Those of us who grew up with English as our first language have been exposed to idioms and idiomatic expressions for most of our lives. They may have confused us a little when we were children, but explanation and constant exposure not only increased our understanding of them, but likely drew them into our own vernacular. If you’re in the process of learning the English language, you may come across some of these and not be entirely sure what they mean. Here’s a list of 20 that you’re likely to come across fairly often:
對英語是母語的人而言，大部分的時間都會接觸到習語和俚語。孩提時，遇到習語和俚語可能會有些迷惑，但是不斷的接觸會增加對這些詞語的理解，并有可能把它們納入到自己的詞匯中。如果你正在學習英語，那你可能會遇到一些習語或俚語，卻不是很清楚它們的意思。下面列出了你最可能經常碰到的20個習語或俚語。
1. A Chip on Your Shoulder
耿耿于懷
No, this doesn’t mean that you’ve dropped part of your snack. To have a chip on one’s shoulder implies that the person is carrying around some grudge or bad feelings about something that happened in the past… like having walked through the wreckage of a building, and ended up with a chip of that building stuck to them for years afterward.
這可不是說你掉了一點兒零食。“To have a chip on one’s shoulder” 指的是一個人對過去發生的事情懷有怨氣或不良情緒......就像是走過建筑物的殘骸，而接下來的幾年中建筑物的碎屑仍粘在身上。
2. Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
貪多嚼不爛
Like taking a HUGE bite of a sandwich that will fill your mouth up so much that you can’t move your jaw, this idiom implies that you’ve taken on more than you can handle successfully. An example would be agreeing to build ten websites in a week when normally you can only handle five.
就像是你咬了一大口三明治，把嘴填得太滿了，下巴都動不了了。這個習語指的是做事情不要超出自己的能力。舉個例子，你同意一周的時間建10個網站，而通常情況下你只能建5個。
3. You Can’t Take It With You
生不帶來，死不帶去
You can’t take anything with you when you die, so don’t bother hoarding your stuff or not using it except for “special occasions”. Live now, because all your stuff is going to be around long after you’re gone.
當你死時，什么東西也帶不走。所以不要貯藏東西或只有“特殊場合”才使用某些東西。活在當下，因為在你走了之后，那些東西還會長時間存在。
4. Everything But the Kitchen Sink
一應俱全/無所不包
This implies that nearly everything has been packed/taken/removed. For instance, if someone said: “The thieves stole everything but the kitchen sink!” it meant that they took everything they could carry; it’s damned hard to remove a sink and carry it around.
這指的是無所不包。例如，如果有人說：“The thieves stole everything but the kitchen sink!”指的是賊把能搬的東西都搬走了；很難卸下水槽并隨身攜帶。
5. “Over My Dead Body”
“休想”
When the only way you’ll allow something to happen is if you’re no longer alive to stop it.
你允許某事發生的唯一方式是你不再活在世上，無法去阻止它。
6. Tie the Knot
喜結連理
To get married. This is left over from the old tradition of handfasting, wherein the hands of the bride and groom would be tied together with a length of ribbon to symbolize that their lives were fastened together permanently.
結婚。這是從婚約的古老傳統遺留下來的，新郎和新娘的手用緞帶系在一起， 代表他們的生活永遠地系在了一起。
7. Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover
不要以貌取人
Things aren’t always what they appear to be at first glance, so it’s a good idea to give something a chance, even if its outward appearance isn’t immediately attractive.
事情并不總是第一眼看上去的樣子，所以即使事物的外觀不能立刻吸引你，也要給它們一些機會。
*The exception to this might be actual books that have hideous covers: those tend to be terrible all around, and in cases such as these, it’s best to contact the author or publisher and recommend a good graphic designer.
*例外情況可能是封皮駭人的書籍：那些書無論放在哪里都很嚇人，在這種情況下，最好聯系作者或出版商，并推薦好的平面設計師。
8. When Pigs Fly
永無可能
This means “never”. Pigs aren’t about to sprout wings and take flight anytime soon, so if someone says to their kid that they can get a forehead tattoo when pigs fly, it’s not gonna happen.
這意味著“不可能”。豬不可能在短期內長出翅膀飛起來。 所以如果有人這樣對孩子說， 當豬能飛時就能在前額上紋身，意思是這樣的事是不會發生的。
9. A Leopard Can’t Change His Spots
江山易改，本性難移
Basically: you are who you are. Just like a leopard can’t concentrate really hard and change the pattern on its skin, people can’t change who they really are at heart.
基本的意思：你就是你自己。就像是豹子很難集中精力并改變皮膚上的圖案一樣，人們很難從本質上進行改變。
10. Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
感情外露
To freely show and express all of your emotions, as though your heart were on the outside of your body.
自由地展示和表達你所有的情感，就像是把你的心放在身體外面一樣。
