-- Can you come over for dinner tonight? (今天晚上来吃饭好吗？)
-- I’m up to my ears in work, so I’ll have to take a rain check.(我工作很忙，改日吧。)
2) lost count 弄不清楚
-- Ever since your girlfriend moved to Bridgeport, you are always driving there. How many trips a week do you make anyway?(自从你的女友搬到Bridgeport，你老是开车去看她。一周去几次啊？)
--I have lost count, but I can do it with my eyes closed.(搞不清楚了，但我闭着眼也能摸过去。)
3) be in another world 精神恍惚；魂不守舍
-- Pete’s really out of it these days.(Pete 这几天有点心不在焉。)
-- Yeah, I know. Ever since he met Ann, he’s been in another world.(我同意。自从他遇见Ann, 他就魂不守舍了。)
4) make yourself at home 随意，随便
-- Do you mind if I take off my jacket?(你介意我脱下夹克吗？)
-- Of course not, make yourself at home.(当然不介意，随意一点！)
5) save your breath 省口气吧；别白费口舌了
-- Hey? John! John!(嘿，John! John!)
-- Save your breath. He"s out of earshot.(省口气吧。他已经听不到了。)
6) make sense 有意义，理解
-- The plot of that movie is hard to follow.(那部电影的情节很难跟得上。)
-- It makes more sense the second time.(再看一遍就理解了。)
7) cost sb. an arm and a leg 非常昂贵
--Did you see the diamond ring Bill gave to Linda?(你看到Bill送给Linda的钻戒了吗？)
--I sure did. It must have cost him an arm and a leg.(当然了。那一定很昂贵。)
8) burn a hole in one’s pocket 很快地被花光
--Have you saved enough to buy that new printer for your computer yet? (你攒足钱给你的电脑买一台新打印机了吗？)
--You know money seems to be burning a hole in my pocket lately . Maybe next month. (这几个月我花钱如流水。也许下个月吧。)
9)fill one’s shoes 很好地顶替；令人满意地替代
--Have you heard that Professor Jones is retiring? (你听说Jones教授要退休了吗？)
--Yes. The faculty won’t find anyone to fill her shoes. (是的。学校将很难找到合适的人来代替她。)
10)is ice cold 表示理所当然
--Does Prof. Ford always come to class? (Ford教授总是来上课吗？)
--Is ice cold? (当然了。)
11)like apples and oranges 用来表示无法相比的事物
--Which game do you think is more difficult to learn, chess or bridge? (你认为桥牌和象棋哪个更难学?)
--They are like apples and oranges. (它俩没法比较。)
12)look for a needle in a hay stack 大海捞针
--We are supposed to meet John here at the train station. (我们要在火车站接John。)
--That’s like looking for a needle in a hay stack . (那可真是大海捞针。)
13)lose one’s train of 忘记
--When you interrupted me, you made me lose my train of thought. (你打断了我的思考，我忘记我在想什么了。)
14)meet each other half way 相互妥协，让步
--My chemistry project is in trouble because my partner and I had totally different ideas about how to proceed. (我的化学课题出问题了。在进展问题上，我与我的合作者意见完全不同。)
--You should try to meet each other half way. (你们应该相互妥协。)
15)on the dot 准时；正点
--Did you and Amanda really meet exactly five minutes to two in front of the theatre? (你和Amanda确实在差5分两点的时候到达剧院门口了吗？)
--Yes, we were both there on the dot. (是的，我俩都准点到达。)
16)once and for all 最后一次；干脆
--I am going to tell that neighbor of mine to turn down that music once and for all.(我要最后一次告诉我那个邻居把音乐声关小。)
--I see why you are angry. But I’ve always found that the polite route is the most effective. (我明白你为什么恼火。但我总觉得礼貌的方式是最有效的。)
17)out of earshot 不在听力所及范围
--Hey? John! John! (嗨! John! John! )
--Save your breath. He’s out of earshot. (省口气吧，他听不见。)
18)out of this world 非常好
--Have you tried Susan’s apple pie? (你试过Susan的苹果派吗？)
--I got the last piece. And it was out of this world. (我拿到最后一块。好吃极了。)
19)play by ear 随机应变，视情形而定
--Marty, are you doing anything special for your presentation in political science tomorrow? (Marty，你在为明天的政治学演讲准备与众不同的材料吗？)
--Not really, because the class so often turns into a discussion, I’ve decided to play it by ear. (不。那门课常常最后变成讨论。我决定视情形而定。)
20) ring a bell 令人想起某件事；听起来耳熟
--That name just doesn’t ring a bell with me. (那个名字我一点也不熟。)
