C ontents. 比喻 Metaphor

Transcription

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2 C ontents 4 Foreword 6 To The Readers 9 Notation 比喻 Metaphor 22 an axe to grind 22 to ambush 22 to keep someone at arm's length 22 backlash 23 half-baked 23 to charge one's batteries 23 to beaver away 24 in bed with / go to bed with 24 strange bedfellows 24 to beggar 25 to give a wide berth 25 to bite one's bullet 26 on board 26 to boggle one's mind 26 to breeze through 27 to bring down the house 27 to bring home the bacon 27 to bristle 28 to bruise one's ego 28 to clear the air 28 to clear the decks 29 one's true colours 29 to colour 29 creeping 30 a rainy day 30 to make / put a dent on 30 out of one's depth 30 at the end of the rainbow 31 to fence 31 on the fence 31 to mend fences 32 fishing expedition 32 to go down in flames 32 to flex one's muscles 33 last fling 33 to fly 33 above the fray 34 green light 34 to come to grips with 34 to hammer sth home 35 to get a handle on 35 heavy lifting 35 to hedge one's bets 36 to hijack 36 to hit one's stride 36 joust 37 knee-deep 37 knee-jerk 37 to know the ropes 11

3 Contents 38 to knuckle under 38 to labour under 38 to take / make a leap of faith 38 not a leg to stand on 39 new lease on life 39 on a short leash 39 length to which one goes 39 leverage 40 to see the light 40 light at the end of the tunnel 40 linchpin 40 line in the sand 41 litmus / acid test 41 lone wolf 41 lotus eater 42 to massage one's ego 42 to get the measure of sb 42 mecca 43 meltdown 43 mileage 43 to mothball 44 mud-slinging 44 to muscle in on 44 nail biter 45 final nail in the coffin 45 neanderthal 45 an open book 46 open season 46 to ratchet up 46 to sail close to the wind 46 to separate the wheat from the chaff 47 close shave 47 to skate on thin ice 47 to sour 47 soft spot 48 squeaky clean 48 to take a stab at 48 to steal the thunder 48 to stew in one s own juice 49 strut one s stuff 49 to take the wind out of someone s sails 50 in the trenches 50 to trim one s sails 成語 Idiom 52 all and sundry 52 to take sth amiss 52 bane of existence 53 to be over a barrel 53 to batten down the hatches 53 without batting an eyelid 12

4 54 saved by the bell 54 to bend over backward 54 to bite off more than one can chew 55 blessing in disguise 55 mixed blessing 55 to boot 56 bone of contention 56 to make no bones about 56 to be / stay in one s good books 56 in cahoots with 57 to call the shots 57 all choked up 57 cannon fodder 57 to put the cart before the horse 58 to case a joint 58 no room to swing a cat 58 fat chance 59 chapter and verse 59 chest thumping 59 chink in the armour 60 welcome to the club 60 in good company 60 have a crush on 61 a far cry from 61 to cut to the chase 61 sweetheart deal 62 left to one s devices 62 talk / speak of the devil 62 dirty little secret 63 to hit pay dirt 63 to go the distance 63 hard done by 64 what s eating sb 64 at one s wits end 64 at the end of the day 65 to reach the end of the line 65 one s own worst enemy 65 every man for himself 65 to face the music 66 straight face 66 to fall between two stools 66 fly-by-night 67 on the fly 67 a fool s errand 67 free-for-all 68 to get it 68 to give sb a piece of one s mind 68 to get under one s skin 68 God willing 69 with good grace 69 all Greek to one 69 to grin and bear it 70 to ham it up 70 one s heart in the right place 70 to hem / hum and haw 13

5 Contents 70 to hit it off 71 no-holds-barred 71 to hope against hope 71 to flog a dead horse 72 the jig / game is up 72 to jump on the bandwagon 72 to jump on someone 72 to do justice to sb / sth 73 to kick (someone) around 73 to kick (sth) around 73 to kick around 73 to kick in 74 for the life of me 74 not on your life 74 to look someone in the eye 74 I should be so lucky 75 lull before the storm 75 to make hay 75 to make strides 76 matters of the heart 76 the real McCoy 76 to miss the boat 76 to miss the point 77 in mixed company 77 mixed feelings 77 the Nth 77 object of one s affection 78 off the beaten track 78 one day at a time 78 not a patch on 78 pregnant pause 79 pearl(s) of wisdom 79 penny for your thoughts 79 promises, promises 79 to rib 80 right as rain 80 right and left 80 to rise to the occasion 80 to root for 81 on the ropes 81 to rule the roost 81 it runs in the family 81 to pull someone s leg 82 to pull strings 82 if / when push comes to shove 82 would not put it past sb to do sth 82 raring to go 83 to read someone like a book 83 smooth / plain sailing 83 sleight of hand 83 to call a spade a spade 84 spoilt for choice 84 spoiled rotten 84 at one stroke 84 from the sublime to the ridiculous 14

6 85 suspension of disbelief 85 on the table 85 on the take 85 to talk turkey 86 to talk past each other 86 look who s talking? 86 not for all the tea in China 87 to tempt fate 87 to come to terms with 87 thorn in the side of someone 88 just one of those things 88 to throw the bums out 88 Young Turk 89 that makes two of us 89 take sth at face value 89 on the verge of 89 to wag one s finger at 90 to walk all over 90 on the wane 90 of the first water 90 to wear one s heart on one s sleeve 91 to weigh in 91 to weigh on 91 well and truly 91 whipping boy 92 to whistle in the dark 92 worth one s salt 92 writing on the wall 格言 Saying 94 damned if you do, damned if you don t 94 no good deeds go unpunished 94 to err is human, (to forgive is divine) 95 fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) 95 the grass is greener (on the other side of the fence) 96 hope springs eternal 96 don t look a gift horse in the mouth 97 it s an ill wind (that blows nobody any good) 97 let bygones be bygones 98 a little sth goes a long way 98 to live and learn 98 Man proposes, God disposes 99 be thankful for small mercies 99 misery seeks company 99 a miss is as good as a mile 100 nothing succeeds like success 15

7 Contents 100 he who pays the piper calls the tune 100 penny wise, pound foolish 美式英語 Americanism 102 an ace up one's sleeve 102 not about to 102 plan B 103 baby boomer 103 checks and balances 103 to bankroll 103 to go to bat for 104 right off the bat 104 birther 104 boot camp 104 Bronx cheer 105 spear carrier 105 to carry a torch 105 cheap shot 105 chick-lit / chick flick 106 poster child 106 to clean up one's act 106 clout 107 collision course 107 comfort zone 107 good cop, bad cop 108 in the dog house 108 have no dog in that fight 108 to drop the ball 109 Hollywood ending 109 exit strategy 109 to pull a fast one 110 full Monty 110 friendly fire 110 to go ga ga 111 blame game 111 goon 111 GOP 111 till hell freezes over 112 hey 112 to hit on 112 hoopla 112 hullubaloo 113 last hurrah 113 item 113 Ivy League 113 jam session 114 jet set 114 just the right ticket 114 lark 115 A-list 115 bucket list 115 legit 116 silent majority 116 media circus 116 moxie 117 Murphy's Law 117 bad news 117 beautiful people 118 perfect storm 16

8 118 to play the field 118 in the pocket of someone 119 tipping point 119 press the flesh 119 to railroad 120 to go off the rails 120 to read someone the Riot Act 120 reality check 121 R&R 121 right off the bat 121 shellacking 121 shenanigan 122 to shoot from the hip 122 shoulda, coulda, woulda 122 slam dunk 123 to step up the plate 123 now you are talking! 123 to tank 124 turkey 124 ville 124 WASP 124 third wheel 125 witch-hunt 125 to work the room / crowd 125 to get up the wrong side of the bed 外來語 Foreign words 128 bete noire 128 blasé 128 bonanza 129 caveat 129 c'est la vie 129 chutzpah 130 cliché 130 détente 130 fest 131 head honcho 131 idée fixe 131 du jour 131 kaput 132 to kibitz 132 laissez-faire 132 maven 132 meister 133 non-sequitur 133 par excellence 133 passé 134 piece de resistance 134 rapport 134 rare avis 135 savoire faire 135 simpatico 135 sine qua non 17

9 Contents 其他 Miscellaneous 138 to abort 138 above board 138 agnostic 139 all but 139 have all the answers 139 anything but 139 anything goes 140 not any time soon 140 armchair 140 avowed 141 as it were 141 on the ball 141 bark is worse than one's bite 142 too big for one's boots 142 bogus 142 to border on 142 borderline 143 breezy 143 to brief someone 143 open and shut case 143 to rest one's case 144 catholic 144 -challenged 144 chances are 145 good time Charley 145 chattering class 145 cheap 145 class 146 too clever by half 146 closure 146 czar 147 day in, day out 147 done deal 147 defining 148 delusions of grandeur 148 to demonize 148 in denial 149 ditto 149 doable 149 dogged 150 done for 150 downside 150 to downsize 151 to dream on 151 dust-up 151 in earnest 152 economical with the truth 152 embarrassment of riches 152 emcee 153 escapism 153 expletive 153 false modesty 154 feelgood 154 finesse 154 to fixate on 18

10 155 flack 155 nobody's fool 155 control freak 156 freewheeling 156 friendly 156 in the fullness of the time 157 gamesmanship 157 to give the lie to 157 eyes glaze over 158 glitch 158 saving grace 158 granted 159 guesstimate 159 gutter press 159 halcyon days 159 half a mind 160 to hang out with 160 indecent haste 160 ifs and buts 160 incest 161 incumbent upon 161 jinx 161 juggernaut 162 junk letter word 163 lost cause 163 tough love 164 mafia 164 man about town 165 to marginalize 165 master stroke 165 so minded 166 mob 166 moot point / question 166 to multi-task 167 neo 167 nerd 167 non-starter 168 not a little 168 opposite number 168 object lesson 168 in order 169 other-worldly 169 out of the picture 169 out of sync 170 to be out to lunch 170 paper tiger 170 paper trail 171 what passes for sth 171 to come to pass 171 pep talk 172 -phile 172 phobia 172 point-blank 173 not printable 173 to psych (v) sth / sb out 174 psychobabble 174 rat race 175 read 19

11 Contents 175 riff raff 175 to ring true 176 rip-off 176 rookie 176 rub 177 runaway 177 run-in 177 salt of the earth 178 to say the least 178 to say nothing of 178 serial 179 signal 179 signature 179 simplistic views / ideas 180 smooth operator 180 so much for 180 spoilsport 181 spot on 181 state of play 181 streak 182 such as it is 182 sweetener 182 teething troubles 183 terminal 183 it's high time to / it's about time to 184 token 184 tone deaf 185 to trash 185 to trump 185 turf war 186 unadulterated 186 unabashed 186 to unburden oneself 187 unfazed 187 unflappable 187 unhinged 188 unilateralism 188 unimpeachable 188 unrequited 189 unscathed 189 global village 189 vintage 190 whiter-than-white 190 conventional wisdom 190 wishy-washy 191 little / small wonder 191 wrap 192 Sources 20

12 比喻 Metaphor

13 an axe to grind (idm) 有私心, 另有企圖 cause for complaint; to have a hidden agenda His views are usually convincing and respected because everyone knows he has no axe to grind. 他的意見總是有說服力和受人注重的, 因為眾所周知, 他不存有私心 to ambush (v, n) 伏擊 Lit: a military surprise attack, now commonly used in social situations Unaware of his enemies' resentment against him, the director was ambushed by a majority of board members at a meeting and was forced to resign. 主席一直不察覺別人對他的怨恨, 最後他受到大多數董事局成員的狙擊, 被迫辭職 to keep someone at arm's length (idm) 與某人保持距離 to avoid; to keep a distance from My advice to you is that you should keep him at arm's length now that we have known about his reputation. 現在大家已知道他的 名聲, 我建議你最好跟他保持距離 22 backlash (n) 反效果 sudden or violent reaction If we do not stop the unending criticism of the financial secretary, there will be a backlash of sympathy for him. Surely he has tried his best in finding a balance to suit the various sectors of the community. 如果我們繼續不斷地批評財政司, 反效果就是他會得到同情 無可置疑, 他正努力地想辦法令社會各方面取得平衡

14 比喻 Metaphor half-baked (adj) 未經深思慮的想法 Lit: not thoroughly baked Fig: usu about ideas / proposals not thoroughly thought through I cannot sign on this project since the original concept is only half-baked. 因為這項工程的構思未經深思熟慮, 所以我不同意進行 to charge one's batteries (idm) 充電 Fig: to replenish one's energy with rest, exercise and recreation After a year's hard work, every winter, he goes to the Maldives for two weeks to recharge his batteries. 每年經過整年辛苦的工作, 他一定在冬天到馬爾代夫度假充電 to beaver away (v phr) 埋頭苦幹 to work very hard, non-stop He may not have much imagination, but he beavers away every day at his desk doing solid work, and that's more than I can say about the rest of my staff. 他的頭腦可能不太靈活, 但他每天都埋頭苦幹, 對其他員工的表現, 我卻無話可說 A beaver is an amphibian fur-bearing animal living in the American continent, the national symbol of Canada, with a reputation for being industrious,clever, and persistent. 水獺是兩棲動物, 棲息於美洲大陸, 是加拿大的國家標誌, 以勤奮 精明 有毅力著名 23

15 in bed with / go to bed with (idm) 同流合污 Fig: to have a less than honourable relationship with someone In Hong Kong, when large projects which involve massive funding, the administration is quite ready to go to bed with the rich and powerful real estate developers. 在香港, 當推行一些需要巨額資金的大型發展計劃時, 政府往往偏跟各大地產商合作 strange bedfellows (n phr) 意料之外的結合 ( 略含貶義 ) incompatible people one would not expect to find being close together (usu for a less than honourable purpose) Who would have thought that these/two former deadly enemies joined hands to defeat the bill. Politics, being what it is, does produce strange bedfellows sometimes. 誰會預料到這兩個昔日死對頭會聯手阻撓這法案 只有政治, 才能夠促成這些意料之外的結合 to beggar (v) 難以形容 / 想像 diffcult to describe, usu beggars one's imagination; beliefs, etc, due to sth extremely odd, unusual, etc I am a seasoned traveller, but one experience I will always remember is to watch the sun set in the Greek island Mykonos. The sheer beauty beggars description. 我是一個經驗豐富的旅行家, 最難忘的景象就是在希臘小島欣賞日落, 那美景實在難以形容 24

16 比喻 Metaphor to give a wide berth (v phr) 避之則吉 to stay away from someone / something With his business empire unraveling day by day, his friends are scrambling to give him a wide berth. 他的生意王國日漸瓦解, 朋友爭先恐後地對他避之則吉 Those karaoke lounges are usually watering holes for underworld gang members. One should give those places a wide berth. 那些 K 場通常是黑社會人士聚腳的地方 我們對這些場所最好避之則吉 watering holes (n phr): gathering place 群集之地 to bite one's bullet (idm) 硬著頭皮接受不愉快的事物 to accept what seems to be a difficult or painful option in order to achieve a goal If I really want to learn Kung Fu from the master, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet by living in a Shaolin monastery for six months. 若然我真的想跟大師學功夫, 我唯有硬著頭皮在少林寺定居半年 Before the invention of anaesthetics, a wounded soldier in battlefield undergoing an operation had to bite a bullet to endure his pain so as not to break his teeth. 麻醉藥出現以前, 戰場上的傷兵接受手術時要咬住子彈, 強忍痛苦, 以防咬碎自己的牙齒 25