目录 1
A 1
Above the salt尊为上宾 1
According to Hoyle规规矩矩 公公正正 1
Achille s heel 唯一弱点 致命弱点 2
Add insult to injury 痛上加辱 4
The Admirable Crichton 博学之士 多才多艺 5
After one's own heart正中下怀 称心如意 6
All roads lead to Rome殊途同归 7
The Alpha and Omega 自始至终 囊括一切 8
A number one天字第一号 10
Apple of discord不和之源 纷争之祸根 10
Apple of one's eye掌上明珠 12
Apple of Sodom徒有其表 华而不实 13
Apple-pie order有条不紊 井然有序 14
Armed to the teeth全副武装 武装到牙齿 15
An ass in a lion's skin色厉内荏 羊质虎皮 16
As Cephalus to Procris意笃情深 17
Ass waggeth hi s ears不懂装懂 19
At the eleventh hour最后时刻 尚来得及 20
Auld lang syne美好的往昔 21
Aunt Sally 众矢之的 22
Ax(e)to grind别有用心另有所图 23
B 24
Babes in the woods不谙世故 24
Bacchus has drowned more men than Neptune美酒为害烈于海水 26
Backstairs influence暗中势力幕后人物 28
Baker's dozen一打零一 29
Bark up the wrong tree白费心思 30
A Barmecide feast虚幻的酒宴虚情假义 31
The beam in one's own eye眼中梁 木严重错误 32
Beat around the bush旁敲侧击转弯抹角 33
Beat the air白费力气徒劳无功 34
Before the Flood远古时代 35
Before you could say Jack Robinson说时迟那时快，转眼之间 36
Be hoist with one's own petard作法自毙作茧自缚 38
Bell,book and candle驱逐出教不可挽回 39
Bell the cat舍己为人 40
Benjamin's mess最大的份额 42
Between Scylla and Charybdis进退维谷左右为难 42
Beyond the pale超出范围离经叛道难于忍受 44
Blaze a trail做出路标开辟道路 45
Blow hot and cold朝三暮四 46
A blue stocking炫学的女人女学究 47
Bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh骨肉相联 49
Born in the purple 生于王室 出身豪门 50
Borrowed plumes 借来的衣服 摆空架子 50
Box and Cox互相交替 轮流当值 52
Brand from the burning劫后余生 53
Breach of promise毁约食言 毁弃婚约 54
Bring home the bacon得胜而归 55
Build on sand建在沙上 建于不稳的基础上 56
Bull in a china shop鲁莽之人 57
Buridan's ass 优柔寡断之人 59
Burke a question消灭于无形中 60
Burn one's boat破釜沉舟 背水一战 60
Burythe hatchet偃旗息鼓 61
By and large总的说来 大体而论 63
By hook or by crook不择手段 64
By the cut of somebody's jib 外表看来 64
By the grapevine小道消息 马路新闻 65
By the skin of one's teeth 九死一生 好不容易 67
Call a spade a spade 直言不讳 68
C 68
Can't hold a candle to 不可同日而语 70
The cask of Danaides 达那伊德斯的桶 无底洞 71
Cast pearls before swine 对牛弹琴 明珠暗投 72
Castle in the air 空中楼阁 架空的计划 74
Catch a Tarter遇到强敌 75
Caviar(e)to the general 阳春白雪 曲高和寡 76
Chastise with scorpions严酷责罚 77
Cheer to the echo大声喝彩 78
Cherish a serpent in one's bosom养虎遗患 79
Clean hands清白廉洁 80
Cleanliness is next to godliness清洁近乎圣洁 81
Cleanse the Augean stable清污除垢 82
Cfimb on the bandwagon随声附和见风使舵 83
A cock and bull story无稽之谈荒诞不经 84
Coign(e)of vantage 有利地位 85
Cold shoulder冷淡对待 86
Come to loggerheads争吵起来 87
Cook one's goose毁掉某人 自毁前程 88
Cool one's heels苦苦相候 90
Corn in Egypt格外丰饶多极了 90
Crocodile tears 鳄鱼的眼泪假慈悲 91
Cross the Rubican孤注一掷 背水一战 92
Cry wolf发假警报 虚张声势 94
Curious as Lot's wife好奇心过重 95
Cut a dido恶作剧胡打乱闹 96
Cut the Gordian knot快刀斩乱麻排难解纷 97
Cut to the quick伤到嫩肉触动感情 99
D 100
Damurand Pythias生死之交莫逆之交 100
The daughter of the horse-leech吸血鬼贪得无厌之徒 102
The die is cast木已成舟大局已定 103
Dine with Duke Humphrey 枵腹忍饥不得一饱 104
A dog in the manger 损人不利己 占着茅坑不拉屎 105
A doubting Thomas 怀疑主义者 107
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 两副面孔双重性格 107
Drunk as a lord 酩酊大醉 108
Dutch defence 虚张声势 109
E 112
Eat crow 被迫认错被迫认输 112
Eat humble pie 忍气吞声忍辱含垢 113
Eat somebody's salt 受人款待 114
Enter the lists 提出挑战接受挑战 115
Every dog has his day 风水轮流转人人都有得意时 116
Everyone for himself and the devil take the 117
hindmost 人不为己天诛地灭 117
Eye for eye 以眼还眼 119
F 120
Fabian policy（tactics） 拖延的策略 120
Face the music 接受处罚面对麻烦 121
Fall from grace 走入歧途 重堕魔道 123
The family skeleton 家家都有难唱曲 124
A feather in one's cap 值得骄傲的事物 成绩卓著 126
Fiddle while Rome burns 不关心大事 127
Fifth column 第五纵队 128
Fight like Kilkenny cats一拼到底两败俱伤 129
Fight(with)windmills 和风车开仗以幻影为敌 130
Filthy lucre肮脏钱不义之财 131
Find a clue to something找出线索 133
A flasb in the pan昙花一现 134
A fly in the oinment 一条鱼弄腥一锅汤 美中不足 136
From Dan to Beersheba遍于各处到处 137
From the housetops公开宣扬到处宣扬 137
Gall and wormwood讨厌的事物痛心之事 138
G 138
Get a drop on someone先发制人占据优势 139
Get down to brass tacks言归正传谈及要点 140
Get somebody's goat惹人恼火 141
Get the hook被解雇被开除 142
Get the sack卷铺盖 被解雇 143
Get up on the wrong side of the bed心绪不宁整天心烦意乱 143
Ghost walks发放薪饷 144
Gild the lily画蛇添足 145
Give a sop to Cerberus施以贿赂 147
Give a lick and a promise敷衍塞责 147
Give somebody the ax(e) 断绝关系 解雇某人 148
Give somebody the creeps毛骨悚然 149
Gods help those who help themselves自助者天助 150
Go by the boards 完全断送抛到九霄云外 151
Good wine needs no bush 好酒不用幌 153
Go on a11 fours 匍匐而行 154
Go the whole hog 尽力而为 154
Go to Davy Jones's Locker 葬身鱼腹 156
Go where the woodbine twineth 化为乌有消声匿迹 157
A Greek gift 危险的礼物糖衣炮弹 159
A grain of mustard seed发展迅速的事物 159
Green-eyed monster 绿眼妖魔（忌妒） 161
Grin like a Cheshire cat 咧嘴傻笑 162
H 164
Hair stand on end 毛发倒竖毛骨悚然 164
Handwriting on the wall 不祥之兆 165
Hang by a hair 千钧一发岌岌可危 166
Haul over the coals 责备电斥 167
Have kissed the Blarney stone 花言巧语 168
Heap coals of fire on one's head 以德报怨 169
Heap Ossa to Pelion 难上加难 170
Hector a person 威吓某人 171
Hide one's light under a bushel 深藏不露 172
Hobson's choice 没有选择余地 173
Hold out the olive branch 建议讲和 174
Hole and corner 偷偷摸摸鬼鬼祟祟 175
Horn of plenty 丰饶之角丰盛的象征 176
Horse of another colottr截然不同两码子事 178
I 179
If the mountain will not come to Mohammed人事两将就 179
In the arms of Morpheus睡在梦乡酣然大睡 180
In the doldrums毫无生气意气消沉 182
In the mind's eye在想象中 183
In the seventh heaven欢天喜地在极乐世界 185
It is Greek to me一窍不通 186
It's an ill wind that blows nobody good渔翁得利此失彼得 187
J 188
Joe Miller陈腐的笑话 188
John Hancock亲笔签名 189
Judas kiss犹大之吻背叛行为 190
Keep one's powder dry枕戈待旦谨防万一 191
K 191
Keep up with the Joneses赶上富邻居争比阔绰 192
A kettle of fish一塌糊涂糟糕透了 193
Kick the bucket一命呜呼 194
Kill the fatted calf热情款待 195
Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs杀鸡取卵 竭泽而渔 197
King Stork专制君主 无道暴君 198
Khock off work停止工作 199
Know a hawk from a handsaw 明辨是非 199
Knowledge is power知识就是力量 200
A labour of love 乐于做的事 不计报酬的工作 201
Labour of Si syphus徒劳无功 202
Labours of Hereules艰苦工作 203
A Laconic reply简短回答 205
The law of the Medes and the Pertians既定之法 205
Lead a charmed life吉人天相 天庇神佑 207
Leave no stone unturned千方百计 208
Let the cat out of the bag泄露秘密 209
Let the dead bury their dead把往事置之脑后既往不咎 210
Lie in one's throat信口开河厚颜无耻地扯谎 211
Like a Trojan英勇顽强 213
A lion in the way拦路虎 215
The lion's share较大的份额最大的份额 216
Loaves and fishes物质利益世俗利益 217
Look to one's laurels确保名声 218
Love me,love my dog爱屋及乌 220
M 221
Make bricks without straw做无米之炊 221
Man Friday忠实的仆从 222
A mare's nest虚幻之物无稽之谈 224
Meet one's Waterloo一败涂地遭到惨败 225
Milk and honey繁荣丰饶安居乐业 226
The milk of human kindness善良天性恻隐之心 227
Mind your P's and q's谨言慎行 229
Mistake the shadow for substance以假当真捕风捉影 230
Money makes the mare go金钱万能有钱能使鬼推磨 231
More sinned against than sinning人负己甚于己负人受罚过重 232
Much ado about nothing无事生非庸人自扰 234
Much cry and little wool雷声大雨点稀 236
N 237
Nail to thepillory钉在耻辱柱上受到羞辱 237
Neither fish nor fowl不伦不类 239
Naked truth赤裸裸的真相 239
Neither rhyme nor reason无缘无故毫无道理 240
New wine in old bottles旧瓶装新酒 242
No respecter of persons一视同仁不偏待人 243
Nothing like leather自卖自夸 244
Not to know a man from Adam素不相识 245
Not worth a brass farthing分文不值 247
Not worth a damn毫无价值 248
O 248
The observed of all ooservers 举世瞩目的中心注视的中心 248
The old man of the sea 无法摆脱的包袱纠缠休之人 250
Old as Methuselah 寿同彭祖 250
One's cup of tea 恰合口味正中下怀 252
On tenterhooks 焦虑不安 如坐针毡 253
On the Greek calends 遥遥无期 254
On the house 添头奉送免费奉送 255
On the side of the angels 坚持传统观念 256
Open Sesame 开门咒敲门砖 257
Out-herod Herod 有过之而无不及 做得过火 258
Out of humour 闷闷不乐情绪不高 260
Over a barrel 受制于人 任人摆布 261
Paddle one's own canoe 管自己的事独力谋生 262
P 262
Pandora's box 祸患之源 263
Pass the buck 推卸责任 264
Peeping Tom 探人隐私的人 266
A Philadelphia lawyer 精明的人 266
Play possum 假装 267
Play the sedulous ape 依样画葫芦 一味模仿 269
Poor as Job 家徒四壁 270
A pound of flesh 逼还的债务敲诈勒索 272
The Procrustean bed 死框框逼人就范之物 273
A prophet is not without honour,save in his own country 本地姜不辣 本村无圣哲 274
Prunes and prism 矫揉造作 装腔作势 275
Pull the chestnuts out of the fire火中取栗 277
Pull the wool over one's eycs欺骗蒙蔽 278
Pure as Psyche 纯洁无瑕 279
Put a spoke in the wheel 阻挠计划阻止发生 281
Pyrrhic victory 得不偿失 282
R 283
Rain cats and dogs 大雨滂沱 283
Raise Cain 大吵大闹 284
The real Simon Pure 货真价实并非假冒 285
Rank and file 普通百姓普通士兵 285
Return to our muttons 言归正传 286
Rich as Croesus 巨万豪富 287
Rise from the ashes 从灰烬中新生 在废墟中重建 288
Rob Peter to pay Paul拆东墙补西墙 289
A Roland for an Oliver 一报还一报 290
Run the gauntlet遭受夹道鞭笞受到严厉攻击 292
S 293
Sail under false colours 挂羊头卖狗肉 打假招牌 293
The salt of the earth社会中坚高尚的人 294
Sell Robin Hood's pennyworth廉价出售半价出售 295
Sell one's brthright for a mess of pottage见利忘义 因小失大 296
Send one to coventry断绝关系 受人排挤 298
Separate the sheep from the goat s分清良莠区别善恶 299
Shak e the dust from one'sfeet断然离去毫不惋惜地离开 300
Show the cloven hoof原形毕露 露出马脚 301
Show the white feather 显示懦弱 303
Shuffle off this mortal coil离开尘世斩断尘缘 304
Simon Legree 残暴之人 凶狠的工头 305
The Slough of Despond极度沮丧绝望的深渊 306
Socratic irony苏格拉底式的反语法 307
Some thing rotten in the state of Denmark 乌七八糟 309
A soft answer turneth away wrath婉言可以息怒 309
Sour grapes酸葡萄 310
Sow dragon's teeth 引起纠纷 311
Spare the rod教子不严 312
Sphinx's riddle斯芬克司之谜 难解之谜 313
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak心有余而力不足 314
Still small voice良心的呼声 315
Stones will cry out顽石长叹 316
Strain at a gnat and swallow a camel 见小不见大 317
Strang？bed fellows萍水相逢之人 318
The strength of Antaeus精神饱满 320
Swift as Mercury妙手神偷 321
Sword of Damocles悬剑头上 死到临头 322
T 323
Take French leave不辞而别 溜之大吉 323
Take the cake超群出众 324
Take time by the forelock不失时机 325
Talk Billingsgate污言秽语 326
Talk through one's hat胡言乱语 不着边际 327
Talk turkey谈正经事 328
Tell it to the marines信口胡诌 329
A thorn in the flesh烦恼的根源眼中钉 330
Through with one's star运交华盖好运已过 331
Throw down the gauntlet向别人挑战 332
Throw dust in one's eyes蒙蔽某人欺骗某人 334
The touch of Midas点金术 334
Touch wood但愿交好运 335
The tower of Babel空中楼阁空想的计划 336
Tower of ivory象牙之塔 338
Trojan horse特洛伊木马 339
The tune the old cow died of空言无补 340
Tweedledum and tweedledee半斤八两名异实同 341
U 343
Under the aegis of somebody受人庇护 由某人主办 343
U nder the rose秘而不宣私下地秘密地 344
V 345
The valley of the shadow of death死亡笼罩的幽谷临死的痛苦时刻 345
The Vicar of Bray见风使舵之人 346
W 347
Wal k Spani sh被迫行动被解雇 347
The wandering Jew流浪者 348
Wash one's hands of洗手不干 不承担责任 349
Wear one's heart on one's slee ve埂分坦率公开表露感情 351
Wear the willow 痛失心上人悲叹爱人之死 352
The web of Penelope缓兵之计 永远完不成的工作 353
The wheel of fortune人生的变迁命运 354
Whipping boy替罪羔羊 355
White elephant 沉重负担 356
Whited sepulchre伪善之徒 357
Wise as Solomon极富智慧象所罗门一样聪明 358
Wolf in sheep's clothing披着羊皮的狼 359
Worship the golden calf 崇拜金犊 为金钱折腰 360
Wrangle for an ass's shadow 无益的争吵 361