neck of the woods: 地带，地段附近的地区； A local neighbourhood or region
In my neck of the woods, by contrast, residents tend to come and go;
crop up: 突然出现，突然发生；
If something crops up, it appears or happens, usually unexpectedly.
Rational behavior is much more widespread than you would expect and crops up in the most unexpected place.
off-the-wall: 异乎寻常的；非凡的；
If you describe something as off-the-wall, you mean that it is unusual and rather strange but in an amusing or interesting way.
Readers have told me that they enjoy my off-the-wall book lists.
2010/03/30
2010/03/01
Inglish_28/02/10
jilted lover: a jilted person has been suddenly left by someone they were having a romantic relationship with; 被人抛弃的情人In the 1990s, the hit series The Nanny, starring Fran Drescher as the jilted lover/cosmetic saleswoman who ends up caring for the children of a wealthy British Broadway producer, was wildly successful, ultimately playing on four continents.
well-heeled: rich
there is an intense desire on the part of well-heeled parents for nannies with a college degree.
2010/01/28
Inglish_27/01/10
bona fide: 名副其实，真诚的；
If something or someone is bona fide, they are genuine or real. I don’t feel too terrible about doing this; after all,
I’m a bona fide librarian, I do Show and Tells at the Newberry all the time.
pell-mell: 混乱地，仓促地；
If you move pell-mell somewhere, you move there in a hurried, uncontrolled way.
A child is running, pell mell, and as it comes down the path through the waving grass my heart twists and Clare bursts into the clearing.
by the skin of one's teeth: 好不容易才(侥幸，千钧一发);
barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare
If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it.
holi grail: something that people want very much, but which is very difficult or impossible to achieve
That’s why IV—along with inventors all over the world—are working toward the holy grail: cheaper and cleaner forms of energy.
far-out: very strange and unusual; 极不寻常的
In his writing, he used a good bit of the far-out science he picked up in Schenectady.
hair-of-the-dog: 解宿醉的一杯酒；
a colloquial English expression predominantly used to refer to ingestion of alcohol as treatment for a hangover;
It was a crazy, hair-of-the-dog scheme that seemed to violate every tenet of environmentalism.
pro bono: 无偿的，为公众利益的
Indeed, many of IV’s most time-consuming projects, including a variety of AIDS and malaria solutions, are substantially pro bono work.
If something or someone is bona fide, they are genuine or real. I don’t feel too terrible about doing this; after all,
I’m a bona fide librarian, I do Show and Tells at the Newberry all the time.
pell-mell: 混乱地，仓促地；
If you move pell-mell somewhere, you move there in a hurried, uncontrolled way.
A child is running, pell mell, and as it comes down the path through the waving grass my heart twists and Clare bursts into the clearing.
by the skin of one's teeth: 好不容易才(侥幸，千钧一发);
barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare
If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it.
holi grail: something that people want very much, but which is very difficult or impossible to achieve
That’s why IV—along with inventors all over the world—are working toward the holy grail: cheaper and cleaner forms of energy.
far-out: very strange and unusual; 极不寻常的
In his writing, he used a good bit of the far-out science he picked up in Schenectady.
hair-of-the-dog: 解宿醉的一杯酒；
a colloquial English expression predominantly used to refer to ingestion of alcohol as treatment for a hangover;
It was a crazy, hair-of-the-dog scheme that seemed to violate every tenet of environmentalism.
pro bono: 无偿的，为公众利益的
Indeed, many of IV’s most time-consuming projects, including a variety of AIDS and malaria solutions, are substantially pro bono work.
2009/12/29
Inglish_28/12/09
hoi polloi: 庶民，普通老百姓
If someone refers to the hoi polloi, they are referring in a humorous or rather rude way to ordinary people, in contrast to rich, well-educated, or upper-class people.
The upper class cannot very well stand by as they begin to resemble the hoi polloi.
hocus-pocus: 哄骗
If you describe something as hocus-pocus, you disapprove of it because you think it is false and intended to trick or deceive people.
Witch doctors must have some track record or they would lose all credibility, and they do blend their hocus-pocus with genuine practical knowledge such as herbal remedies and predictions of events (for instance, the weather) that are more accurate than chance.
go out on a limb: 承担风险；to take a risk; to hazard a guess
bodice-ripper: 关于两性之间浪漫的情爱小说或电影
vis-à-vis: face-to-face with;
Others are threatened, frustrated, and even humiliated by this close contact, which, among other things, makes it very easy for people to see where they stand in the world vis-à-vis everyone else.
dead hand: 不散的阴魂；难以消除的不利影响（只用单数）；旧势力
You can refer to something which has a bad or depressing influence on a particular situation as a dead hand.
They do this in defiance of their authoritarian governments, which prefer to use their media not to encourage honest debate but rather to blame all their problems on others —on America, on Israel, or on a legacy of Western colonialism, on anything and anyone but the dead hand of these authoritarian regimes.
a level playing field: 平等状态，公平竞争环境
People can achieve their full potential on a level playing field
stave off：阻挡，延缓
The more people with the imagination of 11/9, the better chance we have of staving off another 9/11.
If someone refers to the hoi polloi, they are referring in a humorous or rather rude way to ordinary people, in contrast to rich, well-educated, or upper-class people.
The upper class cannot very well stand by as they begin to resemble the hoi polloi.
hocus-pocus: 哄骗
If you describe something as hocus-pocus, you disapprove of it because you think it is false and intended to trick or deceive people.
Witch doctors must have some track record or they would lose all credibility, and they do blend their hocus-pocus with genuine practical knowledge such as herbal remedies and predictions of events (for instance, the weather) that are more accurate than chance.
go out on a limb: 承担风险；to take a risk; to hazard a guess
bodice-ripper: 关于两性之间浪漫的情爱小说或电影
vis-à-vis: face-to-face with;
Others are threatened, frustrated, and even humiliated by this close contact, which, among other things, makes it very easy for people to see where they stand in the world vis-à-vis everyone else.
dead hand: 不散的阴魂；难以消除的不利影响（只用单数）；旧势力
You can refer to something which has a bad or depressing influence on a particular situation as a dead hand.
They do this in defiance of their authoritarian governments, which prefer to use their media not to encourage honest debate but rather to blame all their problems on others —on America, on Israel, or on a legacy of Western colonialism, on anything and anyone but the dead hand of these authoritarian regimes.
a level playing field: 平等状态，公平竞争环境
People can achieve their full potential on a level playing field
stave off：阻挡，延缓
The more people with the imagination of 11/9, the better chance we have of staving off another 9/11.
2009/11/24
Inglish_24/11/09
nuclear family: 核心家庭; 基本家庭; 小家庭; a family that consists of father, mother and children, when it is thought of as a unit in society.
Not everybody nowadays lives in the conventional nuclear family.
Not everybody nowadays lives in the conventional nuclear family.
dead as a dodo: 绝迹的；失效不复存在
egg on : 怂恿某人(煽动某人)
If you egg a person on, you encourage them to do something, especially something dangerous or foolish.Wouldn't the proverbial smell of fear just egg on one's enemies?
hash sth out: 把复杂麻烦的事情快速解决
hash out a problem: 经过长时间讨论解决一个问题
The teacher asked them to sit down together and hash out their differences.
run-of-the-mill: 普通的；A run-of-the-mill person or thing is very ordinary, with no special or interesting features.
2009/11/10
Inglish_10/11/09
mise en scene: 上演; 舞台调度; 导演; 布景和道具
we need more than a terse mise en scene to make our way around the world.
spell out: 讲清楚; 清楚地说明
I want to spell out the case for this foundational idea.
bric-a-brac: 小古董; 小古玩
Living things are not just pretty bits of bric-a-brac, but do amazing things.
nuts and bolts: 基本要素, 基础部分，
The evolution of information processing has to be accomplished at the nuts-and-bolts level by selection of genes that affect the brain-assembly process.
we need more than a terse mise en scene to make our way around the world.
spell out: 讲清楚; 清楚地说明
I want to spell out the case for this foundational idea.
bric-a-brac: 小古董; 小古玩
Living things are not just pretty bits of bric-a-brac, but do amazing things.
nuts and bolts: 基本要素, 基础部分，
The evolution of information processing has to be accomplished at the nuts-and-bolts level by selection of genes that affect the brain-assembly process.
2009/11/04
Inglish_04/11/09
cozy up to: 奉承(拉拢, 取悦)
J. T. thought Venkatesh was crazy, literally—a university student wanting to cozy up to a crack gang?
He felt so out of place there—like a white man working at Afro Sheen headquarters, he liked to say—that he quit.
bona fide: 真实的; 有诚意的
willy-nilly：不管愿不愿意的；乱糟糟的
to wit：那就是说; 即; 就是
J. T. thought Venkatesh was crazy, literally—a university student wanting to cozy up to a crack gang?
out of place:不在适当的位置; 不合适的, 不相称的, 不恰当的
ripple effect: 连锁反应
The Butterfly Effect is the theory that a small action in one place may have a ripple effect that creates a dramatic action in another place
The Butterfly Effect is the theory that a small action in one place may have a ripple effect that creates a dramatic action in another place
bona fide: 真实的; 有诚意的
It offered a set of bona fide heroes rather than simply a dearth of villains.
Nobody wants to be at the bottom of the pecking order.
pecking order： 长幼尊卑制度, 权势等级
willy-nilly：不管愿不愿意的；乱糟糟的
If something happens to you willy-nilly, it happens whether you like it or not.
If someone does something willy-nilly, they do it in a careless and disorganized way, without planning it in advance.
If someone does something willy-nilly, they do it in a careless and disorganized way, without planning it in advance.
He will leave at the end of term, to wit 30 July.
2009/11/02
Inglish_01/11/09
slam dunk: 很有把握, 肯定会发生的事情;a very impressive act;
Always keep in the back of your mind that no evidence will be a slam dunk that gets the job done conclusively.
mug shot: 嫌疑犯照片; a photograph of sb's face kept by the police in their records to identify criminals.
Tomkins, it was said, could walk into a post office, go over to the “Wanted” posters, and, just by looking at mug shots, tell you what crimes the various fugitives had committed.
airy-fairy: 不切实际的，天马行空的
Many explanations of behavior have an airy-fairy feel to them because they explain psychological phenomena in terms of other, equally mysterious psychological phenomena.
lingua franca: 混合语，a common language used by speakers of different languages
tease out: 梳理, 拣选出 If you tease ot information or a solution, you succeed in obtaining it even though this is difficult.
The key to measuring the Weakest Link voting data is to tease out a contestant’s playing ability from his race, gender, and age.
quid pro quo:赔偿; 报复
The most logical explanation is that the wrestlers made a quid pro quo agreement。
2009/09/04
Inglish_04/09/09
far cry: 差别悬殊
His last statement was a far cry from his first story.
in a nutshell:简言之；概括地说；总而言之
Do you see where he's going with this? In a nutshell, Raskalnikov thought such individuals are justified in doing anything, including murdering ordinary people, if they have a good purpose..His last statement was a far cry from his first story.
in a nutshell:简言之；概括地说；总而言之
bum rap: 不公正的惩罚/判决
Introversion also gets a bum rap.
hands down: 轻而易举的(无疑的)
The second piece of bread won hands-down in taste tests every time.
flying colors: 飘扬的旗帜,胜利,成功
He passed the examination with flying colors。
rattle off 飞快地说出
The next time you or one of your people starts rattling off the obvious truth by heart, wonder about whether it's obvious because it's true, or true because it's obvious.
bare bones: 梗概
The next time you or one of your people starts rattling off the obvious truth by heart, wonder about whether it's obvious because it's true, or true because it's obvious.
bare bones: 梗概
The professor asked him to present the bare bones of his thesis.
sleight of hand: 花招; 手段; 手法敏捷 (prestidigitation, quick fingers)
sleight of hand: 花招; 手段; 手法敏捷 (prestidigitation, quick fingers)
They're masters of drug trial sleight-of-hand and know research methods inside out.
on the prowl : 徘徊;悄悄调查寻找
While some affairs may start because the cheating husband is "out on the prowl" looking for a mistress, other affairs may start because a mistress is knowingly on the prowl for a married man.
well-rounded:丰满的; 多才多艺的; 面面俱到的; 有表达力的
Is it OK if children are not "well-rounded," as long as they are following their curiosities?
pan out: 结果成功，有成果；If something, for example a project or some information, pans out, it produces something useful or valuable. (INFORMAL)
Bored of waiting to see how the current swine flu pandemic will pan out?
nitty-gritty: 事实真相，本质
When you get down to the nitty-gritty, when you ask specific questions about specific friends, it’s surprising how often you don’t know the answer
2009/08/11
Inglish_10/08/09
Homo sapiens: 智人(现代人的学名)
Homo sapiens is used to refer to modern human beings as a species, in contrast to other species of ape or animal, or earlier forms of human.
What distinguishes homo sapiens from every other living creature is the mind.
pigeon-hole: To pigeon-hole someone or something means to decide that they belong to a particular class or category, often without considering all their qualities or characteristics.
Eysenck, instead of thinking people could be pigeon-holed this neatly suggested people could be described on a sliding scale of each of these factors.
tin ear: 畸形的耳朵;听觉不灵的耳朵;不懂音乐的人
Ministers have an inexplicable tin ear when it comes to the armed forces.
pull oneself up by the bootstraps: 靠自己努力成功
To “pull oneself up by the bootstraps” is to better oneself by one’s own unaided efforts.
An article "On Bootstraps" in intelligentlife has introduced the origins of the idiom and also its practicality.
well-heeled: 富有的
Someone who is well-heeled is wealthy.
schadenfreude: 幸灾乐祸的
(from German) a feeling of pleasure at the bad things that happen to other people
I couldn't resist a touch of Schadenfreude when he was defeated so heavily in the election.
last-ditch: 最后防线的, 已无后退余地的, 坚持到最后的
A last-ditch action is done only because there are no other ways left to achieve something or to prevent something happening. It is often done without much hope that it will succeed.
wishy-washy: 缺乏力量, 缺乏特点或决心的;浅淡的
someone who is wishy-washy does not have firm or clear ideas and seems unable to decide what they want
colours that are wishy-washy are pale and unexciting, not strong or dark
saving grace: 可以弥补缺点的优点(可取之处)
A saving grace is a good quality or feature in a person or thing that prevents them from being completely bad or worthless.
Her sense of humour is her saving grace.
pet-hate: A pet peeve (or pet hate) is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to them, to a greater degree than others may find it. Examples may be; poor table manners, sloppy kitchen hygiene, smoking, grammatical errors in written passages, inconsiderate driving or lazy co-workers, and loud gum smaking.
My pet-hate is pie charts.
Homo sapiens is used to refer to modern human beings as a species, in contrast to other species of ape or animal, or earlier forms of human.
What distinguishes homo sapiens from every other living creature is the mind.
pigeon-hole: To pigeon-hole someone or something means to decide that they belong to a particular class or category, often without considering all their qualities or characteristics.
Eysenck, instead of thinking people could be pigeon-holed this neatly suggested people could be described on a sliding scale of each of these factors.
tin ear: 畸形的耳朵;听觉不灵的耳朵;不懂音乐的人
Ministers have an inexplicable tin ear when it comes to the armed forces.
pull oneself up by the bootstraps: 靠自己努力成功
To “pull oneself up by the bootstraps” is to better oneself by one’s own unaided efforts.
An article "On Bootstraps" in intelligentlife has introduced the origins of the idiom and also its practicality.
well-heeled: 富有的
Someone who is well-heeled is wealthy.
schadenfreude: 幸灾乐祸的
(from German) a feeling of pleasure at the bad things that happen to other people
I couldn't resist a touch of Schadenfreude when he was defeated so heavily in the election.
last-ditch: 最后防线的, 已无后退余地的, 坚持到最后的
A last-ditch action is done only because there are no other ways left to achieve something or to prevent something happening. It is often done without much hope that it will succeed.
wishy-washy: 缺乏力量, 缺乏特点或决心的;浅淡的
someone who is wishy-washy does not have firm or clear ideas and seems unable to decide what they want
colours that are wishy-washy are pale and unexciting, not strong or dark
saving grace: 可以弥补缺点的优点(可取之处)
A saving grace is a good quality or feature in a person or thing that prevents them from being completely bad or worthless.
Her sense of humour is her saving grace.
pet-hate: A pet peeve (or pet hate) is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to them, to a greater degree than others may find it. Examples may be; poor table manners, sloppy kitchen hygiene, smoking, grammatical errors in written passages, inconsiderate driving or lazy co-workers, and loud gum smaking.
My pet-hate is pie charts.
2009/07/30
Inglish_30/07/09
off the beaten track: 偏僻地,在人迹罕至之处,不落俗套
We will make a particular effort to draw attention to articles and meetings that are “off the beaten track” .
knee-jerk: 1.膝反射的 2.下意识的自动反应,不加思索
a knee-jerk reaction, answer etc is what you feel or say about a situation from habit, without thinking about it.
In almost every human society, people share a knee-jerk revulsion for certain substances.
post-hoc: 因果关系的,前后必然的
I suppose we could speculate that it was a post-hoc effort to make it seem as if the situation he had encountered was more dangerous and threatening than it turned out to be, thus justifying an arrest.
contrarian: 与他人意见相反的人;与现行说法相悖的
Perhaps you're right, though the contrarian in me will continue to maintain that one of the two men was a civilian in his own home and the other an on-duty police officer.
We will make a particular effort to draw attention to articles and meetings that are “off the beaten track” .
knee-jerk: 1.膝反射的 2.下意识的自动反应,不加思索
a knee-jerk reaction, answer etc is what you feel or say about a situation from habit, without thinking about it.
In almost every human society, people share a knee-jerk revulsion for certain substances.
post-hoc: 因果关系的,前后必然的
I suppose we could speculate that it was a post-hoc effort to make it seem as if the situation he had encountered was more dangerous and threatening than it turned out to be, thus justifying an arrest.
contrarian: 与他人意见相反的人;与现行说法相悖的
Perhaps you're right, though the contrarian in me will continue to maintain that one of the two men was a civilian in his own home and the other an on-duty police officer.
2009/07/22
Inglish_22/07/09
cul de sac: 死胡同，困境
1. a road which is closed at one end, so that there is only one way in and out
2. an unhelpful situation in which you cannot make any more progress
These ideas lead us into a philosophical cul-de-sac.
a grain of salt: 不可全信
A grain of salt is a literal translation of a Latin phrase——"grano salis". A pinch of salt may also be used. The phrase comes from Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia, regarding the discovery of a recipe for an antidote to a poison. In the antidote, one of the ingredients was a grain of salt. Threats involving the poison were thus to be taken "with a grain of salt" and therefore less seriously.
Take his words with a grain of salt. He always exaggerates.
devil's advocate: 唱反调的人
If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting.
sniff out:发现, 寻找;
If you sniff out something, you discover it after some searching. (INFORMAL)
Reporters, the shoe-leather characters who sniff out a story, follow it and then edify the rest of us.
brush up：温习，重新学习
If you brush up something or brush up on it, you practise it or improve your knowledge of it.
It could help men brush up on their love letter writing skills.
weigh into:
1. 攻击: physically or verbally attack. 2. begin with enthusiasm and energy:
Neurologists Gilles de la Tourette and Jean-Martin Charcot were famous for their work on hypnosis and hysteria and weighed into the heated legal debate.
grok: <美俚>通过神入作用而理解,体验(神入)
If the graph is hard to grok, or appears tweaked too much, we cease to believe it.
high-tail：快溜迅速撤退
There was absolutely no difference between those who stayed in New Orleans and those who high-tailed it out.
1. a road which is closed at one end, so that there is only one way in and out
2. an unhelpful situation in which you cannot make any more progress
These ideas lead us into a philosophical cul-de-sac.
a grain of salt: 不可全信
A grain of salt is a literal translation of a Latin phrase——"grano salis". A pinch of salt may also be used. The phrase comes from Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia, regarding the discovery of a recipe for an antidote to a poison. In the antidote, one of the ingredients was a grain of salt. Threats involving the poison were thus to be taken "with a grain of salt" and therefore less seriously.
Take his words with a grain of salt. He always exaggerates.
devil's advocate: 唱反调的人
If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting.
sniff out:发现, 寻找;
If you sniff out something, you discover it after some searching. (INFORMAL)
Reporters, the shoe-leather characters who sniff out a story, follow it and then edify the rest of us.
brush up：温习，重新学习
If you brush up something or brush up on it, you practise it or improve your knowledge of it.
It could help men brush up on their love letter writing skills.
weigh into:
1. 攻击: physically or verbally attack. 2. begin with enthusiasm and energy:
Neurologists Gilles de la Tourette and Jean-Martin Charcot were famous for their work on hypnosis and hysteria and weighed into the heated legal debate.
grok: <美俚>通过神入作用而理解,体验(神入)
If the graph is hard to grok, or appears tweaked too much, we cease to believe it.
high-tail：快溜迅速撤退
There was absolutely no difference between those who stayed in New Orleans and those who high-tailed it out.
2009/07/07
Inglish_07/07/09
souped-up : adj. 增强了马力的;;加大了马力的,提高了效率的
Two days later Apple unveiled souped-up versions of its popular iPhone.
alpha and omega: n. 首尾始终全部主要成分重要因素
though China may not be the “alpha and omega” of the international process, it was close.
Jane Doe: 无名女士（诉讼程序中对不知姓名的女当事人假设的称呼）
used to refer to a woman whose name is not known or is kept secret, especially in a court of law
unknown unknown: 知与不知的四种之一。
There are known knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know. There are unknown knows. That is to say, there are things that we do not know we know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don’t know.
watertight: 天衣无缝的，滴水不漏的
Thomson was shocked, but had a watertight alibi.
Two days later Apple unveiled souped-up versions of its popular iPhone.
alpha and omega: n. 首尾始终全部主要成分重要因素
though China may not be the “alpha and omega” of the international process, it was close.
Jane Doe: 无名女士（诉讼程序中对不知姓名的女当事人假设的称呼）
used to refer to a woman whose name is not known or is kept secret, especially in a court of law
unknown unknown: 知与不知的四种之一。
There are known knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know. There are unknown knows. That is to say, there are things that we do not know we know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don’t know.
watertight: 天衣无缝的，滴水不漏的
Thomson was shocked, but had a watertight alibi.
2009/06/03
Inglish_03/06/09
self-effacing: 不喜出风头的, 谦让的, 谦卑的
She is brilliant but self-effacing.
persona non grata: 不受欢迎的人If someone becomes or is declared persona non grata, they become unwelcome or unacceptable because of something they have said or done. —— used especially when a foreign government orders you to go home.
split-second: 瞬间发生的
Just like in real warfare, characters in the game will have to make split-second moral choices.
She is brilliant but self-effacing.
persona non grata: 不受欢迎的人If someone becomes or is declared persona non grata, they become unwelcome or unacceptable because of something they have said or done. —— used especially when a foreign government orders you to go home.
split-second: 瞬间发生的
Just like in real warfare, characters in the game will have to make split-second moral choices.
2009/05/31
Inglish_31/05/09
mince words: 说话婉转；婉言；
He doesn't fear confrontation and doesn't mince words.
off limits: 禁区
If a place is off limits to someone, they are not allowed to go there.
If a subject is off limits, you are not allowed to talk about it.
spine-tingling: 令人又惊又喜的；令人激动的；
A spine-tingling film or piece of music is enjoyable because it causes you to feel a strong emotion such as excitement or fear.
He doesn't fear confrontation and doesn't mince words.
off limits: 禁区
If a place is off limits to someone, they are not allowed to go there.
If a subject is off limits, you are not allowed to talk about it.
spine-tingling: 令人又惊又喜的；令人激动的；
A spine-tingling film or piece of music is enjoyable because it causes you to feel a strong emotion such as excitement or fear.
2009/05/19
Inglish_19/05/09
navel-gazing: 静思，沾沾自喜的自我专注，纸上谈兵
Amid so much shellacked navel-gazing, there was little that resonated emotionally.
She dismisses the reform process as an exercise in collective navel gazing.
hen-pecked: 惧内
He is a hen-pecked husband and his wife wears the trousers on all the matters.
penny-wise：省小钱的，惜分文的；
pound-foolish：大事糊涂的，省小钱吃大亏的；
Are people from Shanghai generally "penny-wise but pound-foolish" (精明而不聪明), and arrogant toward people from other parts of the country?
Amid so much shellacked navel-gazing, there was little that resonated emotionally.
She dismisses the reform process as an exercise in collective navel gazing.
hen-pecked: 惧内
He is a hen-pecked husband and his wife wears the trousers on all the matters.
penny-wise：省小钱的，惜分文的；
pound-foolish：大事糊涂的，省小钱吃大亏的；
Are people from Shanghai generally "penny-wise but pound-foolish" (精明而不聪明), and arrogant toward people from other parts of the country?
2009/05/11
Inglish_11/05/09
I borrow your title again. You know why? I miss you so much, I really miss the sharing between us. Yes, It is me to stop you from continuing. But you know the reason.
I try to continue this series here instead even without your interaction, just to soothe myself a bit.
......
double-bill: a cinema, theatre, concert etc performance in which you can see two films, plays etc, one after the other
high-flying: A high-flying person is successful or is likely to be successful in their career.
laypeople: 俗人，门外汉
hobnob: 亲切交谈，过从甚密，对酌
It is also a way to generate industry buzz for the venerable magazine, and a chance to lure potential advertisers with a bit of glamour and some hobnobbing with staff luminaries.
amuse-bouche：开胃小点
“I'm your amuse-bouche," he announced. "Don't worry. The entree is coming."
beacon of hope: 希望之光
Discussions of the financial crisis proved to be surprising beacons of hope。
mishmash: 混杂物
Perhaps inevitably, the show is a mishmash.
mash-up: 混搭
In a world of YouTube mash-ups and blog aggregators, it feels right to revisit the original pasticheurs of the art world.
tie-in: 搭卖的
Movie tie-ins are absolved from these requirements.
spin-off：副产品
Spin-off games are often rushed, to be ready in time for the film release.
moonshiner: 烈酒私酿/走私者
I was amused to hear that people who rat out moonshiners are called “reporters”—apparently a derogatory term in these parts.
I try to continue this series here instead even without your interaction, just to soothe myself a bit.
......
double-bill: a cinema, theatre, concert etc performance in which you can see two films, plays etc, one after the other
high-flying: A high-flying person is successful or is likely to be successful in their career.
laypeople: 俗人，门外汉
hobnob: 亲切交谈，过从甚密，对酌
It is also a way to generate industry buzz for the venerable magazine, and a chance to lure potential advertisers with a bit of glamour and some hobnobbing with staff luminaries.
amuse-bouche：开胃小点
“I'm your amuse-bouche," he announced. "Don't worry. The entree is coming."
beacon of hope: 希望之光
Discussions of the financial crisis proved to be surprising beacons of hope。
mishmash: 混杂物
Perhaps inevitably, the show is a mishmash.
mash-up: 混搭
In a world of YouTube mash-ups and blog aggregators, it feels right to revisit the original pasticheurs of the art world.
tie-in: 搭卖的
Movie tie-ins are absolved from these requirements.
spin-off：副产品
Spin-off games are often rushed, to be ready in time for the film release.
moonshiner: 烈酒私酿/走私者
I was amused to hear that people who rat out moonshiners are called “reporters”—apparently a derogatory term in these parts.
2009/04/17
英语点滴 —— April 17th
quant: 理学专家(数学模型设计者）；designer of mathematical models;
Derman, a physcist and financial risk engineer, is perhaps the best known "quant".
swot: 刻苦用功; someone who spends too much time studying and seems to have no other interests - used in order to show disapproval
ten years of sweat and swot： 十年寒窗
wonk: 书呆子，死读书的学生 —— swot
Policy wonk: 政策游移分子
Lord Giddens’s reputation among policy wonks (as well as an endorsement from Mr Clinton) will propel it onto shelves in high places.
meritocracy: 知识界精英；
Does meritocracy shade toward fascism?
sui generis: 独树一帜，独特的
He argues that Oakeshott requires us to systematically discard programmes and ideologies and view each new situation sui generis.
below the belt:不公正的，不正当手段的；
Her remark was a bit below the belt.
to hit someone below the belt = to stab someone in the back: 暗箭伤人
pinko:左倾分子；
He was sent on a State Department-funded world tour in 1956, seducing potential pinkos with his improvisations.
Derman, a physcist and financial risk engineer, is perhaps the best known "quant".
swot: 刻苦用功; someone who spends too much time studying and seems to have no other interests - used in order to show disapproval
ten years of sweat and swot： 十年寒窗
wonk: 书呆子，死读书的学生 —— swot
Policy wonk: 政策游移分子
Lord Giddens’s reputation among policy wonks (as well as an endorsement from Mr Clinton) will propel it onto shelves in high places.
meritocracy: 知识界精英；
Does meritocracy shade toward fascism?
sui generis: 独树一帜，独特的
He argues that Oakeshott requires us to systematically discard programmes and ideologies and view each new situation sui generis.
below the belt:不公正的，不正当手段的；
Her remark was a bit below the belt.
to hit someone below the belt = to stab someone in the back: 暗箭伤人
pinko:左倾分子；
He was sent on a State Department-funded world tour in 1956, seducing potential pinkos with his improvisations.
2009/03/27
Dribs and Drabs of English——Mar 26th
toehold: 微小的优势；小立足点
By then most long-established brands were nowhere to be found or had lost their toehold in the mainstream market.
take a gander: 看一看
Take a gander at the executive summary.
extemporize:即席发言，即兴演奏 （新进美国总统的雄辩滔滔，电子题词器（teleprompter）功不可没）
The important point with Obama is that the content, command of fact and concept, and overall intelligence of his extemporized answers matched that of the scripted presentation.
threadbare: 俗套的
China's record as a citizen of the world is strikingly threadbare.
slog:步履艰难地行进；跋涉；
Moreover, it would surely defeat the quintessence of education which is to open up one's mind to develop potential and creativity, and not merely to slog relentlessly for better grades at all costs.
stopgap:权宜之计；补缺者；临时替代人
take Both stopgap and radical measures： 标本兼治。
devil in the details:千里之堤，溃于蚁穴；
As the old saying goes," The devil is in the details," meaning that most of the real problems become apparent only when you get down to specifics.
otherworldly:来世的，超脱尘世的，空想的；
Until recently such a question would have seemed otherworldly.
By then most long-established brands were nowhere to be found or had lost their toehold in the mainstream market.
take a gander: 看一看
Take a gander at the executive summary.
extemporize:即席发言，即兴演奏 （新进美国总统的雄辩滔滔，电子题词器（teleprompter）功不可没）
The important point with Obama is that the content, command of fact and concept, and overall intelligence of his extemporized answers matched that of the scripted presentation.
threadbare: 俗套的
China's record as a citizen of the world is strikingly threadbare.
slog:步履艰难地行进；跋涉；
Moreover, it would surely defeat the quintessence of education which is to open up one's mind to develop potential and creativity, and not merely to slog relentlessly for better grades at all costs.
stopgap:权宜之计；补缺者；临时替代人
take Both stopgap and radical measures： 标本兼治。
devil in the details:千里之堤，溃于蚁穴；
As the old saying goes," The devil is in the details," meaning that most of the real problems become apparent only when you get down to specifics.
otherworldly:来世的，超脱尘世的，空想的；
Until recently such a question would have seemed otherworldly.
2009/03/19
英语点滴——Mar 19th
surefire: 一定成功，一定能达到目的；
With his surefire program Spence instructs readers in the rules of the game and provides the tools needed to achieve successful results.
rote: 死记硬背，生搬硬套；
The existence of Google, Wikipedia and online libraries means that there is no useful place in school for old-fashioned rote learning, according to Don Tapscott, author of the bestselling book Wikinomics and a champion of the “net generation”.
heuristics:启发式教育法；
In engineering, heuristics are experience based methods that are used to reduce the need for calculations pertaining to equipment size, performance, or operating conditions.
With his surefire program Spence instructs readers in the rules of the game and provides the tools needed to achieve successful results.
rote: 死记硬背，生搬硬套；
The existence of Google, Wikipedia and online libraries means that there is no useful place in school for old-fashioned rote learning, according to Don Tapscott, author of the bestselling book Wikinomics and a champion of the “net generation”.
heuristics:启发式教育法；
In engineering, heuristics are experience based methods that are used to reduce the need for calculations pertaining to equipment size, performance, or operating conditions.
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