Chapter1 Idioms Relating to Colours 1
代前言 1
be in someone s black books 3
black market 3
blackleg(1) 4
black-hearted 4
blue in the face 5
blue 5
blackleg(2) 5
blueblood 6
get the green light 7
blue-eyed boy 7
索引 7
give someone a black look 8
green 8
green around the gills 9
green belt 9
in black and white 10
gray matter 10
in the black 11
in the red 12
in the pink 12
O 13
off colour 13
once l a blue moon 13
out of the blue 13
red herring 14
P 14
paint the town red 14
rose-coloured glasses 15
red-letter day 15
tickled pink 16
white elephant 16
see red 16
with flying colours 17
white-collar worket 17
Chapter2 Idioms Relating to Animals 21
a dark horse 23
a fly on the wall 23
a night owl 24
a whale of a time 24
back the wrong horse 25
B 25
as the crow flies 25
bull-headed 26
butterflies in the stomach 26
bird brain 26
can of worms 27
c 27
chicken feed 28
cock and bull story 28
different kettle of fish 29
D 29
cold turkey 29
donkey s years 30
dog-eat-dog 30
drink like a fish 31
dropping like flies 31
fat cat 32
flog a dead horse 32
have other fish to fry 33
hold your horses 34
if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys 35
I 35
let the cat out of the bag 36
kill two birds with one stone 36
no spring chicken 37
no room to swing a cat 37
paper tiger 38
party animal 38
pigs might fly! 39
road hog 39
straight from the horse s mouth 40
take the bull by the horns 41
strictly for the birds 41
to be the bee s knees 42
black sheep of the family 42
to make a pig of one s self 43
to put the cat among the pigeons 43
to set the cat among the pigeons 43
water off a duck s back 44
to smell a rat 44
Chapter3 Idioms Relating to Parts of the Body 47
all thumbs 49
to have your back to the wall 49
back to the wall 49
to be all fingers and thumbs 49
to be all thumbs 49
fingers and thumbs 49
catch someone s eye 50
to bite your tongue 50
dig your heels in 51
cool your heels 51
elbow-grease 52
E 52
get cold feet 52
get off on the wrong foot 53
get out of hand 53
get something off your chest 54
get the thumbs down 54
give the thumbs down 54
get the thumbs up 55
get under someone s skin 55
get your fingers burned 56
have a finger in every pie 56
have a foot in both camps 57
have your finger on the pulse 57
Y 58
jump down someone s throat 58
your heart is in your mouth 58
jump out of one s skin 60
keep your fingers crossed 61
keep your eye on the ball 61
K 61
knee deep in something 62
kick up your heels 62
kick your heels up 62
lose your head 63
put your foot down 63
pay through the nose 63
put your foot in your mouth 64
R 65
put your neck on the line 65
rack your brains 65
set your heart on something 66
see eye to eye 66
S 66
heart in your boots 67
someone s heart is in their boots 67
sit on your hands 67
someone s heart is in the right place 68
to thumb your nose at something 68
heart is in the right place 68
turn a blind eye to something 69
to be under someone s thumb 69
wet behind the ears 70
Chapter4 Idioms Relating to Money and Business 73
a big shot 75
a cash cow 75
a golden handshake 76
a fat cat 76
a license to print money 77
a high flier 77
a nest egg 78
a money spinner 78
be on the make 79
be ahead of the pack 79
break the bank 80
break even 80
corner the market 81
cost an arm and a leg 81
drive a hard bargain 82
do a roaring trade 82
do a roaring business 82
got it made 83
have it made 83
grease someone s palm 84
hang the expense 84
H 84
cold cash 85
hard cash 85
hard nosed 86
be caught with your fingers in the till 87
have your fingers in the till 87
have money to burn 87
be caught with your hand in the till 87
hit the big time 88
L 89
laughing all the way to the bank 89
hush money 89
live from hand to mouth 90
living in the fast lane 90
money to burn 91
M 91
make a killing 91
make or break 91
penny pincher 93
out of pocket 93
put your money where your mouth is 94
spend money like water 95
soft touch 95
tighten your belt 96
strike it rich 96
to be rolling in it 97
to be sitting on a goldmine 97
Chapter5 Idioms Relating to Health and Sickness 99
at death s door 101
as fit as a fiddle 101
be as sick as a dog 102
be as right as rain 102
be as white as a sheet 103
be below par 103
bright eyed and bushy tailed 104
be up and about 104
bundle of nerves 105
bring the roses to someone s Checks 105
put the roses in someone s cheeks 105
catch a bug 106
chilled to the marrow 106
chilled to the bone 106
clean bill of health 107
downhill 107
fair to middling 108
feel under the weather 109
fighting fit 109
full of beans 110
green around the gills 110
kick the bucket 111
get the runs 111
have the runs 111
living on borrowed time 112
like death warmed up 112
one foot in the grave 113
pins and needles 113
recharge your batteries 114
skin and bones 115
strong as an ox 115
the morning after 116
to catch your death of cold 117
to feel light headed 117
tough as old boots 118
Chapter6 Idioms Relating to Happiness and Sadness 119
cloud nine 121
be on cloud nine 121
seventh heaven 121
be in seventh heaven 121
feel like a million dollars 122
floating on air 122
happy as Larry 123
happy as a pig in mud 123
jump for joy 124
looking like the cat that ate the canary 124
looking like the cat that swallowed the canary 124
on top of the world 125
make my day 125
over the moon 126
pleased as Punch 126
over the rainbow 126
to be thrilled to bits 127
to be tickled pink 127
thrilled to bits 127
to be down in the dumps 128
down in the dumps 128
W 128
walking on air 128
be out of sorts 129
be down in the mouth 129
down in the mouth 129
have a face as long as a wet week 130
face as long as a wet week 130
F 130
feel blue 131
feel down 131
get a fit of the blues 132
get the miseries 132
have the miseries 132
G 132
have a fit of the blues 132
to have a long face 133
in the doldrums 133
long face 133
misery guts 134
look like you ve lost your best friend 134
to be a bag of misery 135
to be a sad sack 135
Chapter7 Idioms Relating to Natural Ability and Limitations 137
a mine of information 139
a bright spark 139
be all thumbs 140
in the know 140
be in the know 140
be the power behind the throne 141
bright as a button 141
have a green thumb 142
have green fingers 142
know your onions 142
to be a natural born something 143
to be a whiz at something 143
to be the brains behind something 144
to have the/a knack for something 144
to have an eye for something 145
to have a nose for something 145
to have the golden touch 146
to know what s what 146
whiz kid 147
be an old hand at something 147
get your feet wet 148
dip your toe into the water 148
know something like the back of your hand 149
have been around 149
know the ropes 150
wasn t born yesterday 150
be a babe in the woods 152
be green 153
bite off more than one can chew 153
be in over one s head 154
be stretched to the limit 154
be wet behind the ears 155
burn the candle at both ends 155
have one s hands tied 156
go off the boil 156
lose your touch 157
have two left feet 157
N 158
run around in circles 158
nine-day wonder 158
weak link 159
wouldn t know something if you fell over it/one 159
Chapter8 Idioms Relating to Anger and Annoyance 161
be a pain in the neck 163
a face like thunder 163
be on the warpath 164
blow a fuse 164
blow your stack 165
drive someone around the bend 165
fed up to here 166
fed up to the back teeth 166
fit to be tied 167
fly of the handle 167
get someone s back up 168
get out of bed on the wrong side 168
give someone an earful 169
give someone a piece of your mind 169
have had it up to here 170
go spare 170
throw a fit 171
have a fit 171
hit the ceiling 171
hit the roof 172
blow off steam 172
let off steam 172
let rip 173
make a scene 174
like a bear with a sore head 174
put someone s back up 175
make someone s blood boil 175
rub someone up the wrong way 176
read the riot act 176
ruffle someone s feathers 177
to be hot under the collar 177
to spit blood 178
to spit chips 178
Chapter9 Idioms Relating to Honesty and Dishonesty 181
bare one s heart 183
bare one s soul 183
be up front 183
get something off one s chest 184
give someone a fair chance 184
give someone a fair go 184
have a heart-to -heart 185
lay one s cards on the table 185
put one s cards on the table 185
speak one s mind 186
look someone in the eye 186
tell it like it is 187
to be honest as the day is long 187
INDEX 索引 188
A 188
a bad egg 188
a fast talker 189
a cock and bull story 189
a snake in the grass 190
a pack of lies 190
be up to no good 191
do something under false pretences 191
give a low blow 192
funny business 192
play dirty 193
lie through your teeth 193
pull the wool over someone s eyes 194
pull a fast one 194
slippery as an eel 195
smell fishy 195
take someone for a ride 196
T 196
stab someone in the back 196
talk out of both sides of one s mouth 197
talk behind someone s back 197
to be two faced 198
Chapter10 Idioms Relating to Cooperation and Compromise 201
J 203
join forces 203
get together on something 203
link up with someone 204
pitch in 204
put your heads together 205
pool one s resources 205
softly, softly approach 206
team up with someone 207
a fly in the ointment 208
go it alone 209
be a loner 209
go our separate ways 210
put a wrench in the works 211
put a spanner in the works 211
put a spoke in someone s wheel 211
strike off on one s own 212
find the middle ground 213
meet someone halfway 214
give and take 214
find a happy medium 215
middle of the road 215
a happy medium 215
strike a happy medium 215
be all or nothing 216
stick to one s guns 217
not give an inch 217