雅思寫作素材：英語習語(上)

　　A

　　a big fish in a small pond　 小地方的大人物

　　例句：In her hometown, she was a big fish in a small pond，but after she moved to New York, she was just only one among many millions.

　　在她家鄉，她很了不起。可是搬到紐約后，她就不過是蕓蕓眾生之一了。

　　a stone's throw　一箭之遙

　　例句： He lives only a stone's throw from here.

　　他住的地方離這兒只有一箭之遙。

　　all gone　 希望等的"消逝"， 物品等的"丟失"。

　　例句：My goodness! My bag is all gone.

　　天呀！我的包不見了。

　　Our hopes were all gone.

　　我們的希望成泡影了。

　　all for it 　對別人的看法或意見"完全同意"，"完全贊成"

　　例句： Go ahead with your plan. I'm all for it.

　　進行你的計劃吧， 我完全贊成。

　　all in all 　常用的片語，表示"總的來說"，"總而言之"，

　　例句： He has his faults, but all in all, he is a good guy.

　　as clear as mud 　不清晰，混亂

　　例句：Your explanation is as clear as mud.

　　你的解釋一點都不清晰。

　　as soft as down 　柔軟如絨毛

　　例句：I lay fast asleep on the couch, which was as soft as down, and did not wake until late in the morning.

　　我在軟如絨毛般的長沙發椅上睡著了，一直睡到早晨很晚才醒來。

　　at full blast　全速地；大規模地

　　例句：When we visited the place, work on the construction site was at full blast and all the workers seemed to be working very hard.

　　當我們去參觀時，建筑工地的工作已經全面展開，而且所有的人都在忙碌著。

　　B

　　be above board　 光明正大的

　　be crazy about 　愛的發狂

　　例句： I am really crazy about Michael Jackson's rock'n'roll.

　　我對麥克杰克遜的搖滾愛的發狂。

　　be for the birds　 荒唐可笑的；毫無價值的

　　例句：Their opinions on art are simply for the birds.

　　他們對藝術的見解真是荒唐可笑。

　　beat it　 叫人"走開"的口語，和"Be off!差不多，不過比后者更流行。

　　例句：He kept on bothering me, so I told him to beat it.

　　他不停地煩我，因此我叫他走開。

　　beat ones brains (out) 　指做事困難，"傷透了腦筋"

　　例句：I beat my brains (out) to get a job.

　　為了找尋工作，我傷透了腦筋。

　　beat sb to the draw 　搶先某人行動

　　例句： Mary wanted to buy that painting by Picasso, but another millionaire beat her to the draw.

　　瑪麗想買畢加索的那幅畫，不過另一個百萬富翁捷足先登了。

　　beat someone by miles 　遠強于某人

　　例句：When it comes to fishing, I beat him by miles.

　　講到釣魚，我比他棒得多。

　　beef 　口語上常用來指"抱怨"或"發牢騷"；作動詞時后面跟about.

　　例句：Tell me what's your beef?

　　你抱怨什么？

　　before you know it　 口語為"很快"。

　　例句：I come back before you know it.

　　我很快就會回來。

　　behave yourself　勸人要有禮貌和行為檢點，意思相同的口語還有"Watch you manner.""Watch your P's and Q's".和"Don't get fresh."

　　例句：Please behave yourself before the guests.

　　在賓客之前你檢點一些。

　　behind bars 　坐牢

　　例句：The judge will put him behind bars for at least two years. 法官最低限度也會判他坐兩年牢。

　　behind the scenes（behind the curtain）　 幕后

　　例句：He is the man behind the scenes.

　　他是幕后人物。

　　between ourselves　 秘密地說

　　例句： Between ourselves, there are no secrets.

　　咱們私下說說，沒什么秘密。

　　beyond the seas　 在國外，在海外

　　例句： He had a good time when he was beyond the seas.

　　他在國外時曾過得很快活。

　　butt in 插手，介入

　　例句： Pardon me for butting in on your conversation, but this is important.

　　請原諒我打斷了你們的談話，不過這件事非常重要。

　　by and large 大體上，總的看來

　　例句： I cannot totally take your point，but by and large I think yours is reasonable.

　　我不能完全同意你的觀點，但大體上你的觀點是有道理的。

　　C

　　call the shots 　做決斷

　　例句：To be a leader, you should know how to call the shots.

　　作為領導，你應該知道怎么做決斷。

　　card up one's sleeve　 錦囊妙計

　　例句：Bill always has a card up one's sleeve, so whenever faced up with a puzzle, he could find a way.

　　比爾總有錦囊妙計，所以任何時候遇到難題，他總能找到方法解決。

　　clown around 　胡鬧

　　例句： That boy is seldom serious about anything. He's always clowning around.

　　這個男孩對任何事情都不認真，他總是胡鬧。

　　cook up　 虛構

　　例句：I have to cook up an excuse for being late for class.

　　我必須為上課遲到編個借口。

　　crocodile tears　 鱷魚的眼淚，假慈悲

　　例句： Don't shed crocodile tears over his misfortune, I know you hate him.

　　不要假惺惺的為他的厄運假慈悲了， 我知道你恨他。

　　cry over spilled milk　 為打翻的牛奶流淚, 做無益的后悔

　　例句： I know that you have lost your purse, but since it had happened, let it go, please don't cry over spilled milk.

　　我知道你丟了錢夾，不過既然這件事已經發生了，就讓它去，不要做無益的后悔。

　　D

　　down and out　 窮困潦倒，孤苦無助

　　例句： People should lend him a helpful hand；he's really down and out.

　　人們應該助他一臂之力，他已經窮困潦倒了。

　　E

　　eat like a bird　 胃口小，吃的少

　　例句： Lily is very slim because she eats like a bird.

　　百合十分苗條，因為她吃的少。

　　F

　　far and away　 毋庸置疑

　　例句： Tom is far and away the best lecturer in our department.

　　毋庸置疑，這是你們系最好的演講者。

　　for good 　永遠

　　例句： smoke less everyday, then you might be able to quit smoking for good.

　　每天少吸煙一點， 你就可能會永遠戒掉煙。

　　G

　　get fired　 炒魷魚

　　例句： The anchorman of the BBC network's evening news got fired.

　　我聽說CBC電視網的晚間新聞主播被炒魷魚。

　　get it (all) together 　不慌不忙；沉著冷靜

　　例句：I hope he gets it all together soon. His life is a mess.

　　我希望他盡快地安定下來。他的生活一團糟。

　　get one's goat 　使人發怒或厭惡

　　例句： It really got Mr. Brown's goat when he had to wait two hours to get his plane tickets.

　　不得不等上兩個小時才拿到飛機票實在是讓布朗先生生氣。

　　get out of the bed on the wrong side　指平時脾氣好的人突然變得很暴躁，難以相處

　　例句：What's the matter with you today? Have you got out of the bed on the wrong side.

　　你今天怎么啦？為什么亂發脾氣？

　　give an ear to　聽一聽

　　例句： The owner of the factory gave an ear to the complaints of the workers.

　　工廠老板傾聽了工人們的抱怨。

　　grasp at a straw 　抓救命稻草

　　例句： The criminal tried to grasp at a straw by feigning mental disorder.

　　罪犯裝瘋，企圖抓住一根救命稻草。

　　guts 　勇氣

　　美國人習慣用的口語，英國人則多用courage。

　　H

　　hang in the balance 　未見分曉

　　例句： After the surgery, the patient became very sick and her life hung in the balance for nearly a week.

　　手術后，那個病人非常虛弱，將近一個星期他的生命在垂危中。

　　hang-up　 （情感上的）障礙, 大難題

　　例句： Mary has a real hang-up about cats and doesn't like to be in the same room with them.

　　瑪麗對貓有一種擺脫不掉的厭煩，因此不愿意和貓在同一個房間。

　　high and dry 　被拋棄的，處于痛苦之中的

　　例句： George took all the money away and left his companions high and dry，with nothing to buy the tickets.

　　喬治帶走了所有的錢，把他的同事拋棄了，連買車票的錢也沒有。

　　high and low 　到處

　　例句： I looked high and low for my pen，but I couldn't find it anywhere.

　　我到處找我的鋼筆，但我怎么也找不到它。

　　hit upon　 偶然想出

　　例句： He crouched there for a long time before he hit upon a plan to defeat his antagonist.

　　他蹲在那里很長一段時間后，突然想出了一個挫敗他對手的計劃。