英语口语俚语Idioms Lesson 02《More Speak En...

Lesson 2 IDIOMS 英文释义

(to) kick oneself

→ to regret something

Example: Sue is kicking herself for quitting her job before finding a new one. Now she’s got no money and can’t get any interviews.

on someone’s case

→ bothering or nagging somebody to do something

Example: Ted complained that his mother was always on his case about doing his homework.

What’s the big deal?

→ What’s the problem? What are you worried about?

Example: “So Diane’s decided to leave the company. What’s the big deal?” – “She’s one of our top employees!”

off one’s rocker

→ crazy

Example: When Briney Spears shaved her head, some people thought she was off her rocker.

(to) have the hots for someone

→ to have romantic feelings for someone

Example: Gary has the hots for you. Didn’t you see how he was starting at you during the meeting?

(to) open a can of worms

→ to do something that will lead to problems later

Example: We’d like to let you work from home, but it would just open a can of worms. Everybody would want to work from home.

(to) have a few screws loose

→ to be crazy

Example: Nick met a woman on the Internet, and she showed up in a wedding dress on their first date! He realized she must have a few screws loose.

control freak

→ a person who wants to control everything

Example: “You moved the chairs around in the conference room without asking me first?” – “Yes, I did. I didn’t realize you were such a control freak!”

(to) suck it up

→ to deal with something unpleasant; to endure something without complaining

Example: I know you don’t like your roommate, but the school year is almost over. Suck it up for another couple of months.

recipe for disaster

→ something which is likely to cause trouble; a bad idea or plan

Example: Emily put the time and place of her next party on Facebook.com for everybody to see? That’s a recipe for disaster!

(to) get back together

→ to restart a romantic relationship

Example: Ken and Nancy got divorced two years ago, but lately they’ve been talking about getting back together.

(to) let someone off the hook

→ to free someone from a duty or obligation; to forgive someone for not doing a duty

Example: You’re too busy to walk the dog today? Okay, I’ll do it today, but I’m not letting you off the hook for tomorrow.

no-win situation

→ a situation where all options are unpleasant

Example: I’m in a no-win situation. If I promote Rachel, then Bill will be angry. If I promote Bill, then Rachel will leave the company.

(to) breathe down someone’s neck

→ to watch over someone very closely in a way that makes them uncomfortable or pressures them to do something

Example: I promised my boss I’d finish the report by Friday. Hopefully, he won’t be breathing down my neck all week.