To hold water不让水楼出来，指某一个人找的借口，提出的理由或说的话是确实的，站得住脚的。

Water off a duck’s back 毫无作用To make one’s mouth water 让人流口水hot water 麻烦事（in, into, out of ）deep water 水深火热to go through hell or high water 赴汤蹈火head above water 摆脱困境to cover the waterfront 详细陈述high seas 公海rain check 给予第二次机会it never rains but it pours祸不单行to bore to tears 厌烦透顶green thumb 某人在种花或种菜方面很有才能，或在这方面很有知识和技术green light 表示某个计划获得批准，可以进行。

In the black 有盈利的，可赚钱的。

Singing the blues 诉苦抱怨Blue in the face ( 气得或激动得)脸色发青Like a bolt out of the blue 晴天霹雳，也就是出手意外，没料想到To paint the town red 胡闹狂欢Red herring 诱惑人的事或物Red tape 官样作风，官僚作风To be burn in the purple 生于帝国之家To marry into the purple 与王室或贵族联姻服装To pull one’s socks off 振作起精神Knock your socks off 使人感到非常震惊Fly by the seat of his pant 做某事的时候没有明确的指导，也缺乏足够的认识Ants in one’s pants 坐立不安To give you the shirt off his back 只在你患难的时候能拿出他所有的一切来帮助的人To keep one’s shirt on 劝告别人要有耐心，不要太紧张To lose one’s shirt 某个人失去了他所有的一切Stuffed shirt 指那些爱摆架子，表现得神气十足的人To laugh up one’s sleeve 偷偷地笑话某人Card up one’s sleeve 保留在绣中的王牌，另有办法，留一手The shoe is on the other foe 形势已经完全不同了To work hand in glove 密切合作Beat one’s head against a wall 徒劳，无谓的挣扎Hit the nail on the head 击中要害Have rocks in one’s head 很愚蠢，没有正确的判断Head up 领头Keep one’s head also keep one’s wits about one 头脑冷静Turn one’s head 使丧失理智，使晕头转向To break your neck 尽一切力量，努力去做某件事To stick your neck out 枪打出头鸟，形容处境危险Pain in the neck 讨厌的人或事Neck and neck 指比赛进行得很激烈，竞争双方不相上下Breathe down one’s neck 盯住不放，从后面威胁Break one’s heart 使人心碎，使人伤心To have a heart 要求别人对说话的人表示同情，或者是要求别人帮助他Change of heart 改变注意Cross my heart 保证，发誓Heart of stone 铁石心肠Heart skip a beat or heart miss a beat 紧张得心乱跳After one’s own heart 志趣相投的，逞心如意的，令人愉快的，用来修饰man To charge someone an arm and a leg 要价太高With open arms 愉快地，热情地At arm’s length 指和某人保持一定的距离Twist one’s arm 强迫威胁Up in arms 起来进行武装斗争，或者非常愤怒，准备打架Give the glad eye 笑脸相迎Bat an eye or bat an eyelash 惊奇，恐惧，兴趣Hit between the eye 给人深刻的印象，使人大为惊奇Keep an eye on or keep one’s eye on 密切注意Keep one’s eye on the ball 警惕机灵At one’s tingertips 随手可得，近在咫尺Cross one’s fingers 食指和中指交叉，表示希望好运气Finger in the pie 有关系，参与have a finger on 碰撞，干扰flea in one’s ear 刺耳的话，不客气的责备give an ear to or lend an ear to 倾听all ears 洗耳恭听，全神贯注地听have friends to burn 朋友多如牛毛cock one’s gooses 事情变得糟糕show envy with green 嫉妒iron-hand in-the-glove 外柔内刚cast pearls before swine or cast one’s pearls before swine明珠暗投，对牛弹琴a white elephant 比喻昂贵而无用的东西the skeleton in the family 家丑plays ducks and drakes 尽请享受eats no fish and plays the game 忠诚正直as old as Adam 老掉牙one over the eight 数量多two-and- eight 慌乱two by four 小的five-by-five发胖的green fingers 园艺技能have the blues 闷闷不乐rousing the spirits with the first drum roll 一鼓作气amazing the world with a single feet 一鸣惊人to hang by a hair thread 千钧一发ruining an enterprise for the lack of one basketball 功亏一篑early bird catches the worm or early bird gets the worm 捷足先登kettle of fish 该考虑的事cold fish 不合群的人fish for 钩取，设法得到，打听have one’s ass in a sling 处于困境，倒霉kill the goose that laid the golden egg 杀鸡取卵hit the bull’s eye 触及要点，一针见血throw to the wolves 送入虎口eager beaver 努力讨好上司的人crocodile tears 鳄鱼的眼泪，假慈悲fish in troubled waters 浑水摸鱼，乘人之危run away with the tail between their legs 夹着尾巴逃跑gives someone an inch and he will take an ell 得寸进尺strike while the iron is hot 趁热打铁a thorn in the fresh 肉中刺，棘手的事face down 勇敢地挫折jump out of one’s tongue or on the tip of one’s tongue 话到嘴边而想不起来hold one’s tongue 住嘴，不说话to shake a leg 赶快行动get one’s teeth onto or sink one’s teeth into 认真干fine-tooth comb 仔细，非常小心名词by the skin of one’s teeth勉强，好不容易才face the music 面对困难或危险，接受惩罚face up to 承担get under one’s skin扰乱，使不安jump down one’s throat 勃然大怒，怒斥cut one’s throat 失去机会，毁了前程knock off one’s feet 使某人惊奇得不知所措curl one’s hair 使震惊，使害怕，使毛骨悚然cool one’s heels 久等behind one’s back 背地里偷偷地keep one’s mouth shut 闭口不言cold shoulder 对人清淡轻视give turn getkeep one’s nose clean 别惹麻烦，少管闲事keep one’s nose to the grindstone or have one’s nose to the grindstone 埋头工作，辛辛苦苦brown nose 拍吗屁bite the hand that feeds one 恩将仇报，以怨报德throw up one’s hands 素手无策twiddle one’s thumbs 无所事事cart before the horse 本末倒置change horses in midstream 改变策略eat like a horse 食量很大eat like a bird 进量很少horse around 胡闹，戏耍horse of a different color or horse of another color 截然不同的事chicken switch 紧急安全按钮chicken feed 很少的钱duck soup 非常容易做成的事dead duck 注定要倒霉的人或事for the birds 无人感兴趣的，毫无意义的never vermilion one gets stained pink He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas 近朱者赤，近墨者黑To fall in pit , to gain a wit 吃一堑，长一智Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you 不要自找麻烦Let the morn come, and the meet with it 车到山前必有路Two heads are better than one 集思广益Walk groundly, talk profoundly, drink roundly, sleep soundly 行路踏实，言谈深刻，饮酒豪爽，睡眠酣畅What is done can’t be undone 一言既出，驷马难追Do as you would be done byA healthy body is worth more a crown in gold 健康的身体贵于黄金炼成的皇冠A good tale is none the worse for being twice told 好故事听不厌A hero is known in the time of misfortune 时势造英雄An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamityGood minds think alike 英雄所见略同Diamond cuts diamond 强中更有强中手The tune lingers in the house 余音绕梁A courtyard as crowded as a marketplace 门庭若市Passing oneself off as a member of the orchestra 滥竽充数Passing off fish eyes as pearls 鱼目混珠Allaying hunger with pictures of cakes 画饼充饥Plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell 掩耳盗铃Adversity spurs vitality, while comfort breeds sloth 生于忧患，死于安乐He was a babe in the woods regarding politics 初出茅庐To fight against longer odds 以寡敌众To laugh off one’s head 笑掉大牙To look for a needle in a haystack 海底捞针a land of honey and milk鱼米之乡experience is the mother of wisdom 不经一事，不长一智once bit , twice shy 一次被蛇咬，十年怕井绳six of one and half a dozen of the other 半斤八两The show just leaves nothing to be desire 十全十美Putting the finishing touch to the picture of a dragon 画龙点睛Pick up sth on the sly 顺手牵羊As timid as a hare 胆小如鼠Teach others to fish and they wil fish for a lifetime 授人以鱼不如授人以渔Calling a slag a horse 指鹿为马Cherish a snake in one’s bosom 养虎遗患Hold a wolf by the ears 骑虎难下Set a fox to keep one’s geese 引狼入室Kill the goose that lays golden eggs 杀鸡取卵Like a rat in a hole 瓮中之鳖Birds of a feather flock tighter 一丘之貉Sleeping on brush wood and tasting gall 卧薪尝胆Looking on plums to quench the thirsty 望梅止渴A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step 千里之行始于足下Early to bed and early to rise make a man healthy, wealthy and wiseIndustry keeps the body healthy, the mind clear, the heart whole, the purse fallLearn to creep before you leap 循序渐进A stitch in time saves nine 小洞不补，大洞吃苦He laughs best who laughs lastThe mother’s heart is the child’s school room 母亲的心肠是孩子的课堂A tree is known by its fruit 观其行而知其人Honesty is the best policyIt is a good horse that never stumbles 金无足赤，人无完人Two of a trade never agree 同行是冤家One boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy.Provide for the worst, the best will save itself 做最好的准备，可得到最好的结果The tailor makes the man 人靠衣装One sows and another reaps 前人栽树，后人乘凉Self-confidence and self-reliance are the mainstays of a strong character 自信和自立是坚强品格的柱石Troubles never come alone祸不单行No rose without a thorn 没有十全十美的幸福One good fore-wit is worth two after-wits 一个失见之明，抵得上两个事后聪明A near neighbor is better than a far-dwelling kindnessMany hands make light workMan proposes , god disposes 谋事在人，成事在天An outstanding student comes from a strict teacher 严师出高徒Penny wise and pound foolish 小事聪明，大事糊涂Behind bad luck comes good luck塞翁失马。