1. Lame duck:不中用的人
A lame duck manager cannot bring his business back on to the normal track.一個無能的經理無法把他的企業重新拉回正常經營軌道上去.
The Water Planet, another lame duck, is to have further help from the government.水廠是另一個難以經營的企業,需要政府的進一步扶持.
2. double whammy:雙重災難;禍不單行
A: Yestersay I had a real whammy. My boss fired me, and my wife asked for a divorce.
我昨天真是禍不單行.老板把我炒魷魚,我太太又要求離婚.
B : Cheer up, man. Things are not as bad as you think.
振作點,老兄.事情沒有像你想的那么糟.
3. fool’s paradise: 黃粱美夢
a state of contentment that is based on false beliefs
A: Does the chairman realize that our company’s business is going downhill?
董事長知道我們公司的業務在走下坡嗎?
B:I don’t think so. I’m afraid he is still living in a fool’s paradise.
我想他不知道.他恐怕還在做他的黃粱美夢呢.
4. all washed up 徹底完蛋
Did you hear that Gloria’s marriage is all washed up? She found her husband was seeing another woman, so she packed up, took the kids and moved out. Now she’s suing for divorce.
你聽說了沒有,格洛里亞的婚姻是徹底完蛋了.她發現她的丈夫有外遇,因此她收拾起自己的東西,帶著孩子搬出去了.現在,她向法院申請離婚.
That man over there used to be one of the best players in baseball. But then he started drinking, turned into an alcoholic, and just two years later he was all washed up.
那邊那個人以前是最好的棒球運動員之一.但是,后來他開始喝酒,逐漸酗酒成習.這樣,只過了兩年.他的棒球生涯也就完蛋了.
5.out of thin air: 憑空;無中生有地
from nowhere or nothing, as if by magic
Unfortunately, I can’t just conjure up the money out of thin air! 遺憾的是,我可不能用戲法憑空變出錢來.
6.Get a foot in the door 邁出了第一步
You know that beautiful girl who sits ahead of me in English class? She keeps turning me down for dates, but I finally got a foot in the door today: she met me for coffee after class.
你知道英語課坐在我前面那個很漂亮的女孩子嗎?我請她出去玩,她老是拒絕我.可是,今天我算是邁出了第一步:她下課后和我一起喝了咖啡.
7.basket case 毫無能力和希望的情景
I’m really worried--our company is losing so much money these days that if things don’t get better in the next two months we’ll be a basket case and have to go out of business.
我真是非常擔心,我們公司這些日子虧損了那么多錢,要是在今后兩個月里情況沒有好轉的話,我們就徹底沒有希望,只好倒閉了.
8."been around the clock""精通,有經驗,是個老手"
eg: Let’ s ask Justin how to deal with this situation. He’ s been around the clock a few times.去問問Justin怎么處理這種事,他非常有經驗.
I’ ve been around the clock a few times.I know what I’ m doing.我已經做過很多次了,我知道我在做什么.(別對我指手畫腳的意思)
9."give /pay lip service to""只是說說而已,不采取實際行動"
eg: Politicians often pay lip service to many important issues during an election but they don’ t fulfill their promises once they are elected.政治家們在大選中對很多大事都只是嘴上工夫而已,一旦當選就不會履行諾言.
