1. dog days 三伏天
2. doormat 逆来顺受的人，受气包
3. double Dutch 难懂的话
4. double-dome 知识分子，学者
5. double trouble 困难重重
6. be down one’s alley 最擅长的
7. down on all fours 萧条，不景气
8. thumbs down 不赞同，反对
9. drag one’s feet 消极怠工
10. be dressed to the nines 穿得特别华丽
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习惯用语
1. not in the mood 没有心情
2. drive for a spin 开车出去兜风
3. be through with… 完成
4. put something off to… 把某事推迟到……
5. be up to the ears 忙得不可开交
6. spare some time 腾出点时间
7. I tell you what.我倒有个主意
8. save one’s breath 少费口舌
9. give someone the green light 同意某人，开绿灯
10. common sense 常识
11. feel guilty 感到内疚
12. not have the heart to… 不忍心去……
13. have had enough of… 厌烦了……
14. get on someone’s nerves 使某人心烦
15. be in full support of… 全力支持……
16. find an excuse 找借口
17. be deeply bogged down in… 深深陷入
18. streamline 精简机构
19. be made laid off 被解雇
20. pass the buck 推卸责任
21. I’ll be hanged if 我决不会
22. play cool 冷静点
23. burn the middle night oil 熬夜
24. not go back on one’s words 从不食言
25. be left in the cold 被冷落一旁
26. make a clear cut 做出明确的选择
27. off with… 别再……了
28. lip service 空头支票
29. bury oneself in… 埋头于……
30. shake one’s legs 颠丫子
31. bone up on…专心于……
32. have a bone to pick with… 对……有意见
33. not in the mood for… 没心情去……
34. be through with… 完成
35. You have taken the words out of my mouth. 你说出了我想要说的话。
36. insist on… 坚持要……
37. concentrate on… 集中精力于……
38. have other fish to fry 另有要事得干
39. work out … 制订出……，搞出……
40. That sounds more like it. 这还差不多。
41. put someone in the shade 使某人逊色
42. be fed up with… 厌倦……
43. run-of-the-mill 老一套的
44. long for… 渴望……
45. tidy up… 收拾……
46. keep someone on his toes 使某人忙个不停
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A: I’m not in the mood（没有心情）for doing anything on such dog days（三伏天）. Shall we drive to the country for a spin（开车出去兜风）?
B: Drive out for a spin? I haven’t been through with（完成）my report. I must hand it in next week.
A: Maybe you can put it off to（推迟到）tomorrow.
B: Put it off till tomorrow? I never put off to tomorrow what I can do today.
A: I don’t know why you are always up to the ears（忙得不可开交）in work. When can you spare some time（腾出时间）for us?
B: I’m sorry, Nancy. But I tell you what（我倒有个好主意）. Give Lena a buzz（打个电话）and ask her to go with you. She may like to have another spin I your car.
A: Ask Lena? I’d better save my breath（少费口舌）. She ’s the sort of doormat（受气包） in her family. Her father doesn’t allow her to go out so often.
B: It all depends. If her father knows that she is going out with you, he might give her the green light（开绿灯；同意）.
A: How can you be so sure of that?
B: It’s a personal judgment feeling. And it’s a common sense（常识）, too.
A: Common sense? What did you mean?
B: If I were her father, I would not worry about my daughter’s gong out with a lady. And if she goes out with a man, I’ll have to before I…
A: Stop your double Dutch（难懂的话）. And I’ll go alone.
B: If you go alone, I must go and take care of you.
A: You’d better not. I’ll feel guilty（感到内疚）to take your time. I know how a double-dome（知识分子） like you treasures your time.
B: Stop joking. I’m serious. I don’t have the heart to（不忍心）see you drive out into he wild alone.
A: Thanks, Frank. Better not to leave what you can do today till tomorrow.
B: I indeed have to finish writing the report before next Tuesday. Besides, I find it double-trouble somewhere. I’ll have to rearrange one or two paragraphs.
A: I know. And I’ve had enough of （厌烦）your having to do this and that. You have double trouble, and we are having triple（三倍的）trouble…
B: Come on, Nancy. What has got on your nerves（使你心烦）these two days. You used to be full support of（全力支持）my career.
A: Finding an excuse（找借口）is obviously down your alley. And trying to avoid going out with you are good at.
B: Listen, Nancy. Our company is deeply bogged down in（深深陷入）difficulties and the boss is thinking of streamlining（精简机构）the company. Do you have the heart to see me be dismissed and made laid off（被解雇） ？
A: You’re passing the buck（推卸责任）. I’ll hanged if（我决不会）I ask you to go out with us.
B: Come on, Nancy. Play it cool（冷静点）. I didn’t mean to get on your nerves. Now let me tell you what（我倒有个好主意）. I will burn the middle night oil（熬夜）tonight and we can go tomorrow.
A: I’ll never go back on my words（从不食言）. Your company is down on all fours, and your two daughters and I have been left in the cold（被冷落在一旁）for years. I won’t force you to make a clear cut（做出明确的选择）between the two.
B: Let’s stop arguing like this. I promise I will go with you tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun.
A: Off with your lip service（别开空头支票）. We might be able to have a better time without you. You’d better bury yourself in（埋头于）your work while we shake our legs（颠丫子）today for ours.
B: One thing I must let you know is that this report is very important. The result of it will determine whether I’ll be made redundant（被解雇）or not. Besides, our boss is a stickler. He thumbs down on any employee who does not bone up on（专心于）his job and finish his quotas.
A: I didn’t say your report was not important, and I didn’t mean to waste your time.
B: I know in my heart you are having a bone to pick with（对我有意见）me, but I really can’t seem to be able to make it. I’m not in the mood for（没心情去）anything before I am through with（完成）the report. Please do excuse me for my inability to cooperate.
A: I’m glad that you no longer drag your feet in doing things. And I’m still in full support of your career. But you do need to spend some time with your two daughters. They need your affections as well as mine.
B: You take the words out of my mouth（你说出了我想说的话）. They need my affections the same as I need theirs. I love both of them. I’m sure I’ll spend more time with them when I am through with the test. The boss wants to compare my report with four others. This is why I insist on （坚持要）finishing it before going out with you.
A: Now I understand you. Concentrate on（集中精力干）finishing the report. We may go out for a spin sometime next week. But don’t say that you have other fish to fry（另有要事得干）again.
B: I promise. Thanks for understanding and assisting me. Talking about family and going out, it reminds me of some of our neighbors. They seem to have a perfect plan for their outings. I think we need to work out（制订出）a plan, too.
A: That sounds more like it（这还差不多）. Some other wives have always been dressed to the nines and they go to parties where they put other ladies in the shade（使人逊色）. But we have been working on and on, without a single opportunity to relax ourselves. I get fed up with（厌倦）this boring life.
B: You’re right. We’re fed up with this run-of-the-mill（老一套的）sort of life. We must adjust our life and make it more enjoyable.
A: I’ve got an idea. After you report is over and you have secured your job, we’ll drive to the Blue Mountains and live there for a day or two. The kids are longing for（渴望）an outing. Now, you carry on your writing and I’ll finish tidying up（收拾）the room before the kids keep me on my toes（让我忙个不停）when they get back from school.
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