英语习语Englishidiomsandfunnyexpressions动物篇.docx

1、英语习语Englishidiomsandfunnyexpressions动物篇Idioms And Sayings About AnimalsIdiom/SayingExplanationTo haveantsin your pants.For example:-Theres a test tomorrow, and he cant concentrate or keep still. He looks like hes got ants in his pants.To be unable to keep still because you are very excited or worrie

2、d about something.坐立不安Tobadgersomeone.For example:-Dont let people badger you into having a drink.To pester someone into doing something.烦扰某人，打扰某人Barkworse than bite.For example:-Oh dont worry, hes always shouting at people, but his bark is worse than his bite.Used to describe someone who makes thre

3、ats but never carries them out.“会叫的狗不咬人”Barkingup the wrong tree.For example:-The government was barking up the wrong tree with their proposalto selloff the UKs forests.To make the wrong choice, or ask the wrong person. (Imagine Laika barking up a tree thinking theres a squirrel up there, but the sq

4、uirrel has already run along the branches to another tree.)找错人了，搞错对象了，弄错了，大错特错To be like abearwith a sore head.For example:-My husband is like a bear with a sore head before he gets his cup of tea in the morning.To be in a bad mood.脾气坏的，勃然大怒，粗暴的To have abeein your bonnet.For example:-Shes got a real

5、 bee in her bonnet about that new advertising campaign, shes even phoned the ACA!To be obsessed about something你不能停止、没完没了地想这件事儿。我们常用这个短语来描述一个人对某事担忧、着急或因某事而很生气。 .The birds and the bees.For example:-In the UK many parents dread having to tell their children about the birds and the bees. A euphamism fo

6、r courtship and intercourse between people.两性关系的基本常识； 基本的性知识； 性启蒙教育Abirdin the hand is worth two in the bush.For example:-I would stay with your current firm, rather than look for something better. After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.Having something for certain is better than the

7、 possibility of getting something better.一鸟在手，胜似二鸟在林 意思就是拥有的东西比没得到的东西实在，更需珍惜The earlybirdcatches the worm.For example:-Ill go to work early tomorrow. After all, the early bird catches the worm.If you do something in a timely manner you will succeed.早起的鸟儿有虫吃Abirdseye view.For example:-If you look at

8、Google Maps you can get a birds eye view of your street.The appearance of something seen from above.鸟瞰意思是俯视，是因为居高临下，一览无余，让你能俯视全景。Birdsof a feather flock together.For example:-At the party, all the teenagers gathered in the kitchen. Birds of a feather flock together.People who have similar characters

9、 or similar interests will often choose to spend time together.物以类聚,人以群分To kill twobirdswith one stone.For example:-I went to the dentist, and asked him to fill the molar, and remove the wisdom tooth at the same time. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.To solve two problems with a single ac

10、tion.一石二鸟To be like abullin a china shop.For example:-Dont let him touch those glass baubles, hes like a bull in a china shop.To be clumsy形象生动,喻义明显,因此在日常生活中常常被用来形容那些做事毛手毛脚或言谈举止粗.Acatnap.For example:-I always have a cat nap after lunch. A short sleep, during the day.打瞌睡； 假寐； 小睡； 瞌睡To be like acaton a

11、 hot tin roof.For example:-Shes waiting for her boyfriend to call, and shes been like a cat on a hot tin roof all day.To be nervous and unable to keep still.比喻焦虑不安 类似于热锅上的蚂蚁A fatcat.For example:-Too many fat cats have made money out of the recession. Someone who is very rich and powerful.一只肥猫；大款；有钱有

12、势的人； 肥猫A scaredy-cat.For example:-Its only a little spider, dont be such a scaredy-cat.Someone who is frightened for no reason.胆小鬼 Thecatswhiskers.For example:-She thought she was the cats whiskers when she got the part in the play.When someone thinks theyre better than everyone else.（非正式）优秀人物，上等货Ha

13、s thecatgot your tongue?For example:-Why are you being so quiet? Cat got your tongue?Said when someone isnt saying anything.Cat got ones tongue是指一个人因惊讶、尴尬而一时不知说什么好。在对话中占上风的人会经常对处于劣势的人说Has the cat got your tongue?，用来显示自己处于优势To let thecatout of the bag.For example:-Everybody knows about the redundanci

14、es, someone let the cat out of the bag.To reveal a secret.无意中泄露秘密To look like thecatthat got the cream.For example:-I guess you passed your exam. You look like the cat that got the cream.To look very pleased and a bit smug about something.对于某事非常高兴，得意不凡To put acatamong the pigeons.For example:-When t

15、he photos showed him kissing a young woman, it really put the cat among the pigeons. To cause trouble.引来可能招惹是非的人事制造混乱； 挑起纠纷； 惹乱子Not enough room to swing acat.For example:-In our old flat there wasnt enough room to swing a cat.Used to describe a place that is very small.连猫都难以行走，说明空间之狭小，根本没有转身的余地。Its

16、rainingcatsand dogs!For example:-We had to run for shelter when it started raining cats and dogs.Its raining very heavily.下暴雨;倾盆大雨有个典故,大概意思是从前外国每次下了暴雨,就会从下水道溢出一些流浪猫儿,流浪狗狗的尸体,就好象是大雨把这一些带来的,所以下了很大的雨就说成了ItsrainingcatsanddogsLook what thecatsdragged in!For example:-Look what the cats dragged in! You loo

17、k terrible!An insulting way of saying that someone has just arrived and they dont look good.口语瞧这副窝囊相(对不整洁的人打的招呼)To be achickenor To bechickenor to bechickenlivered.For example:-She wouldnt get on the waltzers, because she said theyre dangerous. Shes such a chicken.Someone who is cowardly.胆怯Acuckooin

18、 the nest.For example:-The new manager is a real cuckoo in the nest. Hes causing more problems than hes solving.Someone who is part of a group but is different and often disliked, or a problem that grows quickly and crowds out everything else.与众不同且不受欢迎的人，问题变得急剧突出等Living in cloudcuckooland.For exampl

19、e:-He thinks the recession wont affect his business. Hes living in cloud cuckoo land. Used to describe someone who has ideas or plans that are completely unrealistic.脱离现实的幻境；不切实际的，乌托邦的， Adogand pony show.For example:-His campaign was a real dog and pony show, but he still didnt win the election.A sh

20、ow or other event that has been organized in order to get peoples support or to persuade them to buy something.精心安排的盛大演出（或展示），有说服人们买东西的倾向，A shaggydogstory.For example:-The way he kept going on led me to suspect it was a shaggy dog story. A joke or story thats obviously not true or has a silly ending

21、.冗长无聊的滑稽故事; 不得要领的幽默To be like adogwith two tails.For example:-When we found out we had won the contract, our manager was like a dog with two tails.To be very happy.非常高兴，兴高采烈To bedog-eared.For example:-I wont lend her any more books, the last one she gave back to me was dog-eared.If something is dog-

22、eared, it is in bad condition.（书）翻旧了的，折角了的，卷了的，比喻处于不好状态To bedogtired.For example:-The party went on till 4am. I was dog tired the next day.To be exhausted.累得再也爬不起来了Gone to thedogs.For example.-This country has gone to the dogs since they won the election.Used when someone or somewhere becomes less s

23、uccessful than it was.某地或者某人 大不如从前Let sleepingdogslie.For example:-I knew my boss was wrong, but I didnt say anything. He wouldnt thank me, so I say, let sleeping dogs lie.Leave something alone if it might cause trouble.意思就是不要去惹正在睡觉的狗，因为睡着了的狗不会咬人。换句话说，也就是：要是采取什么行动会给自己或别人带来麻烦，那么最好还是保持现状，不要采取行动。Its ra

24、ining cats anddogs!For example:-We had to run for shelter when it started raining cats and dogs.Its raining very heavily.倾盆大雨Talk the hind leg off adonkey.For example:-I couldnt get a word in edgeways. That guy could talk the hind leff off a donkey.To talk a lot.唠叨不停;唠叨不休A deadduck.For example:-The

25、police admitted that they were giving up, the case was a dead duck. A failure.完蛋的人； 玩完了； 被放弃的或将失败的计划； 注定要完蛋的人Water off aducksback.For example:-He kept shouting at me, but it was like water off a ducks back.Said when someone doesnt let things upset them. 作为一个习惯用语，意思就是：“对毫无作用，被人像鸭子抖羽毛一样抖掉了”。Theelephan

26、tin the room.For example:-Her blindness was the elephant in the room.A problem or situation that everyone knows about but no one mentions.房间里的大象（也可以说是卧室里的大象，墙角的大象，餐桌上的大象，厨房里的大象等）是一个英国的谚语，用来形容一个明明存在的问题，却被人刻意的回避及无视的情形。它的字面意思描述了，一个庞大的大象在狭小的房间里面，是非常明显的事实，因此，它也暗含了这个问题应该被拿来出来公开讨论的意思。这条谚语，常被用于描绘，上瘾者身边的朋友及家

27、人，为了帮助他走出自我否定，而不愿意讨论他的问题的情形。A whiteelephant.For example:-Spain lavished money on many white elephant building projects, such as the airport at Ciudad Real, south of Madrid.Used to describe something you own that is useless.在印度、里兰卡（从前称为锡兰）、泰国、缅甸等国白象(white elephant)被视为神圣不可侵犯的动物，人们从不会让它们劳作。据说要饲养一头“whit

28、e elephant”花费惊人。所以从前中亚的国王对看不顺眼的大臣就赐给白象，使他为饲养御赐的白象而倾家荡产。源自此一典故“white elephant”一词后来演变而指比其价值或效用所需费用庞大而不成比例者，或虽然不需要但难于处理之物品了A coldfish.For example:-Her husbands a real cold fish, its impossible to tell whether hes happy or not.Someone who doesnt show how they feel.态度冷漠的人，不热情的人，难以看穿心事的人，总是面无表情的人A differe

29、nt kettle offishFor example:-Oh! They want toplacean order? Thats a different kettle of fish. Of course Ill talk to them.A different matter or issue.截然不同的事 另一种人或事To have biggerfishto fry.For example:-He couldnt stay long, with this merger he has bigger fish to fry.To have more important things to do

30、.我有更重要的事情需要去做”。这个句子可以用于非正式场合，非常口语化。Like afishout of water.For example:-When she started talking about her personal problems, he looked like a fish out of water.To be uncomfortable in a particular situation如鱼离水，不适应； 不自在； 浑身不自在；Something isfishy.For example:-There was something fishy in the way he pau

31、sed before answering the question.Used when something is suspicious可疑的，有鬼，蹊跷的，有猫腻的.To be aflyon the wall.For example:-I would love to have been a fly on the wall when the boss was telling him off.To want to be somewhere secretly, so you can overhear what is said.“墙上的苍蝇”指在不被人注意的情况下随意观察局势的一种状态。现在，这个表达多用于指代“观察型纪录片”，此类纪录片一般如实反应片中人物的真实生活，不会因为拍摄而影响人物的行为To be as sly as afox.For exam