我們身邊都是家居用品，語言裡存在許多與之相關的日常用語也就不足為奇了。
今天和大家一起來學習一些英語最常用的與家居用品的習慣表達：
A skeleton in the closet /cupboard
不是：櫥櫃裡的骷髏
比喻：不可外揚的家醜
Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard.
誰家都有不可外揚的家醜。
Do you believe that every family has a skeleton in the closet?
你相信每個家庭都有不可外揚的家醜嗎？
A watched pot never boils
守著看壺壺不開；心急吃不了熱豆腐
A watched pot never boils. Can you quit being such a nervous wreck?
眼巴巴的鍋不開。你能不能別那麼緊張？
A drop in the bucket
不是：桶裡的一滴水
比喻：杯水車薪；九牛一毛；滄海一粟
But that's not a drop in the bucket to what that man has really got.
與他的財產相比，那只是九牛一毛。
A fly in the ointment
美中不足之處;令人掃興的小事
fly是蒼蠅，ointment是油膏或者藥膏。可想而知小小的蒼蠅掉進了一缸油膏裡，可不是把好好的油膏全糟蹋了嗎？
I like that house. But there's a fly in the ointment: I have to commute so far to work.
我喜歡那所房子。但有一件事美中不足：坐車上班太遠了。
As dead as a doornail
死透了；希望完全落空
Between two stools
不是：在兩個凳子之間
比喻：兩頭空
I was excited to start taking night classes after work, but now, without enough time to devote either to school or to my job, I feel like I'm falling between two stools.
開始我很興奮，下班後就去上夜校，但現在，沒有足夠的時間投入到學習或工作中，我感覺兩頭空了。
Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
含著金鑰匙出生的人
生在富貴人家
Have an axe to grind
不是：讓斧頭磨一磨
比喻：有打算；別有用心；另有企圖
I have an axe to grind with you.
我有事要和你理論理論。
In the doghouse
不是：在狗窩裡
比喻：因自己的錯誤或過失而陷入困境，受到冷遇
I'm in the doghouse with my wife. She kicked me out.
我把我妻子得罪慘了。她把我趕了出來。
Being in the doghouse with his boss may affect his career in the future.
得罪老闆可能會影響他將來的事業。
The whole team was in the doghouse because they lost the game.
因為輸掉了比賽，全隊陷入了困境。
A different kettle of fish
另一回事
Your brother is a very different kettle of fish from you.
你弟弟和你完全不同。
a nice [pretty, fine] kettle of fish
不是：一鍋好魚
比喻：亂七八糟，非常混亂，一塌糊塗
This is a pretty kettle of fish; how are we going to explain what happened?
這真是一塌糊塗，我們怎麼解釋發生了什麼事？
The pot calling the kettle black
鍋嫌水壺黑；五十步笑百步
It was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
這有點像五十步笑百步。
Kick the bucket
不是：踢掉桶子
比喻：死了、一命嗚呼、蹬腿、翹辮子（不要亂用哦）
When I kick the bucket, bury me on top of that mountain.
等我死了，把我埋在山頂上。
Over a barrel
不是：在桶上
比喻：處於不利地位；受人擺布；處於困境
You have them over a barrel on this issue, with all the right on your side.
在這個問題上你佔理，吃定他們了。
Point Percy at the porcelain
雅稱「小便」
Praying at the porcelain altar
不是：在瓷壇上祈禱
就算你沒喝醉過，你一定看到過醉酒的人。
比喻：趴在馬桶那嘔吐
If Tommy doesn't stop drinking, he's going to be praying at the porcelain altar all night.
如果湯米接著喝酒，他會整晚都趴在馬桶那嘔吐的。
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
不是：用鞋帶把你自己拉起來
比喻：靠自己努力取得成功；自力更生；白手起家
Nobody helped her get where she is today — she pulled herself up by her own bootstraps.
她達到今天的成就，不是上面有人，靠的是自己努力。
Put/ Throw a spanner in the works
不是：把扳手放在工作中
比喻：搗亂，破壞，阻撓
Let's get this finished before the boss comes along and throws a spanner in the works.
讓我們在老闆來橫插一槓之前把這件事做完。
Sleep on a clothesline
不是：睡在晾衣繩上
比喻：睡得很香；睡安穩覺
Sleep like a top
不是：像陀螺一樣睡覺
比喻：酣睡
Stool pigeon
不是：矮凳鴿
比喻：線人；臥底；假證人
The policeman got a stool pigeon.
警察有線人。
Storm in a teacup
不是：茶杯裡的風暴
比喻：小題大做；大驚小怪
She won't be angry for long; its only a storm in a teacup.
她生氣不會太久的，只是一時的小題大做。
Tempest in a teapot
小題大做;大驚小怪
Her anger was unreasonable, a tempest in a teapot.
她的生氣毫無道理，完全是無理取鬧。
Strain at the leash
不是：拉緊皮帶
比喻：渴望
狗急於以自己的速度往前，牽它的皮帶就會繃緊。
He’s straining at the leash to leave Britain for somewhere sunnier.
他渴望離開英國到一個陽光更多的地方去。
Strike while the iron is hot
趁熱打鐵
（英漢意思完全一樣）
Strike while the iron is hot. You may never have another opportunity to go to America.
趁熱打鐵。你可能再也沒有機會去美國了。
Take a back seat
不是：坐後座
比喻：退居人後；退居二線；靠邊站
Bryant decided to take a back seat and let his son run the company.
布萊恩特決定退居二線，讓他的兒子來管理公司。
Take one down a peg or two
不是：取下一兩個釘子
比喻：殺威風；挫銳氣
It's about time that someone took Sarah down a peg or two.
是時候有人挫挫莎拉的銳氣了。
The wrong side of the blanket
不是：毯子的反面
比喻：私生子
The child was born on the wrong side of the blanket.
這孩子是個私生子。
Throw in the towel
不是：把毛巾扔下
認輸；拱手認負
We're not going to throw in the towel just because we lost one game.
我們不會因為輸了一場就拱手認負。
圖片選自網絡，版權為原作者所有！