专栏作家_中国日报网英语点津

Zhang Xin

True to form

First of all, true to form simply means as expected. In other words, there’s nothing unusual. 2015-01-23 10:03

Far cry?

It’s a significant step in the right direction, but still far from ideal. 2015-01-20 10:23

Out and out?

“Out and out” is a British slang that means thorough and complete. 2015-01-16 13:34

Wenger’s red herrings?

Arsène Wenger’s red herrings refer to a few of his misleading theories about his team’s worsening defense. 2015-01-13 11:27

Gilded Age levels?

To gild, as in the phrase gilding the lily, is to cover it with a thin layer of gold or something that looks like gold. 2015-01-09 10:43

Down for the count?

“Down for the count” means a great setback whereas “KO” means total defeat. 2015-01-06 11:35

Out-of-the-box solutions?

Out-of-the-box solutions means brand new measures. 2014-12-30 12:35

Coming to a head?

What does "come to a head" mean? What does "head" mean here?

2014-12-26 13:41

A long shot?

In other words, they took the chance even though they knew the odds were against it. 2014-12-23 11:32

Nature of the beast?

The nature of the beast means it’s just the way it is, the way things are, even though they are very unpleasant. 2014-12-19 13:37

Caught up in the moment?

Caught up in the moment means the exiting moment, in this case, of getting married for the first time. 2014-12-16 11:45

Power play?

Power play is a term in the game of ice hockey describing the situation where one team has one or more players on court than the opposition. 2014-12-12 12:30

Brick and mortar?

Brick and mortar companies are traditional companies in comparison to the newly coming online companies. 2014-12-09 11:25

Capturing the imagination

They’re looking for someone who can write lyrics that fascinate people. 2014-12-02 11:13

Stirring the pot

People stir the political pot in order to disturb the peace, raise disputes and cause unrest. 2014-11-28 11:25

Foxhole mentality

People who take a foxhole approach to things are people who take things seriously. 2014-11-25 14:00

Learning it the hard way

To learn a lesson the hard way means we learn it through experience, the bitterer the experience the better. 2014-11-21 11:18

Big hat, no cattle

In short, people who are all hat and no cattle are not as good as they say they are. 2014-11-18 11:26

Fighting chance

A fighting chance feels bigger and more real. If the chance is too small, you tend to leave everything to luck and won’t even care to fight. 2014-11-14 16:42