moon away 虛度時(shí)光
Dont't moon away the Mid-autumn Festival.找點(diǎn)事兒做吧，不要虛度了中秋佳節哦。
over the moon 欣喜若狂
She is over the moon about the two holidays.連著(zhù)兩個(gè)節假日，她高興極了。（呵呵，的確讓人感到over the moon呢。）
aim/level at the moon 想入非非, 野心太大
腳踏實(shí)地，Don's aim at the moon哦~
as changeable as the moon 象月亮一樣善變，反復無(wú)常
Exactly！用月亮來(lái)比喻善變還真是貼切呢。
What can I do with her? She is as changeable as the moon.她反復無(wú)常，我真拿她沒(méi)辦法。
bark/bay at the moon/bay the moon 空嚷嚷，徒勞，枉費心機
狗有時(shí)會(huì )對著(zhù)月亮吠叫，借以嚇唬月亮，可是無(wú)論它再怎么兇猛咆哮都只是白費力氣而已。后來(lái)人們就用bay the moon或bark at the moon來(lái)比喻“空嚷，徒勞，無(wú)事空擾”。
boast above/beyond the moon 捧上天, 海闊天空地吹牛
對著(zhù)月亮叫（bark at the moon）都是枉費心機了，boast above the moon更是吹大牛了。
cast beyond the moon 癡心妄想; 胡亂猜測, 想入非非
cover oneself with the moon 露宿(指流浪漢與失業(yè)者)
這句英語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)與中文中的“以天為被，以地為席”有異曲同工之妙呢，都是指“露宿”。
cry/ask/wish for the moon 想做辦不到的事情, 想要得不到的東西
不要向你的男朋友ask for the moon了，有些幼稚了啊。
dark of the moon 月黑時(shí)
full of the moon 月圓; 滿(mǎn)月時(shí)
(make) believe/think that the moon is made of green cheese
(要人)相信最荒唐的事; 愚蠢到極點(diǎn), 愚弄人
old moon in new moon's arms 新月抱殘月（指上弦月出現時(shí)，另外半邊受地球的反光，隱隱顯出圓月的輪廓）
once in a blue moon 極少; 千載難逢
“blue moon”本意指“一個(gè)月中的第二次滿(mǎn)月”,據推算,這種天文現象至少要相隔32個(gè)月才會(huì )出現一次,也算很罕見(jiàn)了。因而日常生活中,人們常用“once in a blue moon”來(lái)形容機會(huì )難得,千載難逢。
pay/offer the moon 支付一大筆款項
月亮本是可望而不可得的，竟想要買(mǎi)下來(lái)，那豈不是要“天價(jià)”！
praise above/beyond the moon 過(guò)分頌揚; 捧天上
promise sb. the moon 對某人作無(wú)法兌現的許諾
shoot the moon (為避債)乘黑夜搬家
the man in the moon 月中人(指月面的黑斑); 假想的人
The moon does not heed the barking of dogs. (=Does the moon care for the barking of a dog?)
“月亮不理狗的狂吠”; 對無(wú)稽責難置之不理。
這句與上面的“bark at the moon徒勞，枉費心機”對應。
The moon is a moon still, whether it shines or not.
不管顯露不顯露, 月亮總是月亮。
The moon is not seen where the sun shines.
太陽(yáng)一出,月亮失色;小巫見(jiàn)大巫。
表示能力與智慧的短語(yǔ)
海量 have a hollow leg
Want to drink him under the table? Well…you can never do. He got a hollow leg, you know.
你想灌醉他？他可是海量，從來(lái)沒(méi)有醉過(guò)。
略勝一籌 be a notch above
In oil painting, Mr Zhang paints better than Mr.Li. But when it comes to water colors, Mr.Liu appears to be a notch above Mr Zhang.
論油畫(huà)，張先生比劉先生畫(huà)得好。但是，談到水彩畫(huà)，劉先生可就比張先生略勝一籌了。
有頭腦 be a brain
He's a brain, who wouldn't be fooled into believing your babbling.
他可是個(gè)有頭腦的人，決不會(huì )相信你的那一套。
很能干 to have a lot on the ball
I know Li Ming has a lot on the ball. But I'm not sure if he likes to work here.
我知道李明很能干，但我懷疑他是否真的愿意到我們這兒來(lái)工作。
有名無(wú)實(shí) a poor apology
The man you've just mentioned is but a poor apology for a writer. His writings are tedious.
你剛才提到的那個(gè)作家不過(guò)是個(gè)有名無(wú)實(shí)的人。他的作品太沒(méi)意思了。
絞盡腦汁 to rack one's brain
He had racked his brain, but hadn't been able to work out the answer to the problem.
他已經(jīng)絞盡腦汁了，可是仍未找到問(wèn)題的答案。
沒(méi)骨氣 have no guts
I'm surprised to learn that she had married the man who had once done her father in. She really has no guts.
真沒(méi)想到她那么沒(méi)骨氣，竟然嫁給了坑害過(guò)她父親的人。
真了不起 really something
He overwhelmed so many of his opponents alone. He's really something.
他真了不起，竟然一個(gè)人對付了那么多的對手。
曇花一現 a flash in the pan
That singer was only a flash in the pan. He disappeared into the air after having made one or two records.
那個(gè)歌星也只是曇花一現，出了幾張唱片就銷(xiāo)聲匿跡了。
寡不敵眾 be outnumbered
The girl was brave enough, but as being outnumbered, she was finally knocked into the middle of next week by the gang.
她很勇敢，但終因寡不敵眾，被那幫人打暈過(guò)去。
單槍匹馬 play a lone hand
When investing in a business, he always likes to play a lone hand.
在投資時(shí)，他總喜歡單槍匹馬的去干。
出師不利 get off one the wrong foot
His idea was good, but he got off on the wrong foot when he started doing it.
他的主意不錯，可一開(kāi)始就出師不利。
口才 the gift of gab
Seldom have I met a girl who's had such a gift of gab like Lee Lee's.
我幾乎沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)像莉莉這樣有口才的女孩子。
還嫩點(diǎn)兒 still wet behind the ears
Attempt to do me in? You are still wet behind the ears.
想陷害我？你還嫩點(diǎn)兒！
糊涂蟲(chóng) a nitwit
You're a real nitwit. Why should you badmouth his girlfriend in his face?
你真是個(gè)糊涂蟲(chóng)，怎么能當他的面講他女朋友的壞話(huà)那？
飯量小 eat like a bird
She eats like a bird. A small piece of bread will be enough for her.
她的飯量特別小，吃一小塊面包就夠了。
痛失良機 Let something slip through one's fingers.
You can't be more stupid! How could you let such a golden opportunity to make big money slip through your fingers? It was an opportunity that comes once in a blue moon.
你真蠢！這樣一個(gè)發(fā)大財的機會(huì )千載難逢，你怎能眼睜睜的讓他跑掉那？
抓住機會(huì ) jump at the chance
You should have jump at such a good chance.
這樣的好機會(huì )，你應該抓住。
嘴硬 never say uncle
That boy never says uncle. He wouldn't admit he's wrong for the life of him.
那個(gè)孩子的嘴特別硬，打死他都不肯認錯。
有門(mén)道 have the means of
Mr Zhang has always had the means of making money.
在掙錢(qián)方面，張先生可有門(mén)道了。
語(yǔ)言系統紊亂癥——這是神馬癥狀？話(huà)說(shuō)這種在全國高校大規模蔓延的綜合癥中，以TOEFL以及GRE綜合癥最為普遍。下面咱來(lái)看看具體病例：
病例分析：正常人與患者要求將一句中文翻譯成英語(yǔ)。
你是豬。
正常：You are a pig.
TOEFL癥：You are certainly no more than a pig.
（你也不比豬好多少。）
GRE癥前期：It would not be unjustifiable to claim that you resemble a pig not only superficially but also intrinsically.
（聲稱(chēng)你不論表面還是內在都與豬有相似之處，這絕非空穴來(lái)風(fēng)。）
GRE癥后期：You are porcine/swinish/hoggish.
（豕者，乃之類(lèi)也。）
你腦子是不是壞了？
正常：Are you crazy or what?
TOEFL癥：It’s a question whether or not you are crazy.
（腦殘還是不腦殘，這是個(gè)問(wèn)題。）
GRE癥前期：Query whether or not the brain of you is still performing its function as normally as one would expect it to be.
（我現質(zhì)疑你的大腦是否如預期般處于正常運行中。）
GRE癥后期：Are you asinine/obtuse/vacuous/fatuous/lunatic/frantic/frenetic/paranoid?
（汝失心矣?。?/p>
我愛(ài)你
正常：I love you
TOEFL癥患者：I can’t stop loving you.
（我無(wú)法停止愛(ài)你。）
GRE癥前期：I would wager that no one all over the world could honestly claim that they feel a stronger affinity towards you than I do.
（我打賭，這世上無(wú)人敢用真心保證，他對你的眷戀會(huì )比我對你更深刻。）
GRE癥后期：I woo/dote/adore/coddle/cosset/spoil you.
（私心慕之）
你扯淡!
正常：Bullshit!
TOEFL癥患者：You are talking absolute nonsense.
你說(shuō)的完全沒(méi)有意義。）
GRE癥前期：What you are talking about rests on myriadsof unsubstantiated assumptions, which render it ridiculous as it stands.
（你的言論純粹是建立在一堆抽象而荒謬的臆想之上。）
GRE癥后期：You prate/waffle/babble/prattle/piffle!
（甚矣 汝之不惠?。?/p>
分析總評：TOEFL患者的典型癥狀是一句簡(jiǎn)單的話(huà)一定要繞個(gè)彎表達；GRE前期患者的典型癥狀是句子結構復雜化，語(yǔ)言風(fēng)格華麗化，有政客演講的風(fēng)格；GRE后期患者的典型癥狀是回歸古典，語(yǔ)句精煉，用詞晦澀，高深莫測。
Goose bumps
每當我們覺(jué)得身上發(fā)冷或者發(fā)麻的時(shí)候，皮膚上就會(huì )起一層雞皮疙瘩。英語(yǔ)里雞皮疙瘩叫： goose bumps。Goose就是鵝，bumps就是疙瘩。至于為什么中國人說(shuō)雞皮疙瘩，而美國人卻說(shuō)鵝皮疙瘩就不得而知了。
例句：
I know that most snakes are harmless, but I can't help it--every time I see a snake, even in a zoo, I get goose bumps all over！
我知道大多數的蛇是不咬人的，但是每當我看到蛇，我全身就會(huì )起雞皮疙瘩，哪怕是在動(dòng)物園里看到蛇也是如此，真是沒(méi)辦法。
當某些事物使我們突然感到熱情洋溢，或產(chǎn)生敬仰心情的時(shí)候，我們也會(huì )起雞皮疙瘩。下面說(shuō)話(huà)的人在告訴他的朋友他是多么喜歡女歌星 Madonna。Madonna不但令許多美國人陶醉，她還演過(guò)幾部電影。但是，她的歌喉和演技并不是吸引廣大觀(guān)眾的主要因素，她之所以在一些美國人心目中特別紅主要還靠她的姿色和大膽賣(mài)弄風(fēng)情的表演。
Do you know, I have seen every movie with Madonna in it at least five times. Just seeing her picture in a magazine gives me goose bumps--she's such a beautiful woman！
你知道，Madonna演的電影每部我都至少看五遍。即便在雜志里看到她的照片都會(huì )讓我起雞皮疙瘩。她真是太漂亮了。
sitting duck
Duck就是鴨子。我們不容易打到一只正在飛的鴨子，不過(guò)一只浮在水面上的鴨子卻是一個(gè)很容易擊中的目標。Sitting duck 從字面上解釋就是：一只坐著(zhù)的鴨子。當然，sitting duck 是一個(gè)俗語(yǔ)，它的意思是：很容易上當受害的人。
例句：
Sure. My friend Joe is a sitting duck for any phony offer that promises to make him rich in a hurry. Anytime a fast-talking salesman comes along with a promise to make Joe a millionaire overnight, Joe will hand over his money. And, of course, he'll never see it again.
我的朋友喬伊對任何說(shuō)是能讓他很快發(fā)財的騙局都相信。只要那些滔滔不絕的推銷(xiāo)員向他保證他們能夠一夜間使他成為百萬(wàn)富翁，不管是誰(shuí)，他都會(huì )把錢(qián)交給他們。當然，這些錢(qián)他是再也見(jiàn)不到了。
大家一定都很熟悉二次世界大戰時(shí)發(fā)生的珍珠港事件。那是在1941年十二月七號凌晨，日本人在沒(méi)有宣戰的情況下突然偷襲珍珠港，美國太平洋艦隊遭到毀滅性的打擊。第二天，美國向日本宣戰，從而爆發(fā)了太平洋戰爭。下面這個(gè)例句就是在講珍珠港事件：
It was early on a Sunday morning and the Americans had no warning. So the battleships and destroyers were sitting ducks when the Japanese bombers swept in from the sea.
那是一個(gè)星期天的清晨，美國人根本沒(méi)有得到警告。所以當日本轟炸機從海上飛來(lái)的時(shí)候，那些戰艦和驅逐艦只能束手待斃。
chicken feed
雞是一種很小的家禽，它的胃當然也很小，吃不了太多東西。Feed 在這兒的意思就是喂雞的飼料。Chicken feed 作為俗語(yǔ)，它的意思就是：很小數量的錢(qián)，少得像喂雞的飼料一樣。
例句：
I turned down the job at the hamburger restaurant. They only pay chicken feed--not even enough money to pay my rent.
我沒(méi)有接受那個(gè)漢堡包店的工作。他們付的工資實(shí)在太少，還不夠我付房租呢。
美國社會(huì )發(fā)展變化得非?？?。有的人說(shuō)現在比過(guò)去強，但是也有不少人存在今非昔比的想法。正因為如此，有的人經(jīng)常在談話(huà)時(shí)流露出懷舊的心情。下面這個(gè)例句就是一個(gè)人在把現在的物價(jià)和五十年以前的物價(jià)做對比。
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.
我祖父說(shuō)，五十年前，一年五千美元的工資意味著(zhù)你可以生活的非常舒服?？墒?，現在五千美元年薪真是微不足道，難以維持生活。
turkey farm
Turkey 是火雞，farm就是農場(chǎng)。但是，turkey farm合在一起作為俗語(yǔ)卻和農場(chǎng)毫無(wú)關(guān)系。那么，什么是turkey farm 呢？在每個(gè)政府機構或者私營(yíng)公司里總會(huì )有一些工作能力低或者是不愿勤懇工作的人；但是，由于種種原因，領(lǐng)導又沒(méi)有辦法解雇這些人。為了使工作不受影響，這些機構的領(lǐng)導往往把這些人調到一個(gè)地方，就像打入冷宮一樣。實(shí)際上也就是把他們養在那里，而這種地方就叫作 turkey farm。
例句：
The man is so incompetent we'd like to fire him. But he has good political connections so we sent him to our turkey farm out in Denver where he can't cause much damage.
那個(gè)人實(shí)在無(wú)能，我們很想解雇他。但是他和一些政界人物關(guān)系很好，所以我們就把他送到丹佛那個(gè)機構里去，那樣他就不能再起多大破壞作用了。
從這句話(huà)里我們可以看出，在美國靠關(guān)系來(lái)辦事也不是罕見(jiàn)的事。但是，和有些國家不同的是，美國的法律很?chē)栏?，加上各機構都具有很大的獨立性，因此這種靠關(guān)系來(lái)為私利服務(wù)的事也只能在一定程度上可行，超越了規章制度和法律所允許的范圍那就危險了。一旦被揭露，當事人就有被控告和判罪的可能。我們從每天報紙上就經(jīng)常能看到這種事。
例句：
There is a secretary in my office who tries to do as little as possible. I have warned her several times. If she continues to behave that way, one day I am going to send her to the turkey farm.
我辦公室里的一個(gè)秘書(shū)總是設法干得越少越好。我已經(jīng)警告她好幾回了。要是她繼續這樣下去的話(huà)，總有一天我要把她送到那個(gè)全是廢物的部門(mén)去。
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