Chapter1 Idioms Relating to Colours

代前言

be in someone s black books

black market

blackleg(1)

black-hearted

blue in the face

blue

blackleg(2)

blueblood

get the green light

blue-eyed boy

索引

give someone a black look

green

green around the gills

green belt

in black and white

gray matter

in the black

in the red

in the pink

O

off colour

once l a blue moon

out of the blue

red herring

P

paint the town red

rose-coloured glasses

red-letter day

tickled pink

white elephant

see red

with flying colours

white-collar worket

Chapter2 Idioms Relating to Animals

a dark horse

a fly on the wall

a night owl

a whale of a time

back the wrong horse

B

as the crow flies

bull-headed

butterflies in the stomach

bird brain

can of worms

c

chicken feed

cock and bull story

different kettle of fish

D

cold turkey

donkey s years

dog-eat-dog

drink like a fish

dropping like flies

fat cat

flog a dead horse

have other fish to fry

hold your horses

if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

I

let the cat out of the bag

kill two birds with one stone

no spring chicken

no room to swing a cat

paper tiger

party animal

pigs might fly!

road hog

straight from the horse s mouth

take the bull by the horns

strictly for the birds

to be the bee s knees

black sheep of the family

to make a pig of one s self

to put the cat among the pigeons

to set the cat among the pigeons

water off a duck s back

to smell a rat

Chapter3 Idioms Relating to Parts of the Body

all thumbs

to have your back to the wall

back to the wall

to be all fingers and thumbs

to be all thumbs

fingers and thumbs

catch someone s eye

to bite your tongue

dig your heels in

cool your heels

elbow-grease

E

get cold feet

get off on the wrong foot

get out of hand

get something off your chest

get the thumbs down

give the thumbs down

get the thumbs up

get under someone s skin

get your fingers burned

have a finger in every pie

have a foot in both camps

have your finger on the pulse

Y

jump down someone s throat

your heart is in your mouth

jump out of one s skin

keep your fingers crossed

keep your eye on the ball

K

knee deep in something

kick up your heels

kick your heels up

lose your head

put your foot down

pay through the nose

put your foot in your mouth

R

put your neck on the line

rack your brains

set your heart on something

see eye to eye

S

heart in your boots

someone s heart is in their boots

sit on your hands

someone s heart is in the right place

to thumb your nose at something

heart is in the right place

turn a blind eye to something

to be under someone s thumb

wet behind the ears

Chapter4 Idioms Relating to Money and Business

a big shot

a cash cow

a golden handshake

a fat cat

a license to print money

a high flier

a nest egg

a money spinner

be on the make

be ahead of the pack

break the bank

break even

corner the market

cost an arm and a leg

drive a hard bargain

do a roaring trade

do a roaring business

got it made

have it made

grease someone s palm

hang the expense

H

cold cash

hard cash

hard nosed

be caught with your fingers in the till

have your fingers in the till

have money to burn

be caught with your hand in the till

hit the big time

L

laughing all the way to the bank

hush money

live from hand to mouth

living in the fast lane

money to burn

M

make a killing

make or break

penny pincher

out of pocket

put your money where your mouth is

spend money like water

soft touch

tighten your belt

strike it rich

to be rolling in it

to be sitting on a goldmine

Chapter5 Idioms Relating to Health and Sickness

at death s door

as fit as a fiddle

be as sick as a dog

be as right as rain

be as white as a sheet

be below par

bright eyed and bushy tailed

be up and about

bundle of nerves

bring the roses to someone s Checks

put the roses in someone s cheeks

catch a bug

chilled to the marrow

chilled to the bone

clean bill of health

downhill

fair to middling

feel under the weather

fighting fit

full of beans

green around the gills

kick the bucket

get the runs

have the runs

living on borrowed time

like death warmed up

one foot in the grave

pins and needles

recharge your batteries

skin and bones

strong as an ox

the morning after

to catch your death of cold

to feel light headed

tough as old boots

Chapter6 Idioms Relating to Happiness and Sadness

cloud nine

be on cloud nine

seventh heaven

be in seventh heaven

feel like a million dollars

floating on air

happy as Larry

happy as a pig in mud

jump for joy

looking like the cat that ate the canary

looking like the cat that swallowed the canary

on top of the world

make my day

over the moon

pleased as Punch

over the rainbow

to be thrilled to bits

to be tickled pink

thrilled to bits

to be down in the dumps

down in the dumps

W

walking on air

be out of sorts

be down in the mouth

down in the mouth

have a face as long as a wet week

face as long as a wet week

F

feel blue

feel down

get a fit of the blues

get the miseries

have the miseries

G

have a fit of the blues

to have a long face

in the doldrums

long face

misery guts

look like you ve lost your best friend

to be a bag of misery

to be a sad sack

Chapter7 Idioms Relating to Natural Ability and Limitations

a mine of information

a bright spark

be all thumbs

in the know

be in the know

be the power behind the throne

bright as a button

have a green thumb

have green fingers

know your onions

to be a natural born something

to be a whiz at something

to be the brains behind something

to have the/a knack for something

to have an eye for something

to have a nose for something

to have the golden touch

to know what s what

whiz kid

be an old hand at something

get your feet wet

dip your toe into the water

know something like the back of your hand

have been around

know the ropes

wasn t born yesterday

be a babe in the woods

be green

bite off more than one can chew

be in over one s head

be stretched to the limit

be wet behind the ears

burn the candle at both ends

have one s hands tied

go off the boil

lose your touch

have two left feet

N

run around in circles

nine-day wonder

weak link

wouldn t know something if you fell over it/one

Chapter8 Idioms Relating to Anger and Annoyance

be a pain in the neck

a face like thunder

be on the warpath

blow a fuse

blow your stack

drive someone around the bend

fed up to here

fed up to the back teeth

fit to be tied

fly of the handle

get someone s back up

get out of bed on the wrong side

give someone an earful

give someone a piece of your mind

have had it up to here

go spare

throw a fit

have a fit

hit the ceiling

hit the roof

blow off steam

let off steam

let rip

make a scene

like a bear with a sore head

put someone s back up

make someone s blood boil

rub someone up the wrong way

read the riot act

ruffle someone s feathers

to be hot under the collar

to spit blood

to spit chips

Chapter9 Idioms Relating to Honesty and Dishonesty

bare one s heart

bare one s soul

be up front

get something off one s chest

give someone a fair chance

give someone a fair go

have a heart-to -heart

lay one s cards on the table

put one s cards on the table

speak one s mind

look someone in the eye

tell it like it is

to be honest as the day is long

INDEX 索引

A

a bad egg

a fast talker

a cock and bull story

a snake in the grass

a pack of lies

be up to no good

do something under false pretences

give a low blow

funny business

play dirty

lie through your teeth

pull the wool over someone s eyes

pull a fast one

slippery as an eel

smell fishy

take someone for a ride

T

stab someone in the back

talk out of both sides of one s mouth

talk behind someone s back

to be two faced

Chapter10 Idioms Relating to Cooperation and Compromise

J

join forces

get together on something

link up with someone

pitch in

put your heads together

pool one s resources

softly, softly approach

team up with someone

a fly in the ointment

go it alone

be a loner

go our separate ways

put a wrench in the works

put a spanner in the works

put a spoke in someone s wheel

strike off on one s own

find the middle ground

meet someone halfway

give and take

find a happy medium

middle of the road

a happy medium

strike a happy medium

be all or nothing

stick to one s guns

not give an inch