PIE IN THE SKY

此短语直译为『天国（上）的馅饼』，源自美国流行作曲家、世界产业工人联盟的组织者 Joe Hill 于 1911年所作的一首着名歌曲《传教士与奴隶》。他在歌中写道：
You will eat, bye and bye,
In the glorious land above the sky!
Work and pray, live on hay,
You'll get PIE IN THE SKY when you die!
（中译：不久你将在天上的圣地就餐。劳动吧！祈祷吧！靠干草过活吧！死后你就会得到天国的馅饼！）

中文可译为『 无地自容者』。通常指某个人因为自身的原因比如性格孤僻而不受大家的欢迎，或者是因为做了什么见不得人的事情而在别人面前感到羞愧不已，恨不得用两个袋子将自己的头藏起来，以掩饰自己的难堪和窘迫。例如：
The actress was aware that she had committed a double bagger when she completely forgot her lines, and then her wig fell off.
【中】那位女演员很清楚自己做了一件无地自容的事，因为她忘了台词，而且假发也掉了下来。

good!

Call a spade a spade 作『直接了当，直言不讳』解。英国英语中的 to call a spade a bloody shovel 即来源于此，其含意亦为『直言不讳』，只是相比之下后者的语气更强一些。

stool pigeon 这个短语到底是什么意思呢？既然 stool 可作『凳子』或『粪便』解，那么 stool pigeon 是否是指停里留在雕像上拉屎的鸽子？抑或和家具有什么联系呢？其实，stool 在这个短语中根本就没有『家具』或『粪便』的意思，实际上它是 stale 或 stall 的变体，意为『引诱，诱骗』。例如英国著名的剧作家和诗人莎士比亚的名著《暴风雨》中有这样一句话："The trumpery in my house goe bring it hither for stale to catch these theeves." （大意：把房间里那些中看不重用的东西作为诱饵，目的是为了抓住这群贼骨头。）

这是一个非常大众化的短语，在英语国家人们广泛使用。它的意思也不难猜测，既然 bolt 是指『霹雳』，blue 是指『蓝天』，连起来就是『蓝（晴）天霹雳』的意思，但有谁见过蓝蓝的天空突然发出霹雳之声呢？因此在汉语中我们可以灵活地将它翻译为『出乎意料』，『突如其来』或『晴天霹雳』等。例如：Mr Wang has just been promoted to department manager，so his decision to quit his present job was a bolt from the blue to everyone of his workmates.【中】王先生刚刚被提升为部门经理，他的辞职让所有同仁都感到大惑不解。

《美国韦氏大词典》将其解释为：The dog who would not allow a horse or ox to eat the hay in a manger, even though he himself did not want it. 并且在这一基本意义的基础上又将该片语引申为：A persom who selfishly withholds from others something that he himself can not use or does not need.
讲到这里，大家可能已经想到了汉语中的一个俗语：『占着茅坑不拉屎』，两者在语意上倒也确实十分贴近。根据具体的语境，这个短语还可以理解为『自私自利的人』，『一毛不拨的人』等。例如：Don't be such a dog in the manger. Lend your bicycle to him since you will not go out this afternoon.
【中】别这么不够朋友。既然你今天下午不出去就把自行车借给他用一用。

AFTER ONE'S OWN HEART 的英文释义为：well liked because of agreeing with your own feelings, interests and ideas,不难看出，它是一个形容词短语，多置于名词之后作后置修饰语。在汉语中大致可以翻译为『情投意合的』、『意趣相投的』、『两情相悦的』、『正中下怀的』等。例如：Lucy and Richard have worked in the same office for so many years. She has long admired Richard as the man after her own heart.
【中】露西和理查德在同一办公室共事多年了。她一直把理查德引为知己。

这个短语还有 the heel of Achille 这一变体，均作『致命的弱点』解。例如：
Mr. Jones is a hard-working and intelligent person in the office, his Achille's heel is his pride. He always refuses the other's advice on his work.
【中】在公司琼斯先生勤奋而且聪敏，但他的致命弱点就是骄傲自大。他从不接受别人提出的有关工作上的建议。

air(wash) one's dirty linen in public 的英文释意为：make public something embarrassing that should be kept secret，中文可译为『泄密』、『说出不应该说的话』等。例如：Everyone in the office knew that the manager and the secretary were angry with each other because they aired their dirty linen in public.
【中】办公室里的每个人都知道经理同秘书关系不睦，因为他们在大庭广众之下说出了他们吵架的事。

ants in one's pants 是一个固定短语，与汉语中的『坐立不安』、『急得像热锅上的蚂蚁』等相对成趣。例如：Tom has got a ticket to the football match, but his father ordered him to write the composition at home. He has ants in his pants.
【中】汤姆搞到了足球赛的票，但他父亲让他在家写作文。他急得像热锅上的蚂蚁。

ax to grind 这个短语被人们用来表示这样的意义：something to gain for oneself or a selfish reason，中文大抵可以翻译为『为了达到个人目的』、『居心叵侧』、『用甜言蜜语欺骗人』等。例如：Whenever he flatters your generosity, he will certainly have an ax to grind.【中】每当他赞扬你的慷慨大方时，他就一定要有什么目的了。

人们用 apple of one's eye 这一短语来表达这样的意思：something or someone that is adored; a cherished person or object，汉语的意思就是『珍贵的人或物』。例如：
Charles is the apple of his mother's eye.【中】查尔斯是他母亲的心肝宝贝。
John regarded the gold ring left by his dead wife as the apple of his eye.
【中】约翰把他亡妻留下的这只金戒指视为珍宝

apple of Sodom 表达了这样的含义：something that is not worth its value，汉语中的『金玉其外，败絮其中』、『徒有其表（的人或物）』等表达的就是这一含义。例如：
Nowadays few people believe in advertisements, which are almost regarded as a lure for people to buy some apple of Somdom.
【中】现在很少有人相信广告，因为它们只是想让人们购买劣质商品的诱饵。

ask for the moon 表达的含意为：to want something that you cannot reach or have; to try for the impossible，在汉语中大致可以表达为『想入非非』、『异想天开』、『痴人说梦』等等。此外，这一短语还可以表达为 cry for the moon。例如：
You are crying for the moon if you hope the teacher will leave us no homework.
【中】你如果有让老师不给我们留作业这样的怪念头那真是异想天开。