含义: a castle in the air

空中樓閣

STL 成语

all the bells and whistles

a lot of extra features, lots of goodies, loaded When Horst sold his business he bought a motorhome with all the bells and whistles.

as clean as a whistle

without any dirt or marks, smooth and clean The hen squeezed, and out popped an egg as clean as a whistle.

bells and whistles

(See all the bells and whistles)

blow the whistle

tell the teacher or the police, squeal Jimmy knows we stole the keys, but he won't blow the whistle.

sing (whistle) a different tune

contradict something said before, talk or act in the opposite way Usually he doesn

wet your whistle

have a drink, quench your thirst If you're thirsty, have some apple cider to wet your whistle.

blow the whistle on

to inform on

ear hustlin'

being noisy

ear hustling

to eavesdrop

hustler

anyonee who makes his living by dishonest means, including pimps, prostitutes, confidence man, thieves

whistle for

demand or expect without success；fail to obtain空想；徒然想得到
Mary didn't even thank us for helping her，so next time she needs help she can whistle for it．我们帮了玛丽的忙，她连谢都不谢，下次她休想别人帮她忙。
I'm not prepared to use any of the firm's money to pay this man；let him whistle for his money．我不准备用公司的钱付给那个人，他休想得到钱。

wet one's whistle

Idiom(s): wet one's whistle

Theme: DRINKING

to take a drink of something. (Folksy.)
• Wow, am I thirsty. I need something to wet my whistle.
• Hey, Sally! Give her something to wet her whistle.

slick as a whistle

Idiom(s): (as) slick as a whistle

Theme: SPEED

quickly and cleanly; quickly and skillfully.
• Tom took a broom and a mop and cleaned the place up as slick as a whistle.
• Slick as a whistle, Sally pulled off the bandage.

rustle sth up

Idiom(s): rustle sth up

Theme: PREPARATION

to find and prepare some food. (Folksy.)
• I'm sure he can rustle something up.
• Just go out into the kitchen and ask Bill to rustle up some food.

hustle and bustle

Idiom(s): hustle and bustle

Theme: CONFUSION

confusion, hurry, and bother. (Fixed order.)
• The hustle and bustle of the big city is especially annoying in the hot days of summer.
• Fred seems to enjoy the hustle and bustle of traffic during rush hour, so he is a very happy bus driver.

come by sth honestly

Idiom(s): come by sth honestly

Theme: ACQUISITION

to inherit something—a character trait—from one's parents.
• I know I'm mean. I came by it honestly, though.
• She came by her kindness honestly.

clean as a whistle

Idiom(s): (as) clean as a whistle

Theme: CLEANING

very clean.
• The wound isn't infected. It's clean as a whistle.
• I thought the car would be filthy, but it was as clean as a whistle.

carry coals to Newcastle

Idiom(s): carry coals to Newcastle

Theme: NEED - LACKING

to do something unnecessary; to do something that is redundant or duplicative. (Newcastle is an English town from which coal was shipped to other parts of England.)
• Taking food to a farmer is like carrying coals to Newcastle.
• Mr. Smith is so rich he doesn't need any more money. To give him money is like carrying coals to Newcastle.

build castles in the air

Idiom(s): build castles in the air AND build castles in Spain

Theme: IMAGINATION

to daydream; to make plans that can never come true.
• Ann spends most of her time building castles in Spain.
• I really like to sit on the porch in the evening, just building castles in the air.

build castles in Spain

An Englishman's home is his castle.

An Englishman's home is a place where he feels safe, enjoys privacy and can do as he wishes.

Castles in the air

Plans that are impractical and will never work out are castles in the air.

Coals to Newcastle

(UK) Taking, bringing, or carrying coals to Newcastle is doing something that is completely unnecessary.

Dog-whistle politics

(AU) When political parties have policies that will appeal to racists while not being overtly racist, they are indulging in dog-whistle politics.

Ghostly presence

You can feel or otherwise sense a ghostly presence, but you cannot do it clearly only vaguely.

King of the castle

The king of the castle is the person who is in charge of something or in a very comfortable position compared to their companions.

Whistle for it

If someone says that you can whistle for something, they are determined to ensure that you don't get it.

Whistle-stop tour

A whistle-stop tour is when someone visits a number of places quickly, not stopping for long.

Whistling Dixie

(USA) If someone is whistling Dixie, they talk about things in a more positive way than the reality.

Whistling in the dark

If someone is whistling in the dark, they believe in a positive result, even though everybody else is sure it will not happen.

Whistling past the graveyard

(USA) If someone is whistling past the graveyard, they are trying to remain cheerful in difficult circumstances. ('Whistling past the cemetery' is also used.)

blow the whistle on|blow|whistle

v. phr., slang 1. To inform against; betray. The police caught one of the bank robbers, and he blew the whistle on two more. 2. To act against, stop, or tell people the secrets of (crime or lawlessness). The mayor blew the whistle on gambling. The police blew the whistle on hot reading.

build castles in the air|air|build|build castles i

v. phr. To make impossible or imaginary plans, dream about future successes that are unlikely. He liked to build castles in the air, but never succeeded in anything. To build castles in Spain is natural for young people and they may work hard enough to get part of their wishes.

carry coals to Newcastle|Newcastle|carry|coal|coal

v. phr. To do something unnecessary; bring or furnish something of which there is plenty. The man who waters his grass after a good rain is carrying coals to Newcastle. Joe was carrying coals to Newcastle when he told the doctor how to cure a cold. (Newcastle is an English city near many coal mines, and coal is sent out from there to other places.)

come by honestly|come|honestly

v. phr., informal To inherit (a characteristic) from your parents. Joe comes by his hot temper honestly; his father is the same way.

wet one's whistle|wet|whistle

v. phr., slang To have a drink, especially of liquor. Uncle Willie told John to wait outside for a minute while he went in to the cafe to wet his whistle.

whistle for|whistle

v., informal To try to get (something) but fail; look for (something) that will not come. Mary didn't even thank us for helping her, so the next time she needs help she can whistle for it.

whistle in the dark|dark|whistle

v. phr., informal To try to stay brave and forget your fear. Tom said he could fight the bully with one hand, but we knew that he was just whistling in the dark. (From the fact that people sometimes whistle when walking in a dark, scary place to keep up their courage.)

whistle-stop|stop|whistle

n. A small town where the trains only stop on a special signal. President Truman made excellent use of the whistle-stop during his 1948 campaign for the presidency.

Newcastle

Newcastle
see carry coals to Newcastle.

rustle

rustle
rustle up
â
Informal to collect or get together, as by foraging

rustle up

rustle up
Get together food or some other needed item with some effort, as in I don't know what we have but I'll rustle up a meal somehow, or You boys need to rustle up some wood for a campfire. The verb rustle here means “to assemble in a hurry.” [Late 1800s]

whistle

whistle
In addition to the idioms beginning with whistle, also see blow the whistle on; clean as a whistle; slick as a whistle; wet one's whistle.
* * *
- whistle Dixie
- whistle for
- whistle in the dark

whistle Dixie

whistle Dixie
Engage in unrealistic, hopeful fantasizing, as in If you think you can drive there in two hours, you're whistling Dixie. This idiom alludes to the song “Dixie” and the vain hope that the Confederacy, known as Dixie, would win the Civil War.

whistle in the dark

whistle in the dark
Summon up courage in a frightening situation, make a show of bravery. For example, They knew they were lost and were just whistling in the dark. This expression alludes to a literal attempt to keep up one's courage. [First half of 1900s]

More Idioms/Phrases

whirl whirlwind whisker whisper whispering campaign whistle whistle Dixie whistle in the dark white white flag, show the

English Vocalbulary

a cat in the pan A cat may look at a king a cattle yard A chain is no stronger than its weakest link a change for the better a change of heart a change of scene a chapter of accidents a child of fortune a child of nature a child of sb.'s loins a chip in porridge a chip of the old block a chose in possession a civil year a class a clean sheet a clergyman's sore throat