Lesson 13 IDIOMS?英文釋義

• I could've sworn that…:??I really thought that; I was convinced that
• EXAMPLE: You didn't know we already hired somebody for the sales director position??I could've sworn that?I told you.
• NOTE: "Sworn" is the past perfect tense of "swear."
• no big deal:??it's not a problem
• EXAMPLE: Our coffee machine broke??No big deal. Our employees will just have to go to Starbucks until we get a new one.
• (to) dot your i's and cross your t’s:?to be very careful; to pay attention to details
• EXAMPLE: When preparing financial statements, accuracy is very important. Be sure to?dot your i's and cross your t's.
• (to) make a mountain out of a molehill:??to make a big deal out of something small or insignificant
• EXAMPLE: Don't be angry at your boss for not complimenting you on your presentation. He probably just forgot. Don't?make a mountain out of a molehill.
• (to) blow things out of proportion:??to exaggerate; to make more of something than one should
• EXAMPLE: Our CEO says that if we don't meet our sales target for the month, our company is going to go out of business. He's probably?blowing things out of proportion.
• (to) drop the ball:??to make a mistake; to fail; to do something poorly
• EXAMPLE: You forgot to submit the budget? You really?dropped the ball!
• ORIGIN: When a football player drops the ball, his team may lose the chance to score.
• bitter pill to swallow:?bad news; something unpleasant to accept
• EXAMPLE: After Gina spent her whole summer working as an intern for American Express, failing to get a full-time job offer from the company was a?bitter pill to swallow.
• up to scratch:??good; at the expected level
• EXAMPLE: Your customer service call center isn't?up to scratch. They put me on hold for 45 minutes!
• NOTE: You will usually hear this expression in the negative: not up to scratch.
• asleep at the wheel:?not performing well; neglecting responsibilities; not paying attention to what's going on
• EXAMPLE: The dental hygienist was?asleep at the wheel. She accidentally left a big piece of dental floss in the patient's mouth!
• SYNONYMS: asleep at the switch; out to lunch