out of line

仅按字面意思，并无比喻或俗语义；参见out of、line。

I lost my place when I had to get out of line to find you.

我排队的时候出列去找你了，把排到的位置丢了。

不合适地，不恰当地，不妥地

I hope my comments yesterday were not out of line.

我希望我昨天说的话没有不妥之处。


in control

The General said that his troops were now in control of the situation.

將軍說他的部隊已經控制住了局勢。

It was a bitter blow to England's players, who sank to their knees in disappointment, after fighting so hard but a draw does not cause too much damage and they still remain in control of their own destiny.

2021年September8日, Phil McNulty, “Poland 1-1 England”, 出自 BBC Sport:


afk

AFK的大小寫替代形式.


by the way

[…] I had counted on a life-lease of the profits, whereas I only received those of a few short years. But this is by the way.

1853, Herman Melville, Bartleby, the Scrivener, in Billy Budd, Sailor and Other Stories, New York: Penguin Books, 1968; reprint 1995 as Bartleby, ISBN 0 14 60.0012 9, p.2:

“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”

1918, W. B. Maxwell, 章號 7, 出自 The Mirror and the Lamp:

His mother will be coming for dinner tomorrow, and, by the way, she volunteered to bring dessert.

他媽媽明天過來吃晚飯。順帶提一句，她還說要帶點甜品過來。


FWIW

Supposidly, SVR3 was developed on the 400 line, and ports to the 3B5/15 line are not due out until early next year. FWIW.

1986年August27日, Marc A. Ries, “Re: UNIX v.3 Query”, 出自 net.unix (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-02, message-ID <1267@trwrb.UUCP>:

Anyway, the PD libraries for "strings" and "ndir" were the saving grace, once "job control" was conditionally compiled out. FWIW.

1986年November26日, Marc A. Ries, “Re: Berkely Unix ported to NCR Tower32”, 出自 comp.unix.wizards (Usenet), retrieved 2020-07-21, message-ID <1441@trwrb.UUCP>:

I spoke with a person that was a crew member of a P3-ORION out of Moffett. Although the Navy will not admit or deny the presence of nuclear depth-charges...he said that they routinely carry them during training...in case the training turns into the REAL thing while they are in the air. FWIW, --Bi// (For What It Is Worth)

1987年January6日, William Daul, “B-52's don't fly out of Moffett Naval Air Station”, 出自 mod.politics.arms-d (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-02, message-ID <8701070354.AA12777@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>:


on the other hand

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-on the other hand.ogg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/en-us-on the other hand.ogg

Well yes, it was quite a good bargain; on the other hand, do we really need one?

是的，這是一筆不錯的交易。但反過來想，我們真的需要嗎？

Its external relations, on the one hand to dynamics, and on the other to heat, light, chemical action, and the constitution of bodies, seem to indicate the special importance of electrical science as an aid to the interpretation of nature.

1873, James Clerk Maxwell, A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism:

The host of business travellers between Bishops Stortford and London would scarcely take kindly to devious routing via the Southbury line; on the other hand, it is not desirable that they should overcrowd the business trains to and from Cambridge.

1961 January, “The North-East London electrification of the Great Eastern Line”, 出自 Trains Illustrated，頁號 19:


i går

繼承自古諾爾斯語 í gær、í gjár。


a fin di bene

una bugia a fin di bene


a distanza

seguirlo a distanza

amore a distanza

insegnamento a distanza


a.k.a.

AKA (“也稱為”)的另一種寫法。

同類詞：f.k.a.


à deux

借自法語 à deux。

二人（用）的（地）；親密的（地）

It is arguable that Litvinov, had he met with civility and those supple conversations à deux in which trained diplomats excel, might have stopped the war...
（請為本使用例添加中文翻譯）

William Manchester, The Last Lion Vol. 2, page 458


a propósito

A propósito, ¿cuándo dará a luz tu prima?

順便问一句，你的堂/表姐/妹什麼時候生孩子？


behind bars

Some 460,000 Americans are behind bars for drug offenses.

2001, Margot Roosevelt et al., "The War Against The War On Drugs," Time, 7 May:

Leading Jordanian exponents of the Salafi-jihadi world view, such as Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, are now behind bars or silent, fearing arrest by the powerful mukhabarat secret police.

2014, Ian Black, "Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis", The Guardian, 27 November 2014:


by day

He is a policeman by day and a thief by night.

他白天做警察，晚上當小偷。


by night

他白天做警察，晚上當小偷。


to a man

To a man, Cyrenaica's new landlords insist they are the launchpad for a countrywide liberation, with Tripoli as the capital, not a separatist movement.

2011, "Building a new Libya", The Economist, 25 Feb 2011:


for sale

- Is this ladder for sale?
- No, it is used to reach the products on the upper shelves.

-這梯子賣嗎？
-不賣，這是用來夠著架子上層的貨品的。


by chance

I stumbled across the exit by chance.


from time to time

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/en-au-from time to time.ogg

From time to time we all get a hankering for something a little different.

我们每个人偶尔都会渴望有点变化。

From time to time an atmosphere of compromise arises.


in view of

In view of the present situation, we'll have to revise our original plan.

基于此现状，我们不得不修改原先的计划。

They stopped when they were in view of the town.

小镇在进入到他们的视野以后，他们就停了下来。


at odds

The witness' statement seems to be at odds with the evidence, not a good sign for the prosecutor.

證人的說法似乎和證據不符合，這對檢察官來說不是一個好的信號。

He flashes into one gross crime or other

c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I, Scene 3,


in full

My creditors insist on being repaid in full before the end of the month.

我的債主堅持要我在月末之前全數還款。


in silico

/ɪn ˈsɪlɪkəʊ/

经电脑模拟；在虚拟现实中


over the moon

(熟語) 十分高興，樂翻天

Winemakers are over the moon to be able to showcase the individual nuances within their vineyards.

2003年December14日, Kate Drake, “Champagne Supernova”, 出自 Time，於2012-03-29歸檔自原頁面:


mit Verlaub

本意为“承您许可”。见Verlaub。

恕我直言；恕我冒昧；无意冒犯


per cent

percent的另一種拼寫法


מעבר לים

字面意義為「橫越海洋」。


at a time

He manages to abstain from smoking for weeks at a time, but then gives in and starts again.

他每次會有幾個星期不抽煙，但之後又會復吸。

climb stairs two at a time

The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track.[…]Their example was followed by others at a time when the master of Mohair was superintending in person the docking of some two-year-olds, and equally invisible.

1897年 12月（標示為1898年）, Winston Churchill, 章號 IV, 出自 The Celebrity: An Episode, 紐約: The Macmillan Company；倫敦：Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC，頁號s 58–59:


out of the blue

略自out of the clear blue sky，将出乎意料的事比喻为天上突然掉下东西。

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-out of the blue.ogg

After I hadn’t heard from her in six months, she called me out of the blue to meet for lunch.

我和她没联系6个月后，她突然叫我一起去吃午餐。

I really can't understand how something like this could simply pop up out of the blue

我实在没法理解为什么这种东西能突然出现。


IME

in my experience (“根據我的經驗”)之首字母縮略詞。


à bureaux ouverts

travailler à bureaux ouverts


a la mercè de

任憑…（擺布）、任由…（控制）


à bureaux fermés

travailler à bureaux fermés


гущыӏэм фаӏоу

[ɡʷəɕəʔam faːʔʷaw]


a mercè de

a la mercè de (“任憑、任由”)的另一種寫法


murag namatyag iring

字面意義「像某人死了一隻貓／像某人的貓死了一樣」。

常用於輕蔑、不屑一顧的語氣。


murag gitilapan og iring

字面意義「就像被貓舔過一樣」。


op een na

第二（如第二大、第二好、倒數第二等等）

Rotterdam is die op een na grootste stad van Nederland.

鹿特丹是荷蘭第二大城市。


op een na

第二（如第二大、第二好、倒數第二等等）

Joyce had het op een na beste cijfer bij de toets.

Joyce 在測試中獲得第二高分。

De hardloper uit onze buurt kwam als op een na laatste aan.

來自我們街區的跑者倒數第二個到達。


at length

He went on at length about his supposed qualifications.

他说那个所谓的资格说了好久。

She led us through the tunnels for some time, until at length we reached a small door in the rock.

她领着我们在隧道里走了好久，然后我们终于到了一处石头里的小门前。

How long I slept I cannot tell, for I had nothing to guide me to the time, but woke at length, and found myself still in darkness.

1898, J. Meade Falkner, 章號 4, 出自 Moonfleet:

The proceedings of Congress are not given, since they are inserted at length in the "Congressional Globe;" but the principal bills are noticed under the date of their passage.

1800, Francis Vincent, United States Register，頁號 4:


بخير

بِ (bi, “由、以”) + خَيْر (ḵayr, “好”)。


بخير

繼承自阿拉伯語 بِخَيْرٍ (biḵayrin)，等同於ب (b-) + خير (ḵayr, ḵīr)。

bi-ḵayr (romanization)
b-ḵayr (romanization)
bi-ḵīr (romanization)
b-ḵīr (romanization)


by default

If we don't do something, they'll win by default.

要是我們不採取什麼措施，他們就默認勝利了。

No one could think of a better name, so we chose "Strawman" by default.

沒有人能想出一個更好的名字，所以我們默認選了“稻草人”這個名字。

If he wins an election, it will only be by default.

如果他贏得了選舉，那只可能是默認當選。


by far

Paris is by far the largest city in France.

巴黎是法國當之無愧的第一大城市。


out of stock

sold out之同義詞：售罄的，賣完的

Sorry, there's been a run on turkeys and we're out of stock.

抱歉，最近火雞銷量飛漲，我們已經賣完了。

The turkeys are out of stock but we have some guinea fowl in the back.

火雞是售罄了，但我們還有些珍珠雞。


at last

Now that the dog has stopped barking, perhaps we can at last get some rest.

既然那條狗不吠了，大概我們終於能休息一會兒了。

After three hundred years had passed, at last the vampire's soul was free.

三百年過後，吸血鬼的靈魂終於得以重獲自由。

No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or[…]. And at last I began to realize in my harassed soul that all elusion was futile, and to take such holidays as I could get, when he was off with a girl, in a spirit of thankfulness.

1897年 12月（標示為1898年）, Winston Churchill, 章號 IV, 出自 The Celebrity: An Episode, 紐約: The Macmillan Company；倫敦：Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC，頁號 46:

She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.

1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, 章號 6, 出自 Mr. Pratt's Patients:

After all their troubles, at last they lived happily ever after.

在經歷一波三折後，他們最終幸福快樂地生活下去。

After exhausting all possibilities, Holmes was at last satisfied the problem was unsolvable.

在用盡一切可能性後，福爾摩斯最終確信這個問題是無法解決的。


for fuck's sake

For fuck’s sake, mate! Stop shooting at me!

我靠，兄弟！別朝我開槍了！


in all

There were twenty-one in all.


without a hitch

So far Mr. Martindale's journey had been without a hitch

1908, Herbert Strang, Samba: A Story of the Rubber Slaves of the Congo:

仅按字面意思，并无比喻或俗语义；参见without、hitch。

The truck he'd bought was without a hitch.


over my dead body

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-over my dead body.ogg

"Can I get a new sports car?" "Over my dead body!"

“我能買輛新跑車嗎？”“除非我死了！”


on a shoestring

The first year after we bought the house, we lived on a shoestring, but we survived.

買完房子的第一年，我們只能勒緊褲腰帶過日子，不過也算是撐過來了。


around the clock

They worked around the clock to finish the project on time.

他們夜以繼日工作以按時完成計劃。


round the clock

He had his team work round the clock to get the project finished in time.

為了按時完成計劃，他讓團隊夜以繼日工作。


under no circumstances

Under no circumstances should I be responsible for your reckless driving of my vehicle.

我無論如何都不會為你魯莽駕駛我的車輛而負責。


de droit

同類詞：de fait


de fait

仿譯自拉丁語 de facto。

同類詞：de droit


au doigt mouillé

指把手指弄濕並將其豎直以找出大致風向的做法。对比英語 finger to the wind。

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/LL-Q150 (fra)-LoquaxFR-au doigt mouillé.wav

une estimation au doigt mouillé


til dømes

借自冰島語 til dæmis，dæmi 用本土詞 døme 代替。

Me kan til dømes spela fotball.

我們可以，比如說，踢會兒足球。


BTW

by the way (“順便問一句，順便說一下”)之首字母縮略詞。

Last I heard, the books could not be copied in any part nor seen by non-licensees. BTW – Irma Biren has been promoted (she deserved it) and the new contact would be Francine Glick.

我之前听说，这些书任何部分都不能被复制，也不能被没有许可的人看到。顺便说一句：伊尔玛·比瑞恩已经被提拔了（那是她应得的），新的联系人将是弗朗辛·格里克。

1981年June14日, harpo!ber, “Lion's Book”, 出自 fa.unix-wizards (Usenet), retrieved 2016-07-02, message-ID <anews.Aharpo.261>:

BTW – By The Way

BTW——順便問一句，順便說一下

1989年May8日, Vince Perriello (Editor in Chief), “Volume 6, Number 19”, 出自 FidoNews，於2005-01-18歸檔自原頁面:


like hell

You'd better run like hell!

He had an innate honesty and humility, a work ethic that elevated him above most others in England. He knew what he wanted and worked like hell to try to make it happen.

2018年May4日, Tom English, “Steven Gerrard: A 'seriously clever or recklessly stupid' Rangers appointment”, 出自 BBC Sport:

Me do the washing up? Like hell I will!

You look like hell!

It stank like hell down there!


IMO

in my opinion (“我覺得”)之首字母縮略詞。


on heat

in heat的另一種寫法


out of nowhere

突然出現，不知道從哪裏冒出來


on the money

exactly

位置准确地，不偏不倚地，正中地，准确地，正确地

on the dot

位置准确地，不偏不倚地，正中地，准确地，正确地

on the mark

位置准确地，不偏不倚地，正中地，准确地，正确地

位置准确地，不偏不倚地，正中地，准确地，正确地

Did you have the wrong kind? I've never had the wrong kind. Ever. My worst one was right on the money.

1979, Woody Allen, Manhattan, 角色 Isaac Davis（Woody Allen）:

Two of the A-4s landed on the money. The third was not so lucky.

1987年July3日, Maj. Michael B. Perini, “In Good Hands with Gold 11”, 出自 Air Force Magazine, 卷 70, 號 7, retrieved 2014-05-10:

For years, Gore had been dismissed, even ridiculed, for his traveling Power Point extravaganza warning about climate change. […] Today, few would disagree that Al was pretty much on the money.

2008年October10日, Richard Friebe, “How Nobel Winners Spend Their Prize Money: Al Gore”, 出自 Time，於2014-03-06歸檔自原頁面:

I always felt that Bob Dylan was on the money when he sang: "When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose."

2011年August19日, The Secret Footballer, “For new boys there's nothing like the big time”, 出自 The Guardian (UK), retrieved retrieved 10 May 2014:

Its mileage claims were right on the money: I averaged a little over 33 m.p.g. over a weekend of combined city-highway driving in the 2012 SL.

2013年February1日, Robert Peele, “The Mouse That Roars”, 出自 New York Times, retrieved 2014-05-10:


of late

I have not visited them of late, but I hear they are doing well.

我最近没有去看他们，但是我听说他们过得挺好的。


in droves

Viewers are switching off news and current affairs programmes in droves with shows such as Panorama, Tonight with Trevor McDonald and even Watchdog failing to connect with audiences, a new report claims.

2002年October31日, Owen Gibson, “TV audiences desert news in droves”, 出自 The Guardian:

The difference to 2020 has been marked. People have returned to the railway in their droves, far faster than the pessimists predicted - especially this year, now that international travel restrictions have been lifted, bringing back foreign tourism.

2022年November30日, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, 出自 RAIL, 期 971，頁號 79:


up to one's ears

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-up to one's ears.ogg


up to here

仅按字面意思，并无比喻或俗语义；参见up、to、here。（到这里为止）

Just fill the bucket with water up to here.

往桶里加水加到这里为止。

I have been up to here in paperwork all week.

They have their lives to live and I'm up to here in disgust with mine.

1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, chapter 12

I have had it up to here with his sarcasm.

我已经受不了他的讽刺挖苦了。

I am stuffed up to here with appetizers.

我开胃菜都已经吃得饱得不行了。


بسم

源自詞根ب س م (b-s-m)。

بِاسْمِ (bi-smi)的另一種寫法，用於بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ (bismi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi)。


for what it's worth

依我之见，我是觉得，但是吧 （用来谦虚地表示自己说的话不一定有用，有关，但是还是（为了它“可能具有的有限的价值”）说出来，汉语中没有很准确的等价词）

Take my advice for what it’s worth—don’t marry Garth: marry some old fool.

“Well,” said he, “I have a suggestion to make, for what it’s worth.”

1908, Armand Both, The Half-smart Set, Frederick A. Stokes Company, page 276:

There were seven of us from America, and, for what it’s worth, I thought it was a fairly impressive group.

1999, Bruce Northam, Brad Olsen, In Search of Adventure: A Wild Travel Anthology, →ISBN，頁號 21:

For what it’s worth, the same holds true for fish bowls: overfill and you’ll suffocate the guppies.

2005, Jennifer Rosen, Waiter, There’s A Horse In My Wine, →ISBN，頁號 253:


in the same breath

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-in the same breath.ogg

同时地，一起地，连起来地，紧接着地 （一般用来说其说或做自相矛盾的事）


on the cheap

Well, if you buy things on the cheap what do you expect?

唉，你都想买东西省钱了，你还指望什么？


like two peas in a pod

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-like two peas in a pod.ogg

一模一样的，一个模子里刻出来的


of old

In days of old.

I know him of old.

The station has been refurbished both at ground level and below ground, where the wide, fluorescently lit platforms are an almost unrecognisable metamorphosis of the dingy, reeking Low Level of old.

1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, 出自 Trains Illustrated，頁號 713:

These deals have made them more like the radio and TV stations of old — picking popular acts, paying handsomely for their work, assuming greater responsibility for their output — and less like the neutral platforms they once claimed to be.

2022年January31日, Kevin Roose, “Spotify’s Joe Rogan Problem Isn’t Going Away”, 出自 The New York Times, →ISSN:


on the prowl

在找东西，在觅食；鬼鬼祟祟地四处徘徊

The cat was always on the prowl for bit of string or a dangling shoelace.

那只猫老是到处找线或者垂下来的鞋带。


in the buff

源自buff (字面意思是“褐黄色的”)，表示了皮肤的颜色。

She was in the buff on the beach.

The streaker ran across the playing field in the buff.

裸跑者光着身子跑过了操场。

Not to mention, nudity can be just plain convenient. “Laundry is minimal,” Schulte notes. It also doesn’t hurt that being in the buff spices up his workday.

2021年October18日, Ian Lecklitzner, “The Inevitable Rise of the Work-From-Home Nudist”, 出自 MEL Magazine:


at the mercy of

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/en-au-at the mercy of.ogg

任凭...处置的，对...束手无策的

The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.

1897年 12月（標示為1898年）, Winston Churchill, 章號 1, 出自 The Celebrity: An Episode, 紐約: The Macmillan Company；倫敦：Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

The ball game is scheduled for Saturday, but we're still at the mercy of the weather.

球赛定在周六，但是还是得看天气。


in the nick of time

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/en-au-in the nick of time.ogg

eleventh hour

正好，正是时候；踩着点，在最后时刻

under the wire

正好，正是时候；踩着点，在最后时刻

just in time

正好，正是时候；踩着点，在最后时刻

正好，正是时候；踩着点，在最后时刻

He finished writing his paper and slid it under the door just in the nick of time.


in the works

They always have some wonderful new project in the works.

他們總是計劃開展一些精彩的新項目。

仅按字面意思，并无比喻或俗语义；在機器中。

Be careful not to get any debris in the works.

小心不要讓任何碎片進到機器裡。


de jure

dē iūre的另一種拼寫法


sans vergogne

字面意思是「没有羞耻心（地）」。


up to no good

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-up to no good.ogg

He seems like an angel on the surface, but I can tell he's up to no good.

他看起来像个天使一样，但我知道他肯定很调皮。


all over the place

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/en-au-all over the place.ogg

at random

乱七八糟，前后矛盾；胡乱，随意；前言不搭后语

They started firing all over the place.

In Genoa there are stray cats all over the place.

I've been looking for you all over the place.

I couldn't believe it. “This is insane! You don't know what you're getting into, Dad. We can't have lots of people swarming all over the place. You're supposed to be getting rest.”

2004, Ruth Ozeki, All Over Creation, Penguin, →ISBN，頁號 267:

乱七八糟，前后矛盾；胡乱，随意；前言不搭后语

I asked each person in turn, and their answers were all over the place.

我把他们一个个问过去，他们的回答前后不搭。


at gunpoint

At gunpoint I was told to hand over my money.

I held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

警察来之前我一直用枪指着他。


before long

They left before long. ― 他們沒多久便離開了。

It is to be hoped that some corresponding smartening up of these other schedules may be expected before long.

希望不久之后这些时刻表就会得到一些相应的改进。

1961 October, “The winter timetables of British Railways: Southern Region”, 出自 Trains Illustrated，頁號 593:


by any stretch of the imagination

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/en-au-by any stretch of the imagination.ogg

完全（不），一点也（不），不管怎么想都（不）

The British Prime Minister isn't a monarch by any stretch of the imagination.

英国首相绝不是什么君主。


out of the woods

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/En-au-out of the woods.ogg

The patient is feeling a little better, but she's not out of the woods yet.

患者稍微舒服了一些，但是还没有完全脱离危险。

仅按字面意思，并无比喻或俗语义；参见out of、the、woods。


out of kilter

源自out of + kilter、kelter (“（良好的）条件，秩序，条理；状态”)。最后一个词词源不详，但在英国和美国是方言用词。

不正常的，不协调的，混乱的，失去条理的，失灵的，故障的

I stayed up late to watch a movie, and my entire sleeping schedule has been out of kilter ever since.

我熬夜看了一部电影以后，我的作息规律就完全被打乱了。

Aye, ſquire, that thing [a statue of Hercules] has been fixt in this ſpot I warrant you theſe hundred years; it was ſadly out of kilter when I came to the eſtate, but I got my neighbour the conſtable, who is a carpenter, to make him that right arm, and put the ſtaff into it, for I could not bear to ſee ſuch a clumſy log as he had in it before; [...]

1762, [Susan Smythies], “Presents the Reader with a Prospect of the Sullens”, 出自 The Stage-coach: Containing the Character of Mr. Manly, and the History of His Fellow Travellers, Dublin: Printed by Henry Saunders […], →OCLC，頁號 140:

Wall, chilern, whar dar is so much racket dar must be somethin' out o' kilter. I thik dat 'twixt de niggers of de Souf and de womin at de Norf, all talkin' 'bout rights, de white men will be in a fix pretty soon.

1851年May29日, Sojourner Truth, reported by Frances D[ana] Gage, “Ohio [Reminiscences by Frances D. Gage. Sojourner Truth. [Ain’t I a Woman?]]”, 出自 History of Woman Suffrage. [...] In Three Volumes, 卷s I (1848–1861), Rochester, N.Y., London: Susan B. Anthony; Charles Mann […], 出版於 1887, →OCLC，頁號 116:

[T]hey are either round-shouldered, knock-kneed, bow-legged, or parrot-toed; some are also badly cross-eyed. It seems as if they can see two different ways at the same time. Jack says they are lop-sided and out of kilter altogether.

1890, Charles Erskine, 章號 V, 出自 Twenty Years before the Mast: […], Boston, Mass.: Published by the author, →OCLC，頁號 72:

Snowstorms often knock the Government's Salt Lake radio range out of kilter.

1941年March10日, “An Airliner Cracks Up in Pine Woods near Atlanta and Seven People Die”, 出自 Henry R[obinson] Luce 編, Life, 卷 10, 期 10, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, photograph caption，頁號 27:

This was a champion team out of kilter, stung by what was arguably an act of disrespect to their opponents, a failure to appreciate their threat and the fine planning of Carlos Osorio, and never really able to regain its balance.

2018年June17日, Barney Ronay, “Mexico’s Hirving Lozano stuns world champions Germany for brilliant win”, 出自 Katharine Viner 編, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC，於2019-08-05歸檔自原頁面:


up someone's alley

符合某人的，适合某人的，某人感兴趣的

This article would be right up his alley. Why don't you show it to him?

他应该对这篇文章挺感兴趣的，不如给他看看吧？


on the flip side

They were behind twice, first to James Morrison's 11th-minute strike and then Kenny Miller's effort early in the second half. England responded with goals of their own from Theo Walcott and Daniel Welbeck and, on the balance of play, probably deserved the victory. On the flip-side, they could conceivably have lost because of their various shortcomings in defence. They also have a goalkeeper, Joe Hart, who is a danger to his own team on nights like these.

14 August 2013, Daniel Taylor, “Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland”, 出自 The Guardian:


at someone's throat

They were at each other's throats all evening.


for a song

[T]he contents of aircraft that once commanded prices up to $148m are now being sold off for a song after being torn apart in Gloucestershire's aviation charnel house.

2009年December11日, “Jet Cemetery: Where Airplanes Go to Die”, 出自 Businessweek:

In his senior year, he had run across an old '66 Chevy Super Sport headed for the junkyard, bought it for a song, and overhauled it with his dad's help, turning it into the big red muscle car it was back in its day.

2011, Kat Martin, A Song for My Mother, Vanguard Press,, →ISBN，頁號 200:

He bought it for a song in 1984 compared with what his fellow financiers were spending on tonier Park and Fifth Avenues.

2013年August16日, Robin Finn, “A Former Madoff Penthouse Goes Back on the Market”, 出自 The New York Times, →ISSN:


off the books

His company was fined for paying staff off the books.

他的公司因给员工发工资不报税而被罚款。


à revendre

勿與 à vendre 混淆。

avoir du talent à revendre


aus heiterem Himmel

/aʊ̯s ˈhaɪ̯təʁəm ˈhɪməl/


wie am Schnürchen

字面意思是「像在绳子上一样」，比喻像木偶戏里用线操控的木偶一样尽在掌控。

Es hat alles geklappt wie am Schnürchen.

Für die Kampagne, einem Zusammenschluss aus Dutzenden Organisationen, die ohne Unterstützung der etablierten Parteien ausgekommen ist, lief es zuletzt wie am Schnürchen.

2023年March26日, Erik Peter, “Klima-Volksentscheid in Berlin: Klima der Veränderung”, 出自 Die Tageszeitung: taz, →ISSN:


at the most

at most的另一種寫法


at most

There weren't so many people at the concert — 40 at most.

來看音樂會的人不多——頂多就坐滿了40%。


in public

Don't you know it's rude to pick your nose in public?

你不知道當眾摳鼻子是很粗魯的行為嗎？