常用英语成语例解
林明金
A1 (亦作A-1, A-one, A1 at Lloyd’s) — Everything in his house was A1. Yesterday I was ill but today I am feeling A-one. That‘ll suit me A1.I had an engagement, but it was quite unimportant.
from A to Z (亦作from A to Izzard) — Mr.Smith is a senior profeor, he knows his subject from A to Z.
ace in the hole — When Tom bet all his money in the game he did not know that the gambler had an ace in the hole and would win it from him. I got a millionaire for an ace in the hole.Alice in Wonderland — A $15,000 meeting room is costing my city over $60,000.This is an Alice in Wonderland situation. England is the most fantastic Alice-in-Wonderland country.
All is well that ends well.— My daughter has finally come back home.So all‘s well that ends well.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.— If ―an apple a day keeps the doctor away,‖ then why have I got this terrible cold? an apple for the teacher — “Here‘s an offer from Mr.Stephens to arrange cost price transport for all our away matches.”“That‘s probably an apple for the teacher, and best not accepted.If we do decide to put his son in the team we don‘t want anybody to say it was favouritism.”
apple of discord — The girls had got on well together until the apple of discord in the person of a handsome young apprentice arrived in their midst.
have an axe to grind — Like all politicians, he says he wants to do good for people, but I think he has an axe to grind. Tom, I need to talk to you.I have an axe to grind with you.
a babe (或baby, child) in the wood — The profeor may be an expert in political science, but he‘s obviously just a babe in the woods when it comes to the real dog-eat-dog world of politics.
you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours — If you do the laundry I‘ll do the cooking — you scratch my back and I‘ll scratch yours.
bring home the bacon — Our basketball team set out for the tournament with high hopes of bringing home the bacon.men who bring home the bacon five days a week relax over the weekend.
behind the eight ball — Susan found herself behind the eight ball in chemistry when she failed to do the term project. Not having a car puts Steve behind the eight ball; he cannot get to work.
be-all and end-all (of sth) — He had learned that personal connections were almost the be-all and end-all in finance.
beauty and the beast — When Marjorie married a man old enough to be her grandfather, everyone behaved as if it were beauty and the beast all over again.do everyday.
beauty is (或lies) in the eye of the beholder — Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.That is why different kinds of art appeal to different people.
beauty is only skin deep — I‘ll admit that Martha is a beautiful woman, but beauty is only skin deep.
beggars can\'t (或mustn\'t) be choosers (亦作beggars should be no choosers) — I didn\'t like the job he offered me, but beggars can‘t be choosers.
warm the bench — Bill has been warming the bench for three football seasons; he hopes that the coach will let him play this year. I can‘t wait till the head of school retires; I‘ve been warming the bench for years.
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush — I think we should accept their offer.It‘s true that we might get higher bids later, but a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
birds of a feather flock together — I saw the boy who stole my bag with that gang of trouble makers last night --- well, birds of a feather flock together, they say.
kill two birds with one stone — If I go to New York on Friday, I can kill two birds with one stone.I can go to the doctor‘s and
Most Beauty and the beast was what they called us when we went out walking together, as we used to visit my mother all on the same day.
sell one’s birthright for a me of pottage — He has given up his legal studies to work on an oilrig, and although he is earning a lot, it seems to me that he has sold his birthright for a me of pottage.
black and blue (亦作black-and-blue) — They beat the poor boy black and blue all over.black and white (亦作black-and-white) — The terms of our agreement were spelled out in black and white, so there should be no question about it. On television, I like colour for some things and black and white for others. Those old magazines still use black-and-white drawings in an unsophisticated style. But she has one fault.For her the world is black and white.If you are not white, you must be black.
the blind leading the blind — Jimmy is trying to show Bill how to skate.The blind are leading the blind.
(There\'s) none so blind as those that will not see.— nobody is le persuadable than sb who refuses to listen to argument〖此语也用作There\'s none so deaf as those that will not hear.（不愿听取他人意见的才是真正的聋子。）〗 blood is thicker than water — Mr.Jones hires relatives to work in his store.Blood is thicker than water.
burn one’s boats (或bridges) (behind one) — Bob was a good wrestler but a poor boxer.He burned his boats by letting Mike choose how they would fight.
in the same boat — If you lose your job I‘ll lose mine, so we‘re both in the same boat.
hang up one’s boots — I\'ll be hanging up my boots next year.I think I deserve a rest after running the busine for thirty years.boys will be boys — We told the kids not to eat in the living room, but when we got home there was a big me there — oh well, boys will be boys.！
an olive branch — But apparently the official invitation to become a Commiion member was intended as a mutual olive branch extended between him and the Prime minister.
bread and butter — Do not quarrel with your bread and butter.
He doesn‘t just write for fun: writing is his bread and butter. After spending the holiday as a guest in my house, she wrote me the usual bread-and-butter letter.
make bricks without straw — Sheila has lovely hair anyway.The best hair dreer in the world couldn‘t do much with mine.You can‘t make bricks without straw. To form governments without the consent of the people is to make bricks without straw.kick the bucket — Those unfilial guys are just waiting for their old man to kick the bucket so they can get his money. Mr.Wickham, their agent for many years past, said that if he kicked the bucket Mrs.Merton could run the place standing on her head.a bull in a china shop — George is very rich , but when it comes to the social graces he‘s like a bull in a china shop. beat about (或around) the bush — Stop beating around the bush and come to the point.I‘m a busy man.busine is busine — Certainly, I‘ll be sorry to see them sleep in the street.But busine is busine, and they haven‘t paid any rent for two months now.
break a butterfly (或fly) on a (或the) wheel — to use much more severe methods than neceary to fulfill one‘s purpose
let bygones be bygones — I had been in a rage when Mike refused to lend me money, but when he went bankrupt and came to me for a job, I decided to let bygones be bygones.
raise Cain — Our bo would raise Cain about the slightest mistake or shortcoming.
burn (或light) the candle at both ends — He works in a restaurant until very late everyday and gets up early for cla, he‘s burning the candle at both ends. He had, in fact, burned the candle at both ends; but he had never been unready to do his fellows a good turn.
A cat has nine lives.— God knows how he\'s still alive.He\'s like a cat with nine lives.
A cat may look at a king.— He was looking at Mrs.Anthony, as unabashed as the proverbial cat looking at a king.
bell the cat — All the workers agreed that they wanted a pay increase, but nobody offered to bell the cat and ask their bo for the money.
cats and dogs — In the middle of the picnic it started to rain cats and dogs, and everyone got soaked. It poured cats and dogs every single day.
grin like a Cheshire cat — Tommy sat there grinning like a Cheshire cat while the teacher talked to the cla.] Has the cat got your tongue? — ―Come on,‖ said Mi Handforth, ―has the cat got your tongue? What have you two been up to there, may I ask?‖
2 let the cat out of the bag — We wanted to surprise Delia with a birthday gift, but Juliet let the cat out of the bag by asking her what she would like.
like a cat on hot bricks — He was up and down, here, there and everywhere, like a cat on hot bricks. Emmy was like a cat on hot bricks before her road test.
live like a cat and dog (亦作lead a cat and dog life) — Bill and his wife live like a cat and dog, and I shouldn‘t be surprised if they split up soon.
play cat and mouse with sb — They‘re just playing cat and mouse with him now.They can arrest him any time.
pull sb’s chestnuts out of the fire (亦作pull the chestnuts out of the fire for sb) —I had pulled the chestnuts out of the fire for him on several occasions and was unwilling to do it again.
count one’s chickens before they hatch — She spent a lot of money before she knew whether her bank loan was approved; she counted her chickens before they hatched.
call it (half) a day —We can‘t do any more till the cement hardens.Let‘s call it a day and go home. I suggested to my partner that, since we didn‘t agree, we should call it a day.
dog days — It is strange that she should like cooking in dog days.
between the devil and the deep (blue) sea — The enemy was getting closer.The bridge over the river was rotten.Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, he hesitated as to where to turn next. He could either go to Europe and displease his mother, or he could stay at home and mi a fine opportunity; he was between the devil and the deep blue sea.
dog eat dog — In the cut and thrust of the busine world, it‘s dog eat dog to see who‘ll survive. During the California gold rush, men had a dog-eat-dog life.
Give a dog a bad (或an ill) name (and hang him).— He had a reputation for stealing, so when he handed in a $10 note at the office, he was suspected of having come by the money dishonestly.Give a dog a bad name.
go Dutch — She wanted to go Dutch with me at the restaurant last night. She‘s a very independent girl.When I took her out, she insisted on going Dutch.
in Dutch — If I don‘t finish on time I‘ll really be in Dutch.
be all ears — When I heard them mention my name, I was naturally all ears. Tell me about it.I\'m all ears.
go in (through) one ear and out (of) the other (亦作go in at one ear and out at the other) — Everything you say to him goes in one ear and out the other. I keep telling that child to study harder but my words go in at one ear and out at the other.
grin (或smile, laugh) from ear to ear — ―Would you mind telling me what\'s amusing you? You\'ve been sitting there, grinning from ear to ear, for the past ten minutes.
dry behind the ears — When you bastards get dry behind the ears, you\'ll maybe learn to let an old fellow sleep. In those days I was still wet behind the ears and I didn\'t realize he was dishonest.
easier said than done — We talk about reducing our costs, but it‘s easier said than done.
easy come, easy go — Grandfather thought Billy should have to work for the money Father gave him, saying ―Easy come, easy go.‖
easy does it — That desk is heavy, so easy does it.lotus eater — The people live in this small rich country are lotus eaters — they think only of amusing themselves and have no interest in the problems of the rest of world.
good egg — Tom is such a good egg that everybody wants to be his friend. goose egg — Our team did badly, earning goose egg.one in is a rotten egg!\"
white elephant — They gave us a number of very large pictures as a wedding present, but as we live in a very small flat the present was a white elephant.
The end justifies (或sanctifies) the means.— if a result is good, it does not matter if the methods used to get this result are unfair, unjust, violent, etc Like father, like son.─ Mr.Jones and Tommy are both quiet and shy.Like father, like son. Like Father, Like Son.The standard
Sometimes he is a succeful speaker, but sometimes he lays an egg.
rotten egg — His neighbors have all known he is a rotten egg. The boys ran to the river to go swimming and Dick cried, \"Last set by ―The Times‖ Correspondents of the past is the standard we set ourselves today.
be all fingers and thumbs (亦作〈美〉be all thumbs) ─ t I‘m all fingers and thumbs this morning.I don‘t seem to be able to button my shirt.
go through fire and water (亦作go through the fire) ─ He would go through fire and water to help his friends.他帮助朋友，不惜赴汤蹈火。 Bill worships Mary, he would go through fire and water for her.
(There is) no fire without smoke.─ He‘s denied having an affair with his secretary, but of course there‘s no smoke without fire. big fish (或noise) ─ Just because he‘s got a company car he thinks he‘s some sort of big fish. He‘s a big noise in the financial world. He is a big noise in the world of archaeology – I think he discovered a lost civilization.
big fish in a little pond ─ ―She‘d be more usefully employed in a proper hospital.‖ ―She couldn‘t be ‗Matron‘ in one of them, and she‘s the kind that would rather be a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big one.‖
There’s (或There are) as good fish in the sea (as ever came out of it).─ When John broke up with Ann, I told her not to worry.There are as good fish in the sea.
a (或the) fly in the ointment ─ ―Apparently they don‘t like poor Henry.‖ ―Well, neither do I.He‘s the only fly in the ointment around here, as far as I‘m concerned.‖
put one’s feet in one’s mouth ─ He put his feet in his mouth by calling his mother-in-law by the wrong name.
between you, me, and the gatepost (或bedpost, wall) (亦作between you and me; between ourselves) — Between you, me and the gatepost, I begin to think it all a plot of the priests. Between you and me and the bedpost, Charles was dismied for bribery. Greek gift — He is always buying you expensive clothes, I am afraid they are Greek gifts for you.God helps those who help themselves.— People who wish for good luck and God‘s help in gaining what they want must first make an effort themselves God (或Goodne, Heaven) knows！— \"Your father,\" went on Soames, \"took an interest in her — why , goodne knows!\" Goodne knows, the poor man needs the money.
All is not gold that glitters.— People and things that make a show are not always as good as they look. cook sb’s goose — I‘ll soon cook his goose if he thinks he‘s going to the bo behind my back.
kill the goose that laid (或lays) the golden eggs — We cannot afford to stop trading with certain countries just because we disagree with their politics — that would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
make sb’s hair stand on end — The stories he told were of the kind that made your hair stand on end. His impertinence is enough to make your hair stand on end.wash one\'s hands — I washed my hands of Tom.I wanted no more to do with him. If you\'re going to regard every suggestion I make as a criticism, then I must wash my hands of the whole matter.
have one’s heart in one’s mouth ─ She had her heart in her mouth when she knocked timidly at the door. His heart was in his mouth as he watched the firemen trying to reach the boy on the roof of the burning building.
steal (或win, capture) sb’s heart (away) ─ After a gap of seventeen years he traced Jean Hancox … thanks to the ―Daily Mirror‖, Jean stole his heart when he visited Britain at the height of his pop fame …
Achilles (或Achilles\') heel (亦作heel of Achilles) — Brian could have been a rich man today had it not been for his gambling, his Achilles‘ heel. He is ashamed of his humble background.That is his Achilles heel.他
You can (或may) take (或lead) a horse to (the) water, but you cannot make him (或it) drink.(亦作One man may lead a horse to the water, but twenty cannot make him drink.) — You can make sb to do what you want but you cannot force sb to do sth he does not want to do bring down the house (亦作bring the house down) —The Prime Minister made a powerful speech which brought the house down. At the school entertainment, his impersonation of the headmaster brought the house down.
4 break the ice
What’s the idea? (亦作 What’s the big idea?)
Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell (或a mile, a yard).
add insult to injury have (或put) many (或too many) irons in the fire (亦作have several irons in the fire) Strike while the iron is hot.(亦作Strike the iron while it is hot.) every Jack has his Jill
dead-end job
keep up with the Joneses
a pretty ( 或nice, fine) kettle of fish
lady killer (亦作lady-killer)
kill sb with kindne (the) king of the castle
ki of death ki of life
cut the (Gordian) knot
A little knowledge (或learning) is a dangerous thing.
land of milk and honey (亦作land flowing with milk and honey)
no man’s land
He laughs best who laughs last.(亦作He who laughs last, laughs longest.)
gild (或paint) the lily
beard the lion in his den Look before you leap.chatter like a magpie
A drowning man will catch at a straw.
A man can die but once (亦作a man can only die once).
Are you a man or a mouse?
tell it to the marines on your mark (或marks) by fair means or foul
bay (或bark) at the moon (亦作bay the moon)
5 once in a blue moon
if the mountain will not come to Mohammed, (then) Mohammed must go to the mountain sb’s name is mud (或dirt) burn the midnight oil one and the same
mind one’s p’s and q’s (亦作 mind one’s P’s and Q’s)
no pain, no gain
wear the pants (或 trousers)] make a cat’s paw of sb (亦作make a cat’s-paw of sb)
cast pearls before swine
a penny for your thoughts (亦作 a penny for them)
rise like a phoenix from its ashes (亦作rise from the phoenix)
line one’s (own) pockets (或purse)
go to pot
The pot calling (或calls) the kettle black. pound of flesh
(as) pleased as Punch
when (或unle) there is an R in the month Spare the rod and spoil the child.
Do in Rome as the Romans do.(亦作When in Rome, do as the Romans do.)
no room (或not room, not room enough) to swing a cat (in)
as well be hanged (或hung) for a sheep as (for) a lamb drop the other shoe
have kied the Blarney Stone leave no stone unturned
sword of Damocles
