phantom; mess hall; flutter/punt/wager; like-for-like;

词汇用法: 1. phantom 不告而别, 不辞而别 to disappear without notice from a party; to go 'phantom'. Also can be used as a nickname for people who commonly do this. Hey where'd mike go? Dunno, must have gone phantom. By way of a folk memorial, Harold Hold is recalled in the Australian vernacular expression "do a Harold Holt" (or "do the Harry"), rhyming slang for "do a bolt" meaning "to disappear suddenly and without explanation", although this is usually employed in the context of disappearance from a social gathering rather than a case of presumed death. dip out I. to leave a party or someone's house without them knowing; sneaking out; or just plain leaving. Don't mean to trip out, but bitch, I'm about to dip out. II. (often foll by on) to miss out on or fail to participate in something. He dipped out on the examination. A dip or dipping sauce蘸酱 is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, cut-up raw vegetables, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, and falafel. Unlike other sauces, instead of applying the sauce to the food, the food is typically put, dipped, or added into the dipping sauce (hence the name). 2. mess hall 食堂(dinning room) A building or room used for serving and eating meals, as on an army post. burst someone's bubble Fig. to destroy someone's illusion or delusion; to destroy someone's fantasy. a very happy or successful period of time suddenly ends (usually in past tenses) The economy was booming, then the bubble burst with the stockmarket crash of October 1987. I hate to burst your bubble, but Columbus did not discover Canada. Even if you think I am being foolish, please don't burst my bubble. on the bubble(live on the edge) equally likely to experience either of two results. The Cougars, who looked like they'd definitely be in the tournament a week ago, are suddenly a team on the bubble. Some states will vote for the Democrats, and some are likely to vote for the Republicans, but Arizona is on the bubble. Etymology: based on the idea that something on the surface of a bubble is as likely to roll in one direction as in another. When the cat's away, the mice will play( come out to play) 山中无老, 猴子称大王. Prov. When no one in authority is present, the subordinates can do as they please. When the teacher left for a few minutes, the children nearly wrecked the classroom. When the cat's away, the mice will play. Jill: You shouldn't be reading a novel at your desk. Jane: But the boss isn't here. And when the cat's away, the mice will play. 3. smidgen A very small quantity or portion; a bit or mite, a very small amount or part: "a smidgen of genius, a sliver of cutting truth" (John Simon). flutter I. 挥动, 舞动. to flap the wings, to wave or cause to wave rapidly; flap. II. Brit informal 名词或者动词 to wager or gamble, bet (a small amount of money). Today is Melbourne Cup, would you have a smidgen of flutter? "Wow, you are almost on your arse, sorry." punt I. Games To lay a bet against the bank, as in roulette. To gamble. Have you put your tips一种隐晦的方式说赌注 on for Melbourne Cup? punter赌博的人 II. n. A kick in which the ball is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground. 4. One of the biggest stars on the E! network, Kim Kardashian, said Monday that she was separating from her husband, Kris Humphries, 72 days after an extravagant, literally made-for-television wedding. Ms. Kardashian cited irreconcilable differences难以调和的矛盾, but some of her fans and detractors sensed a business decision(they sold television rights to the wedding to E! for millions.). like-for-like I. Pertaining to an action which replaces one thing with another of the same type. The soccer coach made a like-for-like substitution, replacing the injured defender with another defensive player. II. (of sales) comparable to the same period in a previous year, at outlets that existed at that period. Like-for-Like Sales 同期比: The comparison of a company's sales over a given period of time to the sales from a different period of time that resulted from the same or similar activities. For example, if a company has $3 million in sales in 2009 from its flagship store, this is compared to its sales from the same flagship store in 2008 and not to any of its satellite stores. Comparing like-for-like sales ignores the effects of expansion or other changes in activities that could distort comparisons from year to year. 以Harvey Norman的新闻为例举例: THE continuing lack of confidence among consumers to spend and the impact of the high dollar has been blamed for a fall of nearly 20 per cent in first quarter pre-tax profits at Harvey Norman. Sales at the retailer's stores in Australia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Ireland and Northern Ireland fell on a like-for-like basis for the three months ended September 30, as each of the local currencies deteriorated in value against the Australian dollar. The biggest effect was felt in euros and British pounds as the regional debt crisis and fears of recession contributed to the weakness. Sales also fell in Australia - by 2.8 per cent on the corresponding period last year - as price deflation and intense competition ate into gross profit margins.