【肯定和中性】
敢拿脑袋打赌
to be completely confident
就是那边那个人——我敢拿脑袋打赌。
That's him over there—I’d stake my life on it.
倒要看看
to defy or challenge sb to do sth
我倒要看看他能不能做到他自吹自擂的事。
I challenged him to make good his boast.
多面下注
to reduce your chances of failing or losing money by trying several different possibilities
同时向几所大学提出申请，这是多面下注减少风险的好主意。
It's a good idea to hedge your bets by applying to more than one college.
赶浪头
to jump on the bandwagon
如果你看到别人能轻轻松松赚大钱，你准会赶浪头抢先去仿效的。
You'd be the first one to jump on the bandwagon if you saw someone else making a lot of money without much effort.
大刀阔斧
to end a difficulty by using a vigorous or violent method
在你的智慧启迪下，我们以大刀阔斧的办法解决了难题。
It is your intelligence that cuts the Gordian knot which we cannot untie.
动真格
to make good one's threat
我们不相信他们会动真格。
We didn't believe their threats were for real
大起大落
either too much of sth. or too little
汤姆是个聪明而有点懒散的学生，难怪他的学业成绩总是大起大落。
Tom is a clever but a bit sluggish student; no wonder his school record is either a feast or a famine.
公务在身
duty calls
看来我的走了——公务在身。
I‘ll have to go, I'm afraid—duty calls.
当电灯泡
to be the third person present when two lovers wish to be alone
他们不要我在他们第一次相会时硬在中间当电灯泡。
They didn't want me playing gooseberry on their first date.
大肆渲染
to make sth seem more important than it really is
媒体一直在大肆渲染此案件在种族方面的重要性。

【邪恶与批判】
反唇相讥
a reply or retort to a critical or hostile remark
玛丽说那是杰克的错误。杰克反唇相讥说她的错误并不比他的错误小。
Mary said that it was Jack's fault. Jack retorted that it was her fault as much as his.
打乱阵脚
to make someone unable to do sth.
为乐打乱民主党的真叫，总统提出了及格限制政府补贴的建议。
In an attempt to knock the Democrats off stride, the President offered several proposals to limit the government subsidies.
觥筹交错
wine cups and mora chips lying about in disorder
招待会上觥筹交错，酬酢不止。
The vintage flowed freely druing the reception.
各怀鬼胎
each one is trying to gain personal profit or advantage
我和他们相识已久，可以有把握的说，他们各怀鬼胎。
敷衍塞责
（of a person）to do sth as aduty orf routine without care or interest
他们敷衍塞责地检查行李。
They checked the luggage perfunctorily.
分一杯羹
to get a share or role in an interesting or exciting activity
要是新机场开始修建，外国公司都想要分一杯羹。
Foreign companies will all want a piece of the action if the new airport gets ahead.
吊吊胃口
to mislead sb. deliberately over a length of time, esp. about one's intentions
她不打算跟他结婚，他只不过吊吊他的胃口而已。
She had no plans to marry him—she was just stringing him along.
打的是什么主意
what one is driving at
但愿我知道他打的是什么主意
I wish I knew what his game is.

【肯定和中性】
欲罢不能
to pass/reach the point of no return
我们现在已经欲罢不能，只有继续干到底了。
We have passed the point of no return.
药到病除
to work like a charm
你给我的那些新药丸真实药到病除。
These new pills you gave me worked like a charm.
网开一面
to go beyond what is usu. allowed
你能否为我们网开一面，发放贷款给本公司？
Can you stretch a point in our favor and grant the loans to this company?
五体投地
to prostrate oneself before sb.
他才貌双全，我佩服得五体投地。
I was swept off my feet by his wit and charm.
陶冶情操
character building
服兵役能陶冶情操。
Military service is character-building
望尘莫及
to leave sb. far behind
日本学生使美国学生望尘莫及。
Japanese students leave American kids in the dust.
谈情说爱
to behave or talk in a very loving or sentimental way, to be courting
我们让这一堆年轻人在一起谈情说爱吧。
Let us leave the two young people to bill and coo together.
露一手
to show what one can do
到那儿去，露一手吧！
Get out there and do your stuff.
韬光养晦
to keep quiet about one's talents or accomplishments
我从不知道你还会唱歌。这些年你真是韬光养晦。
I didn't know you could sing. Your've been hiding your light under a bushel all these years.
相机行事
to act accordingly
你只需看清问题，相机行事。
All you need to do is get things in focus and act accordingly.

【邪恶与批判】
昙花一现
to last briefly, to be a flash in the pan
有那么令人眼花缭乱的一刹那，她尝到了网球者宝座的滋味，可是她的光辉前程只是昙花一现，过眼云烟罢了。
For one shining moment, she found tennis Camelot. But then her bright future flickered out.
套套近乎
to curry facor with/cotton up to sb.
她得跟老板套套近乎，因为她期盼着升职加薪。
She has to keep her boss sweet because she needs to ask for a rise.
天南地北
（talking） continuously and often noisily（usu. about sth unimportant）; telling yarns
他们天南地北地信口漫谈。
They were talking about nothing in particular.
挑拨离间
to encourage people to argue with each other so that you can gain sth.
据报道，安全机关正在挑拨叛乱组织之间的关系。
The secret service is reportedly playing the rebels off against each other.
望而却步
awe-inspiring; unwelcoming
这位老师态度严肃，令人望而却步。
The teacher looked stern and forbidding.
往事重演
an event or a situation that repeats sth. that has happened
这是他第一次婚姻问题的重演。
It was an action replay of the problems of his first marriage.
违心
against one's better judgement
我允许你订婚是违心的。
I‘m acting against my better judgement in allowing you to get married.
武断
arbitrarily
我父亲极其武断地判定：所有摩托车都是杀手，因而我就不能买了。
My father has decreed, in his infinite wisdom, that all motorbikes are killers, so I can't buy one.
泄露天机
to reveal a secret trick/plan/joke/etc.
我问他们钱哪儿去了，大儿子说他们花光了，可小儿子忍不住笑起来，泄露了天机。
When I asked where the money was my eldest son said that they have spent it, but then his younger brother gave the game away by laughing.
言外之意
an implied mesage conveyed nonverbally in addition to, and, after contradicting, an overt written or spoken message
他的话有言外之意。
There is more to his statement than greets the ear.
一无所获
to make no progress or have no success
和他谈话你会一无所获。
Talking to him will get you nowhere.
有蹊跷
there is sth shifty about sth.
这栋房子卖得那么便宜，这里面一定有蹊跷。
The house is extremely cheap; there must be a catch in it somewhere.