有趣的英语俚语（一）

 　　1.Be in the air 将要发生的事情

　　The feeling or idea that something new is about to happen or is going to change

　　Example: From the arguments going on at the meeting, it seems that a change in policy is in the air.

　　2.Clear the air 消除误会

　　To settle a dispute and restore good relations

　　Example: We had a meeting with the workers, and I think we’ve cleared the air now.

　　3.Cost an arm and a leg 极其昂贵

　　To be very expensive

　　Example: I love that fur coat. However, I don’t think I’m going to buy it because it costs an arm and a leg.

　　4.A bad egg 缺乏道德的人

　　Somebody who has no moral principles and should be avoided

　　Example: You mustn’t lend Tim money, he’s a bad egg. You’ll never see him or your money again!

　　5.In the Bag 稳操胜券

　　Said of an achievement which is secure

　　Example: We have the deal in the bag. The client came in this morning to sign the agreement.

　　6.In the balance 未知的,不可预测的

　　Said when the outcome¹ of a situation is unknown or unpredictable

　　Example: His career as a pilot is in the balance, as his eyesight does not seem good enough.

　　7.Drive a hard bargain 极力讨价还价

　　To have the negotiating² strength and skills to get the most advantageous³ price and conditions

　　Example: Amanda is negotiating the best price from the suppliers. She drives a hard bargain.

　　8.Ring a bell 看上去或听起来非常熟悉

　　To look, sound or seem familiar

　　Example: That face rings a bell, where have I seen him before?

　　9.Tighten⁴ one’s belt 节衣缩食

　　To cut down on spending because there is less income than before

　　Example: Now you are out of work, you’ll have to tighten your belt and give up buying new clothes and going out so often.

　　10.Kill two birds with one stone 一石二鸟

　　To complete two tasks together, with less effort than doing them separately

　　Example: Since I’d gone to the store to buy some bread, I thought of killing⁵ two birds with one stone and invited Mr. Biggs to the party.

　　11.Be in a black mood 情绪极差

　　To be so negative about everything that it is impossible for anyone to reason with him/her

　　Example: My father has been in a black mood for days, we dare not say anything to him.

　　12.New people brought into an organization to introduce different and original ideas

　　Example: It was decided⁶ to bring new blood into the school by employing teachers with the latest training.

　　13.Feeling blue 感到无精打采

　　Feeling sad or depressed⁷

　　Example: She’s feeling blue, because the man she loves is far away.

　　14.Get to the bottom of something 弄清真相

　　To find out the truth about something

　　Example: I’m trying to get to the bottom of why David left without saying goodbye.

　　15.A piece of cake 轻松的事

　　Something which is very easy to do

　　Example: Here…let me put the batteries in for you. It’s a piece of cake.

　　16.Pay a call 拜访

　　To visit somebody

　　Example: As we’re in this neighborhood, we might as well pay the Jacksons a call, we haven’t seen them for ages.

　　17.By chance 偶然, 意外的

　　Unexpectedly; with no prior planning

　　Example: By chance, I bumped⁸ into my wife in the shopping mall

　　18.Round the clock 夜以继日的

　　To do something continuously, without a break or pause

　　Example: The ambulance services worked round the clock hauling⁹ people trapped in the building to safety.

　　19.Keep one’s cool 保持冷静

　　To stay calm in a difficult situation

　　Example: If the traffic is jamed, the only thing to do is keep your cool, or get out of the car and walk!

　　20.In a tight corner 处于困境

　　In an extremely difficult situation

　　Example: Whenever I get into a tight corner, I try to rely on quick thinking to get out of it.

　　21.Keep in the dark 隐瞒

　　To keep something secret

　　Example: We know my brother has a new girlfriend, but he's keeping her name in the dark.

　　22.Fall on deaf ears 不加理睬的, 不听取

　　Not to take any notice of what is said

　　Example: The city council’s order that garbage should be put in the bins¹⁰ fell on deaf ears; the sidewalks are still littered with trash!

　　23.Take things easy 放轻松

　　To relax

　　Example: It's better for our health to take things easy than to worry about problems all the time.

　　24.Eat like a horse 吃得很多

　　To eat a lot; to have a very big appetite

　　Example: Fred eats like a horse. When I was a growing lad like him, I used to eat a lot, too.

　　25.Catch one’s eye 吸引某人注意

　　To attract somebody’s attention

　　Example: A movement behind the curtain caught my eye – I thought it was a burglar¹¹ and rushed out of the room!

1 outcome   

n.结果，出口，演变

参考例句：

• The outcome of the experiment is in the lap of the gods.实验结果尚难预料。
• The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。

2 negotiating   

n. 谈判 动词negotiate的现在分词

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• We want to get all the parties back to the negotiating table. 我们想把有关各方拉回到谈判桌上来。

3 advantageous   

adj.有利的；有帮助的

参考例句：

• Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
• You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。

4 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

8 bumped   

凸起的，凸状的

参考例句：

• In the dark I bumped into a chair. 我在黑暗中撞上了一把椅子。
• I bumped against an old friend in town today. 我今天在城里偶然碰见了一个老朋友。

9 hauling   

拖，拉( haul的现在分词 )； 运送； 传讯； 强迫（某人）去某处

参考例句：

• They went down to the shore to watch the fishermen hauling in their nets. 他们跑到岸边看渔民拖网。
• They had little difficulty in finding it. but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem. 馅饼盘不难找到，但是把它拖出水面却是个严重的问题。

10 bins   

n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 )；宽口箱（如面包箱，垃圾箱等）v.扔掉，丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句
• Would you be pleased at the prospect of its being on sale in dump bins? 对于它将被陈列在倾销箱中抛售这件事，你能欣然接受吗？ 来自辞典例句

11 burglar   

n.窃贼，破门盗窃者

参考例句：

• The policeman took the burglar by surprise as he opened the window.当夜盗开窗时，警察冷不防地捉住了他。
• The man glanced the burglar climbing out of the window.那人瞥见小偷从窗户爬出来。