1.Brainchild of someone 某人的主意
大家已经知道，brain是指脑子，child就是孩子的意思。在日常使用中，brain和child这两个字合在一起的意思就是：脑子里产生的一个想法。
For example:
lbs应用
The electric light bulb is the brainchild of Thomas Edison, the telephone is the brainchild of Alexander Graham Bell, two 19th-century American inventors.
电灯泡是爱迪生发明的，电话是贝尔发明的。这两人都是美国十九世纪的发明家。
Brainchild不一定非得是那些伟大发明家的发明创造。一般人都会有brainchild。
For example:
To t up a foundation in our college to help poor students was the brainchild of our sociology professor.
在我们学校里成立一个帮助贫困学生的基金会，这是我们社会学教授想出来的主意。
所以，brainchild不仅可以指某人的“发明”，也可以指某人“想出来的主意，脑子里的想法”。
2.Does it ring any bells? 记得吗？
李华和Larry正在超级市场买菜，同时还讨论着下周末去打网球的事情。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, does the name "Laura Wilson" ring any bells for you?
反问和设问有什么区别LH：Laura Wilson？不是那个上星期我们在网球场上碰到的那个金发女孩嘛？她为什么要为
我打铃呀？她和打铃有什么关系？
LL：Oh, no! If someone asks you if something "rings a bell," then he is asking if you remember it. I just got a phone message from Laura Wilson and I can't remember who she is.
LH: Larry，你年纪轻轻，怎么那么健忘！Laura Wilson上星期在网球场上还跟我们说她准备
去当职业网球手。
LL: Oh, now I remember who she is. Once you mentioned her plan to be a professional tennis player, then her name rang a bell with me.
LH: Larry, to ring a bell这个说法很有意思。你刚才问我，Laura的名字有没有ring a bell，就是在问我记不记得Laura。那也就是说，要是我记得的话，那我脑子里就会个铃声。
LL: It's a very vivid expression and easy to remember. Right?
LH: 对，我们和她说好下个周末一起打网球，你还记得吗？Does that ring a bell?
LL: Yeah, that rings a bell. What time were we suppod to meet her?
LH: 我记得我们约好了下午4点种在网球场碰面的。
LL: That rings a bell, too. I had better write that down so that I don't forget again.
LH: Larry, 这个星期五是2月11号，怎么样，那是什么日子啊？Does that ring a bell?
LL: It rings a bell, but I'm not sure why. Could you refresh my memory?
LH: Larry! 我真不敢相信你居然忘记了！
LL: I'm just kidding, Li Hua. Of cour, I remember that Friday is your birthday.
3.Hor around 闹着玩儿
今天Larry和Li Hua在商店里给朋友买生日礼物。
LH: 哎哟，Larry, 你看那边那两个小男孩在打架呢。他们家大人怎么也不管呐？
LL: Oh, don't worry, they're just horsing around. They won't hurt each other.
LH: 你要我别担心，说他们只是在horsing around，HORSE这个词在英文里不是"马"吗？LL: Yes, in "hor around", "hor" is ud as a verb, "to hor around" means "to play or joke
with someone". Tho two kids were just playing, they were horsing around.
LH: 噢，hor在这里是用作动词，to hor around意思是"和别人开玩笑、闹着玩儿"。Larry, 你是说那两个男孩儿是在闹着玩儿啊！
LL: Hey! Why did you punch me in the arm?
LH: I'm just horsing around! 嘿Larry, 这个horsing around还可以用在什么地方呢？
LL: Well, sometimes it means the same as "just kidding" or "just joking." Hey, Li Hua, you have something on
拜纳姆
LH: 什么？我衣服上沾了东西啊？在哪儿呢？我怎么看不见呢？
LL: That's becau I'm just horsing around. There isn't anything on your shirt. I just wanted to e
if you would look.
LH: 噢，原来你又在跟我开玩笑啊。这么说，和别人开玩笑或者是恶作剧，也可以算是horsing around. Hey, Larry, 你看你的鞋带松了。
LL: Nice try, Li Hua, but I know you're just horsing around.
LH: 哎哟，我们别光顾开玩笑了，赶快给我朋友挑挑生日礼物吧！
LL: Hey, how about this shirt?
LH: What?! 这衬衫多难看呀！You must be horsing around.
4.2009年十大网络流行语英文版
Top 10 Internet catchphras of 2009
不差钱
Money is not a problem
哥抽的不是烟，是寂寞！
What brother is smoking is not a cigarette, but loneliness!
贾君鹏你妈妈喊你回家吃饭！
Jia Junpeng, your mother wants you to go home to have some food.
人生就像茶几，上面摆满了杯具。
Life is like a tea table, with bitter cups placed all over it.
不要迷恋哥，哥只是个传说。
Don't be obsd with brother. He is only a legend.
人情债，我肉偿了！
My debts of gratitude have been repaid with my body!
你有什么不开心的？说出来让大家开心一下。
What makes you unhappy? Tell us to make us happy.
你out了！
You are left behind the times.
雷锋做好事不留名，但把每一件事情都记到日记里。
Lei Feng does good without eking recognition, but he records everything in his diary.
这事儿不能说太细。
It cannot be explained in detail.
5.Go off on someone 对某人大发脾气
李华刚下课，走出课堂就碰上Larry。
LH: Hey, Larry. 你刚下课啊？对了，我刚好要问你，今天你有没有见到Dave？
朱陈村LL: Dave? No, I haven't en him anywhere since professor Jones went off on him yesterday morning.
LH: Jones教授对Dave怎么啦？你说他went off on Dave? 那是什么意思呢？
LL: To go off on someone means to suddenly get very angry at someone. "To go off" can mean "to explode"- for instance, something like a bomb or a gun can go off.
LH: 噢，to go off on someone就是突然对某人大发脾气，就好像炸弹爆炸，枪支开火那样。
那Jones教授为什么突然对Dave大发脾气呢？
LL: Dave asked Professor Jones if he could turn in a paper a few days late, and Professor Jones just went off on him.
LH: Dave 怎么经常要求晚几天交报告呐？唉，也难怪Jones教授要go off on him对他发脾气了。Larry，你再给我举几个go off on someone的例子吧！
LL: Hmm, let me think. I remember when I was in Beijing I tried to pay a taxi driver, and he went
off on me for veral minutes. I had no idea why he was so angry. It turned out, what I gave him was a counterfeit note.
LH: 你给出租车司机假钞票，那他当然要对你大发脾气咯！
LL: Li Hua, have you ever gone off on someone here in the US?
LH: 我啊，我英文还不是很好，轻易不敢和人吵架。我只有对我过去那个同屋发了好几次脾
气，因为她实在太脏，而且还想偷偷搬出去，就是为了想赖掉一个月的房租呢！
LL: She tried to cheat you out of a month's rent? If my roommate did that, I wouldn't just go off
on him, I'd take him to court!
6.I have a bad vibe ([vaib] n. 气氛，氛围) 我有种不祥的预
感
Larry和李华在教室里等Jones教授把改完的考卷发下来。
LL: Li Hua, I have a very bad vibe about this test.
糯米粉可以做什么好吃的
LH: 你觉得你考得怎么样？bad vibe是什么意思啊？
LL: A vibe is a feeling. Since I don't think I did very well on this test, I have a bad vibe about the grade I am going to get.
LH: 噢，vibe就是一种感觉，你觉得你这次考试考得不好，所以有种不祥之兆，也就是你所
谓的bad vibe。
LL: (Gets test back) Ooh. You e, my bad vibe was right. I got a C.
LH: 嗨，C不算太糟啦，这门课很困难，而且琼斯教授批分数一贯都很严。
LL: Yeah, I actually had a bad vibe about this cour before the class ever started. Some of my friends told me it was difficult and I'd have to work hard.
LH：其实我在上这门课之前也有点担心，因为上过这课的人都说很难，要下很多功夫。
LL：So, what did you get?
LH: 嗯，我得到了A。这次考试算是不错，不过我很担心下星期要交的那份报告。I have a bad vibe ab
out that paper.
LL: Why do you have a bad vibe about the paper?
LH: 因为我觉得用英文写报告是最难的。英文不是我的母语，每次写完英文报告，我总觉得
好像有很多不通顺的地方。
LL: Li Hua, you can always ask me or another student to look over your paper before your turn it in. I am sure you'll do fine. About that, I have a good vibe.
LH: 真的？Larry，你愿意修改我的报告？你真好，谢谢你。
LL: Uh-oh. I have a bad vibe about the look Professor Jones is giving us right now.
LH: 对，嘘，琼斯教授在看我们了，别说了，下课后再聊吧。
7.Peaches and cream 完美无缺
大家知道peaches就是桃子，cream是指奶油。Peaches and cream的意思是：一切都很美好。有人可能会问：桃子和奶油有什么关系呢？这是因为美国人在吃水果时往往喜欢把水果
切成块，然后加一点奶油一起吃。实际上，美国人吃很多东西都喜欢和奶油一起吃。所以，
peaches and cream就意味着完美无缺。请看下面这个例子：
例句: Sally and Joe had a big fight last week, but they've made up and now everything is peaches and cream again.
沙莉和乔伊上星期大吵了一场。可是，后来他们互相谈开了，现在他们又和好如初了。
Peaches and cream还可以形容一个年轻少女容光焕发的面孔。
For example:
活性氢水
Peter's sister is a lovely girl. She has a real peaches and cream complexion, soft and white as milk and a touch of pink like a fresh ripe peach.
比德的妹妹是一个可爱的女孩。她的皮肤真是完美无缺，柔软洁白得像牛奶，还透露出一点像成熟了的新鲜桃子的粉色。
8.Lick the habit 戒除恶习
大家一定知道lick是舔，但是在习惯用语里它的意思可以大不相同，首先它有克服，制伏的
意思。例如在这个习惯用语里: lick the habit。Habit是习惯，所以lick the habit意思想必是克服或者戒除这个习惯。
我们来看一个典型的例子。说话的人刚看完医生回家。医生告诉他他的血压在升高，慢性咳嗽也更严重了，所以嘱咐他一定得戒烟，因为抽烟显然损害了他的健康。现在他正向太太传达医生的指示。
Honey, I know I've tried to stop before. And I didn't have the willpower to stop for more than a
month or two. But this time I'm going to lick the habit even if it kills me!
亲爱的，我知道我以前也试过戒烟，却从来没有坚强的意志足以坚持到一两个月以上，但是
这一次我是拼了命也得把烟戒了。
这里lick the habit意思是克制戒除这习惯。太阳颂
9.Name-calling 谩骂
Name-calling如果按照字面来解释就是指名道姓，但是在英文中这个说法还另有意思。它说
的是拿各种各样带有侮辱意味的名字来称呼某人。人们在和人争吵时会这样谩骂对方，所以name-calling在英文中的意思是谩骂。
For example:
There was more name-calling in the campaign for nator than I ever heard before. If you believed all the nasty names they called each other, you wouldn't vote for either one.
在那次参议员竞选中相互谩骂之多是我闻所未闻的。如果你对他们那些污蔑对方的话信以为真，那么你就谁的票也不会投了。
这里的name-calling意思是“谩骂”。
又如：
The debate was marred by a brief lap into unpleasant name-calling.
因出现几句谩骂，辩论会不欢而散
10.L et's play it by ear 看情况吧
Larry和李华在商量下星期三有没有时间去听爵士音乐。
LH: Larry, 我看到一张爵士音乐会的海报。我很想去。怎么样，你下星期三有没有空去听呢？LL: I don't know. I have veral papers due next week and I'm not sure if I'll have time. Let's play it by ear, okay?
LH: 哇，你下星期得交好几份报告啊？那肯定没有空了。哎，你刚才说：Let's play it by ear。你想玩什么啊？玩耳朵？
LL: No! "To play something by ear" is to wait and e if something is possible and to be flexible rather than t any firm plans.
LH: 噢，play something by ear就是想做一件事，可是又不能确定是否可能，只好到时候看情况再说，就像中文里说的“看情况而定”！
LL: Right. I just can't make any definite plans right now, so I prefer to play it by ear.
LH: 所以你刚才的意思是，你要再等等看能不能及时写完报告，然后才能确定能不能去音乐会！对了，你不是答应我下星期六去博物馆吗？你还能去吗？
LL: Oh, I forgot that I promid to go with you. Can we play that by ear, too?
LH: 你怎么把答应我的事都给忘了！我特别想去那个博物馆！你不能去也得早告诉我吗！
LL: Just becau I want to play it by ear doesn't mean that we definitely won't go. It just means
that I'm not certain.
LH: Larry，下回你要约我上那儿去，我也学你说：Let's play it by ear, 到时候再说！
LL: That's not fair, Li Hua. It's not my fault that I can't make any definite plans becau I have so much work to do.
两次人流
LH: 好啦，说真的，这也不是你的错。那我们也只好看情况再说了！
LL: All right, I'll call you the day before the concert to let you know if we should get tickets, okay? LH：到音乐会前一天再告诉我，那还买得到票呀！Let's play it by ear!
11.24-7 全天候、随时
Michael和李华正在尽情享受这星期才开始的假期。今天他们去参加了一个音乐会。
L: Michael，这音乐会真不错，就是太长了。我啊快要饿死了！快去找个地方吃东西吧！
M: Alright. There's a cafe on the corner over there, I think it's open 24-7.
L: 对，前面就有家咖啡馆。你说那个cafe 24-7, 24-7是什么意思呀？
M: I said it's open 24-7. You know the number 24, and ven, right? 24-7 means it is open all the time.
L: 我知道了！就是说一天二十四小时，一个星期七天它都开门。对不对？
M: You've got it! In the U.S. a lot of small diners, convenience stores and gas stations are open
24-7.
L: 对，我看到一些小饭馆，还有一些杂货店还有加油站，他们都是二十四小时营业的。Michael, 那24-7是不是只能用在商店哪？
M: Not at all! It can be ud for anything. For instance, Li Hua, if you ever have an emergency, you can call me any time, 24-7.
L: 噢，24-7可以用在任何场合。你说要是我遇到紧急情况，可以在任何时候打电话给你。Michael, 你真是太好了。不过，我想我可能会先打911。
M: Yeah, that's probably a better idea. 911 operates 24-7. Li Hua, can you u this phra now?
L: 让我想想。有了。期终考试前，我肯定很多人为了准备考试，交报告晚上开夜车，所以
可以说：Many students worked 24-7 before the finals. 对不对？
M: You're right. I was also up 24-7 studying and writing before the finals.
L: 那最后一个礼拜真够呛。现在总算轻松了。
M: That's right! Woo Hoo! Hey, after we eat, let's go dancing somewhere.
L: Michael，你还没有玩够呀！
M: Now that we are on vacation, I'm ready to party 24-7!
12.T o talk through one's hat 胡说八道
To talk through one's hat这个俗语的意思就是：说话的人自己根本不懂，所以他的话实际上
是胡说八道。这个俗语是出自两百年前的一次总统竞选。在1888年，纽约的一家报纸登了
一幅漫画，讽刺当时正在竞选总统的本杰明·哈里森。哈里森经常戴一顶很高的帽子，所以
漫画家把他的帽子画得很大，连他的脸都给遮住了。漫画下面的注解说，当哈里森发表竞选
演说的时候，他是通过他的帽子向听众说话的，也就是他是在胡说八道。尽管如此，哈里森
还是在那次竞选中当选为美国总统。下面我们就to talk through one's hat来举一个例子：
例句: Anybody who says we can balance the budget without raising taxes is just talking through
his hat.
谁要是说我们能够在不提高税收的情况下使预算平衡的话，那真是胡说八道。
我们再来看个例子吧：
例句: Hey, don't listen to that guy. He's talking through his hat when he tells people that two-headed men from Mars have landed a spaceship near Washington and the government is keeping it cret.
喂，你别听那家伙的话。他告诉别人说，有些长两个头的人从火星乘一架宇宙飞船来到华盛
顿附近，而政府把这件事掩盖起来，不让公众知道。这人简直是在胡说八道。
