01 I beat you to it.
►beat somebody to it:
比某人抢先一步做了某事。
▷I was just about to open some wine but I see you've beaten me to it.
我刚想开瓶酒呢,看来你抢在我前头开了啊。
02 Jimmy stood me up last night.
►stand someone up:
放某人鸽子。爽约。
▷He stood up his date while he played basketball with the guys.
他因为和基友们打篮球,放了女朋友的鸽子。
03 All I want to do is zone out in front of the TV.
►zone out:
指让思想放空,对周遭事物浑然不觉。Zone是区域的意思,zone out相当于思想游离到另一个地方去了……
▷At the end of a long, stressful day, all I want to do is go home and zone out in front of the television.
经过漫长的压力山大的一天,我现在只想回家坐在电视机前发呆。
►in the zone:
相反的,in the zone就是指精力集中,精神状态极佳,尤指运动员、表演者的表现。
▷I love when I'm running on a nice day with my headphones on and I just get in the zone. I feel like I can keep running forever.
我喜欢天气好的时候戴上耳机去跑步,感觉精神状态特别好,好像能永远跑下去。
04 Without further ado, I would like to...
►without further ado [ə'du:]:
闲话少说;进入正题。Ado意思是忙乱、纷扰、麻烦……
▷And so, without further ado, let me introduce you to tonight's speaker.
所以,闲话少说,下面就有请今晚的演讲嘉宾。
05 I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.
►haven't seen the last of (something):
某事物消失了,但你觉得它还会卷土重来,就可以用这个表达。
▷We got rid of the ants in the kitchen, but I bet we haven't seen the last of them.
我们把厨房里的蚂蚁都弄走了,不过我打赌它们还会出现的。
这是一个比较戏剧化的说法,所以常在电视里听到。比如反派被打败了,也许会有这样的台词:
▷You win this time, but you haven't seen the last of me!
这次算你赢!但别以为我就会这么消失!灭哈哈哈……
06 It will come to me.
►it will come to someone:
会想起来的。忘了什么事的时候,可以说这句话。
▷It'll come to you. The minute you stop trying to find it, it will find you.
你会想起来的。你不去费劲去找它的时候,它就会自动出现。
07 We went out of our way to please the visitor.
►go out of one's way:
努力、费尽麻烦做某事。
▷I went out of my way to make sure they were comfortable.
我费尽心力确保他们能住得舒服。
▷We appreciate anything you can do, but don't go out of your way.
你做的一切我们都很感激,但千万别太麻烦自己。
08 Hold on. Just hear me out first.
►hear someone out:
听某人说完他想说的,或者,倾听某一方的说法。
▷Let him talk! Hear him out! Listen to his side!
让他说!听他说完!看看他怎么说!
▷Hear out the witness. Don't jump to conclusions.
我们要所有证人的证词都听一遍,不要武断下结论。
09 So do we have an agreement?
►do we have an agreement:
通常在商定一件事后说的话。对方同意了,就表示讨论的事情就这么定下了。
也可以说:
▷Do we have a deal?
那就这么定了?
▷Do we have an understanding?
我们都很明确对方的想法对吧?
10 Just a heads up.
►a heads up:
给某人提个醒,提前告知一声。“Heads up”说法来自体育运动,在扔球前,让对方抬头,别被砸着。后来广泛用于社交场合。
▷Just a heads up - we're going to have to meet soon.
先跟你说一声,我们很快会见面的。
▷I wanted to give you a heads up that I'll be sending you the revised form for your approval.
我想提前告诉你一下,我一会儿把修改好的表格发给你审核。
11 When's it due?
►due:
通常指交作业、交账单的最后期限。
▷When is this paper due?
论文要什么时候交?
另外,如果due的对象是人,那么意思多半指预产期。
▷When are you due?
你啥时候生?
12 Well, what's done is done!
►what's done is done:|
无法改变的事情,只能将就了。文绉绉一点就是,覆水难收、木已成舟。
▷It's too late to change it now. What's done is done.
现在换已经来不及啦,认了吧。
13 Can you put me up for a few days?
►put someone up:
给某人提供临时住宿。
▷When my in-laws were here we put them up at the Four Seasons.
老婆家的亲戚来的时候,我们安排他们住四季酒店了。
14 I might take you up on that.
►take someone up on something:
接受某人的邀请,或接受某人提出的建议。
▷I took him up on his offer to take me out to dinner.
他邀我约会吃饭,我答应了。
也可以用这个表达来接受某人的打赌挑战。
▷He bet me twenty bucks that I couldn't get a perfect score, and I took him up on it.
他赌20块我考不好,我决定跟他赌一把。
15 I'm keeping my options open.
►keep one's options open:
等待中,尚未做决定。Option是选择、选项。
▷I want to keep my options open, so I didn't sign the contract yet.
我想再等等看,所以还没签合同。
16 You might want to reconsider it.
►you might want to (do something):
建议某人做某事的礼貌说法。适用于各种场合,是对陌生人、同事或亲密的人都可以用的句法。
▷Babe, you might want to trim that beard...
亲爱的,你是不是该修修胡子啦……
▷You might want to spend more time studying and less time playing video games.
你应该多花些时间在学习上,少玩些游戏。
►类似地,告诫对方不要做某事,可以说,you don't want to...
▷You don't want to rush things.
不要操之过急。
17 We've just been catching up with each other.
►catch up with (someone):
朋友之间彼此了解近况。
▷It was so lovely catching up with you.
能和你聊聊近况真开心。
18 There is just no such thing as God.
►There is just no such thing as... :
某种情况是不存在的。
▷There's no such thing as love. It's just fantasy.
根本没有“爱情”这回事。不过是你的幻想而已。
19 I think you need to get your priorities straight.
►get one's priorities straight:
分清主次。Priority [prai'ɔrəti],指优先考虑的事情。
▷Our top priority right now is making sure that everyone is OK.
我们目前的当务之急是确保每个人都无恙。
▷Amazing how fire exposes our priorities.
大火能暴露我们最在意的东西,真神奇。
20 To put it another way, I don't like it.
►to put it another way:
换言之。Put,有表达的意思。
▷You're still very young, Tom. To put it another way, you don't have any idea about what you're getting into.
汤姆,你还太年轻。换句话说,你不知道自己现在正陷入什么。
▷Well, that's one way to put it.
好吧,也可以这么说。
▷The subject matter makes the painting a little, how shall I put it, undesirable for public display.
这幅画的主题有点……该怎么说呢,不大适合展览出来。
21 I get yelled at all the time.
►get yelled at:
字面意思就是被人吼,被人骂。指受到批评、责骂。
▷I got yelled at for not calling.
我没打电话,被骂了。
▷Do you get yelled at a lot in the military?
在部队里会经常被训斥吗?
22 I will check on Jeff while he's not feeling well.
►check (up/in) on something/someone:
查看某人某事的情况,比如监督下属的工作状况、关心病人的病情、留意小孩是否安全等……
▷Go upstairs to check up on the children and make sure they're all asleep.
上楼去看看孩子们睡了没。
▷I just thought I'd check in on you and see how you're doing.
我就是想来看看你好些了没。
23 It happens. Don't worry about it.
►it happens:
糟糕的事情发生时,用来安慰人的说法。相当于说,倒霉的事时常发生,别太在意。粗俗一点,还可以说,shit happens。
▷A: My girlfriend just broke up with me.
我女票跟我掰了……
B: It happens.
节哀顺变。
▷John stepped in a big pile of dog shit, so Tom said "it happens".
约翰踩到狗屎了,汤姆说,踩踩更健康。
24 It's on me.
►it's on me:
我来付账。也可以说,This one's on me.
▷John: Check, please.
你好,结账。
Bill: No, it's on me this time.
别啊,这顿我请。
►商家免费送的商品或服务,可以说on the house.
▷I was the ten thousandth customer, so my dinner was on the house.
我是第一万个客户,所以那顿晚餐就免费了。
▷Here, have a cup of coffee on the house.
免费送您一杯咖啡,请慢用。
25 My computer is acting up again.
►act up
(疾病)发作;(机器)出毛病;(孩子)调皮捣蛋。
▷My left knee acts up in damp weather.
天气一潮我左膝盖就发作。
▷The children have been acting up all evening.
整个晚上孩子们都在调皮捣蛋。
26 Is that a thing?
►(something) is a thing:
很流行很出名,或者人人熟知的某事物,可以叫“a thing”。这是年轻人常用的口语说法,正式场合慎用。
▷A: His ideas are so out-of-the-box. They're boxless!
他脑洞实在太大了,想法好新奇,完全是boxless!
注:out-of-the-box:形容不同寻常的创意想法。
B: "Boxless?" Is that a thing?
Boxless?现在人们都这么说了么?
A: No, I just made it up.
呃,没,我刚瞎编的。
▷Huge, baggy suits were kind of a thing back in those days.
那时候特别流行那种宽宽大大的西装。
27 It doesn't hurt to ask.
►it doesn't hurt to:
做某件事有百利而无一害。
▷It doesn't hurt to have a group of talented, educated people living in your community.
小区里住着一群有才、有教养的人没什么不好的。
28 I'm just looking.
►just looking...
表示随便看看,是购物时遇到推销的导购,最好的回答。
▷-Hi, can I help you?
你好,需要帮忙吗?
-No thanks, I'm just looking!
不用了,谢谢,我就随便看看。