lead someone around by the nose牽著別人的鼻子走
all nations should exercise their own judgment. they shouldn't be led around by some big countries.
poke one's nose into something亂打聽別人的私事
i hate those journalists who poke their nose into people's private life.
be a notch above someone略勝一籌
in study, we are neck and neck; but in sports, he is a notch above me.
sit up and take notice of something/someone對……刮目相看
he used to know nothing about chemistry. now he talks like a chemist, i have to sit up and take notice of him...
have someone's number知道某人的底細
don't waste your tongues with him. i've got his number. what he is trying to do now is to set a trap and let us jump into it.
be quick to take offense特別愛生氣
i don't think he is a quality leader. he is too quick to take offense.
have one too many喝多了
the bridegroom had one too many at the wedding ceremony and was shooting cats.
be on the outs with someone與……失和
for some reason, the two countries have been on outs for a long time.
a pain in the neck使人討厭的事
working for vips was an honor for me, but now it has become a pain in the neck. i don't know how to balance the relationships.
grease someone's palm賄賂，給某人好處
it is reported that sydney has greased the palms of someone members of ioc for the right to hold 2000 olympic games.
get peanuts微不足道的錢
he gets paid peanuts although he often works extra hours.
cast pearls before swine對牛彈琴，明珠暗投
my boss is an idiot. working for him is just like casting pearls before swine.
feel like a square peg in a round hole感到格格不入，不適合
after graduation, i remained as a teacher in college. whenever our former classmates have a get-together, i always feel like a square peg in a round hole. all they talk about are ways to make money, expensive hotels, luxurious entertainment, things i have no experiences to share with them.
pinch pennies節儉
though he is a tycoon, he pinches pennies in daily life.
rob peter to pay paul拆東牆，補西牆
you borrow money from me to pay the bank loan. it is like robbing peter to pay paul.
be no picnic不是件輕鬆的事
to learn one foreign language is possible. but to be a bilingual is no picnic.
sugar the pill給人一點甜頭安慰一下
sonia didn't want to work extra hours quite often, but the manager sugared the pill by promising her a trip abroad at the end of the year.
be on pins and needles坐立不安
he is a very modest man. when others praise him, he feel on pins and needles.
put that in your pipe and smoke it你好好考慮考慮吧
此句常用於祈使句
don't take it out on me. it is he who makes you lose so much money. put it in your pipe and smoke it!
play up to someone拍某人的馬屁
the young actress played up to the director, hoping to get a role in the tv series.
take the plunge躊躇一段時間後斷然決定去乾……
the commander finally took the plunge and launched the final attack.
play possum裝糊塗，裝傻
he often quarrels with his wife. when he comes to me for advice, i can do nothing but play possum.
drop something like a hot potato趕緊拋棄，放棄
he has been dreaming of owning his own car. but when he knew a car would cost ten years' of his salary, he drop the idea like a hot potato.
sing someone's praises頌揚某人
the lawyer is quite successful. his clients sing his praises to others.
be past praying for不可救藥
when i sent my cat to the vet, he said that it was past praying for.
be sitting pretty享受安樂生活
our company survived the economic crisis and now we are sitting pretty.
pocket one's pride放下架子
the laid-off workers from the state-owned enterprises should pocket their pride and seek for re-employment.
put someone up to...唆使某人去……
how dare you to have lodged a complaint against me with the director? who put you up to it?
pop the question求婚
can you tell me how you popped the question to your wife? maybe i can learn something from you.
call it quits作罷
mary and tom had been in love for several years. but these days, they began to realize that they had very little in common. they decided to call it quits.
chew the rag閒聊
chew the rag也有爭吵的意思
if they have time, these wives are always sitting together and chewing the rag.
fly into a rage大發雷霆
the old father flew into a rage when his daughter didn't obey his will.
break ranks with someone與……分道揚鑣
反義詞為：close ranks with someone
people within one party gradually had conflicts on some political issues. some of them decided to break ranks with others and set up a new party.
smell a rat察覺可疑
he is a well-known miser. i smell a rat when he invites me to his home for dinner. i was wondering if he is asking favors of me.
beat a hasty retreat急忙撤退
the hoodlum was about to dully the lady when he saw a patrolman coming towards them. he beat a hasty retreat.
take someone for a ride欺騙某人，玩弄某人的感情
they were taking us for a ride. i turned out that the tickets they sold us with low price were invalid.
rip someone off敲某人竹槓
the local villain rips us off by collecting 100 yuan for protection charge every month.
be on the rocks陷入困境，完蛋
the foam economy was struck by the asian financial crisis. japan's economy was on the rocks.
rub it in哪壺不開提哪壺
would you please talk in chinese? you know i'm a pretty bad english speaker. you don't have to rub it in.
give someone the runaround敷衍搪塞
my washing machine broke down, when i went to the repair shop, they gave me the runaround.
be in a rut千篇一律，一籌莫展
his life is in a rut. office, library, and home are the three places he goes everyday. it is time he had a holiday for a change.
play it safe小心謹慎
our car works very well. but to play it safe, we will bring a spare tire.
safe and sound安全無事
he came back from the battlefield safe and sound.
the salt of the earth好心腸的人，沒有壞心眼的人
the taxi driver who saved the drowning boy from the river is the salt of the earth.
take something with a grain of salt聽話打折扣，不能輕信
he is a braggart. take his words with a grain of salt.
tip the scales扭轉局勢
in the boxing ring, the two sides were evenly matched. but the short break seemed to tip the scales in favor of the boxer in red.
throw someone off the scent轉移某人的視線
the murder wrote a last letter for the victim and left it in the site, hoping to throw the police off the scent.
start from scratch從零開始，白手起家
there are so many spelling mistakes. i have to write it again from scratch.
talk sense into someone開導某人
i've tired to talk sense into him, but he still chose to work in the countryside.
an open sesame法寶，秘訣，關鍵
having connections with vips is not an open sesame to success.
the lion's share最大的一份，絕大多數
he designed the most important part of the machine. so he deserves the lion's share of the award.
the black sheep of the family有辱門楣的人
he lost everything in gabling and was called the black sheep of the family by this relatives.
take a shine to someone一見就中意
she is an animal-lover. she takes a shine to whatever animal she meets.
give someone the shirt off one's back為某人慷慨解囊，毫不吝嗇的接濟某人
he works in the charity organization and strongly believes that he who gives others the shirt off his back will be blessed by the god.
lose one's shirt輸得精光
the man didn't leave las vegas until he lost his shirt.
know where the shoe pinches知道問題所在
a wise leader should be one who knows where the shoe pinches and knows what to do with it.
a shot in the dark瞎猜
i didn't know which button was for tv. i pushed one, and tv was turned on. it was mere a shot in the dark.
give someone the cold shoulder冷待某人
i hate going to expensive hotels. the receptionist always gives me the cold shoulder when she sees my plain clothes.
steal the show喧賓奪主
cinderalla stole the show in the prince's party.
side with someone與某人站在一起，支持某人
i'm your friend, but i'm afraid i won't side with you on that issue.
have a memory like a sieve記性太差
i think a computer notebook will be of great help for me, since i've got a memory like a sieve.
out of clear blue sky意料不到
yesterday, out of a clear blue sky, my landlady gave me a one-day notice, asking me to move out.
.make a slip of the tongue說走嘴
the class burst into laughter when the teacher made a slip of the tongue. he meant to say "good morning" to students, but he said "good afternoon".
be on the sly辦事狡猾
the boy was smoking in the corner when his father caught him on the sly.
for a song以級低的價錢，廉價地
i got the rare edition of the book for a song in the flea market.
sound someone out試探某人的意見
have you sounded the principal out on postponing the final examination?
call a spade a spade有什麼就說什麼
we are good friends. call a spade a spade. don't tell me in a round-about way.
spick and span乾乾淨淨
the housewife always keeps her kitchen spick and span.
go for a spin出去兜風
the city dwellers like going for a spin to the country on weekends.
spine-chilling令人毛骨悚然
he likes horrible films. those spine-chilling pictures to us are pleasant to his eyes.
the spirit is willing; but the flesh is weak.心有餘而力不足
a: how many times have you tried quitting smoking? b: it's not that the spirit is not willing, but that the flesh is weak.
win one's spurs受到獎賞
she won her spurs as a popular writer immediately after her first book became a best-seller.
put the squeeze on someone對某人施加壓力
the new situation is putting the squeeze on all companies engaged in this business.
stand up to someone與某人大膽對抗
the soldier stood up to the officer and was place in confinement.
thank one's lucky stars感到萬幸
i should thank your lucky stars that you missed the plane which crashed into the sea.
get off to a flying start來了開門紅
our kindergarten got off to a flying start by having 100 children to sign up in the first month.
go steady with someone 與異性穩步發展關係
mary and tim got married after going steady with each other for two years.
watch one's step當心
you're better watch your step when you go out with john. he is a trouble-maker.
a stick-in the-mud老古董
he is a stick=in-the-mud and will never invest his money in stock.
be a stickler吹毛皮的人
i don't like to go to her home. she is a stickler for neatness.
turn someone's stomach令人作嘔
her sweet voice turned my stomach.
fall between two stools雞飛蛋打
tying to straddle two boats, he took up two jobs with two salaries. at last, unable to do either well.
weather the storm度過難關
the wooden house weathered the storm.
harp on the same old string老調重彈
he really gets on my nerves. he always harps on the same old string by promising us a paid holiday., but he never keeps it.
have someone dancing on a string任意擺布某人
betty is a housewife and no income. her husband has her dancing on a string.
pull strings for someone為某人走後門，幕後操作
in the material world, money pulls the strings.
be stuck on someone迷戀上某人
tom was stuck on the girl at the first meeting although it was a blind date.
to sweet-talk someone into (out of ) doing...甜言蜜語地讓某人做（不做）……
the accountant sweet-talked the boss out of checking her account.
be in full swing達到高潮，全面展開
china has opened its door to the outside world for twenty years. reforms in every walks of life are in full swing.
be asleep at the switch玩忽職守
the goal-keeper was asleep at the switch and let the rival team goal at the last minute.
suit...to a t對……再適合不過了
this new job suits me to a t.
turn the tables扭轉局勢
don't worry, your husband knows how to turn the tables and crack down on those guys.
drink someone under the table把某人灌醉
he has a hollow leg. he can drink all of us here under the table.
keep tabs on something/someone掌握情況,密切關注
he has subscribed ten newspapers in order to keep tabs on the new developments in market management.
keep someone down a notch挫某人的傲氣
the monitor likes to order us around. he needs to be kept down a notch.
take it out on someone拿別人出氣
the boy was reprimanded by his father. he took it out on his ball.
an old wives’ tale無稽之談
do you think the existence of life on mars is an old wives’tale?
be the talk of the town滿城風雨
the death of the princess diana has been the talk of the town.
leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth給人留下壞印象
once i went to a famous university. but the untidy campus left a bad taste in my mouth.
crocodile tears假惺惺的眼淚
some of my business partners came to comfort me when i lost almost everything in one bad deal.
lose one’s temper發脾氣
you don’t have to lose your temper about trifle things.
through thick and thin有甘也有苦
the couple have gone through thick and thin for many years.
have another think coming大錯特錯
if you think i’m easily taken in, you are having another think coming.
thin-skinned神經過敏
she is so thin-skinned that, whenever we talk about something in a low voice, she will think we are referring to her.
jump down someone’s throat嚴厲訓斥某人
the boy saved a girl from the river and went back home. seeing him all through, his mother jumped down his throat.
stick out like a sore thumb特別扎眼
i hate my big nose. it sticks out like a sore thumb.
be all thumbs笨手笨腳
i just learned to type. i was all thumbs.
turn thumbs down on…不贊成……，反對……
the boss turned thumbs down on the new on promotion scheme.
twiddle one’s thumbs無所事事
why do we have to work overtime while people in pr department are twiddling their thumbs?
beat someone’s time with someone勾引別人的女朋友
he is strange. he doesn't go steady with any girl, but enjoys beating others’ time with their girlfriend.
on the tip of someone’s tongue就早嘴邊上
a man in black came to ask about my son’s whereabouts. my words were on the tip of someone’s tongue when i found the man had a gun inside his pocket.
hold one’s tongue保持沉默
i can no longer hold my tongue when i see so many wild animals have become extinct.
keep a civil tongue in one’s head說話有禮貌
a child is taught to keep a civil tongue in his head when he is small.
blow one’s top勃然大怒
my neighbor blew his top when he saw his hedges were cut by someone.
carry a torch for someone單方想念某人
though jane has been engaged with mr. hall, jimmy still carries a torch for her.
have the midas touch有生財的運氣，手氣好
you’d better find rogers as you stock broker. he has the midas touch.
be touch and go萬分危險
the patient is out of danger now, but it was touch and go for a while.
throw in the towel認輸
she tried to save their marriage by talking her husband out of taking drugs. but she finally threw in the towel.
have the inside track for something處於有利的地位
i’m an art student. i don’t have the inside track for applying for that job.
keep track of someone/something掌握……的情況
he is keeping track of all my old friends.
be on a gravy train走運，有賺錢的機會
you will be on a gravy train if you can get that antique. it is worth more money than it is offered.
have a mind like a steel trap頭腦特別快
he has a mind like a steel trap. he can remember a new word even if he meets it once.
bark up the wrong tree弄錯目標
the detective has been following the man for a week. but it turns out that he has barked up the wrong tree.
be too quick on the trigger操之過急，行動過於倉促
you are always too quick on the trigger. you jump into his throat before he can explain.
ask for trouble自找麻煩
are you asking for trouble by challenging the emphasis on qualities education. you are asking for trouble if you cheat in the exam.
blow one’s own trumpet自吹自擂
if you want to sell more, you should learn to blow your own trumpet.
not give someone a tumble不理睬某人
though jackson has asked may to marry him for many times, she just won’t give him a tumble.
talk turkey打開天窗說亮話
let’s talk turkey, see if you agree. i’ll get 55%of the share, and you’ll get the rest.
not say uncle拒不認錯，不服輸
i don’t know when he has ever said uncle to anyone.
take a dim view of…對……抱悲觀態度；不贊同
teachers in middle schools usually take a dim view of students’ talking up too many after-class activities.
walk all over someone任意欺負某人
my neighbor walked all over me. he left rubbish in my door, stamped on my grass and wax my windows. i decided to fight back.
drive someone to the wall把某人逼得走投無路
he hates learning foreign languages. but the challenging situation drives him to the wall. he decides to go to an evening class.
drive someone up the wall把某人搞得心煩意亂
would you please turn down that rap music? it has driven me up the wall.
be in hot water陷入困境
i’m sorry i can’t lend you money. i myself am in hot water.
like water off a duck’s back滿不在乎，不起作用
i can do nothing about him. criticism rolls off like water off a duck’s back. it goes into his one ear and comes out of the other.
meet one’s waterloo慘敗
the famous lawyer met his waterloo at the hands of a fledgling lawyer.
fish in troubled waters渾水摸魚
don’t tell him that we need that material badly, he is good at fishing in troubled waters and will take advantage of it.
make waves興風作浪
everything went smoothly in her wedding ceremony, when her formal boyfriend came to make waves by drinking the bridegroom under the table.
have a way with something/someone有應付……的辦法
she will make a good teacher. she seems to have a way with even the most disobedient boy.
pave the way for…為……鋪平道路
donation from every walks of life has paved the way for the hope project to proceed.