老外常掛嘴邊的生活片語(口袋書)

NATURE
FIRE 019 - 034
add fuel to the fire 火上加油▪catch fire 迅速蔓延；引發狂熱▪caught in the crossfire 遭受池魚之殃；被周圍的爭端波及▪fire away 開始說話或發言▪fire sale 跳樓大拍賣；賤價拍賣▪fire the/one’s first shot 率先行動▪fire up 啟動；激發▪irons in the fire 做的事情；從事的工作▪light a fire under sb. 使某人努力做事▪on fire 熱烈進行▪out of the frying pan (and) into the fire 每況愈下▪play with fire 做危險的事；冒險▪set… on fire 使……燃燒；使……極為成功並引起轟動▪spread like wildfire 迅速傳開▪the fat is in the fire 搞砸；完蛋▪under fire 受到抨擊、批評▪where’s the fire 你急什麼

WATER 035 - 049
a drop in the water/ocean/bucket 微不足道▪blow out of the water 徹底擊敗▪get sb. out of the water 救某人脫困▪hold water 站得住腳；有道理▪in hot water 碰到麻煩；遇上困難▪keep one’s head above water 勉強渡過危機▪make one’s mouth water 讓某人垂涎三尺▪mix oil and water 非常困難▪pour oil on troubled waters 調停爭端；息事寧人▪spend money like water 花錢如流水▪test the waters 試探；試水溫▪throw cold water on 潑冷水▪tread water（游泳時）踩水；徒勞無功▪troubled waters 混亂的狀況▪water down 淡化；減弱▪water under the bridge 已經過去的事情

AIR 051 - 061
a breath of fresh air 令人耳目一新的事物▪an air of 一股……的氣氛▪clear the air 消除疑慮▪fill the air 填補空檔▪full of hot air 說大話▪have one’s nose in the air 自視甚高；目中無人▪in the air 即將發生；可感覺到▪out of thin air 憑空出現；突然出現▪put on airs 自以為是；裝模作樣▪suck the air out 吸乾抹淨；徹底毀滅▪up in the air 懸而未決；尚未確定

WIND / BREEZE 063 - 072
be a breeze 輕而易舉就可以……▪get wind of 聽說（消息、風聲）▪sail close to the wind 冒風險；遊走法律邊緣▪second wind 喘口氣；恢復體力（再繼續做某事）▪shoot the breeze 打屁聊天▪sniff the breeze 觀察風向▪take the wind out of one’s sails 澆某人冷水；使某人喪失信心▪the winds of change 潮流；風潮▪throw caution to the wind 不顧一切；不加思索地▪whistle in the wind 胡扯；隨便說說

STONE / ROCK 073 - 080
a stone’s throw 不遠處；投石之遙▪between a rock and a hard place 進退兩難▪fall like a rock 快速下降▪hit rock bottom 情況跌落谷底▪leave no stone unturned 千方百計；想盡辦法▪live under a rock 與世隔絕▪on the rocks 觸礁▪(as) solid as a rock 堅若磐石的；穩重堅固的

RAIN & RAINBOW 081 - 088
keep/save for a rainy day 未雨綢繆；以備不時之需▪make it rain 賺大錢▪make it through the rain 走過風雨▪rain on one’s parade 掃某人的興；潑人冷水▪(come) rain or shine 不管天氣好壞；風雨無阻▪take a rain check 改天吧▪when it rains, it pours 禍不單行▪chase rainbows 痴人說夢

STORM & BOLT & THUNDER 089 - 097
make a tempest / storm in a teacup 小題大作▪storm into / out of 非常氣憤地進入／離開某地▪take… by storm 橫掃；席捲；使（觀眾）入迷▪the eye of the storm 暴風雨前的寧靜▪up a storm 起勁地；熱烈地▪weather the storm 撐過難關▪a bolt out of the blue 晴天霹靂▪steal one’s thunder 搶走某人鋒頭

SUN & MOON & STAR 099 - 107
everything under the sun 所有的事物▪make hay while the sun shines 把握光陰；勿蹉跎時光▪ride off into the sunset 退場；結束▪place in the sun 闖出一片天、佔有一席之地▪the sun won’t be setting on 氣勢興旺；如日中天▪once in a blue moon 千載難逢；極罕見▪over the moon 喜上眉梢▪aim for the stars 立定志向▪reach for the stars 心比天高

NATURE & WEATHER 109 - 116
answer nature’s call 上廁所▪by one’s nature 就最根本的本性來說；就內在的本質而言▪get back to nature 回歸自然▪let nature take its course 順其自然▪second nature 第二天性；習性▪fair-weather friends 酒肉朋友▪under the weather 身體不舒服

SNOW & ICE 117 - 124
be snowed under 忙得不可開交▪snow… in 大雪困住……▪snow job 騙局▪break the ice 劃破沉默；打破隔閡▪skate on thin ice 如履薄冰▪put… on ice 暫緩停擺進行某事▪sell ice to the Eskimos 口若懸河；擁有三寸不之舌▪the tip of the iceberg 冰山一角

MOUNTAIN & HILL 125 - 129
move mountains 竭盡全力；克服萬難▪over the hill 走下坡；年華老去▪make a mountain out of a molehill 大驚小怪；小題大作▪run for the hills 自……逃開；尋求安全庇護之所

EARTH 131 - 134
come down to earth 回到現實；回歸實際▪hell on earth 人間煉獄▪on earth 究竟；到底

ON LAND 135 - 143
keep one’s feet on the ground 腳踏實地▪from the ground up 從零開始▪on the ground 在現場▪drag sb. through the mud 使某人名譽掃地▪bury one’s head in the sand 駝鳥心態▪done and dusted 大功告成▪leave in the dust 遠遠超越▪let the dust settle 待塵埃落定；等狀況明朗

AT SEA 145 - 150
ebb and flow 消長盛衰；退潮和漲潮▪make waves 興風作浪；掀起風潮▪ride the/a wave 乘勢而起▪send shock waves through 帶來巨大的衝擊；投下震撼彈▪tide sb. over 幫某人撐過困難時期、度過難關▪turn the tide 扭轉局勢

IN THE SKY 151 - 156
the sky is the limit 沒有限制；無遠弗屆▪cloud one’s judgment 蒙蔽某人的判斷力▪every cloud has a silver lining 守得雲開見月明；天無絕人之路▪head in the clouds 做白日夢；胡思亂想▪on cloud nine 十分高興；樂不可支


ANIMAL
HORSE 157 - 170
back the wrong horse 下錯賭注▪beat a dead horse 徒勞無功；白費心機▪dark horse 意外獲勝者▪don’t look a gift horse in the mouth 餽贈之物，切莫挑剔▪eat a horse 飢腸轆轆；餓得發暈▪eat like a horse 食量很大▪get back on the horse 重新振作；重新出發▪get off one’s high horse 別趾高氣揚▪horse around 胡鬧▪horse of another color 完全另外一回事▪hold your horses 慢慢來▪put the cart before the horse 本末倒置；倒果為因▪straight from the horse’s mouth 第一手的（消息、資訊）；根據可靠的消息來源▪you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink 牛不飲水，不能按牛低頭

DOG 171 - 182
can’t teach an old dog new tricks 積習難改；本性難移▪dog days 炎炎夏日；苦日子▪dog-eat-dog 競爭激烈的▪dog person 喜歡狗的人▪even a dog could score 某件事很簡單▪every dog has its day 風水輪流轉▪go to the dogs 每況愈下▪in the doghouse 失寵；惹上麻煩▪let sleeping dogs lie 別自找麻煩▪rain cats and dogs 下傾盆大雨▪(as) sick as a dog 病得不輕▪top dog 重要人物；大頭；大佬

DUCK 183 - 190
dead duck 完蛋、死定的人▪duck and dodge 閃躲▪duck and dive 閃躲低身；閃避▪duck down 突然低下（頭或身體）▪ducks in a row 做好萬全的準備；胸有成竹▪duck one’s way through 低著身經過▪like water off a duck’s back 毫無效果、影響▪sitting duck 容易攻擊或欺騙的目標▪ugly duckling 不顯眼但很出色的人事物

CHICKEN 191 - 200
chick magnet 萬人迷▪chickens come home to roost 自食惡果；自作自受▪chicken feed 為數甚小的款項▪chicken out 因怯懦而退縮；臨陣脫逃▪cock and bull story 編來欺騙人的故事▪don’t be a chicken 別那麼沒膽▪don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched 別高興得太早▪like a chicken with its head cut off 心慌意亂；像無頭蒼蠅一般▪no spring chicken 青春不再；年華已逝

COW/BULL & GOAT/SHEEP 201 - 210
a bull in a china shop 笨手笨腳；魯莽行事；橫衝直撞▪bull market 牛市▪cash cow 金雞母；搖錢樹▪have a cow 焦躁不安的、惱怒生氣的▪sacred cow 不可批評、侵犯的人或事物▪take the bull by the horns 果斷行動▪till the cows come home 再久也沒用▪get one’s goat 激怒、惹惱某人▪wolf in sheep’s clothing 披著羊皮的狼；偽善者

MONKEY 211 - 218
a monkey on one’s back 難以解決的麻煩▪a monkey’s uncle 荒謬、不可能的事▪make a monkey (out) of sb. 讓某人難堪▪monkey around 瞎搞；胡鬧▪monkey business 騙人的把戲；惡作劇▪monkey see, monkey do 有樣學樣▪more fun than a barrel of monkeys 非常有趣

CAT/KITTEN 219 - 224
cat got one’s tongue 啞口無言▪let the cat out of the bag 洩漏祕密▪like herding cats 難上加難；不可能的事▪like the cat that got the cream 喜形於色▪sex kitten 性感女郎

PIG/HOG/SWINE 225 - 230
cast/throw pearls before swine 白費心力▪eat/live high on the hog 過著豪奢的生活▪pig out 狼吞虎嚥；暴飲暴食▪sweat like a pig 汗如雨下；汗流浹背▪when pigs fly 絕不可能；慢慢等吧

RABBIT/BUNNY 231 - 236
bunny hop 連續跳；接連短暫停留▪go down the rabbit hole 進入未知世界；陷入困境▪like a rabbit in headlights 人嚇傻、不知所措▪rabbit on 聒噪；喋喋不休▪pull a rabbit out of one’s hat 某人拿出錦囊妙計；使出巧妙的奇招

GOOSE/SWAN 237 - 241
cook one’s goose 毀掉某人；破壞某人的計畫▪give sb. goose bumps 讓某人起雞皮疙瘩▪wild goose chase 白費力氣；徒勞無功▪swan song 最後的精采之作

MOUSE/RAT 243 - 247
build a better mousetrap 改良或發明出更好的東西▪country mouse 從鄉下到城市發展的人▪rat race 盲目的追逐▪smell a rat 事有蹊蹺

MAMMAL 249 - 254
the elephant in the room 大家都知道的事實▪the straw that breaks the camel’s back 壓垮駱駝的最後一根稻草；致命的一擊▪eager beaver 勤奮工作者▪weasel out 逃避責任▪a whale of 巨大；大量

FELINE & CANINE 255 - 262
the lion’s den 龍潭虎穴；危險的處境▪the lion’s share 最大份額；某事物最大或最好的一部分▪throw sb. to the lions 置某人於險境▪a paper tiger 紙老虎▪a leopard doesn’t change his spots 本性難移▪cry wolf 發假警報▪wolf down 大快朵頤▪silver fox 成熟的型男

REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN 263 - 267
snake through 蜿蜒穿過▪shed crocodile tears 流下虛情假意的淚水；假慈悲▪have a frog in one’s throat 聲音沙啞▪play leapfrog 輪流超前

BIRD 269 - 274
a bird’s-eye view 鳥瞰；俯瞰▪for the birds 浪費時間、無意義的事▪kill two birds with one stone 一石二鳥；一舉兩得▪the early bird gets the worm 早起的鳥兒有蟲吃▪night owl 夜貓族▪eat crow 承認犯錯

INSECT & WORM 275 - 282
have butterflies in one’s stomach 忐忑不安；非常緊張或興奮▪social butterfly 社交高手▪the bee’s knees 極佳的事物▪a fly in the ointment 煞風景；美中不足▪like a moth to a flame 如同飛蛾撲火▪open a can of worms 闖禍；惹大麻煩▪the worm turns 起身反抗；情勢逆轉

FISH 283 - 296
dead fish 像死魚般無力▪fish and visitors smell after three days 魚過三日腥，久住招人嫌▪fish for sth. 尋求；搜尋▪fish out 找出；掏出▪fish out of water 如魚離水；格格不入▪fish story 誇而不實的故事；吹牛大話▪Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. 授人以魚只救一時之急；授人以漁則解一生之需▪have bigger fish to fry 有更重要的事要處理▪like shooting fish in a barrel 易如反掌；簡單的不得了▪sth. smell fishy 某事令人覺得可疑▪swim like a fish 泳技高超▪swim with the fishes 丟進海裡去▪there are plenty of fish in the sea 選擇多的是▪pool shark 精通某事卻佯裝不懂的人

CLAM/OYSTER 297 - 301
clam up 沉默不語▪happy as a clam 快活無比▪the world is one’s oyster 隨心所欲；任某人掌握


PLANT
ROOT 303 - 310
be rooted in… 起源於……；源自於……▪be (at) the root of sth. 是……的根源▪family roots 家族歷史、背景▪return to one’s roots 回歸祖國（故土）▪root and branch 完全（地）；徹底（地）▪take root 紮根；深入人心▪trace the roots 找尋源頭

ROSE 311 - 315
bed of roses 美好的境遇▪days of wine and roses 一段快樂、富足的日子▪rose-colored glasses 過份樂觀的看法▪stop and smell the roses 停下腳步聞聞玫瑰花香

BRANCH & LEAF 317 - 322
branch out 拓展（經營範圍或活動）；擴展（業務）▪branch out on one’s own 自行創業、獨立發展▪hold out an olive branch 提出和解；表達善意▪turn over a new leaf 改頭換面；改過自新▪shake like a leaf（因寒冷、緊張、害怕）顫抖

HERB 323 - 331
don’t let the grass grow under your feet 不要拖拖拉拉▪the grass is greener on the other side 外國的月亮比較圓；坐這山，望那山▪watch grass grow 無聊至極▪find / look for a needle in a haystack 大海撈針▪hit the hay 上床睡覺▪in the weeds 陷入困惑之中▪weed out 淘汰；剔除▪rest on one’s laurels 停留在榮譽的光環裡；滿足於既有的成就

WOODY PLANT 333 - 342
bark up the wrong tree 找錯對象；白費心思▪money doesn’t grow on trees 錢不會從天上掉下來▪not see the forest for the trees 見樹不見林；本末倒置▪the top of the tree 最高位；頂尖▪knock on wood 老天保佑▪neck of the woods 附近地區；附近地帶▪out of the woods 脫離困境▪beat around the bush 兜圈子、拐彎抹角

FRUIT 343 - 351
fruits of one’s labor 努力的成果▪bear fruit 有成果；奏效▪a tough nut to crack 棘手的事；難對付的人▪drive sb. nuts 讓某人發瘋、抓狂▪in a nutshell 簡而言之；大致說來▪shell out 付一大筆錢▪peanut gallery 戲院的廉價後排座；無足輕重的小人物▪a hill of beans 微不足道；無價值的東西▪full of beans 胡扯；廢話連篇▪spill the beans 洩密

PLANT 353 - 359
sow the seeds 播下種子；為某事鋪路▪stem from 起源於……；由……造成▪a thorn in one’s side 某人的眼中釘、威脅▪sprout up 出現；冒出▪plant an idea in one’s mind 灌輸某人一個想法▪in full bloom 花朵盛開；達到巔峰▪nip sth. in the bud 在萌芽時摘取；防範於未然

索引 361

NATURE
FIRE 019 - 034
add fuel to the fire 火上加油▪catch fire 迅速蔓延；引發狂熱▪caught in the crossfire 遭受池魚之殃；被周圍的爭端波及▪fire away 開始說話或發言▪fire sale 跳樓大拍賣；賤價拍賣▪fire the/one’s first shot 率先行動▪fire up 啟動；激發▪irons in the fire 做的事情；從事的工作▪light a fire under sb. 使某人努力做事▪on fire 熱烈進行▪out of the frying pan (and) into the fire 每況愈下▪play with fire 做危險的事；冒險▪set… on fire 使……燃燒；使……極為成功並引起轟動▪spread like wildfire ...