一日一美语

Hauser

学好一种语言是不可能一蹴而就的，只能是慢慢积累，因此我建议大家每天都介绍一个expression的用法，可以是word，phrase，slang，idiom等等。
我开个头吧：

rub elbows (磨擦肘部，意即与人交往)
I don't know him very intimately, though we have been rubbing elbows at various social occasions over the years.

PS rub shoulders with someone 是类似的expression.

Hauser

carry a/the torch (for sb) 暗恋，单相思
She has been carrying a torch for John for almost two years.
Dave is still carrying  the torch for his ex-fiancée.

torres

好提议！
我也来一个：
be not about to do something 完全没有去做。。。的意图
I'm not about to go out shopping in all this rain.
I don't care when the deadline is.  I'm not about to stay up all night working on this stupid project!

kohno

divvy up something 瓜分
Let's divvy the loot and make tracks outa here. 快点分了赃物溜之大吉吧！
The relatives are still fighting over how to divvy up the inheritance. 那些家属还在吵着怎么分遗产呢！

Hauser

bum something (off someone ) 乞讨，有借无还
That guy's always bumming cigarettes off (from) me.
Lemme bum a light will ya?
A man dressed in rags tried to bum a dollar off me.

a dog in the manger 占着茅坑不拉屎的人 “牛槽中的狗”
Don't be a dog in the manger.  You've broken up with Jane.  Why won't you introduce her to me?
My brother's a real dog in the manger.  Just because he doesn't like to go sightseeing, he doesn't want us to go either.

Hauser

be a glutton for punishment like to suffer
Anyone who would marry a sharp-tongued girl like Sally must be a glutton for punishment.
The challenger is on his last legs, but still he refuses to throw in the towel.  He seems to be a real gutton for punishment.

break the ice relax the tense (formal) atmosphere
The atmosphere of the party was at first very stiff, but the host broke the ice with an amusing story.
We decided to use a guessing game as an ice-breaker at the beginning of the party.

kohno

canned music recorded music
They couldn't hire a dance band so we'll have to make do with canned music tonight.
We have some especially cool canned music coming your way tonight, folks.

be/go off one's rocker 发疯
The old man's a bit off his rocker, but not enough to be put in an institution.
When Martin saw you holding hands with his girl friend, he went off his rocker.  That's how you got in this hospital.
Losing all his money on the stock market apparently sent him off his rocker.

Hauser

be stuck on someone 迷恋(异性)
I had met Mary only casually two or three times, but, before I knew it, I was stuck on her.
I used to always play the field, but after two or three dates with Suzie, I was stuck on her.

blow the whistle on someone (something) (for something) 警告，禁止
The school finally blew the whistle on students' cutting class.
The tax office blew the whistle on our company for constantly overrunning our entertainment account.

torres

abracadabra 咒语；天灵灵，地灵灵
Somewhat reluctantly I talked to his lawyer but all I got was a string of legalistic abracadabra.
The moment the magician said "abracadabra" the egg turned into a pigeon.

a (country) bumpkin 乡巴佬
Don't let Mr. Shorty fool you.  He may look like a country bumpkin, but actually he's a very shrewd lawyer.
I always stay home on Saturday nights.  That's when all the country bumpkins come to town.

Fleta

Hot (diggity) dog! 太好了！
Hot dog! The radio just announced that because of this heavy snow there'll be no school tomorrow!
Hot diggity dog!  Look at this.  We've just won one thousand dollars in the lottery!

Go on (with you) 怎么可能呢？
Go on.  This picture can't be worth that much.
Go on with you.  He didn't really say that, did he?