give somebody a (good) run for one’s money

給某人造成強大的競爭壓力;使某人棋逢對手。

例句:

  • I think only Carl will be able to give that candidate a run for his money in the presidential election next year. (我認為只有卡爾才能在明年的總統大選中對那位候選人造成強大壓力)
  • Amy was an excellent supermodel and could have given any other professional a run for their money. (艾美過去是一名非常優秀的超模,可能是其他任何專業模特兒的競爭對手)

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turn an honest penny

用正當手段賺錢;老老實實賺錢。

例句:

  • Kevin’s doing odd jobs to turn an honest penny. (凱文打零工老老實實掙錢)
  • My father’s just an ordinary businessman, trying to turn an honest penny. (我父親是個普通生意人,只想用正當手段賺錢)

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the 64,000 dollar question; the sixty-four thousand dollar question; the $64,000 question

關鍵問題;至關重要的問題;最重要的問題。

註:根據 Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 線上字典,這成語源自美國 1955 至 1958 年播出的一個電視問答節目,答對問題者有獎金,而答對最後、也是最難一個問題可獲得 64,000 美元的獎金。

例句:

  • It’s a clever plan, but the sixty-four thousand dollar question is: Will it work? (那是一項巧妙的計畫,但關鍵問題是:它行得通嗎?)
  • That’s the 64,000 dollar question. (那是個至關重要的問題)

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a fool and his money are soon/easily parted

蠢人有錢留不住;傻瓜不積財 - 指愚蠢的人不加思索就花錢,換言之,若不謹慎理財,錢很快就花光光。

例句:
Frank relishes his extravagant lifestyle – but then a fool and his money are soon parted. (法蘭克喜愛奢侈的生活方式,但他的錢很快就花光了)

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in someone’s bad/black books; in someone’s good books

失去某人的歡心;得到某人的歡心。

註:Books 原指記錄呆帳 (bad debt) 的帳冊。

例句:

  • I’m in my dad’s bad/black books because I didn’t clean the bathroom yesterday. (我爸爸對我很不滿,因為我昨天沒有清洗浴室)
  • I washed the car this morning so I’m in Mum’s good books. (我今天早上洗了車,所以媽媽對我很滿意)

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cross one’s palm with silver

付錢給某人 (尤指算命者或有好消息奉告者)。

例句:

  • I crossed his palm with silver, but he still stood there. (我已付錢給他,但他還站那裡)
  • You will find that things happen much faster in hotels if you cross the staff’s palms with silver fairly often. (如果你常常給旅館員工一些小費,你會發現事情處理起來快了很多)

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put one’s money where one’s mouth is

說話算數,說給錢就給錢。

例句:

  • If people are really interested in helping the homeless they should put their money where their mouth is. (如果人們真的有意幫助無家可歸的人,那麼他們應該說話算數,說給錢就給錢)
  • Congress needs to put its money where its mouth is and really support energy conservation. (國會須兌現撥款承諾,確實支持節約能源)

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