經典成語及片語100
Phrases, Sayings, Idioms and Expressions
1. a change of pace 節奏變換
You can’t do these chemistry experiments all day long. You certainly need a change of pace.
2. a far cry from 相距甚遠
The published book is a far cry from the early manuscript.
3. and how 的確
A: She’s a good dancer.
B: and how.
4. a matter of time 時間問題
It is only a matter of time.
5. a phone call away 一個電話之遠，願意過來幫忙。
If you need my help, do let me know. Just remember I am a phone call away.
6. a while back 不久以前
I ran into Barbara a while back but didn't get her new address.
7. all along 一直
I knew it all along.
8. anything but 絕對不
I was anything but happy about going.
9. account for 解釋
How do you account for it?
10. after all 到底
A: I’ve just seen the X-rays and your teeth look just fine,
B: I see. Then there is nothing to worry about after all.
11. allergic to 對 ……過敏
Oh man! Something in this room is making my eyes itch. I must be allergic to something.
12. at sb’s service 願為某人服務
I am at your service at any time.
13. around the clock 24小時不停
Martha studied around the clock for management exam.
14. as far as I know 就我所知，據我所知
As far as I know, I am the first knife maker ever to build a working hardness tester.
15. at home with 對…..很熟悉
She is at home with problems like this.
16. back out
1) 退出
A: Wasn’t Bert supposed to sing tonight?
B: Yes, but he backed out at last minute
2）不履行
She finally backed out of her promise.
17. be cut out for 天生適合
I am not cut out to be a hero.
18. be absorbed in全神貫注於, 專心於
She has been absorbed in a horror fiction. I can’t tear her away.
19. be addicted to 對……上癮
She has been addicted to drugs for years.
20. be attached to 對……有感情
A: I’m amazed that you are still driving that old car of yours. I thought you would have gotten rid of it years ago.
B: It runs well and I have actually been quite attached to it.
21. back up
1) 累積
The subway is running behind schedule, and traffic is backed up for blocks. I don’t know if we’ll make the 6:30 show.
2) 支持
I’ll back it up.
22. be bound for 到……地方
The bus is bound for New England.
23. be (feel) myself 找到自我
I am feeling myself again.
24. be burned up 生氣
She was really burned up at the news.
25. be hard up for缺少
I am hard up for clothes, but I have a lot of books.
26. be head and shoulders above 好許多
In calculus, Joe is head and shoulders above his classmates.
27. be in the dark 蒙在鼓裡
A: Do you have any idea what his notice is about?
B: I am as in the dark as you are.
28. be stuck 卡住了
I can’t get this window open. It is stuck.
29. bite off more than one can chew. 貪多嚼不爛
A: I hear you’re taking an advanced physics course this semester.
B: I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.
30. break new ground 有了新的突破
His architectural design broke new ground in the field.
31. benefit concert 慈善音樂會
We need to let everyone know about the benefit concert, but we don’t have much money for advertising.
32. busy signal忙碌信號
I’ve been calling David for the past half hour, but I keep getting a busy signal.
33.between you and me 你我之間，保密
There are no secrets between you and me.
Note:
Between you and me is acceptable in standard English; between you and I isn't. This is because between is a preposition, and pronouns that come after prepositions are in the accusative case (here, me), not the nominative case (not I).
The same applies to a pair of pronouns that is the object of a verb: They've invited you and me to dinner is acceptable, They've invited you and I to dinner isn't.
The reason why expressions like between you and I have become so common is that people are aware that the accusative case is not correct for the subject of a verb (You and I have been invited is acceptable; You and me have been invited is not), so they make the mistake of thinking it is not correct anywhere, and always use the nominative case.
34. call for
A. 打電話找
Tom just called for you.
B. 預報
The forecast calls for heavy rain again tonight. Aren’t you glad we’ll be getting away from this for a week?
C. 問
It’s probably in the new part of town. We’ll have to call for directions.
35. call it a day 就此結束
A: I’m really glad our club decides to raise money for the children’s hospital, and most of the people we’ve phoned seemed happy to contribute.
B: Yeah, I agree. Now we’ve gone through all the numbers on our list now, so I guess we can call it a day.
36. cash the paycheck 兌現支票
Have your sister cashed her paycheck?
37. clear off 收拾，整理
It’s about time we clear off the desk.
38. come down (雨，雪)下起來
The heavy rain is coming down now.
39. come in first in the race 比賽第一名
Not only did Jill come in first in the race but she also had her best running time of the season.
40. come what may 不管怎樣
We’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight, come what may.
41. cost somebody an arm and a leg花费很大
A: Did you see the diamond ring Bill gave to Linda?
B: I sure did. It must have cost him an arm and a leg.
42. cut it out 閉嘴
I told you to cut it out.
43. be cut out for 生來時做……的
Dr. Hamilton doesn’t feel Larry is cut out for the medical profession.
44. department chair 系主任
I didn’t write that memo to the department chair.
45. dirt cheap 非常便宜
A: You’ve already furnished your apartment?
B: I’ve found some used furniture that was dirt cheap.
46. do with 用…..湊合; do without 沒有……也行
You can do with your girlfriend.
You can do without your girlfriend
47. dog tired 特別累，同義：run down; worn out; out of steam
I’m dog tired these days. I’m working on seven articles.
48. down jacket 羽絨服
Shop here for a great selection of down jackets. From the puffiest to the most packable, we've got the best from The North Face.
49. drive somebody up the wall 讓某人發瘋；同義：drive somebody out of one’s mind
Stop whistling that tune. You're driving me up the wall.
All his talk about moving to California nearly drove me up the wall.
The sound of all that traffic is driving me out of my mind.
50. fall back on 依賴
A: Were you able to understand that French novel without any help from the teacher?
B: I did pretty well, but I had to fall back on my dictionary occasionally.
51. fill a prescription 按處方抓藥
Would you please fill this prescription for me?
52. fill in for 代替； 同義：fill one’s place(position, shoes); take the place of; take over
Dave, can you fill in for me tonight at the restaurant? I’d like to go out of town.
53. food for thought 令人思考的東西；同義：thought-provoking
There is a lot food for thought in what he had to say.
54. for nothing 免費
To pay to see that movie would be foolish, when you can see it on TV for nothing.
55. from top to bottom 從上到下
A: Maybe you lost your wallet in this room.
B: I’ve searched it from top to bottom.
56. get off on the wrong foot 開始事情就做錯了
I got off on the wrong foot, and I don’t have any idea which way to turn now.
57. get a lot out of something 從……學到很多
The training program was difficult, but she got a lot out of it.
58. get at 想說
Do you understand what I’m getting at?
59. get away with 對…..擺脫懲罰
A: Did you know that Bob is leaving for home tonight? He isn’t planning to take his final exams.
B: He can’t get away with that
60. get going 趕緊行動； 同義：get moving
A: It looks like we won’t have enough time to do all we wanted to.
B: Who says we won’t? Let’s get going.
61. get on one’s nerve 招惹某人神經了
A: Why did you come to the meeting late? I left a message with your roommate about the time change.
B: She has a very short memory and it really gets on my nerve sometimes.
62. get started on 開始做
We should get started on the project.
63. get time off from work 從工作中抽時間
Oh! so she was able to get time off from the work.
64. give credibility to 相信
It's no secret customer testimonials can give credibility to your website.
65. go easy on 溫和對待
Well, since it’s your first and only ticket, the judge will probably go easy on you.
66. go in one ear and out the other左耳入右耳出
You know what it's like when you're told a whole list of names - they just go in one ear and out the other.
67. go jogging 去跑步
Are you ready to go jogging?
68. go to one’s head 某人自負
A: Have you noticed how John’s changed since he became student government president?
B: I think the whole thing has gone to his head, and he used to be so sociable and open.
69. got the time 幾點了
A: Got the time?
B: It’s a little after ten.
70. graduation announcements 畢業典禮請柬
Have you ordered your graduation announcements?
71. groan about 抱怨
How come Michael’s always groaning about something?
72. guest lecturer 客座教授
The only person who understood the guest lecturer was the professor.
73. hand-me-down 送的東西
A: What a gorgeous jacket. It must have cost a fortune.
B: Not at all. It’s a hand-me-down.
74. hand down 易如反掌
Lee won the chess match hands down.
75. have a way with 擅長
Bonnie really has a way with words.
76. have had it with 處於
I have had it with being sick in bed. I’ve read most of these magazines twice.
77. head and shoulders above 高出許多
In computer programming, Susan is head and shoulders above the rest of us.
78. hit the spots 特別好
This lemonade sure hits the spots.
79. hold the grudge 記仇
A: I wish I hadn’t hurt Mary’s feelings like that. You know I never meant to.
B: The great thing about Mary is that she doesn’t hold the grudge.
80. I have no idea which way to turn 我不知道該怎麼辦
I have no idea how to turn off call presentation.
81. I have seen worse 我見過更糟的
I have seen worse public access shows. This one is not that terrible.
82. in advance 提前；同義：before hand, ahead of time
It’s a really nice apartment. But the owners want two-month rent in advance and I just don’t have it.
83. in case 萬一
Let’s take our suits along in case the sun comes out.
84. in next to no time 馬上
A: Are you going to be using the copying machine long?
B: I’ll be through in next to no time.
85. in the red 赤字 反義：in the black
Tourism is down and many hotels are operating in the red.
The phone company found itself about $1.8 billion in the red.
I wish my accounts were in the black.
Sally moved the company into the black.
Some states have legalized gambling as a way to put their finances in the black.
86. in the works 正在準備階段
An advanced course in theoretical chemistry is in the works.
87. keep to oneself保守秘密
I want you to keep this news to yourself.
88. kill time 浪費時間
Gosh, what can we do to kill the next 10 hours?
89. leave…up to somebody讓…來決定、選擇；把某事交給…處理
We’ll have to leave the decision up to him.
90. letter of recommendation 推薦信；letter of reference 推薦信
A letter of recommendation is a letter in which the writer assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the person being recommended in terms of that individual’s ability to perform a particular task or function.
91. look on the bright sides of things 看事物的光明面
Look on the bright side. Things could have been much worse than they are.
Look on the bright side. The accident insurance might pay for a new car.
92. no kidding 不是開玩笑吧
No kidding, there must have been at least twenty thousand people at the festival.
93. on [at] the tip of one’s tongue 就在舌尖、一時想不起
A: Are you sure you can’t remember the name of that record?
B: It’s just on [at] the tip of one’s tongue!
94. quitting time 下課(班)時間
I’m glad it’s almost quitting time.
95. take it over 重修(課、班、科目)
Don failed physics and had to take it over.
96. than necessary 比應該的要冷
The classroom was cooler than necessary.
97. easier said than done. 說來容易做來難
Yes, we must find a cure for cancer; but it's easier said than done.
Finding a good job is easier said than done.
98. There is nothing to it. 沒什麼，很容易
I can run this projector. There’s really nothing to it.
99. with flying colors 成功
A: How did Ellen do on her American History exam?
B: She passed with flying colors.
100. You can bet your life 當然
A: Will Prof. Smith come to class on time?
B: You can bet your life.
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