1.      for the world

【错误理解：为了全世界】

【正确理解：无论如何】

-         I was wondering if you wanna join my parents and me for dinner Friday night. (我想知道你是否愿意再周五晚上跟我父母共进晚餐。)

-         I wouldn’t miss it for the world. （无论如何，我都会去的。）

2.      take a rain check

【错误理解：查一下是否雨】

【正确理解：（委婉表达）改天吧】

-         Can you come over for dinner tonight? （今天晚上来吃饭好吗？）

-         I’m up to my ears in work, so I’ll have to take a rain check. (我工作很忙，改天吧。)

3.      cost sb. an arm and a leg

【错误理解：花掉某人一条胳膊一条腿】

【正确理解：花费很多钱，非常昂贵】

-         Did you see the diamond ring Bill gave to Linda? (你看到比尔送给琳达的钻戒了吗？)

-         I sure did. It must cost him an arm and a leg. (当然了。那一定很昂贵。)

4.      fill one’s shoes

【错误理解：穿某人的鞋】

【正确理解：很好地顶替；令人满意地替代】

-         Have you heard that professor Jones is retiring? (你听说琼斯教授要退休了吗？)

-         Yes. The faculty won’t find anyone to fill her shoes. (是的，学校将很难找到合适的人来代替她。)

5.      Is ice cold?

【错误理解：冰冷吗？】

【正确理解：表示理所当然】

-         Does Prof. Ford always come to class? (福特教授总是来上课吗？)

-         Is ice cold? (当然了。)

6.      like apples and oranges

【错误理解：就像苹果和橘子一样】

【正确理解：用来表示无法相比的事物】

-         Which game do you think is more difficult to learn, chess or bridge? (你认为国际象棋和桥牌哪个更难学？)

-         They are like apples and oranges. (它俩没法比。)

7.      meet each other half way

【错误理解：在半路相遇】

【正确理解：互相妥协，让步】

-         My chemistry project is in trouble because my partner and I had totally different ideas about how to proceed. (我的化学课题出问题了。在进展问题上，我与我的合作者意见完全不同。)

-         You should try to meet each other half way. (你们应该互相妥协)

8.      play it by ear

【错误理解：用耳朵来玩，用耳朵播放】

【正确理解：随机应变，视情况而定】

-         Marty, are you doing anything special for your presentation in political science tomorrow? (马蒂，你在为明天的政治学演讲准备与众不同的材料吗？)

-         Not really, because the class so often turns into a discussion, I’ve decided to play it by ear. (不，那门课常常最后变成讨论，我决定视情况而定。)

9.      ring a bell

【错误理解：响铃】

【正确理解：令人想起某件事，听起来耳熟】

-         That name just doesn’t ring a bell with me. (那个名字我一点儿也不熟。)

10.   turn one’s back

【错误理解：转过背】

【正确理解：（在别人遇到困难时）不愿帮助】

-         He’ll turn his back on me if I ask for money. (我若向他借钱，他就会不理我。)

11.   under the weather

【错误理解：在天气之下】

【正确理解：身体不适，生病】

-         It’s good to see you, Mary. How have you been? (看见你真高兴，玛丽。你好吗？)

-         Actually I have been feeling under the weather recently. (其实这两天我身体不大舒服。)

12.   draw the line

【错误理解：划线】

【正确理解：拒绝，拒不容忍】

-         Paul expects me to clean the room every week. (保罗想让我每周打扫房间。)

-         That’s where I draw the line. (可是我绝对不会答应的。)

13.   one the tip of my tongue

【错误理解：在某人舌尖上】

【正确理解: 一时想不起来，话到嘴边又忘记】

-         Are you sure you can’t remember the name of that record? (你确定你记不起来那张唱片的名字吗？)

-         It’s just on the tip of my tongue. (我就是一时想不起来了。)

14.   with flying colors

【错误理解：飞扬的色彩】

【正确理解：大获全胜，胜利地】

-         How did Ellen do on her Ancient History exam?

-         She passed with flying colors. (她考得好极了。)

15.   in the red

【错误理解：红色的】

【正确理解：赤字，负债】

-         So far the clubs are about three hundred dollars in the red, and we still have four months to go before membership renewal. (到目前为止，俱乐部有300元赤字，然而还有四个月才到交会员费的时间。)

-         Well, we may have to raise our dues. (那么，我们必须提高会员费了。)