31. be aces 头等的，最杰出的
32. an angle 有利可图的事
33. get ahead of the game 占上风
34. all in one piece 完好无损
35. a backseat driver 爱指手画脚的人
36. give someone a back talk 和某人顶嘴
37. bad-mouth someone 说某人的坏话
38. have a bag job on… 偷盗某人的物品
39. bail someone out 帮某人还债
40. the ball is in someone’s court 下一步就看某人的了
习惯用语
1. speak highly of… 高度评价
2. feel flattered 感到得意
3. take an instant liking of… 立刻喜欢上……
4. come up with… 想出 ……
5. a dandy idea 好主意
6. have a hunch 有预感
7. take one’s shirt off one’s back 竭尽全力
8. bone up on… 甩开膀子干某事……
9. self-satisfaction 自满
10. God takes the hindmost. 谁落后水倒霉
11. go one better 比别人强
12. not have a bone to pick with… 不与……争论
13. tidy up… 整理……
14. make someone’s blood boil 惹怒某人
15. give someone a good piece of one’s mind 好好教训某人一顿
16. thank one’s lucky stars 感到万幸
17. be done away with 被扔掉
18. be illiterate 没文化
19. a backseat driver 爱指手画脚的人
20. litter 乱扔东西
21. be in an apple-pie-order 井井有条
22. pt up with… 容忍
23. give someone a back talk 和某人顶嘴
24. not in the position to… 没资格干……
25. bad mouth… 说……的坏话
26. dig dirt about… 诽谤……
27. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. 人各有所好
28. have itching palms 手发痒
29. walk away with 顺手牵羊
30. take advantage of… 利用……
31. crack down on… 制裁
32. have sticky fingers 手不老实
33. pile on one’s agonies 过分渲染自己
34. live from hand to mouth 吃了上顿没下顿
35. keep the pot boiling 挣钱糊口
36. be wet behind the ears 太没经验
37. Nothing rang a bell. 没觉察到可以之处。
38. poor mouth oneself 哭穷
39. not have the heart to do… 不忍心……
40. let one’s money go down the drain 让钱打水漂儿
41. chalk it up to experience 花钱买个教训
42. take a pity on… 可怜……
43. put in good word for… 为……说好话
44. face-to-face 面队面地
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A: Your ideas have always been aces with the authorities. They speak highly of（高度评价）your suggestions.
B: I do feel flattered（感到万幸）, sometimes. And the general manager always seems to take an instant liking（立刻喜欢）of my suggestions.
A: You’re aces! You always come up with dandy ideas（好主意）.
B: Thanks for your compliments（夸奖）
A: I have a bunch（有预感）that your ideas are always aces with your boss.
B: I don’t know, but he never says‘No’to them.
A: That’s because you contribute a lot to the company’s business. But why should you take your shirt off your back（竭尽全力）for him?
B: That’s my job. Everyone wants to do his own job well.
A: But I guess there must be an angle（有好处）in your boning up on （甩开膀子干）your work.
B: An angle? Well, if there’s an angle, it must be the kind pleasure most people seek.
A: I can understand that. But are you aiming at something special?
B: If I am aiming at anything, it is but self-satisfaction（自满）, I think.
A: I know there are many people who always get ahead of the game. And you are one of those people.
B: God takes the hindmost（谁落后谁倒霉）, you know? Besides, there is nothing wrong to get ahead in anything we do. This is human nature.
A: Of course. Everyone wants to go one better（比别人强）.
B: I haven’t thought about going one better than others, I just try to do what I can. If you do a good job, you are happy, and others are happy, too.
A: I don’t have a bone to pick with（不与……争论）you here.
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A: I hear that you have recently designed a new poster（标语牌）for your products.
B: That’s right. I started work on it about ten days ago. But just as it was going to be printed, the cleaning lady threw it into the rubbish bin while tidying up（整理）my desk.
A: Sorry to hear that. She must have made your blood boil（惹人发怒）.
B: She did get on my nerves（使我生气）. And I gave her a good piece of my mind（好好教训）for her carelessness.
A: She must have spoiled the design.
B: I thanked my lucky stars（感到万幸）that it came back to me all in one piece（完好无损）.
A: You’re lucky, and she’s lucky, too. I don’t know what will happen to her if it got completely done away with（被扔掉）.
A: How many cleaning ladies does your company hire?
B: We have two cleaning ladies. But both of them have received little education.
A: Most cleaning ladies are illiterate（没文化的）, of course. But some of them do a very nice job.
B: But I actually dislike another lady. She is more capable and seems to have ideas of her own. But the trouble is she is a backseat driver（爱指手画脚的人）with some of us. She would tell you what to do and where to put things.
A: Maybe you litter（乱仍东西）a lot in the office.
B: That’s our job. Our work has much to do with paper.
A: I know. But you should keep things in an apple-pie-order（井井有条）and put important documents in file.
B: You must be a backseat driver, too, if you work in the office.
A: But you should considerate to the cleaning ladies. Sometimes you create a lot extra jobs for them.
B: That’s their job, and what I cannot put up with（容忍）is Barbara, who may even give us a back talk（顶嘴）. She’s not in the position（没资格）to back talk to us.
A: Of course she’s not in the position, but sometimes she can be justified for doing that. You should put things the other way round and try to understand her.
B: I know. But nobody can put up with a cleaning lady who given you a back talk.
A: And there are worse things about this rank of clerks. Some of them may even bad mouth（说坏话）one or two of the company’s employees. They try to dig dirt about someone, you know.
B: People are different. Many people enjoy bad-mouthing other people.
A: I don’t know what pleasure they may get in doing that.
B: One man’s meat is another man’s poison（人各有所好）.
A: Some cleaning ladies also have itching palms（手发痒）. They sometimes walk away with（顺手牵羊）the company’s properties.
B: That’s indeed a problem. The company’s open to them and they take advantage of（利用）that.
A: Yeah. I’ve heard about a lady who is eager to have a bag job.
B: Last year we fired a clerk for having had a bag job on the company’s stationery.
A: We should crack down on those who have sticky fingers（手不老实）. There’s another group of cleaning ladies. They pile on their agonies（过分渲染自己的痛苦）and try to seek other’s sympathy by telling them how miserable they are.
B: Yeah. They take advantage of（利用）other people’s hospitality and generosity.
A: I was fooled once. A lady named Catherine told me that she was living from hand to mouth（吃了上顿没下顿）and hinted that she needed some money to keep the pot boiling（糊口）. So I gave her some money and bailed her out of the situation. But later, I learned（知道）that she had lied to me.
B: You’re still wet behind the ears（太没经验）. You should have seen through her.
A: Nothing rang a bell（没有觉察可以之处）.
B: Did she return the money to you?
A: Well, she poor mouthed（穷哭）herself and I didn’t have the heart（不忍心）to ask her to return the money.
B: If I were you, I wouldn’t let the money go down the drain（让钱打水漂儿）.
A: Well, I chalk it up to experience（花钱买教训）. I wouldn’t take a pity on（可怜）them again. By the way, have you talked with John about my application?
B: Yes, I did. I put in a good word（说句好话）for you and he seemed to be interested in your experience.
A: Do you think he will hire me?
B: I don’t know. I’ve done all I can. Now the ball is in your court.
A: Do you have any suggestions for what I should do next?
B: Go and have a talk with him face-to-face. It’s up to you (自己发挥) to impress him and get yourself hired.