通过英语实际交流或者英语影视作品中的观察，我们会发现，以前学的英语知识实用性并不是很理想，以致于我们的表达经常太过中式。就比如「find one's tongue」这个短语，如果直译就是“找到某人的舌头”，可这个直译到底对不对呢？
就比如这句话，“Mother shouted at me just now. I was too scared to find my tongue”如果将「find one's tongue」直译的话就变成了“妈妈刚才吼我，我吓得找不到自己的舌头了”……那不是这位妈妈太可怕，就是孩子太胆小。
所以显然直译「find one's tongue」是不对的，那它究竟是什么意思呢，看下去你就知道了。
1.find one's tongue： to be able to talk；to figure out what to say.
其实「find one's tongue」是指“终于能说得出话来”。因此，上文例句的正确翻译应该是下面这样的：
Mother shouted at me just now. I was too scared to find my tongue.
妈妈刚才对我大嚷，我吓得说不出话来。
2.up for grabs： something is available.
有待争取
One of our accountants is retiring and his job is up for grabs.
我们一位会计就要退休了，他空出来的职位可以争取一下。
3.take for： to cheat someone by a certain amount of money
上当受骗；被宰了
He was taken for all his money at the casino.
那个赌场骗走了他所有的钱。
4.full of oneself： conceited or self-important
自以为是
Mary is very unpopular because she's so full of herself.
玛丽非常不受欢迎，因为她太自以为是了。
5.a horse of a different color： a situation or a subject that is different from what you had first thought it was
完全是另外一回事
Taking the exam is one thing but passing it is a horse of a different color.
参加考试是一回事，要通过考试就是另外一回事了。
6.break one’s neck： make a great effort to do something
尽一切努力去做某事
I hope Tom would study harder, because I am breaking my neck to save money to keep him in college.
我希望汤姆可以更用功一点，我想尽一切办法存钱供他上大学。
7.get up the nerve： get enough courage to do something
鼓起勇气做某事
I wanted to do it, but I couldn't get up the nerve.
我想去做，但我没有足够的勇气。
8.wait for the other shoe to drop： to await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one that is not desirable
提心吊胆等待结果
He looks so nervous because he is waiting for the other shoe to drop.
他看起来很紧张，因为他在等待最后的结果。
9.come a long way： to make significant progress
取得很大进展
A：Kevin can play entire songs now, and they sound pretty good!
A：凯文现在可以弹奏完整的曲子了，而且很好听!
B：Yep. He's really come a long way from when he could barely hold a guitar.
B：是啊，他真的进步很大，一开始连吉他都抱不住呢!
10.close to home： affecting one deeply and emotionally because one can strongly relate to it
感同身受
My patient's lung cancer diagnosis is close to home for me because my uncle recently died of the same thing.
我病人的肺癌诊断让我感同身受，因为我叔叔最近因这个病去了。
今天的知识就到这里了，这10句地道的英语表达你都学会了吗？
