有特殊意義的英語動詞短語
美國人平時所用的許多短語，看似普通，但有的會有特別意義，究竟是俚語、口語或俗語，沒有絕對的定義。其實名稱不重要，最重要的是懂得意義和用法，不是嗎？
有特殊意義的英語動詞短語
1. to have(many) irons in the fire: to have a lot of activities going on at the same time（同時有許多事，想馬上全部做完，但又不知從何開始，似乎忙得不可開交)
Don‘t bother him because he has many irons in the fire. (別打擾他，他事情太多，忙得很！)
Some people even like to have many irons in the fire. (有些人喜歡有很多事忙忙碌碌。)
2. to talk over (one‘s) head(s): to use large or big words so that audience will not understand exact meaning（指所談論的內容過于專業或高深，非一般人可以理解；也指有人為了表現自己才學非凡，故意談些高深理論或用些難字，嚇唬別人）
Dr. Lee‘s lecture was so specialized that he almost talked over our heads. (李博士的演講太專業了，幾乎使我們無法理解。)
In order to show his profound knowledge he talks over my head. (為了表現他的學問高深，他故弄玄虛。)
3. to put (something) back into (in) its cage: to put something under control (可以控制某件事情，多半指政治、健康等)
We are trying to put inflation back into its cage and our economy is on the mend. (我們正在設法控制通貨膨脹，同時改善我們得經濟。)
Diplomats and politicians need to put aggression and hostility back into its cage. (外交官和政客應該收斂攻擊和敵對的行為。)
4. to keep (one‘s) fingers crossed: to hope something good will happen (祝福某人好運或一切順利。把食指與中指交叉，祈求好運，是老外的迷信，但在寫信或正式場合，多半是用 "I wish you best (good) luck!"或 "Good (best) luck to you!")
He keeps his fingers crossed hoping his father will send him more money. (他盼望有好運，老爸能多寄點錢給他。)
Many people have been keeping their fingers crossed that we can live in a peaceful world. (許多人都在祈求好運，盼能在和平的世界里生活。)
5. to stretch (one‘s) legs: to relax or to take a short break (久坐后，把腿舒展一下，或稍微休息一下)
Let‘s take ten minutes to stretch our legs. （讓我們先休息十分鐘。）
May I take a break so that I can stretch my legs？ (我可以休息一會兒伸伸腿嗎？)
During the a long flight from the US to Taiwan, I normally stretch my legs every two hours. (在從美國到臺灣的長途飛行中，我通常每兩個小時起身走走。)
6. to read between the lines：to interpret the hidden meaning or a hidden message; to discern the true fact (從字里行間體會隱含的意義；領會言外之意或能了解其中的真正意義)
As you look at this poem, be sure to read between the lines. (讀這首詩的時候，要從字里行間去體會它的含義。)
After he re-read the love letter between the lines, he realized that he was dumped by his sweetheart. (重讀情書之后，他終于明白他已經被情人拋棄了。)
7. to let off steam：to give vent to one‘s anger （發泄、出氣，像放掉蒸汽以減少壓力似的。這與"to fly off the handle"意思相近，但比"to lose temper"委婉客氣些 ）
What will you do if your wife lets off steam?（假如你太太大發脾氣的話，你該怎么辦呢？) (因為談論的對象使對方的太太，所以語氣要委婉客氣些)。
但是談到第三者，就可不必太委婉，可用 lose temper:
What will you do if one of your staff lose temper? （如果你的同事沖你發脾氣你該怎么辦呢？）
Occasionally we should be given a chance to let off steam.（我們應該不時的發泄一下情緒。）
8. to pay through the nose: to pay too much for something or excessively expensive （花費太多，代價過高，與" to cost an arm and a leg" 意義相近）
Don‘t pay through the nose when you buy the furniture. (不要花太多的錢買家具。)
Some women paid through the noses for their jewelry. (有些女人花大把的錢購買珠寶首飾。)
9. to take center stage：to be in the spotlight (引人注目的中心人物；以某人為公眾矚目的對象)
Mrs. Lin always takes center stage at a party. (林太太總能成為宴會上的焦點。)
President Bush takes center stage wherever he goes. (布什總統不論走到哪里，都是公眾矚目的焦點。)
His constant taking center stage could deprive him of his privacy. (他好出風頭的毛病讓他毫無隱私可言。)
10. to drag（one‘s）feet：to procrastinate or postpone（慢慢的拖延，行動遲緩，拖拖拉拉）
It is not a good idea to drag your feet when the work needs to be done. (拖延工作是不好的。)
No employers like for their employees to drag their feet on any project. (工作拖拖拉拉的員工總是不受歡迎的。)
11. to paint（someone or oneself）into a corner：to trap oneself or someone; to be in trouble（使自己或某人陷入困境, 應該注意的是即使主語是復數形式，corner 仍然用單數）
Don‘t try to paint yourself into a corner. (不要讓自己身陷困境，無法脫身。)
After a heated debate with his boss, Mr. Chen has painted himself into a corner. (和老板激烈的爭辯之后，陳先生處境十分不妙。)
12. to ask (someone) for (one‘s) hand: to ask girl‘s parents for marriage approval（指男人請求女方家長應允將女兒嫁給他， 這里的"someone"是指女方的家長，"one"則是指要求婚的對象，hand 只能用單數形式）
Mr. Su asked me for my daughter‘s hand. (蘇先生到我家來向我女兒提親。)
He has asked her parents for their daughter‘s hand. (他請求她的父母應允他們的婚事。)
13. to move onward and upward：to be promoted; from good to better situation（情況得以改善，或往更好的情況發展）
He hopes to move onward and upward with his current company. (他希望能在現在就職的公司里順利發展，步步高升。)
Many young couples try to move onward and upward during their marriage. (許多年輕夫婦都希望能夠婚姻美滿幸福。)
14. to call a spade a spade: to be honest, blunt or frank（直言不諱，有啥說啥）
My wife always calls a spade a spade about her work situation. (我妻子對別人談起她的工作時，總是直言不諱。)
Calling a spade a spade on foreign affairs sometimes seems difficult for diplomats. (外交官在處理外交事務的時候很難做到直言不諱。)
15. to play cat and mouse：to play games with aggressive and passive attitude（玩貓戲老鼠的把戲，欲擒故縱)
In business negotiations, there are always cat-and-mouse games. (在商業談判中，常會有一些貓戲老鼠的把戲。）
The police have played cat and mouse with the murderer. (警察對兇犯采用的是欲擒故縱的策略。)
16. to go on the dole：(of the unemployed) to live on public welfare（失業人員依靠政府救濟金生活。)
Thousands of Americans are out of jobs and may go on the dole. (美國成千上萬的失業者靠領取政局救濟金生活。)
Some people have gone on the dole for years. (有些人多年來就是靠政府救濟生活的。)
17. to be in the hot seat：to be under lots of pressure or in a difficult position（處于困境，面對很多壓力）
He has resigned from his job because he has been in the hot seat for years. (由于不堪多年的工作壓力，他終于辭職了。)
When testifies before Congress, he will be in the hot seat. (在國會作證的時候，他將面臨巨大的壓力。)
18. to make waves：to make trouble （惹是生非， 與"rock the boat"意思相近）
Many politicians like to make waves in order to be kept in the media. (許多政客為了能在媒體上路臉兒而不惜嘩眾取寵。)
Teenagers tend to make waves with their parents and teachers. (一些青少年總是會給父母和老師惹麻煩。)
19. to keep (one‘s) nose clean：to keep away from trouble（遠離是非，少惹麻煩）
The newly released inmates are trying to keep their noses clean. (剛剛獲釋的犯人總是盡量少惹是非。)
A law-abiding person needs to keep his (her) nose clean. (奉公守法的人應該避免制造麻煩。)
20. to drive (someone) up the wall：to annoy or upset someone（惹人生氣或者不高興)
The boy is driving his mother up the wall because of his ill behavior. (這個不聽話的孩子讓他媽媽大為頭痛。)
If you ask too many questions, you may drive your boss up the wall. (假如你的問題太多也會讓你的老板很反感。)
21. to write （someone or something）off：to throw away or to discard（拋棄或者丟棄)； to deduct a business loss（在經商失敗時，也用于報銷、注銷或扣除損失的數額中）
After a hot argument, she wrote off her boyfriend. (她和男朋友大吵了一架之后，就把他甩了。)
He will write off the charitable contributions from his income taxes. (他從所得稅中扣除了慈善募捐的金額。)
22. to take up with (someone)：to date someone or to fall in love with someone（對某人產生興趣，或與某人開始親密交往）
After he met her at the bar, he took up with her. (自從在酒吧見過一面之后，他對她產生了興趣。)
As she is such a pretty woman, many men would like to take up with her. (像她這么漂亮的女人，許多男人都對她有興趣。)
24. to pave the way to (or for)：to make the path or to lay a groundwork of something （為…… 鋪平道路或為……做好準備）
A good education will pave the way to finding a decent job. （好的教育是好的工作的基礎。）
Early space exploration has paved the way for the current space station. （早期的太空探索為如今的太空站建設奠定了基礎。）
25. to paint the town red：to enjoy oneself; to have a good time（盡情享受）
He is going out tonight to paint the town red. （他今天晚上要玩個痛快。）
Miss Chen really painted the town red last week with her friends. （陳小姐上周和朋友玩得很盡興。）
特殊的英語動詞短語
在英語中，有動詞和小品詞（up, down, in, out, on, off, over, away）構成的動詞短語很多，有時很難猜出它們的意義，筆者收集了一些常見的動詞短語，通過分析小品詞的意義，對這一類的短語進行分類，找出它們的規律，以便更好地掌握它們，注意這些短語意義很接近，這要結合例句和上下文掌握它們的用法。
1.up
1)向上（toward or into a higher position）
lift up 舉起，climb up 爬上，come up 上升，get up 起來，stand up 站起來，pick up 撿起，draw up 升起，grow up 長大，hand up 托起，put up 舉起，send up 使上升，rise up 升起，look up 抬頭看，zip up 拉上，hold up 舉起，pile up 堆起，dig up 挖出，take up 拿起，build up 樹立，set up 建立，搭起。
2)完成，結束（expressing completeness and finality）
finish up完成, drink up喝干, eat up吃光, burn up燒光, wash up洗凈, use up用光, fill up裝滿, pay up付清, settle up解決, lick up舔盡, sum up總結, open up透露, end up結束, let up中止，減少, draw up停止, close up關閉, swallow up吞沒, beat up痛打, cover up掩蓋, break up結束，分解。wind up結束。
3)離開，消滅（expressing separation and destroy）
break up拆開, cut up切碎, split up分裂, divide up分割, smash up搗毀, blow up炸毀, wither up枯死, tear up撕碎, give up放棄, fold up垮臺, dry up枯竭, crack up撞碎, clutter up使散亂, litter up 亂丟垃圾。
4)增加，變強(to a state of greater activity, force, strength, power and degree)
(1)mount up增加, pick up振作加快, pluck up振作, turn up開大，出現, shake up震驚, steam up使發怒, stir up激起攪起, ease up放松, warm up興奮, speak up大聲說, heat up加熱, total up總和, tense up緊張, gather up收集, speed up加速, screw up振作, build up增大, show up顯現, cheer up振作起來, work up激動,刺激。
(2)用在帶“-en”后綴的動詞后（used after the verbs with suffix of-en）
brighten up發亮, fatten up發胖, freshen up使新鮮, harden up變硬, sharpen up變快, smarten up變精明, strengthen up加強, sweeten up變甜, tighten up使緊密, toughen up使強大, soften up變軟。
5)變好，改善(as to be better and proper)
bring up撫育, check up核對, clear up清理晴天, clean up整理, do up整理, patch up修理, polish up擦亮，改進, light up點亮, tune up調整, tidy up整理, rub up擦亮, train up訓練，培養, make up化妝，和解，彌補, buy up囤積, figure up計算, fix up修理整理, take up從事。
6)關住，鎖緊，固定住（firmly, tightly and closely）
shut up關閉, lock up鎖住, tie up栓住, chain up鎖住, nail up釘住, fasten up系住, pin up釘住, bind up裝訂, bar up關住, block up堵塞, choke up堵塞, save up存起來, store up儲藏, stock up儲存, cover up掩蓋, wrap up包住, lay up儲存, hold up延誤, keep up堅持。
7)向說話人的方向(to the place where the speaker is)
catch up, come up, drive up, go up, run up, rush up, walk up, swim up, marsh up.
英語短語動詞匯總
1、Look after照顧
2、look at看著
3、look for尋找
4、look over 檢查
5、look forward to期待
6、look like看起來像
7、look up查閱（后加單詞或信息）
8、come in進來
9、come on趕快、加油
10、come out出來、出版
11、come along跟隨一起
12、come over隨便來訪
13、come down崩塌、落下
14、come up with想出
15、maketea沏茶
16、make friends交朋友
17、make thebed鋪床
18、make it做成
19、makea mistake犯錯誤
20、make decision做決定
21、make up占去、構成
22、make faces做鬼臉
23、make sure確保
24、make upone’smind決心
25、turn on打開（水龍頭、電器）
26、turn off關上（水龍頭、電器）
27、turn up開大
28、turn down關小
29、turn right向右轉
30、turn left向左轉
31、turn over（使）翻滾、（使）傾覆
32、get up起床
33、get down記下、使……沮喪
34、get down上（車、馬等）、進展
35、get off下（車、馬等）、出發
36、get back回家、尋回
37、get on/along with與……相處
38、give out分發、送出
39、give a way捐出
40、give up放棄
41、give in屈服
42、givea concert開音樂會
43、give talk作報告
44、give lesson上課
45、puton穿上
46、put up張貼、舉起
47、put away放好、收拾起來
48、put off推遲
49、take off脫下
50、take turns輪流
51、take away拿走
52、take photos拍照
53、take one splace代替某人
54、go fishing去釣魚
55、go to ameeting去開會
56、go to the movies去看電影
57、go to school去上學
58、go home回家
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