeping his head above water since he lost his job.
keep one's mouth shut
保持沈默。
I tried hard to keep my mouth shut during the salesman's speech.
keep one's nose clean
行為檢點：不捲入是非。
The judge told the young man that he must keep his nose clean if he didn't want to go to jail in the future.
keep one's nose to the grindstone
使...不停地苦幹、用功等。
He has been keeping his nose to the grindstone all year so that he can save up enough money for a new car.
kick/cool one's heels
空等；久等。
I had to kick my heels for nearly two hours before I could see the boss. (我空等了將近兩個小時才見到老闆)
She cooled her heels for hours at the gate of the Embassy. (她在大使館大門口苦等了好幾個鐘頭)
kick up one's heels
盡情地玩樂。
We kicked up our heels last night and had a great time at the party.
knock off one's feet
使人嚇了一大跳；使人驚訝萬分。
The singer's voice was so beautiful that I was nearly knocked off my feet.
land/fall on one's feet
倖免於難；逢凶化吉；擺脫困苦。
I was able to land on my feet even though our company had recently gone bankrupt.
lay a finger on
動手打或開口罵；觸犯；(比喻性說法) 動 (某人) 一根汗毛或一根指頭 。
I was told not to lay a finger on the son of the boss when he comes to work for us.
lay one's hands on
對 (某人) 動手，傷害。
If you lay your hands on me like that again, I'll kill you.
leave a bad/bitter/nasty taste in the/one's mouth
給人留下壞印象；使人覺得厭惡、怨恨。
The way that the company treated the workers left a bad taste in our mouth.
let one's hair down
輕鬆一下；放鬆一下。
It's wonderful to let your hair down at the weekend after you've been working hard all week.
let the grass grow under one's feet
怠惰懶散；浪費時間；拖拖拉拉。
That man is never content to let the grass grow under his feet. He is always busy.
lick one's wounds
(在遭遇挫敗、受到處罰或批評等之後) 自我慰藉；恢復元氣。
After the terrible meeting and all the criticism, Tony went back to his office to lick his wounds. (在這一可怕的會議及眾人的批評之後，東尼回到自己的辦公室恢復情緒)
The baseball team was still licking its wounds after its unexpected defeat. (這支棒球隊在意外遭到挫敗之後，還未完全恢復元氣)
lie through one's teeth
撒彌天大謊。
Kevin wasn't a doctor, he had never been to medical school; he just lied through his teeth and we believed him. (凱文不是醫生，他從未唸過醫學院；他撒了個彌天大謊，而我們竟然相信他)
I knew she was lying through her teeth, but I didn't want to say so just then. (我知道她在撒大謊，但當時我不想這麼說)
lift/raise a finger/hand
舉手之勞；出一點力；幫一點忙。
Her daughter will never lift a finger to help anyone.
look down one's nose at
瞧不起：討厭。
She looks down her nose at people who she thinks are not as smart as she is.
lose heart
感到沮喪；灰心。
I tried not to lose heart even though I had failed my driver's exam for the second time.
lose one's heart (to)
愛上 (某人)；極其喜歡 (某人或某物)。
He wanted to buy a house before they got married, but while she was waiting she lost her heart to another man.
make eyes at
向 (異性) 拋媚眼；向 (異性) 送秋波。
The woman in the restaurant is always making eyes at the customers who she likes.
make head or tail of someone/something
理解 (人或事)；弄懂 (某事)。(通常用於否定句)
I was unable to make head or tail of our company's plans to restructure our department.
make one's hair stand on end/one's hair stands on end
使某人毛骨悚然。
My hair stood on end when I saw the large dog run out and begin to bark at me.
make one's mouth water
使人垂涎欲滴；使人垂涎三尺。
The smell of the fish cooking in the restaurant made my mouth water.
melt in one's mouth
入口即化；非常美味可口。
These chocolates somewhat melt in your mouth. (這些巧克力有點入口即化)
These quality ice creams really melt in your mouth. (這些高級冰淇淋真的入口即化)
millstone around one's neck
沈重的負擔；沈重的包袱；極大的累贅。
Taking care of three children has been a millstone around her neck. (照顧三個小孩一直是她沈重的負擔)
Gary is so lazy and selfish that if you let him work with us he'll become a millstone around our neck. (蓋瑞既怠惰又自私，如果你讓他跟我們一起工作，他將成為我們沈重的包袱)
neck and neck
勢均力敵；平分秋色；不分上下。
The two horses were running neck and neck until the end of the race.
not bat an eyelash/eye
連眼睛也不眨一下；臉上未露出任何表情。
Our boss didn't bat an eyelash when we told him that we were going to go home early today.
not turn a hair (or without turning a hair)
神色自若；毫無懼色；不失常態。
When John saw the large dog running straight towards him and Susan, he ran away quickly. But Susan just stood and didn't turn a hair.
off the top of one's head
未經仔細思考地；沒有好好準備地。
I was unable to remember the name of the restaurant off the top of my head.
one's blood runs cold
毛骨悚然；背脊發麻；極度害怕、恐懼。
My blood ran cold when I saw the man fall off the ladder.
one's eyes are bigger than one's stomach/belly
眼大肚子小；所拿或所點的食物比能吃完的量還要來得多。
His eyes were bigger than his stomach when he went to the restaurant and ordered too much food.
one's eyes pop out; one's eyes nearly/almost/practically popped out of one's head
(因非常驚訝、恐懼等而) 瞠目結舌。
My eyes popped out when I saw the new computer that I had gotten for my birthday.
When he told me how much money he was earning, my eyes almost popped out of my head.
one's heart goes out to
某人同情或憐憫 (他人)。
My heart goes out to the victims of the hurricane that recently struck.
one's heart is in the right place; have/with one's heart in the right place
心地善良；宅心仁厚；心眼兒好。
Although she makes a lot of mistakes her heart is in the right place.
My aunt appears to treat people severely, but she has her heart in the right place and will help anyone in trouble.
one's own flesh and blood
親骨肉；親屬；近親。
It was his own flesh and blood who he refused to help when they needed money.
(back) on one's feet
(人或公司受挫後) 重新站起來；重新自立自強。
Our teacher was back on her feet shortly after she had her accident.
on/upon one's (own) head
(錯誤的行為或決定等) 由某人負責。
Nobody is ordering you to come to work, but it will be on your head if the job is not finished on time.
on one's/its last legs
(指人) 奄奄一息；臨近死亡。(指公司或物品) 瀕臨破產，瓦解或報廢。
My car is on its last legs and I will soon have to buy a new one.
on one's toes
警覺的；準備行動的。
The speaker kept the audience on their toes by asking many interesting questions.
pay through the nose (for)
花很多錢 (買...)；(為...) 付出高昂的代價。
My mother paid through the nose for her new dress but she is very happy with it.
pick the brains of (or pick one's brains)
吸取某人的智慧；吸收某人的資訊。
We picked the brains of the official who was sent to talk about the pollution problem.
play into one's hands
幹對對手有利的事；使對手佔了便宜；給對手可乘之機。
If you become angry at his extreme actions it will only play into his hands.
pull one's leg
戲弄某人；哄騙某人；開某人的玩笑。
The man was pulling my leg when he told me that I would not be able to enter the movie theater after the movie started.
pull the wool over one's eyes
欺騙 (某人)；使 (某人) 上當。
The girl tried to pull the wool over her mother's eyes when she said that she had been studying all weekend.
put one's feet up
躺下來休息；將雙腿平放著休息。
It's nice to put your feet up after a long day's work.
put/lay one's fingers on something
準確地指出 (位置、問題、癥結、病症等)。
I was finally able to put my fingers on the problem and find someone to help me fix it.
put one's foot down
堅決反對；表現堅定。
My sister finally put her foot down and stopped paying for the gas for her daughter's car.
put one's foot in one's mouth
說錯了話；說了不該說的話。
I put my foot in my mouth when I said that I didn't like fish just before my friends served fish at their dinner party.
put our/your/their heads together
一起討論 (尤指為了解決問題)。
We put our heads together with the other members of the department to try and find a solution to the problem.
put (someone or something) out of one's head/mind
試著忘掉某人或某事。
I was forced to put my holidays out of my head when we had the emergency problems at our company.
put words into one's mouth
聲稱某人說過某些話 (而實際上未說過)；暗示某人想說某些話 (而實際上未想過)。
My boss was putting words into my mouth when he told me what he thought that I wanted to do.
rack one's brain(s)
絞盡腦汁。
I racked my brain for over an hour to try and figure out what to do about the problem with the new computer.
rub elbows or shoulders with someone
與 (某人) 交往；與 (某人) 過從甚密。
We went to the party in order to rub shoulders with some interesting artists.
save one's breath
不再作聲；不白費口舌。注意：若 save 改為 waste，即 "waste one's breath"，則為「白費口舌」(見下面的例句)。
You can save your breath and not bother talking to him. He never listens to anyone.
You're wasting your breath if you think I'm going to agree to go with you.
save one's neck/skin
保全生命；使自己或別人免遭殺害、免受危險或損傷等。
The worker tried to save his own neck without thinking of any of the other people.
say a mouthful
說了很重要的事。
The little boy said a mouthful when he began to talk about the complicated history material.
scratch one's back
助人者人恆助之。
You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. (投桃報李；你幫我，我也幫你。)
see eye to eye
意見一致；完全同意。
I never see eye to eye with my wife about what television program to watch.
set one's heart/mind on or have one's heart/mind set on
非常想要 (得到) 某物；渴望做某事。
I had my heart set on getting a dog for my birthday when I was a child but I never got one.
shoe is on the other foot
風水輪流轉；十年河東，十年河西。
He always criticized me for being late for meetings but now the shoe is on the other foot and he is the one who is late and is being criticized.
shove (or force, push, ram etc) something down one's throat
強迫某人做某事或接受觀點、意見等。
The workers were angry because the boss tried to shove the new regulations about uniforms down their throats.
sink/get one's teeth into something
(開始) 專注於某事或做某事。
I was finally able to sink my teeth into the problem and began to find a solution.
skin and bone(s)
瘦得皮包骨；骨瘦如柴。
The dog became skin and bones after his owner stopped giving him food.
slap in the face
一記耳光；打擊；挫折。
The fact that an extreme candidate won the election was a slap in the face to the moderate voters.
split hairs
鑽牛角尖；為瑣事爭辯。
My boss is always splitting hairs when I try and talk to him about something important.
stab someone in the back
背後插刀；暗地中傷。
My friend stabbed me in the back even after I made an effort to help him get a job.
stand on one's own (two) feet/legs
自立；獨立自主。
My sister needs to do something to make her daughter stand on her own two feet.
stars in one's eyes
欣喜若狂，非常高興。
She had stars in her eyes when she won first prize in the speech contest.
step/tread on one's toes
冒犯某人；傷害某人的感情。
I don't want to tread on my supervisor's toes as he has not been in a good mood lately.
stick one's neck out
冒險；惹禍；惹麻煩。
His friend will never stick his neck out to try and help other people.
straight from the shoulder
直截了當地；開誠布公地。
He was speaking straight from the shoulder when he told the workers about the possible factory closing.
sweep off one's feet
把某人迷住；使 (女子) 對某人傾心不已 -- 女的被男的迷住了。
The woman was swept off her feet when she met the young man at the party.
take heart
鼓起勇氣；感到鼓舞。
He took heart in the fact that his son was still going to school even though he was failing most of his courses.
take something to heart
把某事 (如別人的話、忠告、批評等) 放在心上。
Don't take her cruel remarks to heart. / If you take this advice to heart, you will improve your singing a lot.
take the words out of one's mouth
說出某人想說或正要說的話。
He took the words right out of my mouth when he said that he wanted to go and get something to eat.
the boot/shoe is on the other foot
情況完全不同了；不可同日而語了。
In the past, we had great influence over their economy, but the boot is on the other foot now. (過去我們對他們的經濟有重大的影響力，但現在不可同日而語了)
throw up one's hands/arms (in despair, frustration, etc.)
舉起雙手 (用來表示放棄嘗試、承認失敗或不能成功、絕望)。
I threw up my hands in frustration when I was unable to complete the telephone call.
thumb one's nose at
對 (某人或某事) 表示輕蔑、不屑。附註：英文中還有一個成語與這個成語的意思完全相同："to cock a snook at"。(參見下面的例句)
My friend thumbed his nose at me when I asked him to stop talking so loud.
Now that he has left school he thinks he can cock a snook at all the teachers.
to the bone
完全地；全身地。
He was wet to the bone after staying out in the rain for two hours.
try one's hand
試試身手；嘗試一下。
I tried my hand at golf last summer but I didn't really like it.
turn a deaf ear to
(對某事) 充耳不聞。
I turned a deaf ear to the complaints of my friend about the heat.
turn one's back on
拒絕幫助、支持；不理睬。
The woman turned her back on her friend when she was asked for some money to borrow.
turn one's frown upside down
不要哭喪著臉；不要眉頭深鎖。
Turn your frown upside down! Everything will be OK. (別哭喪著臉！一切都不會有問題的)
What can turn your frown upside down? (什麼事才能讓你不再眉頭深鎖呢？)
turn one's stomach
使人噁心；使人反感；使人厭惡。
The sight of the dead dog on the road turned the stomachs of the children at the school.
turn on/upon one's heel(s)
(因被冒犯或心中不快)掉頭就走；轉身離去。
That lady suddenly turned on her heel.
turn the other cheek
受了傷害不還手；甘受侮辱；(挨揍後) 轉過另一邊臉來讓人打。
We were told in school that we should always turn the other cheek when we were attacked by someone.
turn up one's nose at
嗤之以鼻；對....不屑一顧；瞧不起.....。
My sister turned up her nose at the chance to go to nursing school.
turn up one's toes
死亡；過世；一命嗚呼；嗚呼哀哉；撒手人寰；撒手西歸 (字面意思就是「兩腳一蹬」)。
When I turn up my toes, I want a big funeral with lots of flowers. (我兩腳一蹬之後希望有一場佈滿鮮花的盛大喪禮)
Our pet dog turned up his toes during the night. He was nearly ten years old. (我們家的寵物狗昨晚撒手西歸了。牠將近十歲)
twiddle one's thumbs
閒得無聊；無所事事。
She has been twiddling her thumbs all year and is now unable to pass her courses at school.
twist/wrap/wind someone around one's little finger
有能力任意擺佈某人；能隨心所欲地左右某人。
My sister has her boss wrapped around her little finger and she is able to do anything that she wants.
twist someone's arm
強迫或威脅某人做某事。
I had to twist my friend's arm to get him to let me borrow his car.
under one's thumb
在某人的控制下；在某人的勢力下。
She has her husband under her thumb and never gives him any freedom at all.
up to the/one's ears/eyes/neck/eyeballs
忙於 (工作等)；深陷 (債務、麻煩事等)。
Half the people in my office called in sick, so I was up to my ears! (我辦公室裡有一半的人請病假，所以我忙死了!)
Sam's up to his eyes in debt. (山姆債臺高築)
The mayor's up to his eyeballs in trouble. (市長身處困境中)
use one's head (or use one's loaf)
動動腦筋；好好想想；明智一點； (放) 聰明一些。
Sometimes I think that the manager of the video store never uses her head at all when you ask her a question.
wait on (someone) hand and foot /wait hand and foot on (someone)
悉心伺候 (某人)；無微不至地伺候 (某人)。
I don't mind bringing you your coffee, but I don't intend to wait on you hand and foot. (我不介意把你的咖啡拿給你，但我不想悉心地伺候你)
I don't want anyone to wait on me hand and foot. I can take care of myself. (我不要任何人無微不至地伺候我。我可以照顧我自己)
I always wait hand and foot on my sister when she comes to visit me. (當我姊姊來探望我時，我總是悉心地伺候她)
wash one's hands of
洗手不幹；不再對 (某人或某事) 承擔責任。
I decided to wash my hands of the problem with the new secretary and let someone else deal with it.
(still) wet behind the ears
乳臭未乾；沒有經驗；缺乏訓練。
He is still wet behind the ears and doesn't know very much at all about this company.
whom God will destroy he first makes mad
上帝要毀滅一個人，必先使其瘋狂。
A: He is cruel to animals. (他對動物很殘忍)
B: He's crazy. Whom God will destroy he first makes mad. (他瘋了。上帝要毀滅一個人，必先使其瘋狂)
with a heavy/light heart
帶著或懷著沈重的/輕快的心情。
We left the meeting with a heavy heart when we heard that our boss would soon have to leave the company because of illness.
with all one's heart (and soul)
真心誠意地；真切地。
I tried with all my heart to get my friend to go with me for a holiday but he wouldn't come.
with one's tail between one's legs
夾著尾巴；垂頭喪氣。
The salesman was forced to leave the office with his tail between his legs after he admitted telling a lie about his sales figures.
with open arms
樂意；熱情地。
The author was welcomed with open arms when he came to visit the city.
work one's fingers to the bone
拚命地工作、幹活。
The woman who lives next door worked her fingers to the bone in order to make enough money to feed her children.
文章連結: http://englishhome.org/idioms/idioms_body.htm
無敵翻譯免付費電話：0800213123
http://taipeitranslation.com/zh-tw (無敵翻譯官網)
留言列表
