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Lesson 29 IDIOMS 英文释义

• (to) run one's own show: to run one's own business; to have control over an entire business or a part of a business
• EXAMPLE: Anne can't imagine working for somebody else. She loves running her own show as CEO of Anne Global, Inc.
• (to) carve out a niche:  to start a specialty business
• EXAMPLE: Teresa carved out a niche selling DVDs on eBay.
• NOTE: A "niche" is the market segment served by a particular product, service, or product line.
• (to) make money hand over fist:  to make a lot of money; to make a lot of money fast
• EXAMPLE: AstraZeneca made money hand over fist with the drug Prilosec. It was a huge success.
• (to) go belly up: to go bankrupt
• EXAMPLE: Shortly after Borders bookstore opened downtown, the small bookshop went belly up.
• (to) snap up: to buy for a very good price; to buy a large supply of something, usually because it's on sale or in short supply
• EXAMPLE: While in Vietnam, Monica snapped up dozens of inexpensive, beautiful silk scarves to sell at her Manhattan clothing boutique.
• for a song: cheaply, inexpensively
• EXAMPLE: Monica was able to buy jewelry and clothing in Hanoi for a song.
• (to) see the writing on the wall: to know what's coming; to see what's going to happen in the future
• EXAMPLE: The company has canceled this year's holiday party. I can see the writing on the wall: soon, they'll be announcing lay-offs.
• NOTE: You will also see the variation: handwriting on the wall.
• (to) jump ship: to quit a job; to leave a job suddenly
• EXAMPLE: When the accounting scandal broke, several financial managers at the energy company jumped ship immediately.
• (to) get something out of one's system: to no longer feel the need to do something; to experience something to one's satisfaction
• EXAMPLE: Tom had always wanted to be a lawyer, but after his summer internship at a law firm, he got that out of his system.
• not all it's cracked up to be: not as great as people think; not as great as its reputation
• EXAMPLE: Working for a big public relations firm is not all it's cracked up to be. The pay isn't great and the hours are long.
• (to) strike out: to fail
• EXAMPLE: I'm sorry to hear that you struck out on the job interview. I'm sure something else will come along soon.
• (to) strike it rich: to attain sudden financial success; to get rich quickly
• EXAMPLE: Victor struck it rich when Microsoft bought out his small software company.
• Tell me about it!: I agree with you
• EXAMPLE: "Our CEO really needs to get some new suits." - "Tell me about it! His suits are all at least 25 years old!"
• (to) lose one's shirt: to lose everything one owns; to lose a lot of money in business; to make a very bad investment
• EXAMPLE: It's risky to invest all of your money in the stock market. If the market goes down a lot, you could lose your shirt.
• start-up: a small business, usually one that's been operating five years or less (and often in the technology industry)
• EXAMPLE: Julie took a chance by leaving her secure job at IBM to join a risky start-up.
• (to) take the ball and run with it: to take initiative; to take charge without a lot of supervision
• EXAMPLE: We told the graphic designer what to include in the brochure, and she was able to take the ball and run with it.