- A sitting duck
Ý nghĩa: Người hoặc vật ở vị trí hiểm yếu dễ bị tấn công hoặc bị thương.
Ex: I felt like a sitting duck when my car broke down in a dangerous neighborhood, waiting to be stolen.
- As Poor as a Church Mouse
Ý nghĩa: Rất nghèo.
Ex: We were both as poor as church mouse when we married, and we had to live with my husband’s parents.
- Back the Wrong Horse
Ý nghĩa: Để hỗ trợ bên thua cuộc
Ex: In supporting Jones for the position, I believe we are backing the wrong horse. The employer appears to have decided to hire Sanchez.
- Dark Horse
Ý nghĩa: Một ứng cử viên hoặc đối thủ cạnh tranh bất ngờ.
Ex: Two candidates have been fighting one other in advertisements, but a dark horse with a cleaner image has pushed past both of them.
- Elephant in the Room
Ý nghĩa: Một vấn đề lớn mà không ai đề cập hay nói tới.
Ex: We’re coming up with all these fantastic ideas and acting like we can put them into action, but the elephant in the room is financing. That is something we haven’t dealt with at all.
- Flat Out Like a Lizard Drinking
Ý nghĩa: Rất bận.
Ex: For the first several weeks on the job, I’ll be flat out like a lizard drinking.
- Get One’s Ducks in a Row
Ý nghĩa: Có mọi thứ được tổ chức, vào nếp; tổ chức bản thân
Ex: Please accept my apologies for the flood of communications. I’m just trying to get my ducks in a row before I leave on vacation.
- Get Someone’s Goat
Ý nghĩa: Chọc tức ai đó một cách sâu sắc.
Ex: George’s habit of taking credit for the other work gets my goat.
- Hold Your Horses (generally excl.)
Ý nghĩa: Dừng lại; kiềm chế bản thân; đừng quá vui mừng.
Ex: Hold your horses. We don’t even know if we’ll get a raise. You should not begin arranging a lavish trip.
- Lion’s Share
Ý nghĩa: Phần lớn nhất của một cái gì đó.
Ex: If this project succeeds, I’ll get the lion’s share of the credit, but if it doesn’t, I’ll take the brunt of the responsibility.
- Loaded for Bear
Ý nghĩa: Chuẩn bị cho các vấn đề, chuẩn bị tốt cho một thử thách.
Ex: I’m sure the professor will disagree with me, but don’t worry — I’m ready to loaded for bear.
- On a Lark
Ý nghĩa: Tự phát, theo ý thích, cho vui.
Ex: We decided to travel to the coast for the weekend on a lark.
