1.Clear the air 消除誤會

 

　　To settle a dispute and restore good relations

 

　　Example: We had a meeting with the workers, and I think we’ve cleared the air now。

 

　　2.Be in the air 將要發生的事情

 

　　The feeling or idea that something new is about to happen or is going to change。

 

　　Example: From the arguments going on at the meeting, it seems that a change in policy is in the air。

 

　　3.A bad egg 缺乏道德的人

 

　　Somebody who has no moral principles and should be avoided

 

　　Example: You mustn’t lend Tim money, he’s a bad egg. You’ll never see him or your money again!

 

　　4.Cost an arm and a leg 極其昂貴

 

　　To be very expensive

 

　　Example: I love that fur coat. However, I don’t think I’m going to buy it because it costs an arm and a leg。

 

　　5.In the balance 未知的，不可預測的

 

　　Said when the outcome of a situation is unknown or unpredictable

 

　　Example: His career as a pilot is in the balance, as his eyesight does not seem good enough。

 

　　6.In the Bag 穩操勝券

 

　　Said of an achievement which is secure

 

　　Example: We have the deal in the bag. The client came in this morning to sign the agreement。

 

　　7.Drive a hard bargain 極力討價還價

 

　　To have the negotiating strength and skills to get the most advantageous price and conditions

 

　　Example: Amanda is negotiating the best price from the suppliers. She drives a hard bargain。

 

　　8.Ring a bell 看上去或聽起來非常熟悉

 

　　To look, sound or seem familiar

 

　　Example: That face rings a bell, where have I seen him before?

 

　　9.Tighten one’s belt 節衣縮食

 

　　To cut down on spending because there is less income than before

 

　　Example: Now you are out of work, you’ll have to tighten your belt and give up buying new clothes and going out so often。

 

　　10.Kill two birds with one stone 一石二鳥

 

　　To complete two tasks together, with less effort than doing them separately

 

　　Example: Since I’d gone to the store to buy some bread, I thought ofkilling two birds with one stone and invited Mr. Biggs to the party。

 

　　11.Be in a black mood 情緒極差

 

　　To be so negative about everything that it is impossible for anyone to reason with him/her

 

　　Example: My father has been in a black mood for days, we dare not say anything to him。

 

　　12.Feeling blue 感到無精打采

 

　　Feeling sad or depressed

 

　　Example: She’s feeling blue, because the man she loves is far away。

 

　　13.New blood 新成員

 

　　New people brought into an organization to introduce different and original ideas

 

　　Example: It was decided to bring new blood into the school by employing teachers with the latest training。

 

　　14.Get to the bottom of something 弄清真相

 

　　To find out the truth about something

 

　　Example: I’m trying to get to the bottom of why David left without saying goodbye。

 

　　15.A piece of cake 輕松的事

 

　　Something which is very easy to do

 

　　Example: Here…let me put the batteries in for you. It’s a piece of cake。

 

　　16.Pay a call 拜訪

 

　　To visit somebody

 

　　Example: As we’re in this neighborhood, we might as well pay the Jacksons a call, we haven’t seen them for ages。

 

　　17.Round the clock 夜以繼日的

 

　　To do something continuously, without a break or pause

 

　　Example: The ambulance services worked round the clock hauling people trapped in the building to safety。

 

　　18.By chance 偶然，意外的

 

　　Unexpectedly; with no prior planning

 

　　Example: By chance, I bumped into my wife in the shopping mall

 

　　19.Keep one’s cool 保持冷靜

 

　　To stay calm in a difficult situation

 

　　Example: If the traffic is jamed, the only thing to do is keep your cool, or get out of the car and walk!

 

　　20.In a tight corner 處于困境

 

　　In an extremely difficult situation

 

　　Example: Whenever I get into a tight corner, I try to rely on quick thinking to get out of it。

 

　　21.Fall on deaf ears 不加理睬的，不聽取

 

　　Not to take any notice of what is said

 

　　Example: The city council’s order that garbage should be put in thebins fell on deaf ears; the sidewalks are still littered with trash!

 

　　22.Keep in the dark 隱瞞

 

　　To keep something secret

 

　　Example: We know my brother has a new girlfriend, but he's keeping her name in the dark。

 

　　23.Take things easy 放輕松

 

　　To relax

 

　　Example: It's better for our health to take things easy than to worry about problems all the time。

 

　　24.Catch one’s eye 吸引某人注意

 

　　To attract somebody’s attention

 

　　Example: A movement behind the curtain caught my eye I thought it was a burglar and rushed out of the room!

 

　　25.Eat like a horse 吃得很多

 

　　To eat a lot; to have a very big appetite

 

　　Example: Fred eats like a horse. When I was a growing lad like him, I used to eat a lot, too。

 

　　26.Turn a blind eye 。熟視無睹

 

　　To ignore an action, even though one should do something about it

 

　　Example: Parents will spoil their children if they constantly turn a blind eye to their bad behavior。

 

　　27.Have an eye for something 對某事(某物體)了解得非常清楚

 

　　To be very good at doing something, or have a great understanding of something。

 

　　Example: As a botanist, he has to describe and draw plants accurately, so he must have an eye for detail。

 

　　28.Keep an eye on 照看， 密切注視

 

　　To watch carefully; to look after

 

　　Example: Keep an eye on my purse I'm just going to the bathroom。

 

　　29.Lose face 丟臉

 

　　To have one's reputation spoiled; to be embarrassed

 

　　Example: The large drug houses have lost face, because smaller companies are selling similar products at a cheaper price!

 

　　30.Lead the field 處于領頭地位

 

　　To be the most successful person or group in an activity

 

　　Example: For decades, the House of Dior led the field in elegant fashion design

 

　　31.Get out of hand 失去控制

 

　　To be out of control

 

　　Example: The problem of suicide bombings is getting out of hand; there seems to be no way to stop them。

 

　　32.Give a hand 提供幫助

 

　　To help somebody with something

 

　　Example: Please give me a hand and hold this board while I paint it。

 

　　33.Learn by heart 牢記

 

　　To memorize something; to have learned something word for word or very precisely。

 

　　Example: At school we often learned Shakespeare’s sonnets by heart and recited them in front of the class。

 

　　34.On hold 尚未辦理的事情

 

　　Something set aside and waiting to be dealt with

 

　　Example: Our vacation plans are on hold right now; because my Dad’s just been admitted to hospital with a stomach ulcer。

 

　　35.A dark horse 出乎意料的嬴家

 

　　An unexpected winner。

 

　　Example: A dark horse in this year’s basketball cup was Japan!

 

　　36.The bottom line 本質內容

 

　　The most essential part of something

 

　　Example: We’ve talked a lot about taxation and immigration, but the bottom line is that we have to create more jobs。

 

　　37.Live it up 狂歡一場

 

　　To enjoy a high standard of living and lead a carefree life

 

　　Example: The neighbors having been living it up ever since they won the sweepstakes。

 

　　38.Bear in mind 記住

 

　　To remember something which can be of help in the future。

 

　　Example: Before you start your perspective drawing, bear in mind you should first establish a vanishing point。

 

　　39.Look forward to 期待著

 

　　To relish some future prospect; to eagerly await meeting somebody。

 

　　Example: You can tell Jake is looking forward to his vacation hekeeps telling us how many days there are left until he finishescollege。

 

　　40.Have a mind to 想做某事， 計劃做某事

 

　　To be decided on ; to intend to

 

　　Example: The service in our hotel was terrible. I have a mind to write a letter of complaint。

 

　　41.Be in the mood 想要做某事

 

　　To feel like doing something

 

　　Example: She is not in the mood for playing cards and says she should really be preparing her lecture notes。

 

　　42.Over the moon 欣喜若狂

 

　　Extremely happy

 

　　Example: She’s over the moon about her promotion she really wasn’t expecting it。

 

　　43.Over and above 除…這外， 額外的

 

　　In addition to

 

　　Example: Over and above our salary, we are getting a large bonus, because business has been very profitable this year。

 

　　44.Get a move on 趕快

 

　　To hurry up

 

　　Example: Get a move on! The train is about to leave。

 

　　45.Get the picture 了解某事

 

　　To understand something, to grasp some meaning

 

　　Example: When they started cutting back and laying people off at work, I got the picture and starting looking for another job。

 

　　46.Keep somebody posted 傳達消息

 

　　To regularly give somebody up-to-date information or details of the progress being made。

 

　　Example: I phoned in at the end of each working day to keep my boss posted about developments at the trade conference。

 

　　47.Be out of pocket 花光了錢的

 

　　To be without money

 

　　Example: He’s complaining because he spent all of his money on slot machines and now he’s out of pocket。

 

　　48.Lose track of 失去消息,失去線索

 

　　To lose contact with somebody to not know where something is

 

　　Example: I lost track of Fran when she moved to Boston. I’ve even tried to locate her on the Internet。

 

　　49.On a shoestring 生活拮據

 

　　In a thrifty manner; with costs or spending down to a bare minimum

 

　　Example: She lives on a shoestring she gets a tiny pension and has to budget very tightly。

 

　　50.In the long run 最終，最后

 

　　Over a long period of time, once a process has matured

 

　　Example: The grocery store is making a loss right now. In the long run,however, we hope to achieve a situation of stable profit