现代英语口语表示法500例（14）

· sound someone out试探某人的意见
Have you sounded the principal out on postponing¹ the final examination?

· call a spade a spade有什么就说什么
We are good friends. Call a spade a spade. Don"t tell me in a round-about way.

· spick and span干干净净
The housewife always keeps her kitchen spick and span.

· go for a spin出去兜风
The city dwellers² like going for a spin to the country on weekends.

· spine-chilling令人毛骨悚然
He likes horrible films. Those spine-chilling pictures to us are pleasant to his eyes.

· The spirit is willing; but the flesh is weak.心有余而力不足
A: How many times have you tried quitting smoking? B: It"s not that the spirit is not willing, but that the flesh is weak.

· win one"s spurs受到奖赏
She won her spurs as a popular writer immediately after her first book became a best-seller.

· put the squeeze on someone对某人施加压力
The new situation is putting the squeeze on all companies engaged in this business.

· stand up to someone与某人大胆对抗
The soldier stood up to the officer and was place in confinement³.

· thank one"s lucky stars感到万幸
I should thank your lucky stars that you missed the plane which crashed into the sea.

· get off to a flying start来了开门红
Our kindergarten got off to a flying start by having 100 children to sign up in the first month.

· go steady with someone 与异性稳步发展关系
Mary and Tim got married after going steady with each other for two years.

· watch one"s step当心
You"re better watch your step when you go out with John. He is a trouble-maker.

· a stick-in the-mud老古董
He is a stick=in-the-mud and will never invest his money in stock.

· be a stickler⁴吹毛皮的人
I don"t like to go to her home. She is a stickler for neatness.

· turn someone"s stomach令人作呕
Her sweet voice turned my stomach.

· fall between two stools鸡飞蛋打
Tying to straddle two boats, he took up two jobs with two salaries. At last, unable to do either well.

· weather the storm度过难关
The wooden house weathered the storm.

· harp⁵ on the same old string老调重弹
He really gets on my nerves. He always harps⁶ on the same old string by promising⁷ us a paid holiday., but he never keeps it.

· have someone dancing on a string任意摆布某人
Betty is a housewife and no income. Her husband has her dancing on a string.

· pull strings⁸ for someone为某人走后门，幕后操作
In the material world, money pulls the strings.

· be stuck on someone迷恋上某人
Tom was stuck on the girl at the first meeting although it was a blind date.

· to sweet-talk someone into (out of ) doing...甜言蜜语地让某人做（不做）……
The accountant sweet-talked the boss out of checking her account.