a piece of cake
好簡單
A-ming: We had an English test this morning.
阿明：我們今天早上考了英語。
Mei-yu: Was it hard?
美玉：它難嗎？
A-ming: No, it was a piece of cake!
阿明：不，它好簡單喔！
better late than never
遲到比永遠不到好；亡羊補牢猶未晚矣！
A-ming: Oh, no! I forgot to turn in my paper on French history.
阿明：噢，糟了！我忘了把有關法國歷史的報告交出去。
Mei-yu: Turn it in today then. Better late than never.
美玉：今天交出去嘛。遲交總比不交好。
be broke
身無分文；破產了
Mei-yu: Do you want to go shopping tonight?
美玉：你今晚想去採購嗎？
A-ming: I can’t! I’m broke.
阿明：我沒辦法去！我一點錢都沒有了。
be chicken
膽小的
A-ming: I really like that girl in my French class! I think she’s sweet and smart.
阿明：我真的喜歡我法文班上那個女孩！我覺得她又甜又聰明。
Mei-yu: You’ve been saying that for weeks. Don’t be chicken. Ask her out!
美玉：你已經這麼講了幾個禮拜了。不要這麼膽小。約她出去啊！
couch potato
成天躺著或坐在沙發上看電視的人
Mei-yu: You are such a couch potato on weekends!
美玉：你一到週末就整天躺著看電視！
A-ming: At least I’m only one on weekends!
阿明：起碼我只有周末才如此！
down the line
將來
Mei-yu: Do you know what you want to be?
美玉：你知道你要做哪一行業嗎？
A-ming: No idea! But I’m sure I’ll think of something somewhere down the line.
阿明：不知道！不過我肯定將來哪一天我就會知道了。
The early bird gets the worm.
早起的鳥兒有虫吃；捷足先登
Mei-yu: You shouldn’t get up so late. "The early bird gets the worm,"
remember?
美玉：你不應這麼晚起床。「早起的鳥兒有虫吃」，記得嗎？
A-ming: Yeah, but the early worm gets eaten!
阿明：是喔，可是早起的虫兒被鳥吃啊！
easier said than done
說來容易做來難；談何容易
Mei-yu: You can get straight A’s. You just have to study harder!
美玉：你可以每科都拿A。你只要再用功點就行了！
A-ming: (Sigh) It’s easier said than done!
阿明：唉，談何容易啊！
eat one’s words
承認自己的話是錯了
Mei-yu: You told me yesterday it would rain for sure today. Look at the bright sun outside!
美玉：你昨天跟我說今天鐵定會下雨。看外邊的大太陽！
A-ming: Well, I guess I have to eat my words.
阿明：哦，我想我得承認自己說錯了。
Every cloud has a silver lining.
每片烏雲都有銀色的襯裡；凡事總有光明的一面；塞翁失馬、焉知非福
A-ming: What am I going to do? My girlfriend has left me again!
阿明：我怎麼辦？我的女朋友又離開我了！
Mei-yu: Every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe you two are not meant to be together.
美玉：凡事總有好的一面。也許你們兩個本就不應該在一起。
forgive and forget
原諒與遺忘；不念舊惡
A-ming: I’m still mad at you for damaging my airplane model!
阿明：你把我的飛機模型弄壞，我還在生你的氣！
Mei-yu: But it was an accident and I already apologized! Can’t you forgive and
forget?
美玉：可是那是個意外而我也道過歉了！難道你不能原諒我、把這件事情忘記嗎？
get along
和睦相處
A-ming: I wish everybody could get along with everybody!
阿明：我真希望大家都能和睦相處！
Mei-yu: That would be great! Then we wouldn’t have any fights or wars.
美玉：那就太棒了！我們就不會有打鬥或戰爭了。
give someone a hand
幫助某人
A-ming: We’ve been here for three hours. Are you trying to buy the whole store?
阿明：我們已經在這裡三個鐘頭了。你是想把整個店都買下來嗎？
Mei-yu: Oh, quit complaining! Just give me a hand with these bags!
美玉：噢，少抱怨！你只要幫我提這些袋子就好！
hands down
輕而易舉地
Mei-yu: How did the basketball game with the other department go?
美玉：你們跟別系的籃球賽比的結果如何？
A-ming: Oh, we won the game hands down.
阿明：喔，我們輕輕鬆鬆就贏了。
keep an eye on
注意
Mei-yu: Can you keep an eye on my bags while I go to the restroom?
美玉：你能不能在我去洗手間時幫我看著購物袋子？
A-ming: Sure.
阿明：好啊。
kill time
消磨時間
Mei-yu: How do you kill time between classes?
美玉：你在兩堂課中間怎麼打發時間的？
A-ming: I usually go to the Student Center.
阿明：我通常會去學生中心。
lay off
解僱,尤指暫時性的
Mei-yu: Today my company announced that they’ll lay off some workers starting next week. But my boss said our group needn’t worry.
美玉：我公司今天宣佈下禮拜開始要解僱一些員工。不過我老闆説我們這組不用擔心。
A-ming: I’m so happy for you! But I’m sad for those workers who are being laid off.
阿明：我好為妳高興！可是我為那些要被解僱的員工難過。
make ends meet
收支相抵；量入為出
A-ming: Can I borrow some money?
阿明：借點錢給我好嗎？
Mei-yu: I just gave you some two days ago! You need to learn how to make ends
meet.
美玉：我前兩天才給過你錢！你應該要學習如何量入為出。
out of the blue
出乎意料之外
A-ming: A-ton told me out of the blue today that he’s getting engaged. I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend!
阿明：阿堂今天突如其然地跟我說他要訂婚了。我甚至不知道他有個女朋友！
Mei-yu: Wow, what a surprise! Who is she?
美玉：哇塞，真是個意外！她是誰？
pull one’s leg
同某人開玩笑
A-ming: When A-ton told me yesterday that he was getting engaged, I thought he was pulling my leg.
阿明：昨天阿堂跟我說他要訂婚的時候，我還以為他在跟我開玩笑。
Mei-yu: Yeah. When you told me the news, I thought you were pulling my leg!
美玉：是啊。當你跟我講這個新聞的時候，我還以為是你在跟我開玩笑呢！
put yourself in someone’s shoes
將心比心；設身處地為別人著想
A-ming: I don’t think A-chung is very friendly. He hardly ever hangs out with us!
阿明：我不認為阿中很友善。他很少跟我們大家在一起！
Mei-yu: Hey, try to put yourself in his shoes! If you have to work after school, you won’t have time to hang out either.
美玉：嘿，試著設身處地為他著想！如果你在下課以後需要工作的話，你也不會有時間跟大家混。
rain cats and dogs
下傾盆大雨
Mei-yu: Are you going out? It’s raining cats and dogs.
美玉：你要出門嗎？在下傾盆大雨呢。
A-ming: Well, I have to go to the library to return some books.
阿明：嗯，我得去圖書館還些書。
read between the lines
言外之意
A-ming: If I read between the lines, I’d say A-ton is not too happy about his fiancée.
阿明： 如果我去領會言外之意的話，我會說阿堂對她未婚妻不是很滿意。
Mei-yu: Are you sure? Maybe you’re reading too much between the lines!
美玉：你確定嗎？也許你是領會過頭了！
ring a bell
記得；靈光一閃想起
A-ming: Do you know the girl named Mei-zu?
阿明：你知道美如這個女孩嗎？
Mei-yu: The name rings a bell. What about her?
美玉：這個名字我聽過。她怎樣？
so far so good
到目前為止一切順利
Mei-yu: How are your final exams?
美玉：你的期末考如何？
A-ming: So far so good, but I have two more exams tomorrow. They’re the hard ones.
阿明：到目前為止還不錯，可是我明天還有兩門考試。它們才是難的。
take it easy
不要緊張；放輕鬆
A-ming: I’m so nervous about today’s two exams.
阿明：我對今天的兩門考試好緊張喔。
Mei-yu: Take it easy! I’m sure you’ll be okay.
美玉：放輕鬆！我肯定你會萬事OK。
till the cows come home
很久；沒完沒了地
A-ming: Do you think Mei-zu likes me?
阿明：你想美如喜歡我嗎？
Mei-yu: You can think about it till the cows come home, or you can just ask her!
美玉：你可以沒完沒了地想這件事情，或者你可以去問她！
up in the air
尚未決定
Mei-yu: Have you decided what you’re going to do this summer?
美玉：你決定這個暑假要做什麼了嗎？
A-ming: No, everything is still up in the air.
阿明：沒有，我還沒做任何決定。
When it rains, it pours.
不雨則已，一雨傾盆；禍不單行
Mei-yu: I heard that A-ton had a car accident last week.
美玉：我聽說阿堂上禮拜出了個車禍。
A-ming: Yeah, when it rains, it pours. His fiancée left him too!
阿明：是啊，禍不單行。他的未婚妻也離開他了。
when pigs fly
決不可能
Mei-yu: Do you think A-ton’s fiancée will take him back?
美玉：你想阿堂的未婚妻會跟他和好嗎？
A-ming: She will when pigs fly! She swore she’d rather be a nun than be his wife!
阿明：不可能的！她發誓她寧可當尼姑也不會嫁給他！