1. pump oneself up 振作起来；打起精神
2. put a damper on someone (something) 给某人（某事）泼冷水
3. put one’s finger on something 说清某事；弄清某事的原因
4. put someone in the picture 使某人了解情况
5. put someone’s nose out of joint 夺人之爱；使某人丢脸
6. the rag trade 服装业
7. rate with someone 受人重视，信赖
8. read someone like a book 很了解某人
9. read someone loud and clear 对某人了如指掌
10. a red carpet welcome 隆重的欢迎
11. rip off 敲竹杠，诈骗
12. rug joint 很讲究的俱乐部，高级饭店
13. a runaround 含糊其词的答复；绕圈子
14. rub someone the wrong way 令人反感；使人不快
15. run someone through the mill 折磨某人
16. be scared shitless 对……战战兢兢
17. get shirty with someone 和某人发火，和某人生气
18. sidekicks 知心朋友，伙伴；合伙人
19. the skinny 真相；实话
20. sling mud at someone 对某人进行人身攻击，诽谤某人， 往某人脸上抹黑
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习惯用语
1. What’s eating you? 你有什么烦心的事吗？
2. be on bad terms 关系不好
3. get laid off 失业， 下岗
4. cheer up 振作起来
5. be in the same boat 处境相同
6. The darkest hour is the nearest dawn. 黑暗即将过去，黎明就要到来。
7. keep one’s fingers crossed 祈求好运
8. give up hope 放弃希望
9. go hand in hand 相依相随
10. work to the bones 工作特别卖力气
11. find fault with… 找……岔子
12. hit below the belt 背后使坏
13. badmouth someone 说某人的坏话
14. very important clue 很重要的线索
15. quit one’s job 辞职
16. be engaged in… 从事……
17. be in touch 保持联系
18. bear someone a grudge 对某人怀恨在心
19. get in Dutch with… 得罪……
20. put one’s finger on… 把……搞清楚
21. be abhorrent of… 憎恨……
22. be in the dark 全然不知
23. all of a sudden 突然地
24. take something too much to heart 过分在意某事
25. watch out one’s steps 办事小心的
26. be narrow-minded 心胸狭窄的
27. smell a rat 觉察某时不对头
28. be indifferent to… 冷漠地对待……
29. be left in the cold 被冷落在一旁
30. clear the mists 消除疑云
31. beat about the bush 说话兜圈子
32. throw in the towel 认输
33. tip the scale 扭转局面
34. handle with kid gloves 谨慎处理
35. go through fire and water 赴汤蹈火
36. give one’s head for the washing 忍辱
37. be chicken-hearted 胆小怕事
38. be wishy-washy 没有主见，没有骨气
39. talk sense into… 开导……
40. a peacemaker 和事老
41. put out a feeler 试探某人的反应
42. get on like a house on fire 关系打得火热
43. be a thorn in one’s flesh 眼中钉
44. sticky business 棘手的问题
45. iron out a problem 解决问题
46. be on the up and up 正直的
47. have it out 说清楚
48. out of one’s clear conscience 凭良心办事
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A: You seem rather down these days. What’s eating you（你有什么烦心的事吗）？
B: John has been on bad terms (关系不好) with his boss and I’ve got laid off（失业，下岗）. I don’t know why bad things keep happening to us.
A: It’s the way of life. But pump yourself up. It’s not the end of the world.
B: I wanted to cheer up（振作起来）and forget all about it, but I can’t seem to be able to help worrying.
A: There are many other people who are in the same boat（处境相同）. Believe me, the darkest hour is the nearest dawn（黑暗即将过去，曙光就要到来）. Keep your fingers crossed（祈求好运）and things will soon turn for the better（好转）.
B: I hope we’ll be able to turn the table（反过手来）, but things just keep putting a damper on us. Everything seems to be going against us.
A: This feeling is not unusual, and people everywhere may undergo a period of time（经历一段时间）in which luck is far away from them. But this shouldn’t be the reason you give up hope（放弃希望）.
B: I just can’t put my finger on why things are going against us. We’ve had one misfortune after another.
A: Happiness and misfortune go hand in hand（相依相随）. If you have had misfortunes torturing you for so long, you’ll soon get them over. Then, happiness comes along. This is what we call the law of nature.
B: One thing that keeps puzzling us is why John’s boss has been so bad to John. He has been working to the bones（工作特别卖力气）, and still the boss tries to find fault with（找岔子）him. He gets passed over（错过）for several promotions, you know?
A: Nobody has put me in the picture about that, but I have a hunch that there’s something behind his attitude towards John. Maybe one or two of his coworkers hit him below the belt（背后使坏）.They might have badmouthed（说坏话）him behind his back.
B: Well, it reminds me. About a year ago a girl named Tina was on very good terms with（关系很好）John. But one of John’s coworkers, Franklin, first became envious and then tried to win over her. It might be that John had put his nose out of joint.
A: That can be a very important clue（很重要的线索）to the person who has done him great harm. But you need to find things out and makes sure of your judgment. Is the girl still working in the company?
B: John says she quitted her job（辞职）and set up a business of her own. She is now engaged in（从事）the rag trade.
A: Is she still in touch with（保持联系）John? And does Franklin know that they are still on good terms（关系很好）?
B: Yes, he does. He bears John a grudge（怀恨在心）just because of that.
A: There’s another puzzle. How could Franklin rate with the boss? Do you think Franklin can influence the boss’s opinion of John?
B: I’m not sure. I have just been wondering why the boss should be so bad to John. Besides, John is on good terms with most of his coworkers. There can’t be another reason to speak for（说明）the boss’s attitude towards John.
A: Maybe John has got in Dutch with （得罪）the boss himself, in one way or another.
B: I asked John about that, but he can’t remember doing anything wrong.
A: There must be other reasons, I think. But John needs to study him like a book before he could possibly put his finger on（搞清楚）why the boss is bad to him.
B: But John says that he reads the boss loud and clear. He knows what kind of person he is. But he still can’t figure out (搞清楚) the reason why he suddenly became abhorrent of（憎恨）him.
A: Well, if I were he, I would just keep on working hard, not bothering about that.
B: But he can’t concentrate on his work. He’s in the dark（全然不知）about his attitude, you know? The puzzle is that when John came to work in the company, the boss was almost giving him a red carpet welcome. He urged John to work hard and contribute to the prosperity of the company. John did that, but all of a sudden（突然地） ， he changed his attitude.
A: Tell John not to take it too much to heart（不要太在意）. And you may also tell John to go and have a heart-to heart talk with him. Maybe he can sort things out that way. Did John go and have a talk with the boss?
B: No, he didn’t. He suddenly remembered something. Last month John got ripped off in a business transaction. John felt it might well be the reason why the boss became bad to him.
A: What did the boss say when he informed him of the loss?
B: He became uneasy, and a bit annoyed, but he didn’t seem to be worried so much. He only asked John to watch out his steps（办事小心）when doing business with other people.
A: I don’t think the boss is a narrow-minded（心胸狭窄的）person. Business loss is not uncommon and no boss would punish an employee just because of that.
B: And John didn’t smell rat（觉察不对头）, either. But he can’t understand why the boss is keeping him at arm’s length. He is so indifferent to（冷漠地对待）John.
A: Anything that shows his indifference?
B: Yeah. The boss asked all the department heads to go to a rug joint to have a drink except John. That was the third time he was left in the cold（被冷落在一旁）.
A: Then it’s high time John had a talk with him. That may help clear the mists（消除疑云）.
B: He did, but the boss gave him a runaround（含糊其词的回答）.
A: If I were John, I would put the whole matter on the table.
B: But his boss was trying to beat about the bush（说话痘圈子）. And his talk with him was fruitless.
A: Maybe he had rubbed the boss the wrong way. Now there’s nothing you can do about the odds.
B: I won’t throw in the towel（认输）. I might go and talk to the boss one of these days.
A: Are you sure you can tip the scale（扭转局面）? Mind you! You may aggravate the friction.
B: I’m not sure if I can help clear the mists between them, but I will certainly not like to see the boss running my husband through the mill（折磨某人）.
A: I understand that, but you’ll have to handle the situation with kid gloves（谨慎处理）.
B: I know, but I’d go through fire and water（赴汤蹈火）in order to put things right. I don’t like my husband to give his head for the washing（忍辱）.
A: Does John agree to the action to be taken?
B: Well, he is scared shitless at the prospects. He’s a chickenhearted（胆小怕事的）guy, you know?
A: He has no guts. If I were he, I would let the boss have it.
B: I got shirty with him, too. I blamed him for being too wishy-washy（没有主见，没有骨气的）.
A: What was the feedback?
B: Well, he tried to talk sense in （开导）me. He is a peacemaker（和事老）. He seldom goes against anything.
A: Has he got some sidekicks in the company? Maybe you can put out a feeler（试探…… 的反应）to them and sound them out. They may give you a clue（线索）to what is going on.
B: Oh, that’s a dandy idea! He and Frank and Martha are getting on like a house on fire （打得火热）. They’re his good sidekicks. I may go and talk with them.
A: Did you go and talk to them?
B: Yes, I did. I should have had the talk earlier. They have finally put me in the picture and given me the skinny（真相）.
A: You must have got the skinny you need to put things right.
B: They told me that John had put the boss’s nose out of joint（使某人丢脸）. Just because of that girl. He said to someone else that he fell for her. And since the day she quitted the job, John began to be a thorn in his flesh（眼中钉）. But they told me that he hadn’t so far done anything seriously wrong to John.
A: It’s a sticky business（棘手的事）. You can hardly iron out （解决）that sort of problems. Have you told John all that? What did he say?
B: Well, he asked me not to make fuss about that. He wanted me to call it quiz（到此为止）. He doesn’t and never sling mud at anyone, you know?
A: He’s really on the up and up（很正直）. If I were you, I would have it out（说清楚）with the boss.
B: He will never do. I know him pretty well.
A: But he is not in the right frame of mind if things keep going on like that.
B: He doesn’t mind. He’s still doing his work out of his clear conscience（凭良心办事）.
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