1. FRIGHTEN / SCARE THE PANTS OFF SOMEONE

 “frighten”和“scare” 都是惊吓的意思。“frighten/scare the pants off someone” 诙谐地描绘出把某人吓得魂飞魄散。

①The new roller coaster ride at the amusement park frightened the pants off me.乘坐公园里那辆新的滑行铁道车吓得我魂飞魄散。②Height scares the pants off some people.有些人怕高。

One dark cold night Quinton was taking a shortcut home. It was very late, and suddenly the cry of an owl pierced the darkness. The noise must have scared the pants off Quinton for he began to run. "I wasn''t scared. I was just in a rush to get home," he said. I didn''t believe him. When something frightens or scares the pants off us, we are well and truly frightened!

shortcut 捷径                   

owl 猫头鹰

pierce 刺穿                     

darkness 黑暗

in a rush 匆匆忙忙地

2. AS FREE AS THE BIRDS / FREE AS A BIRD

“(As) free as the birds”和“(as) free as a平共处bird” 意思相同。把人比做鸟，自由自在，无拘无束。

① “I am looking forward to a time when I will be free as the birds again,” Albert said.“我盼望着能够再次过自由自在的日子。”艾尔伯特说。

② “Stop dreaming! You won''t be as free as a bird for many years to come!" Officer Mutt reminded him.“别做梦了。还有许多的未来时日，你不会自由自在啦！”麦特提醒他说。

“Wheeee, I''m as free as the birds!" Albert cried as he soared from his room and sailed into space. "Ha! You won''t be free as a bird for long!" Officer Mutt cried as he chased Albert with a net. To be as free as the birds or free as a bird is to be totally free and completely unrestrained.

soar 翱翔                        

space 太空

chase 追捕                      

 unrestrained 无束缚的

3. FEEL AT HOME

家(home) 是使人感到舒适和无拘束的地方。

“feel at home” 也就比喻感到像在家里一般安适和自在。

① “I like this neighborhood and I am sure I will soon feel at home living here,” Tina smiled.“我喜欢这个街区，我肯定在这里会生活得很舒适。”蒂娜微笑着说。

② “I always feel at home when I am with you.” Tim answered.“跟你在一起时，我总觉得很自在。”蒂姆回答道。

No sooner had Tina and Tim said "I do" than the groom took his happy bride to a part of town she had never seen before. "Here, my dear, is where we shall make our new home," he said. "Oh, how lovely," she answered, "I already feel at home." When one feels at home, he or she feels comfortable and at ease in his/her surroundings.

groom 新郎  

bride 新娘

town 城镇                       

at ease 不拘束；安适

surroundings 周围的事物；环境

4. A DROP IN THE BUCKET / OCEAN

一滴水，无论在水桶(bucket) 里或是在汪洋 (ocean)中，只是极微小的分量。因此，“a drop in the bucket/ocean” 也就解释为沧海一粟或九牛一毛。

① “The new tax cuts are a drop in the ocean. I''d like to see bigger ones.”   “新减税额只是九牛一毛。我希望有更大幅度的削减。”

② “I''d like to buy a new ear, but I''m afraid what I have saved is just a drop in the bucket. I''ll have to save much more money.”“我想买部新车，但我的积蓄恐怕仅是九牛一毛。我必须积蓄更多的钱。”

Teddy has emptied his fishbowl and now he is carefully measuring fresh water back into it. The manner in which he is doing that has alarmed his goldfish. That tiny amount of water is hardly a drop in the bucket! I''ll need more than that!" the goldfish cried. A drop in the bucket / ocean describes a very small amount of something, especially when much more is required.

empty 使…成为空的               

Fishbowl 鱼缸

fresh water 淡水                   

alarm 使…惊恐

5. DRIVE (ONE''S) PIGS TO MARKET

单看字面，我们是难以猜到“drive (one''s) pigs to market” 的意思，因为这不是指“往市场赶猪”，而是“打鼾”的意思。

① “I had a dream in which you were driving pigs to market last night,” Mr. Leung said to his wife.  “昨晚我做了一个梦，梦见你打鼾。”梁先生对妻子说。

② “The whole house shake when you drove your pigs to market,” Mrs. Leung said to her husband.  “你打鼾时，整座房子都在晃动。”梁太太对丈夫说。

One morning last week Mr. Leung turned to his wife and said, “I believe I heard you driving your pigs to market last night, my dear.” Mrs. Leung was surprised, "Why no, dear, I would never do that. It isn''t considered ladylike." If you are wondering what Mr. and Mrs. Leung are talking about, drive (one''s) pigs to market means to snore. It''s slang.

turn to 转向                   

 believe 相信

ladylike 淑女的               

 wonder 想知道

snore 打鼾