A

about to do something 将要做某事
-She was about to leave when the phone rang.

about time 是时候
- It is about time that you returned that book to me.

absent-minded 心不在焉的
- My grandfather is very absent-minded and often forgets his key.

according to Hoyle 规规矩矩的
- According to Hoyle you are not allowed to enter this room but if nobody is here I think it will be okay.

add up 成立的
- The things that he said about his boss don`t really add up.

ahead of time 及早的
- We started the meeting ahead of time so we could go home early.

air one`s dirty laundry (linen) in public 揭人隐私
- The dinner party became uncomfortable when the host began to air his colleagues dirty laundry in public.

all along 由始至终
- I knew all along that he would not get the promotion.

all at once 突然
- All at once the fire alarm rang so we had to leave the building.

all day long 成天
- She has been sitting and waiting for the mail to arrive all day long.

all ears 洗耳恭听
- Okay, I`m all ears, please tell me about the party.

all in all 总之
- We had a few problems but all in all the meeting was successful.

all of a sudden 突然
- All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain.

all right 好吧
- She said that it would be all right for me to bring my friend to the party.

all the time 一直，始终
- She asks for money all the time but I don`t like to give it to her.

all thumbs 笨手笨脚的（我一开始还以为是在夸人涅。。。）
- He is all thumbs when it comes to fixing things around the house.

an arm and a leg 一大笔钱 （I remember I learnt this idiom from someone...)
- His new car must have cost him an arm and a leg.

apple of one`s eye 如瞳之于眼，最珍贵的人或事
- His youngest daughter is the apple of his eye.

as a rule 通常
- As a rule I usually get up at 7:00 AM every morning.

as far as 远至，...所及
- As far as I know he will be here in a few minutes.

ask for trouble 找麻烦
- He is asking for trouble if he misses another class.

asleep at the switch 坐失良机
- I think he was asleep at the switch. He didn`t even know that the job was available so he never applied for it.

as long as 只要，provided that, on condition that
-As long as you promise to be careful you can borrow my car.

as the crow flies 象乌鸦一样飞，笔直地...
-As the crow flies it is about 6 kilometers between my house and my company.

as usual 照常
- As usual, she forgot to bring her book to class.

as well as 也，同样
- Please bring your swimming suit as well as your towell.

as yet 到现在为止（多用于否定句）
- As yet, she has not told me about her plans to leave the company.

at cross purposes 意见相左
- They are at cross purposes and are always arguing about what to do.

at fault 有过失的
- The truck driver was at fault in the terrible accident.

at first 起先
- At first she didn`t want to go to a movie but later she changed her mind.

at first blush 第一印象？
- At first blush he seemed like a good worker but later we had many problems with him.

at heart 本质上
- She is a very nice person at heart although many people dislike her.

at home 不用解释了吧？这个其实不算idiom...
- I`m sorry but I left my money at home. Can you lend me some money?

at last 终于
- I was waiting all morning for her call but at last it came.

at loggerheads 较劲儿
- We have been at loggerheads over their plans to build a new office complex.

at odds 争执
- He has been at odds with his boss over the new sales territory.

at someone`s beck and call 呼之即来...
- His eldest daughter is always at his beck and call when he spends an evening at home.

at the end of one`s rope 竭尽所能
- I am at the end of my rope about what to do about my current situation at work.

attend to someone 照看某人
- The doctor attended to the other patient before he got to my mother.

B.

back on one`s feet
- 复元
He is finally back on his feet after his company went out of business.

back out
- 退出
The company backed out of the deal with the foreign firm.

back to the drawing board
- 回到起点
The boss doesn`t like our idea so I guess we must go back to the drawing board.

bail someone or something out
- 挽救某人或某事
The government has decided to bail out the troubled bank.

bank on
- 指望
You can bank on them to come and help the company.

bark is worse than one`s bite
- 雷声大雨点小
Don`t worry if he gets angry - his bark is worse than his bite.

bark up the wrong tree
- 搞错对象/方向
The police are barking up the wrong tree in their investigation of that person.

beat around the bush
- 闪烁其词，王顾左右而言他
Stop beating around the bush and give us your final decision.

beat someone to the punch (draw)
- 先某人一步
He beat me to the punch and arrived at the interview first.

(have a) bee in one`s bonnet
- 念念不忘，象蜜蜂（怎么不是苍蝇啊？）一样挥之不去
He has a bee in his bonnet over whether or not to build a new house or not.

(do something) behind someone`s back
- 瞒着某人，背地里（做某事）
He is very angry because they borrowed the car behind his back.

behind the times
- 过时的
My aunt is a little behind the times.

be to blame
- 该受责备的，应负责任的
He`s not to blame for breaking the computer.

bend over backwards to do something
- 拼命地做某事（向后弯腰可不是闹着玩的）
If I can, I will bend over backwards to help you get a promotion in the company.

beside one`s self
- 忘乎所以的
He was beside himself with joy at winning the contest.

beside the point
- 不靠谱
"What you are saying is beside the point. We are not talking about salary now."

bet on the wrong horse
- 估计错误，赌马押错赌注了
I think that he bet on the wrong horse by putting all of his money into that new stock.

better off
- （如果。。。）会更好些
He would be better off if he sold his old car and bought a new one.

beyond the pale
- 出格的，过分的
What they are doing is totally unacceptable and beyond the pale.

bide one`s time
- 耐心等候（机会）
He is biding his time as he waits to become president of the company.

big shot
- 大人物
He is a big shot in the oil and gas industry.

birthday suit
- 一丝不挂 也对，人生下来不就是什么也没穿么？
The little boy was running down the street in his birthday suit.

bite off more than one can chew
- 贪多嚼不烂
I think I bit off more than I can chew by taking on the new assignment.

bite the bullet
- 咬住子弹，酷~ 大概是“迎韧而上”的意思吧
I have decided to bite the bullet and begin studying for my Master`s degree.

bite the dust
- 嘴啃泥，被打败了，报废了
I think that my car has finally bitten the dust.

bite the hand that feeds you
- 恩将仇报，不知好歹
He is biting the hand that feeds him if he continues to criticize and fight against his boss.

blind leading the blind
- 盲人骑瞎马，夜半临深池。。。
It is like the blind leading the blind watching him try and explain how to operate the new computer.

blow it (something)
- 搞砸了
I tried hard but I am sure that I blew the final math exam last week.

blow one`s own horn
- 自吹自擂（这个倒是中英文一致哈）
He is always blowing his own horn and is very annoying at times.

blow over
- 消散，平息
The problem with the lost invoices has finally blown over and everyone is working hard again.

blue in the face
- 脸都绿了(不是指食物中毒）
I argued with him until I became blue in the face but I couldn`t change his mind.

bone of contention
- 争执的焦点
The family cottage was a major bone of contention when their father died.

boot out
- 踢出去（还是用穿靴子的。。。）
He was booted out of high school for smoking on the school grounds.

born with a silver spoon in one`s mouth
- 衔着银勺子出生的人，富家子弟
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in his life.

brand new
- 全新的
He was finally able to buy a brand-new car.

break down
- （机器）瘫痪
The car broke down on the lonely road so nobody knew about it.

break down
- 分析，解开
We must break down these figures for further study.

break fresh ground
- 打开新领域
The researchers were able to break fresh ground in their search for a cancer cure.

break the bank
- 赌场术语，赢得累积奖金，不是抢银行哦~
He didn`t really break the bank but he did win a lot of money.

break the ice
- 破冰，打开僵局
Nobody was enjoying the party until the host finally was able to break the ice.

break the news
- 第一个透露消息
He is planning to break the news to her about his transfer tomorrow.

break up (with someone)
- 分手。。。
She broke up with her boyfriend last June.

bring home the bacon
- 把腌肉带回家，养家糊口
He is out bringing home the bacon and is very busy.

bring home the importance of something to someone
- 意识到某事的重要性
He was unable to bring home the importance of arriving early for the meeting.

bring some new facts to light
- 让尚未人知的事情曝光
The lawyers were able to bring some new facts to light in the trial of the killer.

bring someone into line
- 让某人站到同一战线
He was finally able to bring the other members of the committee into line.

bring something on
- 引起、造成某事
I don`t know what brought on his anger but you should avoid him until he calms down.

bring the house down
- 引起哄堂大笑（把房子都弄倒了）
The comedian brought the house down with his jokes about the lost dog.

bring to mind
- （使）记起
Her perfect acting brought to mind some of the great actresses of the past.

bring up
- 提出（供讨论）
They brought up the subject at the meeting but nobody wanted to talk about it.

bring up
- 拉扯大
My grandmother brought up ten children.

bring up the rear
- 包尾，排在最后
The runner from the other school was bringing up the rear in the school relay race.

broke
- 破产的，身无分文的
I spent all of my money on my holiday and I am now broke.

brush up on something
- 复习巩固，把某样事物擦亮，好重新派上用场
I`m going to brush up on my English before my trip to New York.

brush with the law
- 犯过事，被法律“刷”过
He had a brush with the law when he was young but now he is totally honest.

bull in a china shop
- 搞得一团糟。瓷器店里的公牛，什么后果可想而知
He was like a bull in a china shop when I saw him at the meeting last week.

bundle up
- 穿足衣服，自己捆起来
We bundled up and went for a walk in the park.

burn a hole in one`s pocket
- 口袋里烧了个洞，钱跑的飞快
I just got paid today and this money is burning a hole in my pocket.

burn down
- 烧光了（建筑物，烧倒塌了，down）
The neighbor`s house burnt down completely during the night.

burn one`s bridges behind one
- 过河烧桥，破釜沉舟
He burned his bridges behind him and is unable to work in the same industry again.

burn the candle at both ends
- 一根蜡烛两头点，死的快
He has been burning the candle at both ends with his work and his studies. That is why he became sick.

burn the midnight oil
- 挑灯夜读（老外也兴这一套啊）
We burned the midnight oil for three nights in a row in order to study for the exam.

burn up
- 烧光了（非建筑物，不留残渣，都up了）
The uniforms burned up in the fire.

bury(hide) one`s head in the sand
- 鸵鸟
He always buries his head in the sand and never wants to deal with his family problems at all.

bury the hatchet
- 把斧头埋起来，化敌为友，化青菜为萝卜
He decided to bury the hatchet with his brother and they are now on friendly terms again.

butter someone up
- 呵呵，看来butter是好东西啊。。。
He is trying to butter up his boss so that he can leave early on Friday.

buy a pig in a poke
- 不知道该怎么翻，就是做冤大头了。。。
You shouldn`t buy that car without first inspecting it. It is like buying a pig in a poke.

by and large
- 大体上
By and large we had a good meeting even though it was a little short.

by and by
- 不久。好像比较少见
By and by they will come and we can go out for dinner.

by far
- 最。。。的
He is by far the smartest person in the company.

by fits and starts
- 磕磕碰碰地
By fits and starts the company was finally able to begin business.

by hook or by crook
- 无论如何，不管用什么方法
She says that she will go to Italy this year by hook or by crook.

by the way
- 顺便提及
By the way, could you please bring your computer tomorrow.

by the skin of one`s teeth
- 牙齿也有皮？嗯嗯，据说还是出自圣经哦，我们就不考究了。大意是“非常难得地，死里逃生地”
I made the application date for the job by the skin of my teeth.

by the sweat of one`s brow
- 千辛万苦（眉毛都掉汗了。。。）
He managed to make enough money to buy the farm by the sweat of his brow.

C.

calculated risk
预计风险
They took a calculated risk when they opened the new store but it has been very successful.

call a spade a spade
有一说一，直言不讳
He was calling a spade a spade when he began to criticize his employee for being lazy.

call for someone
召人
Could you please come and call on me before you go to the game.

call it quits
停止，放弃
He called it quits and went home for the day.

call of nature
放小号
He is answering the call of nature and can`t talk to you for a few minutes.

call off
取消
The game was called off because of the rain.

call on
拜访
I plan to call on my brother when I am on my holidays.

call on
点名
The teacher called on me three times to answer questions in the class.

call on to the carpet
叫到地毯中间（准备被训了。。。）
He was called on to the carpet by his boss for losing the major sale.

call someone`s bluff
质询
I decided to call his bluff and asked him to show me the evidence.

call the shots
操纵
He is now calling the shots and is in control of the company.

call up
打电话给。。。
He said that he would call up his parents tomorrow night.

calm down
安静下来，别紧张~
She finally calmed down after the accident.

cancel out
抵消
The benefits of her exercise were cancelled out by her always overeating.

can of worms
虫子罐头，悬而未决的问题（这两者有啥关系呀？）
The lawsuit opened up a can of worms for the company.

can`t see the forest for the trees
一木蔽林
He has no real understanding of most problems as he always fails to see the forest for the trees.

card up one`s sleeve
袖子里的纸牌，压箱的本事
I think that he has a card up his sleeve and will be able to help us later.

(in) care of someone
由。。。转交
I sent the parcel to her in care of her friend at the university.

carrot and stick
胡萝卜加大棒，恩威并施
The trade negotiators took a carrot and stick approach to the automobile talks.

(get) carried away
失去自制
I got carrried away and began to yell at her for losing my textbook.

carry on
继续
We were permitted to carry on with the party after we had talked to the landlord.

carry (something) out
实施
The move to the new headquarters was carried out with a minimum of problems.

carry over
延期至
We plan to carry over the summer swimwear until next year.

carry the ball
控球，成为焦点
The vice-president was forced to carry the ball while the president was away.

carry the day
得胜，成功
His fine performance in our company carried the day for us.

carry the torch
“高举。。。的火炬”，为。。。的追随者
He has been carrying the torch for the candidate for a long time.

carry through
贯彻
The company carried through with their plan to layoff 300 workers.

(a) case in point
佐证
What he just said was a case in point about what I have been saying all year.

cash cow
产钞票的母牛，下金蛋的鸡
His new business is a great cash cow. I think that he is really making a lot of money.

cash in
兑现
We decided to cash in the coupons because we needed some money.

cash in on
靠。。。赚钱
The small town cashed in on their success with the winter Olympics.

cash on the barrelhead
现付
It was a cash deal and we were forced to pay cash on the barrelhead.

cast pearls before swine
与猪论珠，对牛弹琴
Giving her the gold earrings was casting pearls before swine.

cast the first stone
扔第一块石头，先发起的
He was the one to cast the first stone and now he is having a major fight with his neighbor.

castles in the air
空中楼阁
She is always building castles in the air and is very unrealistic.

cat burglar
飞贼（不是偷猫的贼哦）
We lost our stereo when a cat burglar entered our apartment.

cat gets one`s tongue
舌头被猫叼走了，不发一言
I think that the cat has got her tongue. She hasn`t said anything at all since the meeting started.

catch-22
第二十二条军规，不可逾越的障碍（那到底是什么样的军规呀？）
It was a catch-22 situation where if I went to work there would be problems but if I didn`t go to work ther would be more problems.

catch a cold
着凉，感冒
I caught a cold because of the rain and the cold weather.

catch-as-catch-can
逮着什么是什么
We are in the middle of moving house so the meals when you visit will be catch-as-catch-can.

catch on
抓牢，理解
It was difficult to catch on at first but finally I was able to understand the math problem.

catch on
流行
Recently ballroom dancing has begun to catch on among many people.

catch one`s breath
喘息，屏息
After running from the station it took a moment to catch my breath.

catch one`s eye
吸引注意
I tried to catch her eye but she didn`t notice me.

catch (someone) red-handed
当场抓获
He caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing the candy.

catch up with (someone or something)
赶上某人或某事
I think it`s too late to catch up with the rest of the class now.

caught short
捉襟见肘
I was caught short last week and couldn`t pay the weekly food bill.

cave in
屈服
The company finally caved in to the union`s demand for more money.

chalk up
记下，录得
The stock prices of the company chalked up a big gain last week.

change horses in midstream[/b}
河中换马，临阵易帅
They decided to change horses in midstream and that is probably why they lost the election.

[b]change of heart
变心，改变看法
She had a change of heart and decided to let her child go to the circus.

change (one`s) mind
换脑，改变主意
He changed his mind and said that he would not go to the movie tonight.

change (one`s) tune
变调，改口，改变立场、态度
He has begun to change his tune recently and is beginning to agree that we need to do things a little differently.

(in) charge of something
负责某项工作
He is in charge of selling tickets for the school dance.

cheat on (someone)
对某人不忠
He recently began cheating on his wife which was the main cause of their divorce.

(have the) cheek to do something
居然有脸。。。，厚着脸皮。。。
She had the cheek to tell me that she was sick and couldn`t come to work today.

cheek by jowl
脸挨着颊，亲密地
They were walking down the stairs cheek by jowl when the alarm sounded.

chew the fat
闲谈（和fat有什么关系？好奇怪。。。）
The two men were chewing the fat on the porch of the house.

chew out (someone)
训斥某人
The teacher chewed out the student for talking in class.

chicken feed
微薄的收入，喂鸡都不够
What he sold his car for was chicken feed compared to the amount of money that he has in the bank.

chicken out
因胆小而放弃，英语里胆小鬼是chicken
He chickened out of jumping into the lake from the high diving board.

chickens come home to roost
小鸡回窝，物归原主；恶有恶报，自作自受
Her chickens have finally come home to roost and she must now take responsibility for what she has done.

chime in
插话
We were having a nice conversation until she chimed in and started complaining about everything.

chip in
集资，捐献
We all chipped in and bought our father a present.

chip off the old block
榆木切片，一个模子出来的
His son is a chip off the old block and acts exactly like his father.

(when the) chips are down
筹码都倒了，困难时期
When the chips were down he went to his father for advice and received his encouragement.

clam up
拒不开口
She clammed up as soon as her boyfriend entered the room.

clean bill of health
无传染病健康证明书（好专业的俚语。。。）
The astronaut was given a clean bill of health before he began training.

clean slate
清白的，白手起家
He started off with a clean slate and has never caused any problems for the company.

clear the air
澄清事实，清除误会
We had a big argument so I think it is time to clear the air.

clear the decks
清理甲板，准备行动
Let`s clear the decks and get everyone out of the house so we can begin work.

clear up
整理，清除
They finally cleared up the problem that I was having with my salary at work.

cliffhanger
扣人心弦
The playoff game was a cliffhanger and one of the most enjoyable games of the year.

climb the wall
爬墙，让人抓狂的 ：P
She began to climb the wall after only a few days at her new job.

clip joint
黑店
They went into a clip joint near the bus station and had to pay a lot of money.

clip someone`s wings
把某人翅膀夹起来，限制其行动
They decided to clip his wings and took away his expense account.

close call/shave
千钧一发
I had a close call this morning when the truck almost hit me.

close ranks
紧密团结
They decided to close ranks and stop arguing among themselves

close to home
虽不中亦不远矣
What I said about her work habits must have hit close to home as she seemed to become very quiet suddenly.

coast is clear
安全确认
When the coast was clear we decided to enter the building.

(bring) coals to Newcastle
带煤去纽卡斯尔（纽卡斯尔是煤都）
Bringing extra food to the farmer`s picnic was like bringing coals to Newcastle.

cog in the machine
机器里的小齿轮，微不足道
The employees felt like they were only cogs in a machine so the atmosphere at the company was not very good.

cold spell or cold snap
冷空气，寒流
The cold snap lasted for five days.

cold turkey
物理戒毒（跟turkey好象木关系）
Although she was able to stop using drugs cold turkey she was very sick for awhile.

come a cropper
落败，摔跟斗（和割草机似乎也不沾边）
I think that he has come a cropper in the horse competition and that is why he is sad.

come across
偶遇
I came across an interesting story in the newspaper the other day.

come again
重来，再说一遍
Come again. I didn`t hear you the first time.

come alive
活跃起来
She finally came alive and began to enjoy the party.

come along
进展
The work on our new house is coming along very well at the moment.

come a long way
有进展
He has come a long way and has learned many things about his new company.

come back
回来
She came back from her holidays last week.

come back
恢复（记忆）
I can`t remember clearly the events of last year but slowly everything is coming back to me.

come back
再流行
Recently bell-bottom pants have come back into fashion.

come between
离间
His constant interfering finally came between his brother and his wife.

come by
经过，得到
She came by a lot of money recently and is now enjoying her life.

come clean
坦白
The president of the company was forced to come clean and tell what really happened to the business.

(a) come-down
降格，没落
Her new job was a real come-down from her last one so she was not very happy.

come down hard on
严打，严惩
The police have been coming down very hard on drunk drivers recently.

come down to earth
（从幻想中）回到现实，脚踏实地
He has finally come down to earth and is preparing seriously to look for a job.

come down with
因。。。病倒
Her mother came down with a cold so was unable to attend the dinner.

come from
来自，出生于
Several of the students in the class come from Mexico.

come full circle
回到原点
They have come full circle since the new president started at the university.

come hell or high water
无论任何困难，“hell or high water”是固定搭配
Come hell or high water I plan to go to the concert next week.

come in handy
迟早用得上的
I think that the small hammer will come in handy to fix the desk.

come into
进入，得到（=come by）
They came into a lot of money which they donated to charity.

come into fashion
风行
She says that although bell-bottom pants have come into fashion again she will never wear them.

come into one`s own
回到自己，如鱼得水
He has really come into his own as a basketball player since he changed positions.

come off
实现，圆满结束
The party came off without any problems so everyone was very happy.

come on strong
给人以强烈印象
He came on too strong during the job interview and was unable to get the job.

come out with
公布，因。。。为人所知
The child has recently come out with many strange and funny expressions.

come to
变得，学会
At first I disliked her a lot but recently I have come to accept her.

come to
复苏，恢复知觉
She came to a couple of hours after the accident.

come to blows
给予打击，斗殴(-_-bbb)
They almost came to blows when they were trying to fix the car.

come to grief
很受伤
He has recently come to much grief because of his son`s problems with the police.

come to grips with
为。。。而奋斗
She has finally been able to come to grips with her husband`s drinking.

come to light
曝光
It has recently come to light that the company has lost millions of dollars.

come to nothing
成为泡影，一无所获
All his efforts to help his sister find a job came to nothing.

come to one`s senses
恢复理智
He finally came to his senses and decided to buy a cheaper car rather than borrow a lot of money for an expensive one.

come to pass
发生，成为现实
It came to pass that the company was never able to recover from their financial problems.

come to terms
terms, 条款，协议。达成协议
We came to terms with the bank and were able to buy the house.

come to the point
说到重点
His speech was interesting but he never really came to the point.

come up with
提出（=bring up with)
Please try to come up with a name for the new magazine.

common touch
平易近人的（不是gentle touch么？:P）
He has a nice common touch and everyone likes him a lot.

conk out
突然失灵，倒头就睡
As soon as we returned from the hike I conked out in front of the TV.

cook one`s goose
干掉某人，让某人绝望，把她的鹅给煮了。。。
She really cooked her own goose and has no chance of getting the new job.

cook up
炮制
I don`t know what kind of plan she is cooking up now but it should be quite interesting.

cool as a cucumber
极其冷静的，象青瓜一样酷的（那不就是愣头青了么？）
She was as cool as a cucumber when her canoe turned over in the river.

cool one`s heels
空等，晾脚后跟
He was forced to cool his heels for an hour in the waiting room before his boss would talk to him.

cop a plea
避重就轻地认罪
He was forced to cop a plea when the evidence against him became too strong to dispute.

cop out
逃避
He copped out from our plan to go to to the beach for the day.

copycat
复印机，应声虫（貌似贬义，but reminds me of sweet memory...)
The little boy was accused of being a copycat by the other children.

cough up
咳出，不情愿地说出或拿出（咳咳。。。）
He finally coughed up enough money to pay for the accident.

count on
依靠，指望
You can never count on him to do anything right.

count one`s chickens before they`re hatched
在小鸡孵出来之前点数，意指对还没有准数的事情寄予厚望
Don`t count your chickens before they`re hatched. You`re spending your money and you don`t even have a job yet.

count out
把。。。排除在外（咦，怎么没有count in就count out了...）
Please count me out of your plans to go skiing for the weekend.

cover one`s tracks
隐藏行迹
He was trying to cover his tracks but it was easy to see where he had recently been.

cover up
掩盖
They tried to cover up the facts regarding the illegal election campaign funds.

cozy up to (someone)
奉承某人
I don`t know what he wants but recently he has been trying to cozy up to me.

crack a joke
开玩笑
He was a lot of fun at the party because he was always cracking jokes.

crack a smile
展颜微笑
He never cracked a smile during the whole meeting.

crack down on
镇住，镇压
The school principal decided to crack down on people running in the halls.

crack of dawn
破晓
We got up at the crack of dawn to go fishing.

crackpot
怪人
He is a total crackpot and you never know what he will do next.

crack the whip
把鞭子在空中甩得劈啪作响（不知道吓唬谁。。。）
We had to crack the whip in order to get the job finished by the weekend.

crack up
崩溃，忍不住大笑（？）
I cracked up when he started talking about the incident with the taxi driver.

cramp one`s style
使拘谨，限制某人的言行
Working in the new section is beginning to cramp my style a little.

crash the gate
擅自入场
Many people didn`t have a ticket for the concert so they decided to crash the gate.

cream of the crop
精选农作物，拔尖的
When they hire new employees they always look for the cream of the crop.

(the) creeps
汗毛倒竖，恐惧蔓延
I get the creeps every time that I see a dead animal.

creep up on
慢慢向。。。挪动
The thief crept up on the elderly women at the supermarket.

crocodile tears
鳄鱼的眼泪, 假慈悲
He said that he was very sorry but his tears were just crocodile tears.

crop up
突然出现
I will meet you early next week unless something crops up that keeps me busy.

cross a bridge when one comes to it
遇桥过桥，“船到桥头自然直”
We shouldn`t worry about that problem now. We can cross that bridge when we come to it.

cross one`s heart and hope to die
信誓旦旦（为什么hope to die呀，I would rather cross my fingers and hope to live...）
I promise that I will pay you back the money next week. Cross my heart and hope to die.

cross one`s mind
灵机一动，突然想到
It just crossed my mind that I would probably see him in the evening so I didn`t phone him.

cross (something) out
划掉，叉叉掉
Please cross out that amount and put in the correct amount.

cross to bear/carry
背负的十字架，应负的使命
Looking after my sister`s children every day is my cross to bear.

cry out for
喊着要，迫切需要
The new room that he built cries out for a new set of furniture.

cry over spilt milk
无谓的后悔，牛奶洒了后悔也没用
Don`t cry over spilt milk. You can never change the past.

cry uncle
认输（=say uncle）
He finally had to cry uncle when the other wrestler pinned him to the mat.

cry wolf
狼来了，谎报军情
He has been crying wolf for years about various things and now nobody believes him.

(not one`s) cup of tea
喜爱的人或事物
It`s not really my cup of tea so I think I will stay home and not go to the art gallery.

curiosity killed the cat
好奇心杀死了一只猫（我一直以为是kills呢-_-bb...）
Don`t keep asking so many questions. Remember curiosity killed the cat.

curry favor
咖喱口味，拍马屁（什么跟什么呀）
He has been working hard to curry favor with the other members of the committee.

cut across
抄近路
We decided to cut across the field because we were in a hurry to get to school.

cut and dried
切下来并风干了的，已成定局
The decision was cut and dried and nobody asked for our opinion.

cut back
削减
We were forced to cut back on the number of people who were invited to the party.

cut both ways
模棱两可的，两头切~
What he said cuts both ways and we should carefully think about it.

cut corners
抄近路，节省开支
We will have to cut corners in order to save some money for our holiday.

cut down on
减少
Recently he has cut down on his drinking in order to start his new health program.

cut down to size
降低威望
I was able to cut him down to size when I criticized what he said at the meeting.

cut (someone) off
打断（说话）
I tried to tell him about the accident but he cut me off before I had a chance.

cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face
发脾气时做了害自己的事(cut off nose? 好恐怖...)
He is cutting off his nose to spite his face. Taking revenge on his neighbor will only cause more problems for himself.

cut out
切除，戒掉
She decided to cut out chocolate in order to lose weight.

cut the mustard
符合条件(again, 符不符合条件跟会不会cut mustard有啥子关系？）
He doesn`t cut the mustard and will never be able to work here.

D.

dance to a different tune
一改常态，变得高调
He has begun dancing to a different tune now that he knows that his head salesman is thinking of quitting.

dark horse
就是传说中的“黑马”了
At first he was a dark horse candidate but he later won the election.

dash off
极速起动，在短时间内完成
I will dash off a letter now but then I must go to work.

dawn on
（象破晓一样）慢慢变得清晰起来
It finally dawned on me as to why he was angry.

day and night
白天和黑夜，昼夜不停的
We worked day and night to finish the project before the end of the month.

day in and day out
日复一日，天天
He goes to that restaurant day in and day out and never gets tired of it.

dead ahead
正前方(= right ahead)
There was a truck dead ahead so we put on the car brakes suddenly.

dead as a doornail
死翘翘
The man was dead as a doornail as we could see after the accident.

deadbeat
赖帐的，不负责任的人
There is a policy to penalize deadbeat fathers by the local government.

dead center
正中间
He was able to hit the target dead center.

dead duck
死鸭子，注定要完蛋的人
He is a dead duck and has no hope of recovering his former position.

dead end
死胡同，僵局
The negotiations between the team and the owners have come to a dead end.

deadpan
（象平底锅一样）面无表情
He had a deadpan expression when he told us the story.

dead set against something
死命地反对做某事
They are dead set against their son going to Europe for a year.

dead tired
累死了
I was dead tired so I went to bed as soon as I got home.

dead to the world
睡得死死的（不是真的死了）
The little boy was dead to the world when his father took him out of the car.

decked out
打扮，粉饰
She was all decked out in her best clothes for the party.

deep-six
丢弃，埋到地下六尺
I decided to deep-six the videos as I didn`t want them any longer.

deep water
水底深处，“麻烦大了”
He will be in deep water if he doesn`t tell us where he spent the money.

deliver the goods
交货，履行职责
He is the best manager that we have ever had. He knows how to deliver the goods.

devil-may-care
漫不经心的，“鬼才担心呢”
He has a devil-may-care attitude to his job and nothing ever bothers him.

die down
慢慢变弱，渐渐消失
When the sound of the music finally died down we were able to get to sleep.

die off
相继死去
The house plants began to die off as soon as he moved to a new apartment.

die out
灭绝，消失殆尽
Dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.

dig in
挖进去，开餐
Let`s dig in and eat before everything is cold!

dime a dozen
不值钱的，一毛钱有一打
Used books are a dime a dozen so don`t worry if you can`t sell them.

dirty look
厌恶的表情，没好脸色
His mother gave him a dirty look when he smoked the cigarette.

dish out
大盘大盘的端出
He began to dish out the food as soon as the guests arrived.

dish out
大肆的
He likes to dish out criticism to others but he doesn`t like to hear criticism about himself.

do a double take
恍然大悟
She did a double take when she saw her old boyfriend with another woman.

do a job on
（讽）干的好事
He really did a job on the plans for the new house that he was working on.

do away with
废除
The company has decided to do away with having fixed holidays every year.

dog-eat-dog
人吃人的，竞争剧烈的
It is a dog-eat-dog world out in the world of advertising and public relations.

do in
弄坏了
He quickly did in the new shoes that he received for his birthday.

do in
累坏了
He was really done in by the time that he finished the marathon.

doll up
（象洋娃娃一样）装扮起来
She was all dolled up for the party at the downtown hotel.

done for
（固定搭配）不中用的
I think that the team is done for as far as this season is concerned.

done with
用完了，用好了
He was finally done with the computer and so he let his sister use it.

do one`s best
尽全力
I tried to do my best on the exam.

do one`s bit (part)
尽一分力
He did his bit for the planning of the party.

do one`s thing
做自己的事
He is an individualist and enjoys doing his thing when and where he chooses.

do-or-die
孤注一掷的，不成功便成仁
He was in a position of do-or-die when he finally found another job.

do out of
借故推托？(sorry, I am not quite sure of this one.)
He was worried that the company would do him out of the large bonus that he was expecting.

do someone good
对某人有好处（= be good for someone）
It will do you good to go on a holiday.

do something rash
卤莽行事
She is extremely angry so I hope that she doesn`t do anything rash.

do the honors
引以为荣，尽地主之宜
Would you like to do the honors and pour everyone a glass of wine?

do the trick
获得成功，完成任务（trick作“诀窍”解)
I think the new piece of equipment should do the trick and solve the problem.

do time
劳改，服刑（想不到哇~）
He was doing time when I first heard about him.

do with
享受
I have been working hard all day so now I could do with a cold drink.

do with
和。。。有关的
I don`t have anything to do with the party this year.

do without
不用
If there is no sugar, we`ll have to do without.

double back
往返跑，折回头(hehe, we have a friend here used to name himself "doubleback")
We decided to double back from the arena to get some money to go to a movie.

double-check
仔细检查
He double-checked the price of the airplane ticket.

double-cross
欺骗，出卖
He tried to double-cross his partner but was caught and sent to jail.

double-talk
含糊其词
He gave the audience a lot of double-talk so nobody knew what he wanted to say.

double up
挤住在一起
The passengers had to double up in hotel rooms when the plane was delayed because of the weather.

down and out
穷困潦倒
He has been down and out before but he has always been able to find a job eventually.

down in the dumps
郁闷啊
She has been really down in the dumps since her boyfriend moved away.

down on (someone)
对（某人）不满
She is really down on her friend but I don`t really know the reason.

down one`s alley
合某人胃口地
Computers are down his alley so I am sure that he will be interested in taking the job.

down the line
将来
There will be many changes at this company down the line but for now your job is safe.

down the drain
（把钱）扔下水道，浪费
He is just throwing money down the drain when he goes to the horse races.

down-to-earth
实际的，脚踏实地的
Her mother is a very down-to-earth person.

down to the wire
接近最后期限的
We went right down to the wire but we were able to finish the job on time.

do wonders
有极大好处的
If you begin to do some exercise it will do wonders for your health.

drag in
插入讨论，牵扯进来
He always drags in his personal problems when we are talking about his performance on the job.

drag on
拖延
The speech seemed to drag on and on so finally we decided to leave early.

drag one`s feet/heels
拖后腿的，不情愿的
He has been dragging his feet about whether or not to take the job.

draw a blank
一无所获
He drew a blank when he went to the head office to try and receive some information about the merger.

draw fire
引火烧身
He has been drawing a lot of fire since he announced that he would not play basketball another year.

draw fire
成为靶子，吸引火力
The soldiers drew fire when they entered the small village.

draw in one`s horns
紧缩开支
Their company is not doing well so they will have to draw in their horns for awhile.

draw (someone) out
把某人（从沉默中）拖出来
She was very quiet but we finally were able to draw her out so that she would join the party.

draw the line
划定界线
We have to draw the line somewhere in regards to the costs of the party.

draw up
起草
They were able to draw up the new contract while we were waiting.

dressed to kill
穿着迷人，杀死人了
She was dressed to kill when I saw her at the concert last week.

dressed to the nines (teeth)
to the nines--完美的，to the teeth--咬弦的
The stars were all dressed to the nines during the Academy Awards ceremony.

dress up
盛装打扮
He decided to dress up for dinner at the restaurant.

drive a hard bargain
讨价还价的，苛刻的
Although he drives a hard bargain I like doing business with him.

drive at
用意所在
I don`t know what he was driving at in his speech.

drive someone up a wall
把某人惹急了，逼到墙上去了
His constant complaining is driving me up a wall.

drop a hint
暗示，不经意透露
He dropped a hint that he wanted to transfer to a new department.

drop (someone) a line
给某人写信
She promised that she would drop me a line when she gets to Singapore.

drop back
退后
During the hike his foot began to get sore so he decided to drop back and rest for awhile.

drop by
顺便拜访
He dropped by after work for a drink.

drop by the wayside
中途放弃（记得以前有板油问过这句，出现在美国系列剧the OC里面，不知是否也是这个意思）
Many runners dropped by the wayside as the marathon continued.

Drop dead!
别烦我，死一边去
I told him to drop dead when he came into my room and now he is angry at me.

drop in
走访, 不预先通知的拜访
I decided to drop in and visit my friend after I finished work for the day.

drop in the bucket
酒桶里的一小滴，沧海一粟
The money he paid back was only a drop in the bucket compared to what he owes.

drop out (of school)
退学，放弃
She dropped out of the class after three months.

drown one`s sorrows
借酒消愁
He`s in the bar drowning his sorrows with a beer.

drown out
（被声浪）淹没
The team captain was drowned out by the cheering fans.

drum up
以鼓声吸引，招徕
They were able to drum up a lot of business during the summer.

duck soup
鸭子汤，小事一桩，piece of cake
How was the test last week? It was duck soup - no problem at all.

dumb bunny
笨兔子
He is a dumb bunny and you never know what he will do next.

Dutch treat
各付已帐，AA制（代数平均，Algebra Average......)
When he goes out with his girlfriend it is always a Dutch treat as he doesn`t have much money.

dwell on
总是想着或谈论某事，沉湎于
I wish he wouldn`t always dwell on his personal problems.

E.

each and every
每一个
I would like each and every one of you to bring your textbooks tomorrow.

eager beaver
热心的海狸，工作狂
He is a real eager beaver and is always available to work when we need him.

earful
（满耳朵的）怨言、呵斥
He really gave his daughter an earful when she came home late.

early bird catches the worm
早起的鸟儿有虫吃（都是单数哎，可见无论鸟儿还是虫虫都数不愿早起的居多。。。:P）
He always goes to work before his colleagues because he knows that the early bird catches

the worm.

(keep/have one`s) ear to the ground
伏地倾听，喻消息灵通
He always has his ear to the ground and knows everything that is going on in our company.

ease off
缓和，减轻
The president was asked to ease off on his efforts to save money in the company.

easy come, easy go
来得容易，去得也容易
He doesn`t care if he loses his job or not. For him everything is easy come, easy go.

easy does it
别着急，慢慢来
"Easy does it" he said as he helped to move the large piano.

easy-going
随和的，平易近人的，哎~
He has a very easy-going management style.

eat away
侵蚀
The mildew has been eating away at the window frame all summer.

eat crow
被迫认错，吃哑巴亏
He was forced to eat crow when the figures that he gave us at the meeting were all wrong.

eat dirt
吃土，忍辱
He made the senior manager eat dirt as revenge for his bad treatment in the past.

eat one`s heart out
万蚁啮心，渴望得不得了
You can eat your heart out. I`m going to Hawaii for three weeks!

eat humble pie
吃低下的食物，忍气吞声,低头谢罪
He had to eat humble pie in front of his friends when they discovered his mistake.

(be) eating someone
困扰着某人，（精神上）折磨着某人
I don`t know what is eating her but she doesn`t seem to be in a good mood today.

eat like a bird
吃得极少，哈哈，形容的真可爱~
He eats like a bird. That`s why he can`t put on enough weight to join the football team.

eat like a horse
吃得极多，按我们的说法，是“象猪一样”。。。
He eats like a horse but he never puts on any weight.

(can`t) eat one`s cake and have it too
想把蛋糕吃掉又想把它完整保留是不可能的，鱼与熊掌不可兼得
You can’t eat your cake and have it too.

eat one`s cake and have it too
不可能的还去想，贪得无厌
He always wants to eat his cake and have it too and is never prepared to sacrifice anything.

eat one`s words
食言，收回说过的话，认错道歉
He was forced to eat his words after his boss proved that he was wrong.

eat out
在外头吃，上馆子
He eats out three or four times a week.

egg (someone) on
怂恿，催促某人做某事
He is always egging his friend on when he is angry which makes him even angrier.

eke out
竭力补足，勉强维持
He was unable to eke out a living on the farm so he sold it.

elbow grease
肘部的油脂，费劲的体力活
We`ll have to use a lot of elbow grease to get the kitchen cleaned.

elbow room
肘部空间，活动空间
They moved to the country in order to have a little more elbow room.

end in itself
事物本身的结果，乐在其中的事
For some people travelling is an end in itself and the destination is not important.

(at the) end of one`s rope
绳索的尽头，耐心的极限，山穷水尽，无计可施
He is at the end of his rope regarding what to do about his job.

end up
结束，终止
We ended up going to the restaurant after the movie last night.

even so
即便如此
He always works hard but even so he has no money saved.

every dog has his day
天生我才必有用，狗狗也有得意时
You should be patient and wait until you get a chance. Remember every dog has his day.

every other
每隔一个
She has to work every other Saturday evening.

every so often
偶尔，时常
You should walk around every so often when you are on a long plane trip.

every Tom, Dick and Harry
张三李四，阿猫阿狗，泛指随便每一个人
He said he is not the same as every Tom, Dick and Harry.

eyes are bigger than one`s stomach
眼大胃口小
His eyes are bigger than his stomach. He will never finish all of the food that he took.

eyes in the back of one`s head
后脑勺长眼
He has eyes in the back of his head and you can never borrow anything without him knowing

about it.

eyes pop out
眼睛都突出来了，很惊讶的样子。
Her eyes popped out when she saw her name in the newspaper.

F.

face down压倒，击败
- They decided to face down their competitors and were able to easily stay in business.

face the music承担后果（the music of revealing consequences)
- He is going to have to face the music sooner or later.

face up to勇敢面对
- You must face up to the fact that you are never going to have enough money to buy that car.

face value票面价
- He gave me the face value that was printed on the used stamps.

face value表面价值（通常比喻与实际不符，可信度不高）
- He is a nice person but you must always take at face value what he says.

facts of life fact-of-life是“无可变改的事实”，多了个s, 好象就变成特指sex thing了
- He seems to be a little too young to know about the facts of life.

fair and square光明正大的
- The British team won the game fair and square but still the other team complained.

fair game猎物，注意别跟fair play混淆了
- The company is fair game as a takeover target by other international companies.

fair play公平竞赛
- He believes in fair play and is a wonderful person to have on our team.

fair shake公平待遇（shake hands is fair to everyone, but hugs only to special one. :P）
- She was not given a fair shake at the inquiry into her behavior.

fair-weather friend天晴时的朋友，指可享安乐而不能共患难的朋友
- He is a fair-weather friend only and you can`t rely on him if you have a problem.

fall apart散架，坏掉
- The equipment fell apart about six months after I bought it.

fall back退却，撤出
- The runner fell back from the rest of the runners when the race was half over.

fall back on something/someone求助于
- She had to fall back on her father`s money when her business had problems.

fall behind落下，拉下
- He fell behind with his homework at the beginning of the term and had problems throughout the year.

fall by the wayside半途而废 =Drop by the wayside(see English Idioms D)
- He had a good chance of winning the competition but he fell by the wayside near the end.

fall flat失败，达不到预期效果 （fell flat还有一个意思，叫“卧倒”。。。是fell不是fall哦）
- I think that my attempt at humor fell flat and now she doesn`t like me.

fall for为。。。倾倒，倾心于
- He fell for the woman at the bank but he is afraid to ask her for a date.

fall from grace堕落，失去声望
- The politician fell from grace with the public over the money scandal.

falling-out吵架
- We had a falling-out during our holiday and we haven`t spoken since.

fall in love with爱上
- I fell in love with her the first time that I saw her at the restaurant.

fall into line列队
- The students were forced to fall into line as they waited for the doors to open.

fall in with遇到，结识
- He fell in with a bad group of friends and began to get lower marks.

fall off减少
- The number of tourists to visit the island has fallen off recently.

fall off the wagon旧态复萌（on the wagon是下决心戒除恶习，如果没坚持住掉了下来，就是fall off the wagon喽）
- He fell off the wagon after he stopped drinking for three years.

fall on沦落到
- The town had fallen on hard times before the new computer company moved to town and created many jobs.

fall out of use停止使用，废弃
- That kind of stereo system has fallen out of use over the last 20 years.

fall over oneself摔倒，被自己拌倒
- They fell over themselves in their effort to please their host.

fall short (of one`s expectations)达不到（期望）
- The new movie fell short of everyone`s expectations and attendance is very low.

fall through彻头彻尾的失败，成为泡影
- My plan to go abroad fell through when my father refused to lend me some money.

far and wide到处
- We looked far and wide for the book but could not find it.

far cry相距甚远，两码事（为什么要cry啊。。。）
- What he said to my friend is a far cry from what he told me over the telephone.

farm out外包，把田地包给外人种
- We farmed out all of the printing to another company in order to save money.

fast buck快钱
- He is always trying to make a fast buck without really trying to work very hard.

fast talker高谈阔论的人
- He is a fast talker so you should be careful not to believe everything that he says.

fat chance反话，机会甚微。因fat偏贬义，故有时侯用来加强嘲讽的语气，取其反义，如，a fat lot，“极少，几乎不”
- Fat chance that he will let me use his car. He never lets me borrow anything.

(live off the) fat of the land土地的肥美，喻养尊处优的生活
- He plans to move to the mountains and try and live off the fat of the land.

favorite son天之骄子，受拥戴的候选人
- We voted for him because he is the favorite son of our state.

feather in one`s cap帽子上的羽毛，值得骄傲的事物
- Winning the new contract was a real feather in his cap.

feather one`s nest以公谋私
- The mayor has been feathering his nest for many years and is now very rich.

fed up with 喂饱了，受够了
- I think that he is getting fed up with the constant demands of his boss.

feed someone a line以言语瞒骗
- He was feeding me a line about his plans to open a new restaurant downtown.

feel like a million （dollars）身体倍儿好，精神倍儿棒
- I feel like a million dollars today so I think that I will go for a walk.

feel out试探出
- I will try and feel out my boss this weekend and see what he thinks of my chance of promotion.

feel sorry for对。。。表示同情，感到遗憾
- I feel sorry for him after losing his job.

feel up to (do something)有信心做某事
- I don`t feel up to going to the game.

feet on the ground脚踏实地的
- He is a good family man and always has his feet on the ground.

few and far between稀少
- The gas stations were few and far between on the highway through the mountains.

fiddle around瞎捣鼓
- I tried fiddling around with the computer printer for awhile but it still won`t work.

fifty-fifty that‘s me~
- We divided the cost of the trip fifty-fifty.

fight tooth and nail以牙齿和指甲战斗，竭尽全力
- He is fighting tooth and nail to get a transfer to another department.

figure on预计
- You can figure on about 30 people coming to the party next week.

figure out想出，弄懂
- He finally figured out how to use the new video recorder.

fill (someone) in充实某人，把细节告诉某人
- I will fill you in later about our plans for the weekend.

fill (something) in填写（表格等）
- Please fill in this form and give it to the receptionist.

fill one`s shoes填满某人的鞋子，完全取代他/她/它
- Although he is a good supervisor he is unable to fill the shoes of those who came before him.

fill out填妥（感觉比fill in要强烈些）
- We were asked to fill out the forms before we could have an interview for the job.

fill the bill符合要求的，对得起付的支票 :P
- I think that the new equipment should fill the bill for us.

find fault with找岔，批评
- He is always finding fault with everything that I do.

find out发现
- She is angry at me because she found out that I quit the night class.

(go over with a) fine-toothed comb细齿梳，无一遗漏地
-We went over the apartment with a fine-toothed comb but couldn`t find her watch.

finger in the pie染指
- He has his finger in the pie of all the small companies in the area.

first come, first served先来先服务
- "First come, first served" she called as she put the food on the table.

firsthand第一手的
- I learned the news from him firsthand.

first-run 首映
- There are a lot of first-run movies that I haven`t had time to see yet.

fish for摸索寻找，暗示要。fish作动词除了“捕鱼”，还可作“试探、摸索”解
- She is always fishing for complements when I see her at work.

fish out of water离开水的鱼，无所适从
- He was like a fish out of water at the expensive restaurant.

(be) fishy可疑的
- Something is fishy with his excuse. Why did he take the day before the holiday off work?

fit as a fiddle象小提琴一样健康（什么比喻啊？。。。）
- Her grandfather is 92 years old but he is as fit as a fiddle.

fit like a glove象戴手套一样合身，刚刚好
- The new pair of jeans that he bought fit like a glove.

fit to be tied非常恼火，就要发作了（fit作名词有“痉挛、发作”的意思
- He was fit to be tied when he heard that I was going to take a month off work in the summer.

fix someone up with someone撮合某人和某人
- I tried to fix my sister up with a date with my friend but she refused me.

fizzle out虎头蛇尾般结束或失败
- The party began to fizzle out about midnight when many people went home.

flare up(鞭炮一样）被点燃，突然爆发
- The fighting flared up again after the United Nations soldiers left the town.

flash in the pan平底锅里的火苗，昙花一现（原来昙花一现英语是这样说的呀~）
- His sports career was a flash in the pan. Recently I haven`t heard of him at all.

flat broke我们已经知道broke是“破产的”了，不难想象，flat broke, 就是“彻底的身无分文”
- I have been flat broke since I stopped working last month.

flat-out坦白的，毫无隐藏的
- I told her flat-out that I would not go with her to the party.

flea in one`s ear耳朵里的跳蚤，恼人的消息
- I put a flea in his ear regarding the proposal deadline that he had missed.

flea market跳蚤市场。泊来语啊
- We went to a flea market last Saturday to try and buy some dishes.

flesh and blood血肉相连的，至亲
- She is my own flesh and blood so of course I felt terrible when she got into trouble.

flip one`s lid（得到好消息或坏消息）使某人眼皮直跳。左眼跳喜右眼跳悲哈
- He really flipped his lid when I told him about the huge telephone bill.

flip out暴跳如雷，气疯了
- She flipped out when she heard that I had sold her car.

fly by the seat of one`s pants在没有引导之下飞行，摸着石头过河
- I had to fly by the seat of my pants when the supervisor left me alone for a week.

flying high高兴得飞上天了。记得是ing哦
- She has been flying high since she heard that she had won a new car.

fly in the ointment 油膏里面的苍蝇，美中不足
- The problem with the music was a fly in the ointment at the party.

fly off the handle（斧头）从把手上飞出，失控了，火大了
- He really flew off the handle when he saw the bill for the meal.

fly-by-night黑夜里飞行，不可靠的，不可信任的（这条俚语产生的时候导航系统一定还没有被发明 :P）
- That new company is a real fly-by-night operation.

foam at the mouth口吐白沫（也是指气疯了）
- He was foaming at the mouth when I told him that I had had an accident with his car.

follow in one`s footsteps (tracks)跟随某人的脚步，以某人为榜样
- He is following in his father`s footsteps and has decided to work for a bank.

follow suit跟风，在英语里说成“跟衣服”
- He followed suit and began to leave work early on Friday just as his boss was doing.

follow through坚持到底，贯彻到底
- He said that he would help me paint my house but he has never followed through with his offer.

follow up以进一步的行动来贯彻
- He followed up his phone call in the morning with a visit in the afternoon.

foot in the door初步入门，迈出了第一步
- I finally got a foot in the door when they accepted my application.

food for thought1、精神食粮；2、值得思考的事
- I don`t really agree with his proposal but at least it is food for thought.

fool around游荡，消磨时间。不是“到处骗人”哦~
- If he would spend less time fooling around he would be able to get some work done.

foot the bill负担费用（原来foot还有“支付”的意思）
- The company will foot the bill for his move to Chicago.

for all“尽管”，固定词组，="in spite of"
- For all the time that he spends studying his marks are still very low.

for all one is worth尽其所能
- I will try for all I am worth to help you get the job at the supermarket.

for all the world无论如何，="for any price"
- For all the world I do not know what he is trying to tell me with the notes that he writes.

for a song非常便宜地，一首歌的价钱
- He was able to buy his new car for a song.

for better or worse不论好坏
- For better or worse he has decided to quit his job and go to live in Brazil.

force one`s hand给某人的手施压，迫使某人做出行动
- I forced his hand and he told me what he planned to do about the new contract for our company.

for certain ="certainly"
- It is for certain that he will not be playing in the game tonight.

for crying out loud ="for God‘s sake", 至于为什么这样说，我也不知道。。。
- For crying out loud please turn your radio down a little.

for dear life拼尽全力地，“为了宝贵的生命”
- The mountain climber held on to the rock for dear life as he waited for someone to rescue him.

forever and a day ="forever", 后面的day是为了加强语气，类似还有“forever and age”、“forever and aye”。。。
- It took forever and a day to get the book that we ordered from the bookstore.

for good / for good and all永久地,一劳永逸地。跟for one‘s good是两码事
- He has decided to move to Los Angeles for good.

for keeps也是“永远”的意思
- He told the boy that he could have the baseball bat for keeps.

fork out支付，这个跟叉子(fork)有什么关系就不可考了
- I had to fork out a lot of money to fix my car.

fork over(不情愿地)交出
- The robber told me to fork over my money or he was going to shoot me.

for love or money不论是为了爱还是为了钱，by all means
- We were unable to get him to agree to the proposal for love or money.

for once曾经有一次，只此一次
- For once he listened to what I said. Usually he ignores me.

for sure ="surely"
- I will go to the movie with you for sure next week.

for that matter就此而言, 以次类推
- I don`t want to go shopping with you and for that matter I don`t want to go anywhere with you.

for the asking（报章、礼品等）待索
- You can get a free ticket to the concert for the asking from the front office.

for the birds为小鸟而设的，荒唐可笑的，沉闷无聊的
- Doing the cleaning all day is really for the birds.

for the time being目前，暂时
- We really need a new car but for the time being we`ll have to continue using the old one.

for the world ="for all the world"
- I would not want to sell my car for the world.

foul up搞砸了
- There was a problem with our tickets so our plans were all fouled up.

frame of mind (good or bad)心境
- He made sure his boss was in a good frame of mind before he asked him for the time off.

freak out气坏了，吓坏了，高兴坏了，都是这个词 :P
- I freaked out when I discovered that my reservations had not been made.

free and easy随便的, 不拘小节的
- He has a free and easy attitude about his work.

（have a) free hand全权的, 无约束的
- We had a free hand in designing the new sport`s program for the university.

freeload吃白食, 不劳而获。freeloader，不速之客, 揩油的人
- He was angry at his brother because he was always freeloading and never worried about finding a job.

freeze out杯葛，排挤，冻结在外
- They froze him out of the profits that they made on the sale of land.

from hand to hand转手，传递
- The plate of food went from hand to hand until finally it was all finished.

from A to Z彻底地, 从头到尾
- He knows about cars from A to Z.

from the bottom of one`s heart打心底里
- I thanked him from the bottom of my heart for helping my daughter when she was sick.

from the heart衷心地
- He gave her some flowers with a message straight from his heart.

from now on从现在起
- From now on I will study Italian every day.

from scratch从一开始。scratch除了“抓伤”之外，还有“打草稿”的意思
- He decided to build the house from scratch.

from time to time偶尔。不是“一次又一次”
- We go to that restaurant from time to time.

from way back回溯到很久以前。不是“从回来的路上”
- I know him from way back. In fact we went to elementary school together.

full-fledged羽毛生齐的，有充分资格的
- She became a full-fledged nurse before she went to Saudi Arabia to work for a year.

full of beans装满了豆子的，精神旺盛的
- She seems to be full of beans today. She must be excited about something.

fun and games欢乐时光（下面这个例句加了个all, 注意那是在说反话呢）
- It was all fun and games today when I wrote my two final exams.

funny bone（手肘上的）麻筋。不是“骨头”
- I hit my funny bone and it still hurts a little.