This saying comes from the Greek myth Troy. The all-powerful warrior Achilles had one weak spot, his heel. When an arrow hit Achilles in his heel, he died from it. Today, it means a fatal weakness that a person has, regardless of how powerful he or she is.
When something applies to everyone equally. For example, when there’s a pay raise that increase wages for everyone by 10 per cent it's happening " across the board."
看看这两天报纸上怎么出现的：
“Dalton McGuinty was elected by promising to reduce tuition fees, and students are calling for him to keep his promise and turn this grant into an across-the-board fee reduction,” said Krisna Saravanamuttu, Ontario Representative of the CFS.
An "Adam's apple" is the bump on a man’s neck that sticks out and is something girls don’t have. It’s named after the Biblical story of forbidden fruit — apple, of course — that got stuck in Adam’s throat after Eve gave it to him in the Garden of Eden.
When a bad situation is made even worse, it "adding insult to injury." An example would be when someone loses their job and then his or her car runs out of gas when driving home, making a bad situation even worse.
When someone isn’t calling you back, your computer isn’t working and you need to file a story on deadline, it's safe to say that all just hell broke loose.
Ok, let me sum up and translate into Mandarin:
1. Achilles’ heel （阿基里斯的脚跟） 意思“死穴” “致命弱点”
2. Across the board 适用于所有的人
3. Actions speak louder than words 事实胜于雄辩
4. Adam’s apple 男人的喉结
5. Add insult to injury 雪上加霜，更糟糕的是
6.All hell breaks loose 倒霉事都赶一起了
Doing all the tasks associated with a job, even if they are complicated and detailed, are considered being "all in a day's work" when you've completed them.
The "American dream" is the reason why so many immigrants come to North America. The United States especially prides itself as a democratic place where people have the right to good education, freedom, peace and a rich life — if they work for it.
This phrase describes someone who doesn’t forget anything, despite how long ago something happened. The phrase comes from researchers who discovered that elephants always follow the same path to their burial place, even passing on directions to younger generations.
In a movie, for example, when an actor is carrying lots of knives, guns and other weaponry on his or her persons, it's safe to say he or she is "armed to the teeth."
This phrase could be used to describe someone who can’t change their nature. "A leopard can't change its spots" could be used to describe a co-worker who’s always been mean and won't change.
All in a day’s work：事无巨细全搞定
American dream：美国梦
An elephant never forgets：永不忘记
Apple of one’s eye：眼里出西施
Armed to the teeth ：全副武装
A leopard can’t change its spots：恶习难改
In a movie, for example, when an actor is carrying lots of knives, guns and other weaponry on his or her persons, it's safe to say he or she is "armed to the teeth."
lamjin 发表于 2012-1-4 10:13
13. A little bird told me
When you know a secret, but don’t want to say who told you that secret, you’d use the cliché "a little bird told me" to protect the source.
发表于 2012-1-1 11:33:31
楼主
发表于 2012-1-3 04:05:42
