feather

　　be spitting feathers 非常愤怒，口渴，

　　Len was spitting feathers when he saw some vandal had done ton his new car .feather-bed  His mother has feather-bedded him.

　　feather-brained 溺爱，

　　They had some feather-brained scheme.

　　feather-friend 鸟，

　　We mustn’t forget to put out food for our feathered friends in frosty weather.

　　feather in one’s cap 某人的卓越成就，荣誉标志，

　　He was the final feather in his cap after years of dedicated service to the community.

　　feather one’s nest 营私，肥己，

　　The Chairman is taking money out of the company to feather his own nest.

　　in fine feather 情绪极好，身体健康，

　　You’re in fine feather this morning.

　　make the feather fly 引起骚动，争斗，

　　That will make the feather fly!

　　show the white feather 显示懦弱，

　　The challenger showed the white feather.

　　smooth somebody (ruffled) feathers 冷静下来，

　　I smoothed her ruffled feathers.

　　you could have knocked me down with a feather 使我十分震惊，

　　You could have knocked me down with a feather when I knew this.

fish

　　big fish 大人物，

　　The boss shows some big fish around the factory.

　　big fish in a small pond 井底之蛙，小地方的要人，

　　He’s only a big fish in a small pond.

　　cold fish 冷冰冰的人，

　　Sue is a cold fish.

　　feed the fishes 葬身鱼腹，

　　If you fall overboard, you’ll end up feeding the fishes.

　　fish for compliments 寻找别人恭维，

　　The new girl is always fishing for compliments when she talks to the men.

　　fish in troubled waters 混水摸鱼，

　　He fishes in the troubled waters of marital strife.

　　fish out 捞出，把鱼捕尽，

　　She fished out a purse from her pocket.

　　have other fish to fry 另有它图，

　　I’ve got plenty of other fish to fry.

　　like a fish out of water 如鱼离水，

　　I feel like a fish out of water.

　　neither fish nor fowl 不伦不类，

　　This fellow is neither fish nor fowl.

　　(fine/pretty) kettle fish 一团糟，

　　You are going to be prosecuted for careless driving, that’s a fine kettle of fish.

　　queer fish 怪人，

　　John’s a queer fish, he nearly always wears odd socks.

　　small fish 小人物，

　　I’m only a small fish.

　　smell something fishy 可疑，

　　He said he was ill, but I smell something fishy.

　　there are plenty more fish in the sea 有水何患无鱼，碰到的人多得很，

　　My boyfriend and I have split up but I don’t care—there’s plenty more fish in the sea.

fowl

　　dress a fowl 把家禽去毛开膛，

　　Very few women today know how to dress a fowl.

fox

　　be foxed 使迷惑，

　　The crossword puzzle usually foxed me.

　　cunning as a fox 非常狡猾，

　　He’s as cunning as a fox and will try to take advantage of you.

　　old/sly fox 老奸巨滑，

　　You old fox, you talked her into selling the car for much less than it’s worth.

frog

　　frog in the throat 轻咽喉炎，

　　I’ve got frog in my throat this morning.

　　frog march 蛙式押送，

　　The landlord frog marched him out the door.

goat

　　act/play the goat 干蠢事，

　　Glen is always acting the goat.

　　get somebody’s goat 使某人恼怒，

　　His way gets my goat.

　　sort out/separate the sheep from the goat 区分合格与不合格者，

　　That should sort out the sheep from the goat.

goose

　　goose flesh/pimple 鸡皮疙瘩，

　　Merely the thought of holding a snake makes me come out in goose flesh.

　　kill the goose that lays the golden egg 杀鸡取卵，

　　We don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

　　say “boo” to a goose 吓唬某人，

　　The boss wouldn’t say “boo” to a goose.

　　what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. 对别人怎样，对自己也怎样，

　　He is a man what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

　　(to be continued)

hare

　　hare-brained 愚蠢的，轻率的，

　　Whose hare-brained idea was it to padlock the fire exits?

　　mad as a March hare 非常疯狂，

　　He must be as mad as a March hare.

　　run with the hare and hunt with the hounds 两面讨好，

　　You can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

hen

　　hen-party 女人聚会，

　　She has invited all her girlfriends to a hen-party on Friday night.

　　hen-pecked 惧内的，

　　He’s hen-pecked from morning to night.

　　like a hen with one (only) chicken 大惊小怪的，

　　She’s like a hen with only one chicken.

　　mother hen （忙乱、小题大做的）女人，

　　She fusses over them like a mother hen.

　　horse talk horse 吹牛

ivory

　　ivory tower 象牙塔，

　　Academics in their ivory towers have no idea what it is like to earn one’s living.

kid

　　kid’s stuff 容易，

　　This crossword puzzle is kid’s stuff for him.

　　with kid gloves 非常柔顺的，

　　You have to learn to handle her with kid glove,

　　you’re kidding! 我不相信你！

lamb

　　go like a lamb (to the slaughter) 逆来顺受地干某事，

　　There goes Jones to the headmaster’s study like a lamb to the slaughter.

　　one might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb 明知要受处罚，索性干完坏事，彻底享受一番，

　　I  ‘ll have another drink, I might be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

　　mutton dressed up as lamb 作年轻妇女打扮的老年妇女，

　　In a better light I realized she was mutton dressed up as lamb.

leopard

　　a leopard never changes its spots. 本性难易，

lion

　　as brave as a lion 非常勇敢，

　　My young daughter is as brave as a lion and will tackle any of the boys.

　　beard the lion in his den 面对上司，权势，

　　I must beard the lion in his den and go and ask the boss for a day off next week.

　　lion-hunter 巴结权势，名人，

　　He is a typical lion-hunter.

　　lion’s share 其大作用，最大份额，

　　I found myself doing the lion’s share of the work.

　　put one’s head in the lion’s mouth 处于危险境地，

　　I’ll have to put my head in the lion’s mouth.

　　throw somebody to the lions （为保全自己）而使他人处于危险境地，

　　He warned me that if I make a mistake she’ll throw me to the lions.

　　twist the lion’s tail 触犯英国，

　　France seems to use many EEC meetings merely to twist the lion’s tail.