Idiom List – II

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII
image about idiom footloose and fancy-free

點擊標題,閱讀成語的詳細說明

footloose and fancy-free 自由自在

Ever since he retired, he’s been living footloose and fancy-free, traveling wherever he wants.
自從退休後,他的生活逍遙自在,想到哪裡就到哪裡旅行。


forty winks 小睡打盹

I’m just gonna grab forty winks before we head out tonight.
我等一下要小睡一下,晚上出門前補個眠。


on the grapevine 道聽塗說

I heard on the grapevine that Sam might be leaving the company soon.
我有聽說 Sam 可能很快就要離開公司了。


at the drop of a hat 立刻馬上

If you need any help, just call me and I’ll be there at the drop of a hat.
如果你需要幫忙,隨時打給我,我馬上就到。


to break the ice 化解尷尬

He told a funny story to break the ice and get everyone laughing.
他講了一個有趣的故事來暖場,讓大家笑了起來。


to keep / hold at bay 遏制

I’ve been drinking orange juice every morning to keep colds at bay.
我每天早上都會喝柳橙汁,希望能預防感冒。


to kick the bucket 一命嗚呼

I can’t believe Mr. Jenkins finally kicked the bucket after all these years.
真不敢相信詹金斯先生這麼多年後終於去世了。


in the limelight 眾所矚目

After winning the award, she was really in the limelight for a while.
得獎之後,她確實風光了一陣子。


to make both ends meet 勉強餬口

Since losing his job, he’s been working two part-time gigs just to make ends meet.
自從失業後,他一直打兩份兼職,勉強維持生計。


over the moon 欣喜若狂

She was over the moon when she found out she got the job.
她知道自己錄取那份工作時,開心得不得了。


to face the music 承擔後果

After skipping all those classes, he finally had to face the music.
他翹了那麼多課,最後終究得面對後果。


no man’s land 三不管地帶

After the meeting, everyone just left the issue in a no man’s land.
會議結束後,大家都把這個問題擱在一旁,沒有人再去關心。


in a pickle 陷入困境

I’m really in a pickle—I left my keys inside and locked myself out.
我真的糟糕了——我把鑰匙忘在屋裡,結果把自己反鎖在外面。


to rain cats and dogs 大雨滂沱

We had to cancel our picnic because it started to rain cats and dogs.
我們原本要去野餐,但因為突然下起大雨,只好取消了。


the rank and file 基層人員

The boss needs to listen to the rank and file if she wants real feedback.
老闆如果想要得到真正的回饋,就必須傾聽基層員工的聲音。


a red-letter day 特別日子

Graduation was a real red-letter day for me—I’ll never forget how proud I felt.
畢業那天對我來說真的是個難忘的日子,我永遠忘不了當時那份驕傲的心情。


red tape 官僚作風

It took forever to get my permit because of all the red tape at city hall.
因為市政府一堆繁瑣的手續,我的許可證辦了超久才拿到。


to ring a bell 喚起模糊記憶

That name rings a bell, but I can’t remember exactly where I’ve heard it before.
那個名字聽起來很熟耶,但我一時想不起來是在哪裡聽過的。


to ring true 聽起來可信

Her explanation just didn’t ring true to me—it felt like she was hiding something.
她的解釋讓我覺得怪怪的,好像有什麼事情瞞著我。


a rolling stone 漂泊不定

Ever since college, Jake’s been a rolling stone, never settling down anywhere for long.
自從大學畢業後,Jake 就一直四處漂泊,從來沒有在哪裡久留過。


to root for 支持、打氣

I’ll be there to root for you at your basketball game this weekend!
這週末你的籃球比賽我會到現場幫你加油!


to know the ropes 工作進入狀況

It took me a couple weeks to know the ropes, but now I feel comfortable here.
我花了幾個星期才上手,不過現在我已經很適應這裡了。


a rule of thumb 經驗法則

A good rule of thumb is to back up your files at least once a week.
建議每週至少備份一次檔案,這是個不錯的做法。


to start from scratch 從零開始

After moving to a new city, I had to start from scratch and make new friends.
搬到新城市後,我必須從頭開始,重新認識新朋友。


in a shambles 亂成一團

After the party, the whole house was in a shambles and took hours to clean.
派對結束後,整個家一團亂,花了好幾個小時才整理好。


a sitting duck 任人宰割的對象

With all those security flaws, that old computer is really a sitting duck for hackers.
那台老電腦有那麼多安全漏洞,對駭客來說簡直是任人宰割的目標。


a smoking gun 鐵證

That email is the smoking gun—they can’t deny what happened now.
那封電子郵件就是鐵證,他們現在已經無法否認發生過的事了。


back to square one 退回原點

After all that work, the plan failed and we’re back to square one.
忙了那麼久,結果計劃還是失敗了,我們又得從頭開始。


a stiff upper lip 克制情緒、硬撐

Even though she was upset, she kept a stiff upper lip at the meeting.
雖然她心情不好,但在會議上還是強忍著情緒,表現得若無其事。


on tenterhooks 緊張、坐立難安

I’ve been on tenterhooks all day waiting to hear back about that job interview.
我整天都很緊張地等著那份工作面試的回音。


thumbs up / down 贊成/反對

I gave the new pizza place a thumbs up, but my brother gave it a thumbs down.
我覺得那家新開的披薩店不錯,不過我弟覺得不好吃。


to tie the knot 結婚

After dating for five years, they finally decided to tie the knot next summer.
他們交往了五年,終於決定明年夏天結婚。


over the top 誇張、過頭

I think decorating your entire house for Valentine’s Day is a bit over the top.
我覺得為了情人節把整個家都佈置一番有點太誇張了。


two-faced 偽善

I can’t stand how two-faced she is—she acts so nice, then talks behind your back.
我真的受不了她那種雙面人格,表面上一副很友善,背後卻在說人壞話。


unkindest cut of all 最傷人的事

When my best friend lied to me, that was the unkindest cut of all.
當我最好的朋友對我說謊時,那才是真正最讓我心痛的事。