美国习惯用语

Chicken out :" Today I was sure I could work up my courage a

nd dive off the ten-meter board at the pool. I walked right out to the edge, but then I chickened out -- it looked like a long way down to the water!"

这个人说： " 我原来以为今天我肯定会鼓足了勇气从游泳池那个十米高的跳台上跳下去。可是，当我走到跳台边缘的时候我害怕了。从跳台到水面的距离看起来好远呐。 "

My friend Joe was planning to get married for the fourth time. But at the last moment he chickened out because his first three marriages ended in divorce and he was afraid to take another chance."

这句话的意思是： " 我的朋友乔伊原来准备要第四次结婚。可是，到了最后一分钟他胆怯了，因为他结过三次婚，最后结局都是离婚，所以他怕这次又会不成功。 "

Chicken feed :"I turned down the job at the hamburger

restaurant. They only pay chicken feed -- not even enough money to pay my rent.“

这个人很明显是在找工作，他说： " 我没有接受那个汉堡包店的工作。他们付的工资实在太少，还不够我付房租呢。 "

:"My grandfather says that 50 years ago a salary of $5,000 a year meant you could live very comfortably. But these days $5,000 is just chicken feed; you'd have a tough time just surviving on it."

这个人说： " 我祖父说，五十年前，一年五千美元的工资意味着你可以生活的非常舒服。可是，现在五千美元年薪真是微不足道，难以维持生活。 "

• give one a hand

• foot the bill

1.It goes in one ear and out the other.

• "I told Sally it was foolish to marry that man, but it went in one ear and out the other. Now she wishes she'd listened to me. He drinks and gambles and she wants to leave him.“

• "How many times have I told you to get to work on time. But my words just go in one ear and out the other. So I don't have any choice but to fire you."

2.play by ear

• "I haven't had a chance to prepare any notes so all I can do is start talking and play it by ear.“

• "I am not sure if my wife wants me to go shopping with her on Sunday. If she decides to go with her sister instead, then I can play tennis with you. Let's just play it by ear."

3.in hot water

• "Joe is really in hot water now -- his girlfriend just found out he's seeing another woman.”

• That movie actor tried to cheat on his income tax, but he got caught and now he's in hot water with the government."

4.to throw cold water on something

• "Everybody else in the office thought my idea was great, but the boss threw cold water on it."

• "I had planned on going to medical school but my dad threw cold water on this idea the other day when he told me he wasn't sure he had the money to pay my tuition for so long."

5.to hold water

• "The accused man claimed that he'd been in another city the night of the murder. But his story didn't hold water after three different witnesses testified in court that they had seen him running from the scene of the crime."

6.water off a duck's back

• "I keep telling my friend it's foolish to gamble all of his money, but it's like water off of a duck's back."

"The doctors tell us it`s dangerous to smoke, but such good advice rolls off of some people like water off of a duck's back."

7.to make my mouth water

• "The roast duck that restaurant serves is my favorite dish. Every time I think about it, it makes my mouth water."

8.blow up

• "The retreating German army tried to blow up all the bridges on the Rhine River to stop the Allied troops from crossing into Germany.“

• "I really blew up when I learned that my girlfriend was going out with another man.“

• "I have to stop at the gas station to blow up my front tires."

• "I 'd like 8 by 10 blow ups of these negatives, please."

9.to be led by the nose

• "Ed's wife is a strong-minded woman and leads him around by the nose."

• "Remember, Son, don`t let other people lead you around by the nose. You'll get along a lot better in life if you use your own judgment and do what you yourself think is the right thing."

10.under your nose

• "See, they were right under your nose the entire time.“

• "Did you read in the paper how bold that robber was at the art museum? He cut three paintings from their frames and walked out with them right under the guards' noses."

11.to pull your socks up

• I have bad news: our sales were off 18% for the last quarter. So I'm telling you guys -- you have to pull your socks up and get out there and sell more stuff, or you'll be looking for new jobs this summer.

12.to knock your socks off

• Wait until you hear my new marketing plan -- it'll knock you socks off!

• Have you seen Jack's sister, who's here visiting from California? She'll knock your socks off: she's the most gorgeous-looking woman I've seen for a long time.