idioms
What is an idiom?
An idiom is an element of a language that possesses a unique way of expression based on its time-honored use.
That is to say, an idiom is a fixed group of words or a single word, or even a sentence, with a special meaning that cannot be guessed from its structure. The meaning of an idiom must be learned as a whole.
The 9 features of English idioms:
1 English idioms can be very short or rather long An Indian summer; 风和日丽的日子 forty winks; 午睡
You never know the worth of water till the well is dry. 井干方知水宝贵
You may take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink. 领马河边易，逼马饮水难。
2 English idioms take different structures. 1) an irregular and illogical structure
In the sentence “ I?m good friends with him”, “Good friends with” is irregular in structure. be good friends with与?交友,和?友好
In the idiom “diamond cut diamond”, “cut” is irregular and illogical form棋逢对手 2) regular structure but meaning is not clear To have a bee in one’s bonnet (软帽),
for instance, has a regular structure, but the meaning is not clear. It means “to have a strange fixed idea about something”.异想天开，有点神经不正常 To give someone the green light 批准；允许
3) both structure and meaning are irregular “To do through thick and thin”
is an example. It means “through both good and bad times” or “in spite of all the difficulties.”在任何情况下;不畏艰难困苦 go great guns 高效地干
3 the idioms which cannot be changed at all are called fixed idioms.
Such as: “A stitch in time saves nine” is a fixed idiom, because no one word can be changed in it. It is not possible to say “ one stitch saves nine,” or “A stitch in time saves eight.” 小洞不补大洞吃苦 To paint the town red 狂欢作乐
To fight shy of something 避免与?正面接触 wear the trousers 掌权当家
At the top of the tree
处于首要地位，占显著地位(特指在本人的行业中)
The idioms are not fixed in all parts are considered partly fixed idioms.
Such as, “to take forty winks” ,we can say “to have forty winks”, or to enjoy forty winks, but we cannot say “fifty” or “eighty winks.小睡一会 Come to a bad/ nasty/ sticky/ no good/ untimely end
To keep a sharp/ careful/ watchful/ professional eye on somebody Come to/ make/ arrive at an agreement 4 an English idiom has a special meaning To rain cats and dogs (to rain very hard)
5 They can be used in colloquial and formal situations
6 English idioms consist of obsolete ['ɑbs?,lit] (old) words Kith and kin 亲戚 To and fro 前前后后
8 English idioms are often created on the basis of alliteration头韵, rhyme押韵, euphony谐音 and repetition重复
Black and blue（淤青）; first and foremost By and by（不久，后来）; little by little A stitch in time saves nine.
Beggars cannot be choosers（饥不择食）. First come first served.
9English idioms represent a semantic unit, though they contain a group of words To make up one?s mind= to decide To go on= to continue To bring up=to educate
8 English idioms are usually made of commonly – used words. They are vivid in usage, brief in structure and profound in meaning To turn up one’s nose at看不起 To fly high有雄心壮志
To cry for the moon想做做不到的事 a bull in a china shop
a bull in a china shop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鲁莽撞的人；卤莽之人 我们举两个例句：
1. We were just about to come to an agreement when John came in like a bull in a china shop. His rough remarks turned everything upside down.
我们正快要谈妥时，约翰像公牛闯进瓷器店似的跑进来，说话粗野，把一切都给搅坏了。 2. The new housemaid is like a bull in a china shop. When she helps in the kitchen, she sometimes breaks a cup, and sometimes knocks dishes off the table.
新来的女佣是个毛手毛脚的人。她在厨房干活的时候，一会儿打碎杯子，一会儿又把桌子上的碟子碰到地上。
idioms
Don't beat a dead horse. 别再做无用之功
buy a pig in a poke
不看清货色就买下来，瞎(或乱)买东西， “poke” means “sack”. idioms
to be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth 天生富贵人家
to make a clean sweep of something 来一个彻底清除的东西 Hit the nail on the head
说得中肯，一针见血；做得恰到好处，击中要害 idioms
to be in the same boat as someone 在同一条船上的人;处境相同 to be in deep waters 陷入困境 to sail under false colors 欺世盗名;挂羊头卖狗肉 cross swords with someone 交锋；争论
to fight a pitched battle 来打一场激战 Bell the cat是一个固定短语，意思是“为了大家的利益承担风险”，这个短语是怎么来的呢？
Bell the cat源自一个故事：有一窝老鼠，因为怕猫，不敢出去找食物。其中有一只老鼠想了一个办法，在猫的脖子上套一个铃铛，这样，他们就可以知道猫在哪里，然后避开它找食物。这个办法得到全体老鼠的一致拥护，但有一个最重要的问题尚未解决：谁去给猫套铃铛呢？也就是：Who will bell the cat? 这个故事的结局怎样，没有明确的说法，但bell the cat这个短语却被人们反复引用，成了习语。
It's quite difficult to get a man who can bell the cat. 很难找到危险时刻能够挺身而出的人了。 Bell the cat Structures: 1.Noun+noun Bag and baggage
adv. 完全地；连同行李地
Part and parcel 重要的部分
A dog in the manger
[口语]占马槽的狗 ，占着茅坑不拉屎的人，(对某物)自己不享用又不让别人享用的人
A hole in the wall [美国俚语] 隧道
狭小黑暗的店铺(或住所等) 2. n.+prep.
High and dry孤立无援 leave sth high and dry 让某事搁浅
Leave Someone High and Dry 把某人丢在一边不管 leave me high and dry 让我陷入困境 3. adj.+adj. high and low
1. 楼上楼下，上上下下，到处
2. 各色人等，高低贵贱的人们，社会各阶层 3. 高低贵贱(的人们) 4. 到处 3. adj.+adj cold war
1. (国家之间通过政治、经济、军事、思想等途径进行的)冷战 2. (两党间的)冷战
3. [C- W-](第二次世界大战后美国等西方国家与苏联间的)冷战 4. adj.+n. 4. adj.+n. a dark horse
实力难测的竞争者；出人意外的获胜者
a pregnant silence 一个意味深长的沉默 4. adj.+n.
green with envy 1. 非常妒忌
2. 妒忌得脸色发青，非常妒忌，充满嫉妒情绪；十分羡慕 wild with joy 欣喜若狂 欢天喜地 5. Adj.+prep. a beaten path
踏出来的(或走惯的)路；常规；普通方法；惯例 a peeping Tom 偷窥狂
6. Participle +n. 7. As … as As ?as 短语
as timid as a rat 胆小如鼠
as timid as a chicken 胆小如鼠
as timid as a hare 胆小如鼠；怯懦如鼠
as timid as a mouse 胆小如鼠；谓胆子小得像老鼠那样 as timid as a rabbit 胆小如鼠；胆小如兔；害羞的 as proud as a peacock：
极骄傲 ；非常高傲 ；不可一世 as easy as ABC （非常容易）
as cool as cucumber （沉着的）
as stubborn as a mule （非常顽强的，倔强的） as clear as crystal （非常透明的）
as poor as a church mouse （非常贫困的） as busy as a bee （非常繁忙的） 7. As … as on purpose
故意地；有意地；有目的地
in all conscience 1. 凭良心；公平地 2. 当然，一定 8. prep. phrase go green
【军事】转为机密电话 come true
1. (希望、理想等)实现；达到
2. (希望、理想等)实现，达到，(预言等)成为事实，应验 9. v.+adj. puff and blow 喘气 气急
push and shove
推推搡搡，连推带挤 10. v.+v.
mix one’s drinks 调配饮料 draw blood