1, As Cool As A Cucumber(直译:黄瓜一样酷)= very calm & composed and untroubled by stress
沉着冷静 / 泰然自若 / 处变不惊
He was as cool as a cucumber when he knew he won the lottery.
当知道自己中彩票时,他非常镇定。
2,Hold Your Horses(直译:拉住你的马)= wait a moment
慢慢来 / 稍等一下 / 不要着急 / 耐心一点
I had to finish my work, so please hold your horses.
我必须先完成工作,所以请耐心点。
3, Kick The Bucket(直译:踢水桶)= to die 翘辫子 / 两眼一翻 / 上西天 / 已过世
【Note】
据说源自十六世纪,当时处死犯人时,要站在桶子(bucket)上,在脖子套上绞索,然后踢掉桶子,绞索就会拉紧而吊死犯人,后来就被用在任何原因的死亡。
When I kick the bucket, bury me on top of that mountain.
当我蹬腿的时候,把我埋在那个山头上。
4, Blue In The Face(直译:脸色发青) weakened or tired after trying many times
筋疲力尽 / (气得、累得)说不出话来 / 徒劳无功
You can argue till you’re blue in the face, but you won’t change my mind.
你可以费尽口舌,但改变不了我的主意。
5, A Storm In A Teacup(茶杯里的暴风雨)= a big fuss made about something of little impossible
小题大做 / 大惊小怪
【Note】
这个短语最早是18世纪法国哲学家和思想家孟德斯鸠用来评论圣马力诺政治动乱的。因为圣马力诺是欧洲最小的共和国,只有一万人口,孟德斯鸠认为那里的动乱对整个欧洲局势无足轻重。
That couple often quarrel, but it is a storm in a teacup.
那对夫妻经常吵架,没什么大惊小怪的。
6, Bob’s Your Uncle(Bob是你的叔叔)= it’s as simple as that!
易如反掌 / 一切如意 / 这就行了 / 就是这么简单
Press here and Bob’s your uncle! It’s disappeared.
按一下这里就成了!消失了。
7, Head In The Clouds(脑袋在云里)= living in a fantasy
做白日梦 / 活在幻想里 / 胡思乱想
A: I’ d like climb to the top of Mount Everest.
A:我想爬到朱穆郎玛峰定。
B: You have your head in the clouds. Only expert hikers can do that.
B:你是不是脑袋有问题,只有那些专业登山者才能做到。
8, Dead As A Doornail(直译: 死亡就像门钉) completely dead and unusable
一命呜呼 / 完全作废 / 死得透透的
【Note】
十九世纪前,因为金属钉比较昂贵,人们普遍使用木头钉。但在建造门时,人们为了安全起见却使用金属钉,工匠用金属钉穿过木门,在另一边把它弯过来,这样就把钉子固定住了。在那个年代,用木匠术语来讲,这种钉子就是死钉,因为它们松动不了,也掉不下来。
He shot the tiger until it was as dead as a doornail.
他不断朝那只老虎射击,直到确信它已经死绝了。
9, A Piece Of Cake(直译: 一块蛋糕)= something very easy to do
小菜一碟 / 轻松的事 / 不费吹灰之力
The approaching exam will be a piece of cake.
即将到来的考试将会是小事一桩。
10, Heart In Your Mouth(直译:心在你嘴里)= extremely frightened or anxious
心悬在嗓子眼上 / 极度紧张焦虑
My heart was in my mouth as I walked onto the stage.
当我走上舞台时,紧张得心都悬到嗓子眼了。