Childlike and childish 天真和幼稚

　　I had been to America for only a few years, as I did not understand the actual meanings of the two words "childlike" and "childish". A minor misunderstanding was the result, and I nearly offended my supervising professor.

　　One day I had a chat with some professors and postgraduates in the office. the subject came to the character of my supervisor. She was a senior professor who was always very cheerful and enthusiastic, interesting and full of childlike innocence. I said without thinking, "She is childish." Actually what I meant to say is, "She is childlike."

　　Not long after that, my professor was told that I had said she was childish. She was a little unhappy to hear that, and asked me, "Did you say that I am childish?" I felt at once that something bad would happen to me. I hurriedly explained what I meant, and she forgave my inappropriately using the word.
　　 "Childlike" and "Childish" are different, in that the former is a commendatory （褒义的）term, which praises one who is innocent and has characteristics of a child, while the latter a derogatory (贬义的)term, which describes an adult behaving like a child.

　　Considerable and considerate 相当大的与考虑周到的

　　Once I went on an outing with one of my American friends together. On the way he looked after me very carefully. I was very grateful to him in my heart. Besides saying "thank you", I also added, "You're so considerable." In fact I meant to praise him for being thoughtful. However, as soon as I uttered that, my friend, previously wearing a bright facial expression, then quickly took on a ghastly (难看的，可怕的）look. I immediately perceived something wrong, but I did not know where my mistake laid and I felt very embarrassed.

　　Fortunately, my friend was really good at understanding others. He hesitated and said, "I think you wanted to say I'm considerate." I hastened to ask him about the differences between the two words.

　　It turns out that "considerable" means" rather large in size, etc. or of noticeable importance", （and my friend happened to be an extremely burly （大块头的）man, which he was sensitive to) while "considerate" was what I wanted to express.

　　It is really true that an error in the breadth of a single hair can lead you a thousand li astray（失之毫厘，差之千里）!

　　Dead end 死胡同

　　When I first caught sight of the sign "Dead End", I was really startled. Literally it means the road to death. I wondered whether it was " a dragon's pool and a tiger's den (龙潭虎穴)-- a danger spot", or mines or bombs were laid there and once you made your entrance to it you were sure to die. Therefore a shocking sign was set up, warning people against getting into the forbidden area without authorization. Later I got to know that the sign "Dead End" tells people that the road is closed at one end, and therefore does not lead anywhere.

　　 "Black" Meat or dark meat "黑"肉还是鸡腿肉

　　This story happened when I just came to America. One day I went to the fried-chicken fast-food restaurant attached to the school for meal. A waiter asked me, "What kind of meat would you like?" At that time it occurred to me that I had learned in my college English class that "white meat" refers to chicken breast while "dark meat" means chicken leg. However, when I spoke, it went like, "Black meat, please." Suddenly I found the waiter looking angry (for he happened to be a black). Then I realized that I had said something wrong. After I explained time and again that I just came to America and knew very little about slang, he became happy again.

　　turn one's back on/upon...背弃...，抛弃...;对...不闻不问

　　We requested that he look into the matter, but he just seemed to turn his back on our request.

　　Did she really turn her back on his proposal?她真的拒绝了他的求婚？

　　Dialogue:

　　Nancy: You look upset these days. What's troubling you?

　　Selma: I've requested to take a leave from work so that I can spend our annual holiday in Spain with my family. But our boss turned it down by saying that the company is short of hands.

　　Nancy: Did you explain your situation and ask him again?

　　Selma: Yes, I did. But he just turned his back on my request.

　　Nancy: Maybe you can change your plan and put it off till later.

　　by the back door 通过后门；用不正当的途径

　　It is said that he got many of the spare parts into China by the back door.据说他把很多备件非法偷运到中国境内。

　　Most government officials knew pretty well that this rubbish came into the country by the back door, but they did not know who exactly had given the smugglers the green light.

　　The manager knew that the two new employees came in by the back door, but he didn't know exactly who were at the back. 总经理知道那两个人是通过后门进来的，但是他不清楚到底谁是他们的后台。

　　bring home the bacon 养家糊口；成功，取胜

　　In every country and regardless of their social systems, there must be someone in the house who will have to bring home the bacon.

　　Dialogue:

　　Frank: I'm feeling under the weather(感到身体不舒服）. I'm not in the mood for doing anything today.

　　John: Play hooky（逃学，开小差）. I won't spill the beans（泄密）.

　　Frank: I know, but I can't. I'm swamped with work（有一大堆工作得做）. My job is no picnic（不是轻松的事）, you know.

　　John: Well, hang in there. In the long run, you'll be sitting pretty（处于有利的地位；过上优裕的生活）.

　　Frank: I hope so. But I have to work hard and bring home the bacon.

　　hold the bag背黑锅

　　Although the four of them robbed the bank with joined efforts, it was Joe who had been left holding the bag.

　　Dialogue:

　　Martha: Do you know what's happened to Frank?

　　Nancy: Not an inkling. What's happened?

　　Martha: He was caught stealing a file from a company.

　　Nancy: Sorry to hear that. He should have mended his steps(注意自己的言行）.

　　Martha: But the job was engineered by someone else.

　　Nancy: Did that someone else stand up?

　　Martha: Nobody likes to face the music（面对惩罚）， of course.

　　Nancy: So it was Frank who was left holding the bag?

　　Martha: yeah.

　　fall asleep at the switch 玩忽职守

　　Joe was dismissed by the boss for falling asleep at the switch.

　　Dialogue

　　Mark: The Boss is furious. There must be something that has enraged him.

　　Lucy: Yeah. Someone fell asleep at the switch and the warehouse has been broken into last night.

　　Mark: Who was on duty last night? He must be punished.

　　Lucy: It was Joe. He is responsible for the lost property.

　　Mark: He will get the bag(被解雇）, I suppose

　　Lucy: Not really. The boss only asked him to mend his steps （注意自己的行为）and told him that he wouldn't be lucky next time.

　　Mark: It's kind of the boss to do so. Joe should feel guilty.

　　be in the bag 已到手的，十拿九稳的

　　The General Manager was excited because he knew he had already had several major contracts in the bag.

　　The boss still had the jitters(忐忑不安）, though he knew that their success was already in the bag.

　　A good harvest is already in the bag, though the farmers still have a share of worries.

　　Don't be fooled by their babbling. Can't you see that they've had everything in the bag? 别听他们的胡说八道了，难道你还看不出来他们已经到处做了手脚？

　　rise to a (the) bait.中圈套，上钩

　　Your trick might work ten years ago. But nowadays few are prone to rise to a bait as easily as you think.你的花招在十年前也许管用，但当今人们绝不像你所想象的会轻易上钩的。

　　Look! A fish is rising to the bait.

　　Be patient! he is rising to the bait.

　　ball up...把...搞得一团糟，一塌糊涂

　　Joe had balled up the business, but it was Jack who was blamed for the mess.

　　Dialogue:

　　Nancy: John dismissed Joe last week.

　　Selma: What for? Not for his falling asleep at the switch again, I suppose.

　　Nancy: No. He balled up John's business by disclosing his company's secret.

　　Selma: He should have mended his steps.

　　Nancy: Can the leopard change his spots?

　　Selma: No. And he will find it very hard to find another job.

　　Nancy: That serves him right.

　　more bark than bite 说得多，做得少

　　I thought his lecture would be very informative, but to my disappointment, there was more bark than bite throughout the lecture: there was nothing practically important.

　　The boss threatened Joe by saying that he would kick him out of the company, but Joe was certain that there was more bark than bite in his remark.
　　There is generally more bark than bite in most of modern publications, either in literally or in academic writings.

　　You don't have to take off your gloves to a girl like Jenny: there's more bark than bite in what she says.对像杰妮这样的女孩你没有必要如此不依不饶的。她说起话来只不过是嘴厉害了点儿，可他很少伤害人。

　　Cave in 屈服，投降

　　At our company Christmas party, a lot of wine, even vodka, was available. I knew Lao Zhang and Rob were heavy drinkers, so I egged them on (怂恿某人做某事）in a competition for drinking vodka. I was the judge. They readily （欣然地）agreed. After a few drinks, their faces were all very red. Rob then refused to drink more and said, "I cave in." I did not understand, so I gain a farfetched （牵强的，不着边际的）interpretation of the work "cave" and considered it was equivalent to "trap" . "No. NO, No cave," I said, "It's a fair play." Rob's face looked even redder and hastened to add: " I give up. Lao Zhang wins".
　　It turns out that "cave in" has the meaning as "give up or give in".

　　Change my dress 调离我的职位

　　I worked in a big, well-known American firm more than two decades ago. My boss Caroline was a young and beautiful American girl. A promotion or raise of her subordinates （下属）by her depended solely on the number or value of presents that they gave her. As a result, the practice of giving dinners or sending gifts was in a vogue (盛行的，流行的）for a while. Later, here superior （上级，长官）heard of it and called all the staff of our section together for a conference to transfer Caroline from her post. In the conference, Caroline kept asking:

　　 "Why do you want to change my dress?"

　　Hearing her saying" change my dress", I felt rather confused, wondering why the superior wanted to change her dress. Later, I understood that "change a dress" has the meaning of "transfer from a post". I narrowly escaped being made myself the laughing-stock （笑柄）of all.

　　Blow your own horn 自吹自擂

　　Xiao Zhang just graduated from university and was hunting for a job (寻找工作）. One day he was driving a car to go on an outing with several friends. They were caught in a traffic jam downtown, so they had to wait patiently in their car. They began to talk one after another about their experiences in looking for a job and exchange ideas on how to write a curriculum vitae.(简历)

　　One of his friends patted Xiao Zhang on the shoulder and said, "You should blow your own horn!"

　　As soon as that friend finished speaking, a burst of sounds of horn （阵阵喇叭声） was heard. His friend quickly stopped him, "Hey, what will be you doing? Sounding your horn is forbidden here, otherwise fines will be imposed（施加；加于某人...）. Did you see the signboard 'Don't horn!' over there?"

　　Xiao Zhang felt wronged(被冤枉的；受委屈的) and said, "Didn't you ask me to blow the horn? I thought you wanted me to sound the horn to hurry the unmoving cars in front."

　　Later Xiao Zhang figured out （搞清楚，弄明白）that "blow your horn" mean "publicize or boast （吹嘘，自夸）one's abilities or achievements. There his friend meant that Xiao Zhang should not be modes but show off his strong points （长处，优势）and merits（优点） when writing his resume.