shoot for/at something 目标定在, 力求做到, 力求达成 American English informal to try to achieve a particular aim, especially one that is very difficult. We are shooting for a 50% increase in sales in the next financial year. to try to achieve a particular aim. It's worth taking chances when you're shooting for a chance of fame and wealth. The media group is now shooting for annual growth rates of between 8% to 10%. OK, let's shoot for next Wednesday. make (someone's) head spin/swim to confuse or overwhelm someone, to make someone dizzy. To make one feel very dazed, bewildered, or shocked. If you try anything, I'll sue you so fast it'll make your head spin! Looking at all the legal mumbo jumbo in these contracts always makes my head spin. The speed of the day's events made my head spin. somebody's head is spinning (also the room is spinning 天旋地转) if your head or the room is spinning, you feel as if you might faint (=become unconscious) because you are shocked, excited, or drunk I was pouring with sweat, and my head was spinning. The room started to spin. rat on sb/sth to not be loyal to someone, especially by giving away secret information about them, or to fail to do something that you said you would do: He ratted on us. They ratted on the deal. rat somebody out American English informal if someone rats you out, they are disloyal to you, especially by telling someone in authority about something wrong that you have done You can't rat out your teammates.
1. I made the equivalent of 等同于, 相当于 about three bucks an hour. You're talking to a friend about a part-time job that you had when you were younger and lived in a different country. You tell her how much money you made, but it was in a different currency. make (an amount of money) To "make ___" means that you get paid that much for your job. If you say: I make fifty thousand. It means that you get paid 50,000 dollars, euros, yen, or whatever form of money is used in your country. You can tell what the time period is for this amount using "per ___": I make fifty thousand dollars per year. A more casual way of saying the same idea is "make ___ a ___": She only makes ten bucks an hour. the equivalent of (something) Things that are "equivalent" are more or less equal. We use this word to compare things that can't be compared exactly. For example, you can compare the amount of nutrition that's in two different kinds of food: One serving of broccoli is equivalent to two oranges when it comes to Vitamin C. You can use the phrase (do) the equivalent of (something): I probably slept only the equivalent of eight hours during the entire trip. 2. Well, I appreciate your honesty. A friend told you something negative about yourself, but you're glad because now you know how she feels. You say this to her. When you "appreciate" something, it means that you notice it and are thankful for it. You say "I appreciate ___" or "We appreciate ___" when you want to thank someone for their actions. This phrase sounds more clear and explicit than just saying "Thank you for ___". We really appreciate all of your hard work and effort. I appreciate everything you've done for us. You've been so helpful. This is a set phrase that people say when someone tells them something bad. You say this to show that, although you don't like to hear that, you are glad that the person was honest. 3. We have it so easy these days 得来太容易. You're talking to your friend about your grandfather, who was a hard worker and woke up at the crack of dawn every day to work on a farm. You don't think that most people work that hard in the current generation, so you say this. (someone) has it easy This phrase means that someone has an easy life, doesn't have to work hard, doesn't have to suffer, and so on. Older people often say this about younger people who have an easier life than they remember having: You kids have it easy! Back when I was in high school, the teachers all used to carry big paddles around and if we got out of line, they'd whack us with them( whack I. to hit someone or something with a lot of force. I whacked my knee getting out of the car. Some kids were whacking the tree with sticks. He whacked his little sister on the head with a spoon. II. American very informal to charge someone a lot of money. Then they whack us with a 12% hotel tax. ). People don't think of "having it easy" as a very good thing. When you say this about someone, it makes them sound weak and undeserving of all the good things that have happened to them. 4. I'm very sorry that it didn't meet your standards 没达到你的要求. You are a waiter at a nice restaurant. A customer complains that her food wasn't good, but she's already eaten all of it. You want to apologize, but you can't bring her another meal, so you say this to smooth things over. meet (someone's) standards The example at top, "I'm very sorry that it didn't meet your standards," means "I'm very sorry that it wasn't good enough for you." To meet someone's standards means to be good enough for them. Your "standards" are the basic level of quality that you expect and require. Some people have very high standards, while others have lower standards. Another example of the word "meet" used this way is to "meet (someone's) expectations" 满足预期. This means to be as good as someone expected: After waiting for so long to get one, I was disappointed to find that the iPhone didn't really meet my expectations. 5. You'd never guess they were related 虚拟语气. You know two guys who are brothers but don't look or act the same at all. You're talking about them with a friend who just met them. You say this during your conversation. You'd never guess (clause) 永远都不会想到, 永远都想不到, 永远都猜不到, 你不会猜到( I/you/she etc would never guess used for showing that you think something is not at all obvious. Looking at her now you'd never guess she'd been so upset. I'd never have guessed that they were married. you'll never guess used for introducing something interesting or exciting that you want to tell someone. you'll never guess who/what/how etc: You'll never guess who I sat next to! Hello, Mother. Hi there, Shelly. You will never believe who I ran into at the barbecue festival. I am right in the middle of some very important work. I don't have time for this right now. Then why did you answer the phone? Because you raised me to be polite. Now stop bothering me. Hello again. Who did you see at the barbecue festival? Mr. Watkins. Really? You called me and interrupted my work to tell me that you ran into somebody you could plausibly run into? I'm sorry, Mother, I really need to focus here. I will speak to you next week. Okay, sweetheart. I'll talk to you then. I thought Mr. Watkins moved to Florida. He did. He was back visiting his son. Oh, gosh darn it, that is interesting. Was it Tommy or Joe? I bet it was Joe, 'cause he and Tommy had a falling out over that time-share. ) The meaning of "You'd never guess ___" is "You would never know or guess ___ if someone didn't tell you." In other words, this isn't easy to guess on your own. Here are some examples: Look at this gorgeous pair of shoes! You'd never guess that they were only $30. You'd never guess that she's 60 years old. She looks like she's in her 40s at most. "You'd never guess" is followed by a clause, which is kind of like a sentence inside of another sentence. That clause is usually written in the past tense ("they were related" instead of "they are"). In written English or more formal speaking, you'd begin the clause with "that": You would never guess that they were related to each other. You can also use other words like "know" and "think" instead of "guess": You'd never know that this neighborhood was once one of the roughest parts of town. You'd never think that such a tiny amount of water could cause so much damage. (some people) are related (to each other) People who belong to the same family by birth "are related to" each other: I grew up calling him "grandpa", but we're not technically related to each other. You can say that people are "related to" each other, or you can just say that they are "related". But you can't just say that one person is related: A: Johanna is related. B: Huh? What do you mean? Related to who? A: I mean, she's related to me. 6. They did just a phenomenal job on this event. In a meeting for the entire staff, the Marketing Director is complimenting how well her employees put together an event. She says this because she is extremely pleased. do a good job on (something) This means to do something, like an assignment or task, well. You explain what the task was using "on___" You can use other positive adjectives instead of "good": They did a great job. She's doing a fantastic job. We're doing a pretty good job on this. (something) is phenomenal "Phenomenal" means "really, really good". You can use it to talk about, for example, an amazing meal that you ate: Susie, that was phenomenal. Thank you so much! "Phenomenal" is not as common as other similar words like "great", "amazing", or "outstanding". So you can use it when you want to praise something in a way that sounds new and fresh. 7. The average life expectancy there is something crazy like 82 years. You read an article about a small island where people live a long time. You're describing this place to a coworker who didn't read the article. average life expectancy 平均寿命 The "average life expectancy" is the average age that people live until. You can find out the "average life expectancy" for a country or region, or an overall average life expectancy for the world: The average life expectancy for a baby born in South Korea today is over 80 years! If the life expectancy for a country is 70 years, that means that some people will die when they are much younger than 70, but many people will live to be older than 70 as well. something crazy like (a number) Use this phrase to talk about a number which is very high or very low, but which you don't know exactly: They say it's going to get up to something crazy like 102 degrees this week! The distance to the nearest star is something crazy like 40 million million miles. His commute to work used to be something crazy like two and a half hours. In general, "crazy" can describe something that's surprising: That is crazy expensive! I found a crazy number of mistakes in my earlier calculations. 8. Next up is Steve. He's going to walk us through the new homepage redesign. You're in charge of a meeting at work. One of your coworkers is going to give a quick presentation for everyone. You say this to introduce him. Next up is (someone) This phrase introduces the next person who's going to speak at a meeting, the next performer in a theater, or the next set of athletes who are going to compete in a sports tournament: Next up is a man who needs no introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Trey Faust! walk (someone) through (something) When you "walk through" something, you talk about it step-by-step. In the example above, the speaker says that his coworker is going to walk everyone through a new home page. That means that he's going to show them each new feature of the site. Some other examples of "walking through" something include: When you're preparing for a wedding, you usually walk everyone through what to do during the ceremony. You should walk your children through what to do in case of an emergency like a fire. a home page redesign The "home page" of a website is the first page that you see when you visit that site. A "web page redesign" is when someone changes how a web page looks or works. 9. You can't just sit around feeling sorry for yourself 叹息感伤, 自怜自艾, 自哀自怜, 顾影自怜 forever. Your roommate broke up with his girlfriend two weeks ago. Since then, he's been at home every day and seems depressed. You don't want to see him being depressed any longer. So you say this to try to encourage him to go out and have fun with other people. sit around (doing something) To "sit around ___ing" means to do something lazily. Here are some of the best examples: sit around watching TV. sit around on the Internet. sit around talking to your friends (when you're supposed to be working or studying). sit around waiting for something. This is a negative phrase. You usually use it when you're complaining about someone who seems lazy. feeling sorry for yourself/myself This means to think a lot about your own problems. A person who is "feeling sorry for" him- or herself is not only sad, but also thinking things like: "Why did this have to happen to me?" "It's not fair!" "No one loves me." "Everything is ruined now!" "Feeling sorry for yourself" is never a good thing. Saying that someone "is feeling sorry for" him- or herself makes it seem like they're childish and immature. You can also say this about yourself: After that, I started to feel even more sorry for myself. 10. Sylvia, where do you stand on this 你的立场? You're leading a meeting at work to discuss a major business decision. Most of the people in the meeting have given their opinions and there is some disagreement. You want to ask one of the people who hasn't given an opinion yet, so you ask this. Where does (someone) stand on (an issue or debate) English speakers often compare opinions to positions or locations in an imaginary space. For example, you can call a person's official opinion their "position": What's your position on 你的立场, 你的观点 health care reform? Debates and disagreements have "sides", which you can imagine as people standing on opposite sides of a room to show which idea they agree with: Why are you taking her side? A. Whose side are you on? B. I'm not on either side. I'm staying out of it. And when you ask someone "Where do you stand?" it means "What's your opinion?" or "What side of this debate are you on?" You identify the question or the topic with "on": Where do you stand on gun control? It's hard to tell where she stands on this topic. There's also a noun for talking about where someone stands on a topic. It's "stance". Your "stance" is similar to your "opinion" or "position": What's her stance 立场 on the topic of immigration? We use "stance" and "Where do you stand?" in business discussions, political discussions, academic debates, and other formal situations. When people are discussing a problem or situation, they commonly refer to it as "this": What are we going to do about this? How long do you think this is going to last? 立场: position VS stance VS where do you stand on VS standing: standing I. Someone's standing is their reputation or status. the status or reputation that someone or something has. This latest scandal will undoubtedly have affected his standing with his colleagues. of high/great/considerable etc. standing 身居高位的人, 有很高地位的: We are delighted to be working with a company of such high standing. a research center of international standing. ...an artist of international standing 国际地位. He has improved his country's standing abroad. She had the wealth and social standing 社会地位 to command respect. a. used about people's social status. People's jobs are an important measure of social standing. The owner of this house would have been a man of standing 有社会地位的人 in Roman society. II. A party's or person's standing is their popularity. someone's success or status as measured in numbers, for example in an opinion poll. The president's current high standing 受欢迎程度, 人气高, 高人气, 民调排行 in the polls is not likely to last. The opinion poll shows the party's standing has never been so low. The Prime Minister's standing was much higher in the U.S. than at home. III. In a contest or competition, the list of competitors which shows their places during the event is called the standings 排位表, 排行榜 (UK table). a list of teams or players put in order according to how many points they have won in games or competitions against each other. Britain is 11th in the team standings 排位表, 排行榜. adj. You use standing to describe something which is permanently in existence. Israel has a relatively small standing army 军力, 兵力 and its strength is based on its reserves. Elizabeth had a standing invitation to stay with her. ...the finance standing committee. of many years' standing 多年来的 You can use the expression of many years' standing to say that something has had a particular function or someone has had a particular role for many years. For example, if a place is your home of ten years' standing, it has been your home for ten years. ...a Congressman of 24 years' standing. My girlfriend of long standing left me. In the case of long standing stains 老的印迹, 旧的, 长期存在的, 一直就有的, it's best to soak the item. free-standing adj A free-standing piece of furniture or other object is not fixed to anything, or stands on its own away from other things. ...a free-standing cooker. standing joke something that happens regularly that a particular group of people find funny. They always spell his name wrong. It's a standing joke. standing charge 固定费用, 月费 a flat rate or charge always paid for electricity regardless of whether you use more or less electricity than you pay for. a fixed amount of money that you pay for being provided with a service such as gas, electricity, water, or a telephone line. With energy, the standing charge is the cost of having a gas and electricity supply – then you pay usage charges on top. Therefore the standing charge is the fee you pay to your energy supplier simply because it gives you access to energy. outstanding payment: In layman's language, outstanding payment is the payment that has not yet been paid. position I. The position of someone or something is the place where they are in relation to other things. The ship was identified, and its name and position were reported to the coastguard. This conservatory enjoys an enviable position overlooking a leafy expanse. II. When someone or something is in a particular position, they are sitting, lying, or arranged in that way. Hold the upper back and neck in an erect position to give support for the head. Ensure the patient is turned into the recovery position. Mr. Dambar had raised himself to a sitting position. III. Your position in society is the role and the importance that you have in it. ...the position of older people in society. IV. A position in a company or organization is a job. He left a career in teaching to take up a position 就职 with the Arts Council. Hyundai said this week it is scaling back its U.S. operations by eliminating 50 positions 职位. V. Your position in a race or competition is how well you did in relation to the other competitors or how well you are doing. Agassi and Sampras resumed their battle for the world's No. 1 position, both winning their opening matches. By the ninth hour the car was running in eighth position. VI. You can describe your situation at a particular time by saying that you are in a particular position. He's going to be in a very difficult position indeed if things go badly for him. Companies should be made to reveal more about their financial position. It was not the only time he found himself in this position. VII. Your position on a particular matter is your attitude towards it or your opinion of it. It (让游客在疫情期间回国) is likely a difficult position 态度, 立场 for Mr Morrison to take, given his previous role as director of Tourism Australia, where he famously hired Lara Bingle to help lure travellers in. He could be depended on to take a moderate position on most of the key issues. Mr Howard is afraid to state his true position 立场 on the republic, which is that he is opposed to it. VIII. If you are in a position to do something, you are able to do it. If you are in no position to do something, you are unable to do it. The U.N. system will be in a position to support the extensive relief efforts needed. I am not in a position to comment. verb. I. If you position something somewhere, you put it there carefully, so that it is in the right place or position. Position trailing plants near the edges and in the sides of the basket to hang down. Place the pastry circles on to a baking sheet and position one apple on each circle. in position 就位, 各就各位 If someone or something is in position, they are in their correct or usual place or arrangement. This second door is an extra security measure and can be locked in position during the day. Some 28,000 U.S. troops are moving into position. be in no position to do something 凭什么, 没有资源, 没有能力, 没有本事
to be unable to do something because you do not have the ability,
money, or power to do it. You're unemployed and in no position to
support a family. Ned says I'm always late? He's in no position to talk (=should not criticize because he does the same thing). Shocking pictures this week showed large groups of backpackers flagrantly 公然无视规定 disregarding strict social distancing rules,
designed to stop the virus spreading. 'These (student) visas, and those
who are in Australia under various visa arrangements, they are obviously not held here compulsorily,' he told reporters on Friday. 'If they are not in a position to support themselves 没有办法, 不能够, 做不到 then there is the alternative for them to return to their home countries. not sb's place to do sth 不合适, 没有资格, 没有权利, 没有责任, 没有立场 If you say that it is not your place to do something, you mean that it is not right or appropriate for you to do it, or that it is not your responsibility to do it. if it is not your place to do something, you do not have the duty or right to do it It's not your place to criticize me! He says that it is not his place to comment on government commitment to further funds. It's not my place to do their job. have no place to not be suitable or right in a particular situation. She believed that religious teaching had no place in the school curriculum. there is no place for...: There's no place for sentiment when you're negotiating a business deal. 11. I didn't bring any workout clothes. You're visiting a friend who lives in another city. He likes to run for exercise, and he asks if you want to go running with him. You'd like to, but you don't have the right clothes to wear. workout clothes "Working out" means "exercising". Clothes that you wear for exercising can be called "workout clothes". Workout clothes include things like: gym shorts, yoga pants, t-shirts, tank tops, sports bras, sneakers (also known as "tennis shoes" or "running shoes"). 12. Oh my goodness. It was so moving, by the end I was tearing up. You're talking with your friend about a book that you read. You say this because the book was very emotional and dramatic. Oh my goodness. This is something you say when you're slightly surprised, scared, happy, or feel some other emotion. It's like "Oh my God": Oh my God, that's wonderful! But "Oh my goodness" sounds more mild. The emotion doesn't sound as strong as it does when you say "Oh my God." Also, there are some people (mostly older, conservative women) who don't say "Oh my God" for religious reasons. (a story/song/movie) was moving A "moving" story is one that makes you feel strong emotions. The emotions that are associated with feeling "moved" are: sadness, hope, joy, nostalgia, gratitude (being thankful). Another way to describe it is that a "moving" story, photograph, song, or movie makes you feel empathetic 感同身受 to other people's feelings. It makes you imagine other people's pain, happiness, and dreams. Use "moving" in these forms: (something) is so moving What did you think of it? I thought it was so moving! a moving 感人的, 动人的 (something) "Adagio for Strings" is such a moving piece of music. (someone) is (adverb) moved by (something) I'm deeply moved by your generosity. (something) was so (adjective), (clause) Here are a few more examples of this structure: She was so tired, she went straight to bed when she got home. It happened so fast, I couldn't tell what was going on. It might help to know that you can also put "that" in the sentence: It was so moving that I was tearing up by the end. by the end (of something) In this example: Oh my goodness. It was so moving, by the end I was tearing up. ...the speaker started to feel moved by the book as she was reading it. As she got closer to the end of the book, she continued to feel more emotional. The phrase "by the end" explains that she didn't just suddenly tear up while she was reading the last few pages of the book; she slowly started to feel that way as she was reading it. (someone) tears up 眼泪汪汪的, 泪眼婆娑的 To "tear up" means to start to cry. Sometimes people "tear up" without completely crying. This happens a lot when people watch sad movies or read dramatic books. 13. OK, well, I’ll let you get settled in 收拾停当, 安顿下来, 安顿一下. There's a new employee working under you. It's her first day at work. You've been explaining things to her for a while. Now you need to go back to your office to do some work. You say this so that you can leave. get settled in "Getting settled in" to a place means becoming comfortable there. You "get settled in" to: a new city, a new home, a hotel, a new job. In order to "get settled in", you might need to look around, figure out where everything is, organize some of your things, and so on. 14. You ought to go ahead and book it soon. Your younger sister is coming to visit you. She hasn't bought her plane tickets yet, and she's waiting to get the best price. You think it's cheaper to buy your tickets early, so this is how you advise her. (someone) ought to (do something) There are lots of different ways of giving advice. "You ought to ___" is one form of advice that's used in casual conversation, when the advice isn't that serious or important. For example, you can use "ought to" when suggesting which dry cleaner to use: You ought to try Lucy's on 9th Avenue. They do a really good job. go ahead and (do something) People use this phrase in casual conversation to express doing something soon, instead of waiting: You guys go ahead and eat — I'm not hungry. Let's go ahead and pick a day and time for our next meeting. book (a flight) To "book a flight" means to buy or reserve your tickets to ride on an airplane. Notice that you use "buy" with "tickets", but "book" with "flight": Have you bought your tickets yet? Have you booked your flight yet? Other things that you can "book" include: book a room (in a hotel), book a hotel, book a car, book a table (in a restaurant). 15. Images on this site may not be used without my express written permission. You have a website where you post photographs that you've taken. You don't want people to take your photos and use them on other web sites without asking you, so you write this at the bottom of the page. "Images" means "pictures". But while "pictures" suggests photographs specifically, "images" can mean photos, illustrations, charts, etc. as well. To "use" images means to publish them, put them in a website, print them, and so on. (something) may not be (done) This is a formal way of telling people something that they can't do: School computers may not be used for playing games or surfing the Internet. Items may not be returned after 30 days. You speak or write this way if you're the one in charge of something (someone's) express written 明确同意, 明确的允许 permission Getting someone's "express permission" means clearly and specifically getting their permission to do something. Sometimes it's OK to do something without getting express permission for it. For example, if you are renting an apartment you can probably hang a small picture on the wall without asking your landlord. But if you want to install new kitchen cabinets 橱柜, you will need to get your landlord's express permission. This is a formal and legal-sounding phrase. The word "express" is also used as an adjective to mean "specific" in this phrase: I came here for the express purpose of finding a job. 16. You may be wondering why I called this meeting 召集会议, 召集开会. Your company has just made some big changes to how it is organized. Not all employees know about the changes yet. You call a quick meeting to tell the people who work under you. You didn't explain what the meeting was about when you invited everyone, so when it starts you say this. You may be wondering (wh- clause) You can talk about what you think someone might be thinking with this phrase. For example: You may be wondering why we changed it. Well, to be perfectly honest, it was a cost-cutting decision. You may be wondering what this number over here means. That's the percentage of people in our survey that said that they only watch TV shows over the Internet. People usually say "You may be wondering..." in speeches, essays, or other situations in which the audience can't speak back easily. In a one-on-one conversation with someone, you can ask a direct question: Are you wondering how much it cost? call (a) meeting "Calling" a meeting means telling or asking a group of people to have a meeting. You usually "call" a meeting to talk about something important and unexpected. Mike called a meeting this morning to tell us about Lana getting fired. I wanted to call a meeting because we've recently had a bunch of errors slip past us, and we need to make sure that that doesn't happen. For meetings that are on a regular schedule, you don't use this phrase: We have a regular meeting every Monday morning. 17. Uhh... I'm blanking on her name (drawing a blank). You're talking to the mother of one of the other children at your child's daycare. You want to tell her something about the head teacher at the daycare, but you can't remember the head teacher's name. I'm blanking on (something) Use the phrase "blanking on ___" to talk about forgetting something temporarily. You can "blank" on something like the name of a person or thing even when you usually know it well. Here's an example for talking about the name of an actress on a TV show that you like: I'm blanking on the name of the actress. Who's the one with the red hair? 18. Worst case scenario, I can always move back in with my folks. (someone's) folks "My folks" can mean your parents. This is a casual way to talk about your parents: My folks moved here from China before I was born. You can talk about other people's parents too: How are your folks? 19. But sometimes you'll be flipping through the channels and come across something really interesting. You're in a conversation with a group of friends about your TV-watching habits. You like having cable on your TV because you can find interesting shows to watch. You explain this to your friends like this. come across (something) This phrase means to find something without really trying to look for it. Aren't these great? I came across them at a thrift shop a couple weeks ago. This phrase describes a situation that sometimes happens. It uses the future tense "will", but it doesn't describe something that happens in the future. Instead, it's something that has happened in the past several times and might happen again. Here are some other examples: Sometimes I'll be sitting in my office and Nadine will yell out a question to me from the office next door. You know how sometimes you'll be driving along and another car will pull out in front of you all of a sudden? That makes me so annoyed. flip through (something) To "flip through the channels" on your TV means to change the channel again and again to search for something you want to watch. You can also "flip through" other things: the pages of a book. CDs in a music store. 20. We have a really vibrant art scene. You have a friend visiting you from out of town. You're telling her about the good qualities of the city that you live in. You tell her this. a vibrant (something) 有活力的, 有生气的 Something that is "vibrant" is exciting and energetic: "Vibrant" colors are bright and strong. A "vibrant community" has a lot of interesting activities going on all the time. an art scene A city's "art scene" is all of the art shows, galleries, events, artists, art buyers, and so on that happen there. A "scene" includes both the events and the people. It centers around a particular city or neighborhood, and also a certain period of time. In addition to "the art scene", here are some other kinds of "scenes": the 1980's San Francisco punk rock scene, the club scene in Miami, the New York fashion scene. People who belong to a scene tend to talk, dress, and act alike. Some people fit in really well within the scene. These people can be called "scenesters", although that's a little bit of a negative term. 21. We all had to huddle together 抱在一起 for warmth. One time you went on a camping trip with some friends and it got much colder than you expected at night. Now you're telling a story about the trip, and you explain how you all slept in your tent. huddle together 拥在一起 When people (or animals) "huddle together", they put their bodies into a ball-like position and get very close to each other: Look at the kitties huddled together in the corner. How cute! cuddle (与人), cuddlesome = cuddly I. A cuddly person or animal makes you want to cuddle them. He is a small, cuddly man with spectacles. ...these cuddly creatures from South East Asia. II. Cuddly toys are soft toys that look like animals. snuggle (多在床上) snug: adj.
I. if you are snug, you feel warm, comfortable, and safe. a, used about
a room or a building that is small, warm, and comfortable. a row of snug little cottages. II. fitting closely to your body, or fitting closely into a space. 词源: To snuggle is to cuddle with someone. Snuggling is a little like hugging, and it often takes place in bed. This is a cutesy word for cute behavior: nestling or nuzzling someone. People snuggle to warm each other up or to be affectionate.
People dating or married often snuggle. Close friends or siblings might
snuggle, and people definitely snuggle with their pets. Snuggling is
only likely to happen with people who are close; if you try to snuggle a
stranger, you'll probably get arrested. canoodle [kəˈnuːd(ə)l] kiss and cuddle amorously. "she was caught canoodling with her boyfriend".
词源: To canoodle is to embrace and fondle. Romantic couples canoodle.
When people are getting a little physical romantically, they're
canoodling. This somewhat silly-sounding word applies to somewhat
innocent physical affection. For some reason, this word is used
frequently by celebrity reporters who love to write about who a hunky actor or sultry starlet is canoodling with at a cafe. However, anyone can canoodle as long as you have a date. smooch [smuːtʃ] kiss and cuddle amorously. to kiss, hold, and touch someone in a sexual way: Didn't I see you smooching with Mark at Kim's party? "the young lovers smooched in their car". II. UK 拥吻. When two people are smooching, they are dancing slowly and very close together to slow, romantic music: The dance floor was full of middle-aged couples smooching to slushy ballads.
词源: A smooch is a big kiss, and to smooch is to kiss someone. People
express affection by kissing each other — so you may give your dog a
smooch on the nose, or smooch your sister's cheek. You might, on the
other hand, refuse to watch romantic comedies if you don't enjoy seeing
the characters smooch. (do something) for warmth 取暖 When it's really cold, you do things "for warmth": We all used to sleep right next to the heater for warmth. Do you remember that scene in "The Empire Strikes Back" where Han had to put Luke inside his Tauntaun for warmth? 22. OK. Let's go with that then. You're leading a meeting at work. You've been discussing a project that you're planning. Everyone in the meeting has agreed on a plan. You say something to end the discussion. When can you say "Let's ___"? You usually use it when you're suggesting something that you're sure the listener will accept. If you're meeting a friend for lunch, then you're sure that they will agree to eat with you. So you can say: I'm starving! Let's eat. In situations where you're not sure how the listener will respond to your suggestion, you can use other phrases like "Would you like to ___?", "Why don't we ___?" or "We should ___": Would you like to go out to dinner with me some time? Why don't we meet at 7:30? We should get together some time and have a drink. go with (something) 选择 To "go with" something means to choose it. For example, you can say this when shopping for something like shoes: I think I'll go with the red ones. You can ask someone: Which one are you going to go with? And you can also talk about the past: We went with the second suggestion. 23. It's made a noticeable difference 明显区别. You are discussing your exercise routine with a friend who's also interested in exercise. You recently started doing a new type of weight lifting exercise. Your friend asks you if it's been successful. Positively, you respond like this. make a noticeable difference Something "makes a difference" when it causes a situation to change. We usually use this to talk about positive changes: Having an extra person around to help out has really made a difference. Painting the living room really made a difference. It used to be so dark and depressing in there. A "noticeable" difference is a change that's big enough for you to see and notice. It's not as big as a "big difference" but maybe a little bit bigger than a "slight" difference. 24. I saw you checking out that lady in there. When you were at a restaurant with your dad, an attractive woman was sitting at a table nearby. You noticed that your father was looking at her a lot. After you leave the restaurant, you say this to tease him for looking at the woman. see (someone)(doing something) This means to see someone when they're doing something: I just saw Judy talking to Tom in the hallway. check (someone) out To "check (someone) out" means to look at a person's whole body to see how attractive they are. You can check yourself out in a mirror, or check someone else out. You can also "check out" a certain part of a person's body: Were you checking out my ass? This is very casual English, of course. You can also "check out" an object, an e-mail message, a video, and so on: Check out these shoes I bought. Nice, huh? But this just means to look at something, and doesn't have a negative sexual meaning. "Lady" is another word for "woman". The word "lady" sometimes sounds more respectful than "woman". You can use it to talk about someone who you don't know: I met a lady on the bus who said that she was a physical therapist. It's not very polite to use the word "lady" to directly address someone. It can actually sound rude: Get out of my way, lady! "Miss" or "ma'am" are more polite: Excuse me, miss. I think you dropped something. But it's OK to call a group of women "Ladies": Right this way, ladies. Follow me. 25. A fugitive has been apprehended after attempting to escape from a Durham county jail. You're watching the news on TV. There's some news about a prisoner who escaped, but has now been caught again. The news anchor (TV announcer) says this. a fugitive 逃犯 A "fugitive" is a person who escapes from a jail, runs away when the police are trying to arrest them, or hides from a government agency that is trying to find them. Since "fugitives" are people who are hiding and running away, here are some common phrases that the word "fugitive" is used in: the fugitive escaped, the fugitive is on the run from the police, the fugitive was apprehended by the police, the fugitive has surrendered to the police, the fugitive was captured, the fugitive has been arrested. attempting to (do something) To "attempt" to do something means to try: We attempted to reach him earlier in the week, but were not able to contact him. This example means that you tried to call someone, but you weren't able to talk to him. The word "attempt" is pretty formal. Here are some situations where people use it instead of "try": You can use it in writing. It's common in legal writing and in court. Magicians use this word when they're performing a magic trick on stage: For my next trick, I will attempt to make this woman disappear! TV news shows and newspaper articles use it. (name) county jail In the U.S., counties are government units that are smaller than a state, but larger than a city. Each state typically has about 50-60 counties, with some states having more and some having less. So a "county jail" is a jail which is operated by that unit of government.The phrase "county jail" brings to mind the image of a small jail where people stay for a short time after they are arrested. (a criminal) was apprehended 抓获, 抓住, 逮住 The word "apprehend" means to catch. We use it to talk about police catching criminals, suspects, fugitives, and so on: Police have apprehended a man suspected of robbing a couple at gunpoint in the waterfront district. This is a somewhat formal or technical-sounding word. It's mostly used by police officers, government officials, and in the news. In normal conversation, use "catch" instead: Have they caught the guy who did it yet? 26. I do think that you sometimes come across as a bit aggressive. You're evaluating one of your employees. He often seems angry when speaking to you and other employees. You criticize him in a very soft, polite way. "A bit" is used for adjectives that are negative. So you wouldn't say that an event was "a bit fun" or that a person is "a bit nice". But you can say that the event was "a bit boring" and the person is "a bit rude". "A bit" is slightly formal. It's more formal than "kind of" or "a little", but more casual than "somewhat": kind of > a little > a bit > somewhat. come across as (something) The way that you "come across" to people is how they see you and think about you. This phrase is a way to explain what people think of you, which can be different from how you think of yourself. So although you may think of yourself as cool and sophisticated, you might come across as unfriendly instead. You can follow "come across as" with a noun phrase that describes a person: He came across as a really friendly and sweet guy at first. Or you can follow it with an adjective phrase that describes someone's personality, like in the example above. Here's another example: Do you think I come across to people as kind of boring? But it sounds strange to just have a single-word adjective after "come across as", like "come across as boring" or "come across as needy". (someone) is aggressive Someone who is "aggressive" is forceful and quick to attack. "Aggressive" behavior threatens people: Man, he's so aggressive all the time. He needs to just chill out. You can talk about animals as being "aggressive": You can pet her. She's not aggressive. Being "aggressive" is usually bad, but in certain situations, the word "aggressive" can have positive associations, like in sports or in sales: You've got to be aggressive and go for the win. 27. People will say almost anything to get out of jury duty. Your coworker got a notice in the mail saying that he had to go to court to serve on a jury. He doesn't want to stay for a whole trial, so you have a conversation about different ways to avoid it. (someone) will say anything to (do something) When someone really wants to do something, they will try hard to convince other people to let them do or not do that thing. They might even be willing to lie or cheat. To describe this, we say that that person will "say anything" to accomplish their goal. For example, say this about someone who really doesn't want to wash the dishes: She'll say anything to get out of washing the dishes. Someone who's truly addicted will say anything to get their fix. You can also talk about people who will "do anything": I wouldn't trust him. He's the kind of guy who will do anything to get ahead. get out of (doing something) "Getting out of" doing something means avoiding a responsibility that you don't want to do: I was able to get out of taking the final exam because I had a good grade up to that point and perfect attendance. A: What are you doing on the 28th? B: I've got a wedding I'm supposed to go to that weekend. I wish I could get out of it, but everyone I work with is going. jury duty I just found out that I have jury duty in two weeks. In countries where jury duty is required, a lot of people find it inconvenient and boring. So it's common for citizens to try to avoid jury duty by making the judge and lawyers think that they won't be able to make a fair decision. 28. What's the deal with this soup 是干什么的, 是做什么的, 是要怎样? You come home and your wife is watching TV. You see that there's a pot of cold soup on the stove, but you don't know whether it's good to eat or whether it needs to be thrown out. You ask this to find out. What's the deal with (something) 怎么回事 (What's the go)? This is a question that you can ask to get general information about something. "What's the deal with ___?" isn't a specific question, so the person who you ask can give whatever answer is appropriate. In the situation above, the wife can give any of these answers: Oops, I made that for lunch but I forgot to put it away. It's an Italian recipe I came across the other day. It's still good. Just heat it up a bit. Ask "what's the deal with ___" for things that are a little strange or unexpected, when you want to find out information about them but you don't know what exactly to ask. You can also ask about people this way if they're acting strange: What's her deal? The word "deal" in this phrase is not used as a verb. It's a noun which means "situation" or "story". 29. Some creepy guy was hitting on me. You're at a dance club with your friend. She left to go to the bathroom, and while she was gone a guy started talking to you and asked you out on a date. You didn't like him. Now you're telling your friend about it. a creepy (person) A "creepy" person is someone who makes you feel uncomfortable. They might do things like: staring at you a lot, standing too close when they talk to you, calling you too often. This kind of "creepy" behavior makes you feel like this person is strange and unsafe. It might make you think that the person is going to stalk you or attack you. People who ask you out on dates can be "creepy", but it's also possible for your coworkers, boss, or uncle to be "creepy" as well. It's a lot more common for men to be called "creepy" than women. (someone) hit on (someone) "Hitting on" someone means trying to create a sexual or romantic situation with them. Here are some ways to "hit on" someone: asking them out on a date. asking for their phone number or email address. complimenting their appearance. You can't really "hit on" someone who you're already in a relationship with. People usually "hit on" people who they've just recently met. The phrase "hit on" doesn't sound especially negative. You can say that someone "hit on" you, whether you liked it or disliked it. 30. Has anyone gone over our policy on sick days? You're a manager at a bank. There's a new teller who just started today. You're explaining company policies to her. You ask if she knows what to do when she gets sick. go over (something) 仔细阅读 "Going over" something means discussing or reviewing it. You can "go over" things like: plans, lists of rules, someone's work. You can "go over" things that have already been done or discussed. You can also "go over" things that are new. For example, say this to someone who's going to participate in your wedding ceremony: Let's go over what you're supposed to do on the day of the ceremony. (an organization's) policy on (a topic) Companies and other organizations have "policies". A "policy" is like a rule. The difference is that the word "rule" sounds a little more strict and unbreakable. You can talk about an organization's different policies using the phrase "policy on __": What's our policy on customer complaints? You can also talk about a "___ policy": They have a strict cancellation policy. Policies can apply to the members of an organization, as well as to other people, like customers. sick days 病假 (sick leave) "Sick days" are days that you stay home from work or school because you get sick or injured: I took a sick day. You can talk about the number of days that employees or students are allowed to take off: How many sick days do we get here? This is a casual phrase. A more formal phrase is "sick leave".
