· one’s brain child某人的主意，某人想出来的
等同于one’s original idea
one’ brain children（复数）
the new ways of teaching which have been proved very effective are brain children of all teaching staff of our department.
· have a chip on one’s shoulder叫阵，叫板
he is not popular among his peers. he always seems to have a chip on his shoulder.
此外该语还有“不满”，“对抗”的意思
mary has got a chip on her shoulder about not having obtained the scholarship.
· clam up守口如瓶，拒不开口，沉默不语
i don’t understand why my students are quite talkative during the break but all clam up in class.
· take someone to the cleaners使人囊中如洗，一贫如洗
don’t ask me to play in a crap game. i don’t want to be the cleaners.
· a cliff-hanger扣人心玄的事情
peter was nearly involved in a car accident. he called it a narrow escape. but it was really a cliff-hanger.
· fight the clock争分夺秒，与时间赛跑
等同于work against the clock
if you don’t fight the clock to enrich yourself, you will surely be lagged behind soon.
· a clotheshorse讲究穿戴的人
princess diana was a real clotheshorse. it’s hard to imagine how much she had spent on clothes.
· get hot under the collar发怒，怒气冲天
make someone hot under the collar
he got hot under the collar when he found his bicycle was missing.
· come through with flying colors干得出色，大获成功
in the 13th asian games, chinese athletic team came through with flying colors
· show (reveal) one’s true colors原形毕露
he always appears polite and gentle. but his quarrelling with others in dirty words show his true colors.
· come up with找出，想出，弄出，提出
等同于to produce, to find out, to think out
after three days’of deep thinking, the manager came up with an idea of promoting the products.