1.to be in a rut：是指对每天同样的工作或是墨守成规一成不变的习惯，感到单调乏味
(to be tired of routine job; nothing new or excited) (rut 这个字本意是惯例或老套）。
例如： he has not been promoted for 20 years; he must be in a rut.（他廿年未获升级，一定感到单调枯燥。)
after thirty years of the same job, he feels he is in a rut.（干了卅年同样的工作，他觉得枯燥乏味。） 所以要放弃单调枯燥的生活方式，就是 to get out of the rut.
例如： if you hate your old job, you need to get out of the rut.（假如你不喜欢你的老工作，你就要走出乏味的日子。)
2. to be (或 become) fed up with (someone 或 something)： 意思是对某人或某事感到讨厌或厌倦（to get tired of; to be disgusted or to get sick of);
例如： i am fed up with his constant complaints.（他常常的抱怨令我厌烦。）
we all became fed up with his long speech.（他的长篇演说wǒ men都觉得讨厌。）
the husband has been fed up with his wife's nagging.（老公对老婆的唠叨感到厌烦。）
如果只用「to be fed up」也可以：
i will not wait for her; i am fed up. (我不想再等她了；我厌了。)
(动词时态是：feed, fed, fed) 可见这句俚语似乎有「被动味道」，如果用 feed，意思又不同了
例如： the mother will feed the baby with milk.（母亲喂婴儿牛奶。) (feed 是及物动词)
the cattle feed on grass (牛以草为生。)（feed 是不及物动词）
但是 the cattle were fed with the grass by the farmer.（农夫用草喂牛。）
(cattle 是复合名词，意为复数);
可以说： i am fed up with him. (我讨厌他)
(但不能说：i feed up with him.）
3. to cut the cord: 意思是父母要让儿女离家过著独立自主的生活
(let your children leave home and become independent) (只用於父母与儿女间的关系);
例如： when your children are old enough to take care of themselves, you have to cut the cord.（当你的孩子长大可以照顾他们自己时，你就应该让他们自力更生。）(即切断依赖父母的脐带。)
it is very difficult for many chinese parents to cut the cord with their children.（许多中国父母很难让儿女完全独立自主。）(注：这里的 cord，是指 umbilical cord 即脐带。）
4. to start from square one: 意思是上次没有成功，必须回到起点从头做起
(something did not succeed in the first place, have to start over again） (这与 to be back to square one 意义相同);
例如： he has to start from square one because his computer destroyed (crashed) his homework. (由於电脑搞坏了他的作业，他必须从头做起。)
the search committee for the new college president will have to start from square one.（选拔新校长委员会上次没有成功，现在又要从头做起。)
we are back to square one. (wǒ men又从头做)
5. to paint (someone) a picture：意思是解释某种情况，使人更加明白。
(to explain the situation; to make things more clear);
例如： in order for you to understand better, i will paint you a picture. (为了使你更能明白，我愿加以解释。)
he will try to paint us a picture when he gives a speech.（他演讲时，尽量想法使wǒ men明白。)
when i write an article for a newspaper, i will paint my readers a clear picture.（当我为报纸写文章时，我尽量让我的读者充分了解。)
但是 to paint a picture，意思又有不同了。
例如： the artist will paint a picture of me.（画家为我画像。)
the artist painted a picture for his interior decoration.（画家为了他的室内布置而画了一幅画。）
6. to take a (或 its) toll：意思是造成损失或有不良的影响
(to have bad effect);
例如： his hard work will eventually take its toll on his health. (他的辛劳工作，最後对他身体会造成伤害。)
inflation has taken its toll everywhere.（通货膨胀对各地都有不良影响。
the storm took a heavy toll. (暴风造成重大损失。)
the severe earthquake may have taken its toll on the economy of taiwan. (或 taiwan's economy) (强烈地震对台湾的经济造成损失。)
the boss eliminated several senior positions to save money；it took a pesonal toll on him.（老板为了省钱删除了几个资深职位，对他个人倒有不良影响。）
(注：to take its toll 较为常用)
7. to have the floor：指在开会时取得发言权，有人发言时，其他与会者应该注意听。
(everybody at the meeting should keep quiet and listen carefully when someone speaks to the audience.)（floor 本意是全体议员或全体与会者。)
例如： will you mind letting miss wang have the floor？ (王小姐发言时，请大家安静注意听好吗？)
everybody should be able to have the floor during the meeting. (开会时，每个人都应该有发言权。)
let mr. chen have the floor for ten minutes. (让陈先生发言十分钟，大家注意听。)
he was given the floor by the chairperson. (主席让他发言。)
8. to hold water：意思是站得住脚，禁得起考验或有足够的证据可证明一件事的可靠性.
（to have evidence to prove something) (反之，「hold no water」就是没有足够的证据，站不住脚。)
例如： i think his statement does not hold water.
（我想他的声明是站不住脚的）
也就是： there is no enough evidence to prove what he has said.
(可见「hold no water」=「does not hold water」) his theory holds water.
（他的理论是有足够证明的）
her constant excuses for being tardy holds no water.（或 does not hold water)
(她时常的迟到藉口，没有足够的理由。)
the u. s. bombing excuse did not hold water with china.
（美国轰炸理由不足取信中国）也就是：
china feels that the reason given by the u.s. for bombing the chinese embassy does not hold water. 所以： the argument does not hold wate r= the argument holds no water. (这争吵是没有足够的理由)
9. to tighten (one's) belt：意思是束紧裤带，省吃俭用或缩紧预算（to cut the budget)
例如： the government has to tighten its belt due to a large deficit. (由於庞大的赤字，政府必须缩紧预算。)
he tried to tighten his belt after he lost his job. (他失业後，想办法省吃俭用。)
但也可指真正的束紧腰带： mrs. chen has tightened her belt because she lost twenty pounds. (陈太太缩紧了腰带因为她瘦了廿磅)
10. to put (one's) best foot forward: 意思是全力以赴，给人以尽可能好的印象，包括礼貌、举止、说话、外表等等
(to get first good impression including manners, speech, appearance, etc.)。
例如： when you go for a job interview, put your best foot forward.
（当你求职面试时，首先要尽量给人良好的印象。)
we all have to put our best foot on this project.
（wǒ men对这个计画要做得好才能给别人一个好印象。)
(注：通常不用复数 feet，因为同时伸出两只脚，一定会跌倒，即使主词是多数，也是如此。)
