1. Dress to Kill = wear one s finest clothing
衣服漂亮得电死人。
范例短文:
The reception for the new Swedish ambassador at the Jennison s was quite lavish1. Naturally,everybody was dressed to kill. Since it was a formal occasion,everyone was dressed in their finiest,most elegant clothes.
2. Knock Someone s Socks Off = enthuse and excite
让人兴奋得连袜子都掉了。
范例对话:
A:Hi,John. What s new?
B:Oh,nothing too much with me,but you ought to see Alfredo s new car. It ll knock your socks off!
A:So,he finally got that Italian sports car he s been dreaming about.
B:He sure did!When you see all the custom features that it has,you ll get so enthused and excited you won t know what to do!
A:Boy,I can hardly wait to go for a ride in it!
3. Lose One s Shirt = lose a great deal of money
连衬衫都输掉了,表示输了很多钱。
范例对话:
A:I happened to bump into Doug at lunch yesterday afternoon.
B:What s new with Doug these days?
A:He wasn t doing so well. For one thing, he told me he lost his shirt at the races.
B:Doug has always liked to bet on the horses. I m not surprised that he lost a great deal of money.
A:Yeah. At this rate he ll never have a penny to his name!
4. Wet Blanket = dull or boring person who spoils the happiness of others
盖湿毯子当然不舒服,象湿毯子一样的人,一定是令人厌烦、倒人胃口的人。
范例短文:
James was not invited to go on the outing with the rest of the group because he s such a web blanket. On many previous occasions he has kept others from enjoying themselves by his pessimism2 and lack of enthusiasm. It s understandable that no one wants him around.
5. Dress to the Teeth = dressed elegantly
跟中国成语武装到牙齿有异曲同工之妙,表示某人费尽心机着装打扮。
范例对话:
A:Did you see Hilda at the party last night?
B:Yes,I did. She was really dressed to the teeth!
A:Well,she had on her finest,most elegant clothing because she was out to make a good impression on Bill.