口语高分秘籍：不得不学习的local习语

先上一份中国大陆考生雅思单项成绩分析

从该图中不难发现，写作和听口语是大陆烤鸭们的弱项。写作仅5.3分，口语也很低。我们母语与英语不同的思考方式和结构是一方面，我们能不能用上地道的本地习语也是很重要的一方面。

同咱们大天朝使用的汉语一样，小时候大家是不是捧着成语词典，孜孜不倦的学习用法呢？

那英文中也包含了丰富的成语和习语，它叫做Idioms.

Wiki的解释是：An idiom is a common word orphrase with a culturally understood meaning that differs from what itscomposite words' denotations would suggest.

也就是说习语是native speaker都理解的词或词组，但是它的实际意义却跟它的字面意义是天差地别的，所以学习习语望文生义是万万不可哒~

对习语的了解不仅能够让我们在雅思口语考试中好好的给考官秀一把，还帮助我们更深的了解英语国家的文化~ 所以兔兔今天就来给各位亲爱的烤鸭们科普啦！~

一：与时间相关的习语.

1. Put the clock back

[字面意思]：把钟表指针向后拨。

[实际意思]: 指行为或观念跟不上时代；按陈旧的规矩办事；老脑筋。

E.g.: You must give university students more freedom. Don’t try to prevent them from falling in love before graduation. You can’t put the clock back！

原来这样简单的词句，也能表达如此确切的意思！

2. Work against the clock

[字面意思]：与钟表的走动比赛。

[实际意思]: 指的是抓紧时间工作，强调不停顿哦~

E.g.: I have to work against the clock to finish my thesis before the holiday finishes. Otherwise my supervisor will not be happy with me.

我们辛勤的烤鸭们还可以这样说哦：I have to work against the clock to pass my IELTS exam. 哈哈，是不是很准确的表达了烤鸭考前的心情！

3. Go like clockwork

[字面意思]：像钟表的机械装置一样运转。

[实际意思]: 指计划、安排、工程或项目等进展顺利，强调有条不紊，没有麻烦。它还有另一种说法：Runlike clockwork.

E.g.: The president is very happy that all our arrangements for the project are going like clockwork. And I am sure we can finish the project in time.

如果part2的话题考到了future plan,something you saved money for这种和计划相关的话题，烤鸭们是可以把go like clockwork运用上去的，表达我们的计划按部就班，进展的非常顺利~

4. After hours

[字面意思]：钟点之后。

[实际意思]: 在规定的下班时间以后，非营业时间。

E.g.: Public houses must not stay open after hours, for if they do, they will have to face sanctions imposed by the government.

这个词其实在我们平常的生活中非常常见，比如After hours GP指的是非营业时间的GP医生~

5. This minute

[字面意思]：这分钟。

[实际意思]: 马上，立刻，立即。

E.g.: What a mess you have made! Your room is like a pigsty! I want you to clean your room this minute!

这应该是每一个妈妈都会说的话~ 意思是你立刻把你的房间给我收拾干净~~~ This minute和right now是一个意思哦~

二：与颜色相关的习语.

6. In black and white

[字面意思]：以黑白形式。

[实际意思]：写在纸上；以书面形式（常指合同或协议等法律文件）；白纸黑字。

E.g.: Business is business; I prefer to have our agreement in black and white.

有木有童鞋理解成为了打印的时候要黑白打印呢？ Anyway, 以后童鞋们签订合同的时候不用愁啦！~ 直接说: I prefer tohave our agreement in black and white.就ok啦~

7. Out of the blue

[字面意思]：来自蓝天；或出自大海。

[实际意思]：突然；没有料到。常跟动词come 连用。

E.g.: The news of his marriage came completely out of the blue.It was only last month that we learnt that he had broken with his girl friend.

在口语考试中，如果能用一个come out of blue代替unexpectedly或者suddenly是绝对能让考官眼前一亮的哦~

8. Come out with flying colors

[字面意思]：出来时彩旗招展。

[实际意思]：非常成功，顺利地度过了难关。变形体：Come off with flying colors. 说明：指战舰凯旋归来驶进港口时彩旗迎风招展的场景。

E.g.: She sat for the IELTS test and came out with flying colors.

没错，说的就是你！~ 雅思考过了吼 ~~

9.Go into the red

Get out of the red

[字面意思]：进入红色/走出红色

[实际意思]：负债，多指负债贷款/偿清债务

E.g.: The bank manager usually does not allow students to go into the red.

E.g.: The Company only needs 500, 000 dollars to get out of the red.

这里的red指的是债务~ 童鞋们是不是又多了一个替换词呢~ 以后pay off the debt可以换成get out of the red啦~

10. Horse of a different color

[字面意思]：颜色不同的马。

[实际意思]：完全是另一码事，另外一回事。变形体:horse of another color（另一种颜色的马）。

E.g.: Gambling is not the same as investing in the shares market. It is a horse of a different color.

赌博和炒股不一样，它完全是另外一回事~ 意思与another matter相同

三：与身体相关的习语.

11. An eye for an eye

[字面意思]：以眼还眼。

[实际意思]：报复，复仇，惩罚。说明：A tooth for atooth 的意思是“以牙还牙”。这两条成语可放在一起用，也可用任何一个，意思一样。

E.g.: She abused him, and he insulted her; an eye for an eye.

这个习语相信大家都是知道的哦~ 因为在我们中文也有对应的~就是以牙还牙，以眼还眼~

12. Face the music

[字面意思]：面对音乐。

[实际意思]：面对批评或惩罚；接受由于自己的行为所造成的不良后果。

E.g.: You should tell your mother what happened and face the music.

小伙伴们千万不要理解为面对音乐哦~ 这样是不make sense的哒~ 如果我们犯了错，就得face the music咯~Orz

13. Have one’s head in the clouds

[字面意思]：把头放在云层里。

[实际意思]：不实际的；不现实的；想入非非。

E.g.: The proposal he made was not feasible; I think he has his head in the clouds.

形容不切实际，这个词组可是绝佳的选择哦~

14. Have one’s heart in one’s mouth

[字面意思]：把心放在自己的嘴里。

[实际意思]：害怕，紧张。

E.g.: I had my heart in my mouth when I checked my IELTS result.

有木有！~有木有！~大家在查雅思成绩的时候心里是不是都非常紧张呢~ 以后口语考试中用have one’s heart in one’s mouth代替nervous,瞬间感觉高大上了有木有！

15. Cost an arm and a leg

[字面意思]：花费一条胳膊和一条腿。

[实际意思]：价格非常昂贵。变形体：Pay an arm and a leg. 两条习语的是一样的哦~

E.g.: These opera tickets cost us an arm and a leg!

不要傻傻的再用expensive这么普通的词了~ Lexical Resource UP UP UP!!!

四：与动物相关的习语.

16. Crocodile tears

[字面意思]：鳄鱼的眼泪。

[实际意思]：假悲哀；不是真心悲哀而流眼泪；猫哭耗子假慈悲。

E.g.: She dropped a few crocodile tears over her husband’s death then got his insurance money and married again two weeks later.

我们中文里面也有鳄鱼的眼泪这种说法哦，形容人假惺惺的掉眼泪~

17. Rain cats and dogs

[字面意思]：（天上）下狗下猫。

[实际意思]：倾盆大雨。说明：英语受北欧文化的影响。在古代北欧神话中，狗象征风，猫象征雨。“猫和狗”象征“狂风暴雨”。

E.g.: It rained cats and dogs yesterday, so we had to cancel the football match.

天上当然不可能下猫下狗啦~ 当然也是不可能下钱的~~~

18. Give someone the bird

[字面意思]：给某人一只鸟。

[实际意思]：(音同拉长的“不”，像是“bullshit”的省略)；给某人喝倒彩。

E.g.: When the actress forgot her lines, the audience gave her the bird.

给某人一只鸟居然是喝倒彩的意思！~小编刚学会的时候，也是惊到了~

19. Kill two birds with one stone

[字面意思]：一块石头打中两只鸟。

[实际意思]：一箭双雕；一举两得。

E.g.: He killed two birds with one stone by having dinner at histutor’s place.

相信这个习语童鞋们都已经知道啦~ 但是能运用的时候记得要用哦~

20. Put on the dog

[字面意思]：把狗带在身上。

[实际意思]：炫耀、摆阔。竭力表现自我，好像自己非常重要、非常富有。但实际并非如此。

E.g.: They put on the dog in front of their guests, but the guests were not impressed.

原来形容别人炫富是这样说的！~ 以后小伙伴们想吐槽的时候不会词穷啦~