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Most Common American Idioms: Part 54

前言

本文是学习李笑来的Most Common American Idioms这本书的学习笔记，自用。

Github仓库链接：https://github.com/xiaolai/most-common-american-idioms

使用方法: 直接下载下来（或者clone到本地），使用浏览器打开Most_Common_American_Idioms.html文件即可，可以听到例句发音，学习效果很好，推荐给想学习美式俚语的同学。

1061. Something is killing me

“某事正在折磨我” 或 “某事令我非常痛苦”。

这个短语通常用来表达某件事情或一种情况让人感到极大的痛苦或不适，无论是在身体上还是精神上。它强调了事情的严重性，表示那件事情已经超出了可以承受的范围。

This phrase is often used to express that something is causing extreme pain or discomfort, whether physically or mentally. It emphasizes the severity of the situation, indicating that the burden has exceeded bearable limits.

• This headache is killing me.这头痛真要命。

• The suspense of waiting for the results is killing me.等待结果的悬念让我痛苦不堪。

• This deadline is killing me.这个截止日期快把我压垮了。

1062. Something sucks

“某事很糟糕” 或 “某事很差劲”。

这个短语起源于 20 世纪的美国俚语，主要用于表达对某事的不满意或不快感。虽然其确切的起源尚不明确，但该短语开始于比较粗俗的语言表达。在日常生活中，人们习惯用 “sucks” 来形容令人失望或不好的事情。

This phrase originated from American slang in the 20th century, primarily used to express dissatisfaction or unpleasantness about something. Though its exact origin is somewhat unclear, the phrase began as a more vulgar form of expression. In daily life, people often use “sucks” to describe disappointing or unsatisfactory situations.

• This rainy weather really sucks.这鬼天气真糟糕。

• Waiting in long lines at the DMV sucks.在机动车管理局排长队真是糟透了。

• It sucks that we missed the concert.我们错过了音乐会，真是太糟糕了。

1063. Something to crow about

crow： 美 [kroʊ] （雄鸡）啼叫；打鸣

“值得炫耀的事情” 或 “引以为豪的事情”。

这个短语来源于公鸡打鸣的行为，公鸡一大早打鸣显示其存在和力量。同样，人们如果有值得骄傲的事情，也会 “打鸣” 或炫耀来展示自己的成就。因此，“Something to crow about” 用于描述让人感到非常自豪，值得拿出来炫耀的事。

This phrase originates from the behavior of roosters crowing, which they do to announce their presence and strength. Similarly, people who have something to be proud of might “crow” or boast to show off their achievements. Thus, “Something to crow about” is used to describe something that makes one feel very proud and worthy of boasting about.

• Winning the championship is definitely something to crow about.赢得冠军绝对是一件值得炫耀的事情。

• She finally got her degree, and it’s something to crow about.她终于拿到了学位，这的确是一件引以为豪的事情。

• After months of hard work, securing that big client was something to crow about.经过几个月的努力，成功拿下那个大客户的确是一件值得炫耀的事情。

1064. Sour grapes

“酸葡萄” 或 “假装不在乎其实得不到的东西”。

这个短语来自于伊索寓言《狐狸和葡萄》的故事。故事讲的是一只狐狸试图去摘高处的葡萄，但最终未能得手。它于是谎称那些葡萄是酸的，也就是说，并不那么好吃。这个寓言用来描述那些因得不到自己想要的东西而贬低它的人。

This phrase originates from Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes”. In the story, a fox tries to reach some grapes hanging high on a vine but fails after several attempts. The fox then declares that the grapes are sour and not worth eating. This fable is used to describe people who belittle something they cannot have.

• After losing the game, he said it wasn’t worth playing, but that sounded like sour grapes.比赛输了之后他说这个比赛并不值得玩，但这听起来像是酸葡萄心理。

• She called the job boring after not getting it, but it seemed like sour grapes to me.她在没有得到那份工作后说那工作很无聊，但在我看来这显然是酸葡萄心理。

• It’s just sour grapes when he says he didn’t want the promotion anyway.他说他根本就不想升职，这只是酸葡萄心理罢了。

1065. Speak of the devil

“说曹操，曹操到” 或 “说到某人，某人就出现”。

这个短语源于古老的欧洲谚语，“talk of the devil and he is sure to appear”（谈论魔鬼，他必定会出现），后来逐渐演变成了现代的 “speak of the devil”。用来表示刚刚提到某人，这个人就出现了，通常带有轻松和有趣的氛围。

This phrase originates from an old European proverb, “talk of the devil and he is sure to appear”, which has gradually evolved into the modern “speak of the devil”. It’s used to indicate that the person just mentioned has appeared, often carrying a light and humorous tone.

• We were just talking about John, and speak of the devil, here he comes!我们刚刚在谈论约翰，说曹操曹操到，他来了！

• Speak of the devil! I was just about to call you.说曹操曹操到！我正准备给你打电话呢。

• We were discussing her new job, and speak of the devil, she walked in.我们正在讨论她的新工作，说曹操曹操到，她走进来了。

1066. Spice things up

spice：加香料调味；在…中加香料；使更有趣；给…增添趣味

“给事情增添趣味” 或 “让生活更有趣”。

这个俚语字面意思是给食物加点香料，使其更美味。在日常对话中，它用来比喻给某件事情或生活增加一些新鲜的元素或改进方法，使其不再单调和乏味。

This idiom literally means adding spices to food to make it taste better. In everyday conversation, it is used metaphorically to mean adding new elements or making changes to something to make it more interesting or exciting.

• We need to spice things up with some new activities at our next meeting.我们下次会议需要用一些新活动来增添趣味。

• They decided to spice things up in their relationship by traveling together more often.他们决定通过更多一起旅行来为他们的关系增添趣味。

• Adding a dash of unexpected humor can really spice things up in a speech.在演讲中加入一点出人意料的幽默确实能增添趣味。

1067. Spill the beans

“泄漏秘密” 或 “透露真相”。

这个短语的起源尚不十分明确，但最广为接受的解释与古希腊的投票制度有关。在古希腊，投票通常使用不同颜色的豆子进行。如果有人打翻了装豆子的罐子，投票的结果就会被提前泄露。因此，“spill the beans”（打翻豆子）成为了泄露秘密的代名词。

The origin of this phrase is not entirely clear, but the most widely accepted explanation links it to an ancient Greek voting system. In ancient Greece, votes were often cast using different colored beans. If someone knocked over the container holding the beans, the results of the vote would be prematurely revealed. Hence, “spill the beans” became synonymous with revealing secrets.

• He accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.他不小心把关于惊喜派对的秘密泄漏了。

• Don’t spill the beans on the project; it’s confidential.别透露关于这个项目的秘密；这是机密。

• She finally spilled the beans about why she left the company.她最终透露了她离开公司的原因。

1068. Spin doctor

spin：美 [spɪn] 编造；歪曲；

“政治公关” 或 “新闻发言人”。

这个短语起源于政治和公关行业，尤其是指那些专门负责将不利新闻事件或丑闻通过巧妙用词或信息操控得体处理，以改变公众看法、减少负面影响的专业人员。“Spin” 这个词本身在这里代表了扭曲或转变事实、事件的含义。

This phrase originates from the field of politics and public relations, particularly referring to professionals who skillfully manage and manipulate adverse news events or scandals to change public perception and minimize negative impact. The term “spin” here represents the twisting or transforming of facts and events.

• The politician hired a spin doctor to handle the press after the scandal broke.政客在丑闻曝光后雇了一位政治公关来处理媒体。

• Every major company has a spin doctor to manage its public image.每个大公司都有一名新闻发言人来管理其公共形象。

• The CEO’s spin doctor issued a statement to clarify the misunderstanding.总裁的新闻发言人发布了一份声明来澄清误会。

1069. Spineless

spineless：美 [ˈspaɪnləs] 无脊椎的；懦弱的；没有骨气的；

“懦弱的” 或 “没有骨气的”。

这个短语源自 “spineless” 一词，字面意思是 “没有脊椎骨的”。在比喻的意义上，则指代没有勇气、胆怯或缺乏骨气的人。

The idiom comes from the word “spineless,” which literally means “lacking a spine.” Figuratively, it refers to someone who is cowardly, lacks courage, or is without backbone.

• He was too spineless to stand up to his boss.他太懦弱了，不敢与老板对抗。

• Don’t be so spineless when making decisions.做决定时别那么没有骨气。

• She called him spineless for not defending her.她因为他没有为她辩护而称他为懦夫。

1070. Spitting image

“酷似” 或 “一模一样”。

这个短语的来历可以追溯到 17 世纪，最初是 “spit and image” 的缩写，意指某人看起来就像是从某个模具中 “吐出来的” 和那人本身一模一样。它现今用来形容某人外貌与另一人非常相似，就像是一个模子刻出来的。

This idiom originates from the 17th century and is a shortened form of “spit and image,” meaning someone looks as if they were “spat out” of a mold of someone else. It is now used to describe someone who looks very similar to another person, as if they were made from the same mold.

• Tim is the spitting image of his father; they look exactly alike.提姆和他的父亲长得一模一样；他们看起来极为相似。

• She’s the spitting image of her grandmother in that old photo.她在那张旧照片里和她的奶奶长得一模一样。

• Everyone says you are the spitting image of your brother.每个人都说你和你的兄弟长得一模一样。

1071. Splitting hairs

“斤斤计较” 或 “过分在意细节”。

这个短语源自于英文，原意是指把头发从中央劈开的行动，象征着对非常细微不重要的事物进行过度的关注和争论。在日常使用中，“Splitting hairs” 被用来形容某人在琐碎并且无关紧要的细节上过于挑剔和纠缠。

This phrase originates from the English language, where it literally means to split a hair down the middle, symbolizing paying excessive attention to trivial, unimportant details. In everyday usage, “Splitting hairs” is used to describe someone being overly picky and arguing about insignificant points.

• They spent hours splitting hairs over the wording of the contract.他们花了几个小时在合同的措辞上斤斤计较。

• Stop splitting hairs and focus on the big issues.别再斤斤计较了，专注于重要的问题吧。

• Arguing about this minor difference is just splitting hairs.争论这个微小的差别简直就是在斤斤计较。

1072. Spread too thin

“摊得太薄” 或 “分散精力太多”。

这个短语来源于涂抹黄油或果酱时，如果你将其涂抹得太薄，那么整体的口感和体验就会受到影响。借此比喻，如果一个人在太多事情上分散了精力或资源，那么他在每一件事情上的表现可能都会受到影响，无法做好。

This phrase originates from the idea of spreading butter or jam too thinly on a piece of bread, where the overall taste and experience are diminished. By extension, it implies that if someone is involved in too many tasks, their focus and resources are spread too thin to perform well in any single task.

• He’s spread too thin with all his commitments and can’t dedicate enough time to any one project.他有太多的承诺，精力分散，无法专注于任何一个项目。

• If you spread yourself too thin, you won’t be able to give your best effort to any of your tasks.如果你让自己摊得太薄，就无法在任何任务上尽全力。

• She realized she had spread herself too thin by trying to balance work, school, and social life.她意识到自己试图平衡工作、学业和社交生活，从而让自己摊得太薄了。

1073. Square meal

“一顿丰盛的饭” 或 “营养均衡的一餐”。

这个短语最早出现在 19 世纪，被认为是源自航海术语。船上的水手们用方形的餐盘进餐，被称为 “square meal”。后来，引申为一种全面、丰富的餐食。这种表达强调了吃一顿美味且营养的饭的重要性。

This phrase first appeared in the 19th century and is believed to originate from nautical terminology. Sailors on ships used square wooden plates, which were called “square meal”. Over time, it was extended to mean a complete, nourishing meal. This expression highlights the importance of having a tasty and nutritious meal.

• After working all day, he looks forward to having a square meal at home.工作了一整天后，他期待着回家吃一顿丰盛的饭。

• Many people do not get a square meal every day, which is a serious issue.有很多人每天都吃不上营养均衡的饭，这确实是一个严重的问题。

• You can order a square meal from this restaurant’s special menu.你可以从这家餐厅的特别菜单上点一顿丰盛的饭。

1074. Squeaky clean

squeaky：美 [ˈskwiki]

“非常干净” 或 “一尘不染”。

这个短语起源于洗碗或清洁物品时发出的吱吱声，这种声音通常表示物品已经非常干净。在日常生活中，这个短语不仅仅用于描述物理上的干净，还可以用来形容一个人的行为或名誉非常清白，没有污点。

This phrase originates from the squeaky sound that dishes or objects make when they are thoroughly cleaned. In daily life, this phrase is not only used to describe physical cleanliness but also to refer to a person’s behavior or reputation being spotless and without any blemishes.

• After hours of cleaning, my kitchen is now squeaky clean.经过几小时的打扫，我的厨房现在一尘不染。

• He has a squeaky clean record with no criminal history.他有一份无犯罪记录的清白档案。

• She always presents herself as squeaky clean in public.她在公众面前总是表现得非常清白。

1075. Stab someone in the back

stab：美 [stæb] 捅；（用刀等锐器）戳；（用手指或尖物）刺

“在背后捅刀子” 或 “背叛某人”。

这个短语起源于古代战争和犯罪，其中攻击者为了取胜或暗杀，会从背后向对手捅刀子。现代用法则用来形容某人对原本信任他的人背后进行背叛或出卖行为。通常在朋友、同事或商业伙伴之间使用，表示严重的背信弃义。

This phrase originated from ancient wars and crimes where an attacker would stab their opponent in the back to win or assassinate. In contemporary usage, it refers to someone betraying or harming another person who trusted them. It’s typically used between friends, coworkers, or business partners to denote severe acts of betrayal.

• I can’t believe he would stab me in the back after all we’ve been through.我无法相信他在我们经历了这么多之后会在背后捅我一刀。

• She pretended to be my friend, but ended up stabbing me in the back.她假装是我的朋友，但最后却在背后捅了我一刀。

• In the corporate world, you have to be careful of those who will stab you in the back for their own gain.在职场上，你必须提防那些为了自己利益而在背后捅你刀子的人。

1076. Stand my ground

“坚持立场” 或 “坚守立场”。

这个短语起源于军事术语，意指在战斗中士兵不退缩，坚持自己的阵地。不仅如此，它也广泛运用于日常生活中，表示在面对挑战或压力时坚持自己的观点或立场，不轻易屈服或退让。

This phrase originates from a military term, meaning that soldiers do not retreat and hold their position during a battle. It is broadly used in daily life to mean standing by one’s opinion or position firmly when facing challenges or pressure, not easily giving in or retreating.

• Despite the criticism, he decided to stand his ground on the project.尽管面对批评，他决定在这个项目上坚守立场。

• She always stands her ground in arguments, no matter how tough they get.不管争论多么激烈，她总是坚持自己的立场。

• It’s important to stand your ground when negotiating with a difficult client.在与难缠的客户谈判时，坚守立场是非常重要的。

1077. Stay in touch

“保持联系”。

这个短语源自人们常用的表达方式，尤其在电子邮件和电话尚未普及的时候，更加重要。无论是朋友、家人还是同事，这个短语被频繁使用来表达双方希望持续沟通的信息。在现代社会，尽管沟通方式变得越来越多样化和便利，这个短语仍然具有温馨和关心的意味。

This phrase originates from the common way people expressed their desire to remain connected, especially before electronic mails and telephones became prevalent. Whether it was friends, family, or colleagues, the phrase is frequently used to express the mutual hope to keep in touch. In modern society, although communication methods have become more diverse and convenient, this phrase still carries a warm and caring undertone.

• Let’s stay in touch after you move to New York.你搬去纽约以后，让我们保持联系。

• I always make an effort to stay in touch with my old friends from college.我总是努力和大学期间的老朋友保持联系。

• Even though we’ve moved to different cities, we still stay in touch through social media.尽管我们搬到了不同的城市，我们仍通过社交媒体保持联系。

1078. Stay on budget

“控制预算” 或 “按预算行事”。

这个短语起源于财务管理中，意指在计划的预算范围内进行花费或开销。无论是个人、家庭还是企业都需要 “stay on budget” 来确保收支平衡，避免超支。

This phrase originates from financial management, meaning to make expenses or expenditures within the planned budget. Whether it’s for an individual, a family, or a business, “stay on budget” is essential to ensure balance between income and expenses and avoid overspending.

• We need to stay on budget for this project to be profitable.我们需要保持在预算范围内，使这个项目有利可图。

• It’s important to stay on budget during holidays to avoid debt.假日期间保持在预算范围内很重要，以避免债务。

• Families must stay on budget with their monthly expenses.家庭需要在他们的月度开支中保持预算。

1079. Steal someone’s thunder

“抢某人的风头”。

这个短语起源于 17 世纪初，当时英国剧作家约翰·丹尼斯发明了一种在舞台上制造雷声的特殊效果。然而，他的剧并没有成功。后来他发现其他剧院在他们的演出中使用了他的发明，他愤怒地说他们 “偷走了他的雷声”。这个短语逐渐演变为现在的意思，即抢了别人的功劳或风头。

The phrase originates from the early 18th century. British playwright John Dennis invented a method for creating thunder sound effects for his play. When his play failed, he later found other theatres using his sound effect. Furious, he exclaimed they had “stolen his thunder”. The phrase has evolved to mean taking credit for someone else’s idea or glory.

• She announced her engagement at my birthday party, totally stealing my thunder.她在我的生日派对上宣布了她的订婚，完全抢了我的风头。

• When he presented the same idea to the boss, he stole my thunder.当他向老板提出同样的想法时，他抢了我的功劳。

• I didn’t mean to steal your thunder by telling everyone about the project first.我并不是故意在大家面前先提到这个项目来抢你的风头。

1080. Step up your game

“提升你的表现” 或 “加把劲儿”。

这个短语本来与体育相关，通常是教练或运动员用来鼓励团队成员提升他们的表现水平。后来，这个短语被广泛应用于各种场合，指要提高个人或团队在某个领域中的表现，可以是工作、学习、甚至日常生活中的任何一面。

This idiom originates from sports, where coaches or players use it to encourage team members to enhance their performance. Over time, it has been widely used in various contexts, indicating the need to improve one’s performance in a certain area, be it work, study, or any aspect of daily life.

• If you want to get that promotion, you’ll need to step up your game.如果你想获得晋升，你需要提升你的表现。

• Our competitors are getting better, so we have to step up our game.我们的竞争对手变得越来越强，所以我们必须加把劲儿。

• She decided to step up her game in her studies to get into a good college.她决定在学习上加把劲儿，以考上好大学。

后记

2024年12月8日周日21点54分于上海。