面临困境，处于不利境地：
*In the doghouse
例句-1: I've been in the doghouse with my mom and dad ever since they saw my grades from last semester. I admit that I failed math and barely passed English, but these are tough courses!
这个学生说：自从我妈妈和爸爸看到我上学期的成绩单以后，他们一直对我很生气。我承认，我数学不及格，英语也勉强及格。可是这些都是很难的课程！
例句2: My wife and I each has a son from our first marriages. Somehow, her son always likes to disturb my son when he's doing his homework. The other day I tried to discipline him and that got me in the doghouse with my wife.
这个丈夫说：我跟我太太以前第一次结婚的时候都有一个儿子。不知怎么回事，每当我儿子做功课的时候，她的儿子总是喜欢捣乱。那天，我想给他做点规矩，这可使我太太对我好生气呐。
*Between a rock and a hard place
例句3: We've lost so much that we're between a rock and a hard place. I can't decide whether to try to borrow money and pay higher interest than we can afford or else sell out and probably lose half of our investment.
这个老板说：“我们亏损了这么多，现在真是左右为难。要是去借钱就得支付难以承担的高利贷。要是出售整个企业就很可能会损失我们投资总额的一半。在这两者之间，我真感到左右为难。”
例句4: Lisa finds herself between a rock and a hard place. If she decides to stay with her husband, she'll be beaten from time to time or even killed one day. If she is determined to divorce him, he probably will kill her before she hires a lawyer.
这个警察说：利萨发现自己真是进退两难。要是她决定和她丈夫继续过下去，她会不断地挨打，或者甚至哪天被打死。要是她决心跟他离婚，她可能还没有找到律师，就被她丈夫杀了。
公正或诚实
*Fair and square
例句-1: Jack won the race last week with flying colors. But other athletes suspected he had taken drugs before the race. I know Jack well - he's a person with high moral standards. I'm sure he won the race fair and square without any cheating.
这是说：杰克上星期在赛跑中以优异成绩获胜。但是，其他运动员怀疑他在赛跑前服了药。我很了解杰克。他是一个道德标准很高的人。我肯定他是老老实实取胜的；没有任何欺骗行为。
例句2: I admit I've piled up a certain amount of money during the past ten years. But I made every penny fair and square. I've never cheated others and at the same time I don't let anybody else cheat me.
这个富商说：我承认我在过去十年内积累了一定数量的钱。但是，我的每一分钱都是老老实实地赚来的。我从来也没有欺骗过别人，同时也不允许别人欺骗我。
*Fair shake
例句3: When I buy a new car I buy it from Bill Green. He's always very honest with customers so you can depend on him to give you a fair shake when it comes to getting a good price.
这个人说：当我要买新车的时候，我就到比尔那儿去买。他对顾客总是很诚实，所以你要是想要价钱好，他可以信得过他，他肯定会很公道地对待你的。
例句4: My supervisor always assigns me to tackle the tough jobs. But when there's a promotion, he tends to forget me. Several times, people less qualified than I am got promoted. I don't think my supervisor has given me a fair shake.
这个人说：我的上司总是派我去处理难对付的工作。但是，一有提升的机会，他好像把我忘了。好几次了，那些水平不如我的倒被提升了。我认为我的上司对我不公平。
、
Bum就是指那种游手好闲，不务正业的人
*Bummer 的意思是：不愉快的经历。
例句-1: Charley sure gave us a bad recommendation when he said that new rock group from England is so great. We heard their concert last night and it was terrible - believe me, a real bummer!
这人说：查理向我们推荐说，那个从英国来的新的摇滚乐乐队简直是太好了。他的推荐实在是个错误。我们昨晚去听了那个音乐会，真是难听极了。你别不信我的话，那个音乐会实在太差劲了。
例句2: My wife and I like to try different restaurants. Some restaurants are very reasonable but their food is very tasty. Others, however, charge a lot yet the food is lousy. But none of them we've tried could be worse than the Chinese restaurant close to my home. It's a real bummer.
这人说：我太太和我喜欢到不同的饭馆去试试。有的地方价钱很便宜，可是菜做的很有味道。也有的饭馆价钱很贵，饭食却很差。但是，没有一个饭馆比我家附近那个中国餐馆更次的了。那个饭馆真是太糟糕了。
*a bum rap就是指一个人实在没有做错什么事，但是却挨了批评
例句3: A lot of people blame the mayor for our roads being in such bad shape. But I think he's getting a bum rap: the problem is the city council won't give him enough money to fix them.
这句话的意思是：我们这儿的道路坑坑□□实在不像样。许多人责怪市长。但是，我认为这实在太冤枉他了。问题在于市政委员会不给他足够的资金来修路。
例句4: I cleaned up the office at six as usual. But someone messed up the place with leftover food and beer bottles. My boss blamed me for not having cleaned up properly. I was so mad at getting this kind of bum rap.
这个清洁工说：我跟平时一样在六点打扫办公室。可是，那天晚上有人把办公室弄的乱七八糟，到处都是吃剩的东西和啤酒瓶。我的老板责备我，说我没打扫干净。受这样的冤枉气真让我非常生气。
两个以dry这个字为主的习惯用语
*high and dry的局面，那他就是面临难以解决的困难，又没有任何人给予帮助。
例句-1: Everybody had fun at Sally's party. But when it came time to clean up the mess, all the guests left in a hurry and Sally was left high and dry, to do all the work by herself.
这句话的意思是：每个去参加萨利举办的聚会的人都玩得很高兴。但是，等到要收拾残局的时候，所有的客人都匆忙地走了，就剩下萨利一个人来干这些活。
例句2: John, Jack and Mary all urged me to give a big party to celebrate my promotion. They promised to help out with the preparation. But so far they've done nothing saying they are too busy. It seems that I've been left high and dry and have to do all the work by myself.
这人说：约翰，杰克和玛丽都动员我举办一个大规模的聚会来庆祝我被提升的事。他们都保证帮我做准备工作。但是，到目前为止，他们什么也没做，说是太忙。看来，我是没办法了，只好自己来做一切了。
*Dry up.叫某人闭嘴，不要再说了。
例句3: Oh, why don't you dry up. I'm sick and tired of hearing you complain all the time! If you don't like the job, why don't you go out and look for another one. It's not that you don't have a choice.
这人说：喂，你得了，别说了，行吗？ 你没完没了地抱怨，我都听的烦死了。要是你不喜欢这个工作，你干吗不出去再另外找一个工作。你又不是没有选择的余地。
另外一个解释是，非常快的消失，就像一杯水倒在很热的沙滩上。这当然是很形像的比喻。
例句4: After he lost the election Senator Blank had two months left in his term. But he saw his political power dry up over night as people know very well that he'll be out of the picture soon.
这句话的意思是：布兰克参议员在竞选失败后，他的任期还剩两个月。但是，由于人们很清楚他不久就会成为局外人，所以他发现他的政治权力好像一夜之间就消失了。
用来形容保守派的常用语。
*Redneck：南部农民大多数是白人。一般都比较粗暴，思想顽固，没有知识，而且种族观念很深，不喜欢黑人。美国的保守派很愿意争取他们。
例句-1: Usually rednecks in this State vote for the conservative candidate. But this year it's hard to predict because they're getting hurt by the slowdown in the economy.
他说：这个州的农民一般都投保守派候选人的票。但是，今年却很难说，因为经济境况不好使他们受到损害。
例句2: I met Bill's uncle that day at the party. He seems to be a typical redneck. He talked so loud and insulted the blacks all the time. I'm very surprised, he has nothing in common with Bill.
这个人说：那天在聚会上我遇到了比尔的叔叔。看来，他是个典型的粗人。他大声说话，不断地侮辱黑人。他跟比尔毫无相同之处。我真是感到非常惊奇。
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*McCarthy. McCarthyite就是麦卡锡份子。现在，McCarthyite是指那些习惯于对反对自己的人进行毫无根据的，不公平的指责的人。
例句3: You may see a McCarthyite in either party. Often he makes false charges against the other side simply to hide the fact that he has such a weak record of his own to sell the voters.
这位教授说：你们可能在这个党，或者那个党里看到一个麦卡锡份子。一般来说，他自己以往的表现不良，因此难以争取选民。为了掩盖这一事实，他往往会假造罪名来指责竞争的对手。
例句4: My opponents accuse me of stealing public funds and accepting bribes when I was a cabinet member. None of these is true. They behave like true McCarthyites and the American people will not tolerate that.
他说：反对我的人指责我盗用公款，说我在担任内阁成员的时候接受贿赂。所有这些指责全是假的。他们的做法真像麦卡锡分子。美国人民是不会容忍的。
政党，共和党给民主党加上的一些不太光彩的外号。
*Tax-and-spend liberal. Tax就是税收，spend就是开支。保守派把他们叫做tax-and-spend liberal意思是说，自由派当选执政后，他们的政策就是增加对那些辛勤工作的公民的税收，然后把这些钱去救济游手好闲的人，使政府更能够控制人们的生活。下面是一个共和党候选人在说话。
例句-1: My friends, don't be fooled by the promises of these tax-and-spend liberals. All they'll do is raise taxes on people like you, who are the backbone of this country, and then waste your money on programs that will bankrupt America.
这位共和党候选人说：朋友们，那些只知道增加税收和开支的自由派人士做了保证，你们别受他们的骗。他们要做的仅仅是对你们这种发挥国家支柱作用的人增加税收，然后把你们的钱浪费在一些项目上，使国家破产。
例句2: The Republicans call Democrats tax-and-spend liberals. The Democrats respond that all the GOP is interested in is reducing taxes for wealthy people and cutting spending for social programs that help the poor.
这个民主党人说：共和党人把民主党人叫做增加税收和开支的自由派。民主党反驳他们，说共和党感兴趣的只是降低有钱人的税收，裁减那些帮助穷人的社会项目的开支。
这个例句里把共和党称为GOP。这是一个缩略语。全称是：The Grand Old Party. 意思是：美国的老大党，也是共和党的别名。
*Knee-jerk liberal
在保守派的眼里，还有另一种自由派。他们把这种自由派叫做：Knee-jerk liberal. Knee就是膝盖，Jerk就是突然震动一下。你要是到医生那里去，他在检查你的反应能力是否正常的时候会用一个橡皮的锤子轻轻地敲打你的膝盖，要是你的反应正常的话，你的膝盖就会自动地跳动。所以，这是你不能控制的，自动的反应。那末，knee-jerk liberal就是指一个人接受其他自由派的主张，不管这个主张是否合理。下面是一个例子。
例句3: My brother-in-law Tom hasn't had an idea of his own in twenty years. He's a real knee-jerk liberal who votes for anything his liberal friends support, no matter how crazy it is.
这人说：我的妹夫汤姆二十年来一直都没有自己的想法。他是一个真正盲目的自由派。只要他的那些自由派朋友支持的，不管这些想法有多么荒唐，他都投票赞成。
例句4: In the past, my friends called me a knee-jerk liberal. Now I've found it harder to agree with the policies of any one party. Sometimes I like the Democrats ideas, but other times I tend to side with the Republicans.
这人说：过去，我的朋友们叫我盲目的自由派。现在我发现要同意任何一个政党的所有政策是更困难的事。有的时候，我同意民主党的主意，但是有的时候我愿意站在共和党一边。
吃饭，到最后由谁来付账的问题。
*let me pick up the tab To pick up就是把什么东西拿起来的意思。Tab在口语里就是指帐单。因此，let me pick up the tab, 就是我来付账的意思。
例句-1: Listen, please don't argue with me. Let me pick up the tab this time. You two treated me many times before when I was looking for a job. Now I'm making good money, so it should be my turn.
你也可以说：say, let me foot the bill for this. 这是说：嗨，这次我来付吧。你还可以说：:It's my treat. 这是说：我请客。
例句2: I go out with Jack quite often, but he will never foot the bill for anything we spend. Even girls nowadays offer to treat me from time to time.
这个人很生气，他说：我跟杰克经常出去，但是，不管我们花什么钱，他从来也没有付过账。现在的女孩子，有的时候还主动地要请我呢。
*Dutch treat就是各自付自己的钱。当然，事先说好由谁请客也是经常的事。现在，人们已经把Dutch treat简化成：Go Dutch.
例句3: How about trying that new French restaurant on Columbus Drive tonight? I heard it's expensive so let's go Dutch, Okay?
这人说：今天晚上去哥仑布斯街那个新开的法国餐馆去试试怎么样？我听说那个餐馆很贵，所以我们各付各的，好吗？
例句4: Why don't we go Dutch in the future. I believe we'll be able to get together more this way as nobody would worry about who's going to pick up the tab.
他说：我们以后各自付自己的钱。我相信，这样我们出去吃饭的次数还会多一些，因为那样大家都不会担心由谁来付账的事。
两个习惯用语都是以hook这个字为主的。
*To give someone the hook.很突然地解雇某人。
例句-1: Our new secretary didn't last long. She always came to work late and left early, and she didn't learn to use the word processor. So after six weeks the boss had to give her the hook.
这位公司雇员说：我们的秘书没有干多久。她总是迟到早退，而且还不学着用电脑。所以，她干了六个星期后，老板不得不解雇了她。
例句2: Ron has been an excellent researcher since he joined this institute ten years ago. He has published a number of papers that are considered very valuable. I'm not going to give him the hook just because he made a minor mistake.
他说：罗恩十年前来到这个研究所工作以来一直是一个非常出色的研究员。他发表了好几份被认为非常有价值的论文。我不会因为他犯了一个小错误就解雇他。
*By hook or by crook.：想方设法达到目的，或去得到你想得到的东西。有的时候可以解释为利用不公平或不合法的手段来达到目的。
例句3: I sure feel guilty about not getting home the last few years to spend Christmas with mother and dad. But this year I'll get home by hook or by crook, no matter what!
过去几年我都没有回家跟我父母一起过圣诞节。我心里觉得很不应该。但是，今年不管怎么样我也得想尽一切办法回家过圣诞节。
例句4: Everyone likes to be promoted, that's perfectly understandable. But David is trying to get that promotion by hook or by crook; he even spread rumors smearing the other candidates. This is awful!
这个人说：每个人都想被提升，这是完全可以理解的。但是，戴维德为了这次能够被提升正在千方百计地想办法。他甚至散布谣言，诬蔑其他有可能被提升的人。这太不像话了。
两个习惯用语都是以right这个字开始的。
*Right on the mark.意思是某人做的预测非常准确。
例句-1: At the start of the year our financial vice president predicted that business would pick up and we'd end up in December making a profit of fifteen percent. And he was right on the mark - it was exactly right.
这个总裁说：今年年初，我们负责财务的副总裁预测我们的生意会更兴旺，到十二月，我们最终的利润是百分之十五。他的预测完全正确，一点都不错。
例句2: I predicted two months ago that Jack would be given the position of manager of our Paris office. See, I was right on the mark. Do you know, Jack's father is a close friend of the Chairman of the board. Sure it helps!
这个人说：我早在两个月前就估计公司会让杰克当我们巴黎分公司经理的 。你们看，我的估计完全正确。你们知道吗，杰克的爸爸是董事长的好朋友。这当然是很有帮助的。
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*Right up one's alley.意思就是：很适合他的兴趣或才能。
例句3: One course I know I'll take is advanced computer programming. Funny - a year ago I was afraid of computers. But once I tried, I found that working with a computer is right up my alley.
这个学生说：我知道有一门课我一定要上的，那就是电脑程序。有趣的是，一年前，我很害怕电脑，但是，我试了一下以后，我发现和电脑打交道对我来说实在是非常合适的。
例句4: My dad is very angry with me because I refuse to take over his business. I have always been interested in medicine and I believe to be a doctor is really right up my alley. I don't know how to convince my father I'm not good at business.
这个学生看来很苦脑。他说：我爸爸对我非常生气，因为我不愿意接管他的经营。我一直对医学很感兴趣，我认为我很适合当一个医生。我真不知道怎么样才能说服我爸爸，让他相信我不适合做生意。
跟动物有关的习惯用语
*Sacred cow.是指某个人，或某样东西，从来没有受到批评或嘲笑，即便在应该批评的时候也没有人敢这样做，就像印度的牛一样。
例句1: One of our biggest sacred cows is the national social security program which pays many older Americans a pension. This program costs more money every year. But politicians are afraid to touch it because older folks have a lot of votes.
这句话的意思是：我们最神圣不可侵犯的项目之一就是为美国老年人提供退休金的全国社会保障计划。这个计划的费用每年都在增加。但是，政界人士都不敢碰它，因为老年人有很多选票。
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例句2: Laura takes great care of her health. She's been very careful about what she eats and spends an hour every morning doing exercises. This has become her sacred cow - nothing can change her schedule rain or shine.
这句话是说：劳拉非常注意自己的身体健康，她对她吃的东西非常小心。她还每天早上化一小时来锻炼身体。这已经成为她神圣不可侵犯的活动了，什么事都不能改变她的日程，真是雷打不动。
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*Dark horse：黑马。在一般情况下，dark horse往往是落选的，但是也不一定
例句3: Our congressman had been in Washington 20 years and thought we'd keep voting for him forever. This year, though, the other party nominated a dark horse out of nowhere. He kept telling voters it was time for a change and he won the election.
这人说：我们的国会议员已经在华盛顿二十年了，他以为我们会永远投他的票。然而，今年另一个党提名了一个不知从那儿冒出来的人，谁也不认识他。他不断地告诉选民，现在是进行改变的时候了。结果他当选了。
例句4: People tend to elect candidates who have big names. But after listening to the new candidate's speech, I think he makes a lot of sense. I'm going to vote for him even though he's a dark horse.
这个人说：人们倾向于投那些名气大的候选人的票。但是，听了那个新候选人的讲话，我认为在一些问题上，他很有道理。尽管他没有名气，我准备投他的票，也许他能改变一些现状。
跟break有关的习惯用语
*To break the news是把什么新闻或情况告诉某人，而往往这种消息是不好的。
例句-1: That old guy who runs our mailroom has been with us for thirty years. But he can't handle the work any more so I'm going to have to break the news to him that it's time for him to retire.
这个公司的负责人说：那个管理我们收发室的老头已经给我们工作了三十年。但是他现在已经不能再胜任这个工作了，所以，我不得不去告诉他这个不好的消息。那就是：现在是他退休的时候了。
例句2: Being in combat was tough enough for a young man like I was then. But the hardest thing was to break the news to the families of men in my outfit that got killed. I was never able to get used to that.
这人说：对于一个像我当时那样年轻的人来说，参加战争本来就是一件很困难的事。但是，最最困难的任务是去那些跟我穿一样军装但是在战争中阵亡的战士家里告诉他们家人这个坏消息。我怎么也适应不了这种情况。
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*To break the ice.就是打破僵局的意思。
例句3: Somebody introduced me to this very lovely girl. At first we didn't know what to say to each other. But finally we managed to break the ice by talking about the movies, and now I'm taking her to a show Saturday night.
这个人说：一个人把那个非常可爱的女孩介绍给我。开始我们都不知道跟对方说什么好。可是后来我们谈论起电影来，从而打破了僵局。星期六晚上，我要请她去看演出。
例句4: My wife got mad at me and refused to talk to me for two whole weeks. Last night, I again said I was sorry and promised to take her on a trip to Hawaii. That finally broke the ice.
这个丈夫说：我太太跟我生气，整整两个礼拜都不跟我说话。昨晚，我又一次为了我的错误向她道歉，还保证带她到夏威夷去旅行。这才算化解了我们之间的僵局。
Give me a break可以解释为：你得了吧!！或者是：你算了吧！
例句-1: You really think Jennifer is the prettiest girl in our class? Give me a break! There're several girls in our class who are better looking then she is. To my mind, Lisa is tops. She not only has looks; she also has brains.
这个人说：你真的认为詹尼弗是我们班上最漂亮的女生？你算了吧！我们班上有好几个女生都比她好看。在我的心目中，利萨比谁都强。她不仅漂亮，而且脑子还很聪敏。
例句2: Look, kid, I'm working on a term paper that's due tomorrow. I promise to play the video game with you after dinner, OK? Come on, give me a break so I can finish this!
这个哥哥说：喂，小鬼，我正在写一份明天要交的学术报告。我保证吃完晚饭后就跟你一起玩电子游戏，行不行？得啦，你别烦我啦！让我把报告写完吧。
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To break even.意思是：收支平衡。换句话说，也就是在这一年时间里，你的开支跟你的收入一样。
例句3: Our first year was pretty tough. In fact, we lost money. This second year I think we'll break even. And now that we are getting more customers, next year we expect to make a healthy profit.
这位老板说：饭店开张后的第一年，对我们来说是很困难的。事实上，我们还亏了钱。今年是第二年，我想我们能做到收支平衡。现在我们顾客越来越多，我想明年我们能够获得很多利润。
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例句4: Soon after I bought some stocks early last year, the stock prices went down so much that I lost half of my money. Fortunately, I didn't sell them. With the market going up since this year, I've now reached the point where I break even.
这人说：去年年初我买了一些股票后不久，股票价格下跌了好多；我的钱损失了一半。幸好我没有抛出。今年股票价格不断上升，我现在已经到了不亏本的水平。
两个表示速度很慢的常用语。
Slow burn.一个人在令他恼火的情况下，他的火慢慢上来了，直到他失去控制，终于爆发为止。
例句-1: We could see the boss doing a slow burn as he heard one lame excuse after another. His face got redder and redder and he finally blew up - he shouted at the salesman to clean out his desk and never come back.
这个人说：当老板听到一个借口接着一个借口的时候，我们可以看出来，他的火慢慢地上来了。他的脸越来越红，越来越红，最后他终于爆发了。他大声对那个推销员嚷嚷，叫他把桌子清理一下，再也不要回来工作了。
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例句2: I was quite relaxed at first. It's common being told to hold on. But after five minutes, I could feel a slow burn was building
