call a spade a spade 實話實說 / 堂堂正正

call a spade a spade 實話實說 / 堂堂正正

e.g. it (government) should “call a spade a spade” and put them (political implication) forward for open discussion.(政府就應該堂堂正正把這些政治理由拿出來讓公眾討論。)

heads I win tails you lose 輸打贏要

heads I win tails you lose 輸打贏要 (反正我也是贏)

resonate 響徹 / 產生共鳴

resonate 響徹 / 產生共鳴

e.g. The music resonated through the streets

e.g. A hall resonating with laughter

e.g. An idea that resonates with many voter

Every words of that resonates and rings true today. (以上字字鏗鏘，擲地有聲，一字一句至今仍然適用。)

count/ counts

count計算

counts 價值

Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts. (不是所有有價值的東西可以被計算，亦不是所有可計算的東西是有價值的。)

Misery loves company 禍不單行

Misery loves company 禍不單行

Road to Damascus 使人信念改變的經歷

Road to Damascus形容一些使人信仰或信念上作180度改變的經歷

典故：保羅逼迫基督徒。他在往大馬士革途中突然盲了，基督使他回復視力，自此保羅成為最堅定的教徒。

e.g. It was this chance meeting in a bar in Portland that he would later describe as his road to Damascus.

Use of Brain

Use of Brain: 

Ÿ   the brains behind 幕後的主腦人物

Ÿ   brains, not brawns = intelligence, not strength 重腦力，多於體力

Ÿ   beat one’s brains out = think very hard to solve a problem 絞盡腦汁

Ÿ   pick somebody’s brains 向某人請教，吸收他的意見或知識，為己所用

Ÿ   rack my brains大動腦筋
這句成語也可以說:wreck my brains/cudgel my brains：I racked my brains, trying to think what on earth to do.

Ÿ   brainchild = one’s own idea 腦力勞動的產物，如思想、作品、發明、發現等

Ÿ   have a brainwave = have a sudden inspiration 突然想到的妙計

Ÿ   a brain trust = a discussion group of experts 智囊團

keeping its cards close to its chest 仍未公佈

keeping its cards close to its chest 仍未公佈

As for the ministry, it is keeping its cards close to its chest. 仍未公佈

fat-finger errors誤按

fat-finger errors誤按

windy drivel 誇誇其談的胡說八道

windy drivel 誇誇其談的胡說八道 (drivel = 流鼻涕/胡說)

e.g. whatever windy drivel they might put forward as a corporate mission statement, mainstream for-profit businesses have a clear, central mission: make money for shareholders.

reinvigorate, hub-and-spoke

reinvigorate 重新振作 / 復甦 (invigorate 振作 / 賦予精神)

hub-and-spoke 幅射狀的 (指運輸系統)

e.g. The U.S. pivot to Asia under President Barack Obama seeks to reinvigorate the hub-and-spoke alliance system that the United States constructed during the Cold War.

far cry, haunt

far cry 長距離/ 相距很遠

haunt 常出沒於/ 常受困擾/ 常去的地方/ 棲息之地

e.g. The estate, where rents are around £550-a-month, is a far cry from the 21-year-old player's usual haunts - he splits his time between a £3m mansion or a £975-a-night suite at Manchester's Hilton Hotel.

in the last straw 最後一根稻草 (最後一件事)

in the last straw 最後一根稻草 (最後一件事)

in my element 做自己喜歡做的事

in my element 做自己喜歡做的事

death spiral 死亡螺旋

death spiral 死亡螺旋 (逐漸步向滅亡 enter to…; entering…)

from the horse's mouth可靠消息

from the horse's mouth可靠消息

Halcyon days 太平的日子

Halcyon days 太平的日子

Mixed blessing 好壞參半

Mixed blessing 好壞參半

a stone’s throw away from 一箭之遙

X is just a stone’s throw away from Y   X距離Y只是一箭之遙~

off 一點

better off 有利

worse off 不利