含义: a mite on an elephant

大象身上一小虱, 大小懸殊

ele 成语

as useless as a fifth wheel

not useful, not needed, redundant, (four wheels are sufficient) I sat there watching the four of them play bridge, and feeling as useless as a fifth wheel.

as useless as tits on a boar

not useful, not necessary, having no function Our toenails are useless - as useless as tits on a boar.

at the eleventh hour

" at the last minute; almost too late. "

bush telegraph

street gossip, through the grapevine Arne gets the news through the bush telegraph. People tell him.

clueless

not informed, ignorant, not with it When I don't know the answer, I try not to look clueless.

electronic superhighway

a computer network, Internet We can find more information on the electronic superhighway.

eyes peeled

(See keep your eyes peeled)

get bageled

lose without scoring, get skunked, be shut out We got bageled. They beat us 11-0!

hell bent for election

going fast, determined to get somewhere There goes Joe, driving hell bent for election - always in a hurry.

keep your eyes peeled

look or watch carefully, watch for Keep your eyes peeled for birds. Watch for animals, too.

kill an elephant

do too much, do ten times more than necessary, overdo it He asked you to adjust the carburetor, not rebuild the motor. Don't kill an elephant!

on the same wavelength

thinking similarly about something We have been on the same wavelength for months about the need for change in the company.

out of his element

not trained, too deep for him He was out of his element when they began discussing DNA.

put out feelers

discover indirectly, ask subtle questions, through the grapevine I'm not really looking for a new job, but I'm going to put out a few feelers and see what happens.

seven come eleven

7 followed by 11 are lucky numbers """Seven come eleven,"" he whispered as he threw the dice."

skeleton in one

family secret I heard that he has a lot of skeletons in his closet that he doesn

skeleton in the closet

unpleasant secrets, old scandals Every family has a skeleton in the closet - a dark secret or two.

useless as a fifth wheel

(See as useless as a fifth wheel)

useless as the tits...

(See as useless as tits on a boar)

well heeled

wealthy, rich, well off The Clarks were well heeled, wealthy enough to hire servants.

wheeler-dealer

a person who is good at making sales and deals, a wheeler-dealer Cliff is a wheeler-dealer in the energy industry. He brings buyers and sellers together.

white elephant

a purchase that was not used, a useless object Should we take the statue of Stalin to the White Elephant Sale?

bracelets

handcuffs

out of one's element

outside of one's natural surroundings在不适宜的环境里；不得其所
Wild animals are out of their element in cages．野生动物不习惯笼中生活。
I'm out of my element when people start talking about music．人们一谈起音乐，我就是外行了。

well-heeled

Idiom(s): well-heeled AND well-fixed; well-off

Theme: WEALTH

wealthy; with sufficient money.
• My uncle can afford a new car. He's well-heeled.
• Everyone in his family is well-off.

put out some feelers

Idiom(s): put out (some) feelers

Theme: INQUIRY - CAUTIOUS

to attempt to find out something without being too obvious.
• I wanted to get a new job, so I put out some feelers.
• The manager was mean to everyone in the office, so everyone put out feelers in an attempt to find new jobs.

in one's element

Idiom(s): in one's element

Theme: COMFORT

in a natural or comfortable situation or environment.
• Sally is in her element when she's working with algebra or calculus.
• Bob loves to work with color and texture. When he's painting, he's in his element.
• He's most comfortable when he can get into his element.

eleventh-hour decision

Idiom(s): eleventh-hour decision

Theme: DECISION

a decision made at the last possible minute.
• Eleventh hour decisions are seldom satisfactory.
• The president's eleventh-hour decision was made in a great hurry, but it turned out to be correct.

keep one's eyes peeled for

Idiom(s): keep one's eyes open (for someone or something) AND keep one's eyes peeled (for someone or something)

Theme: ALERTNESS

to remain alert and watchful for someone or something. (The entries with peeled are informal. Peel refers to moving the eyelids back.)
• I'm keeping my eyes open for a sale on winter coats.
• Please keep your eyes peeled for Mary. She's due to arrive here any time.
• Okay. I'll keep my eyes open.

Elephant in the room

An elephant in the room is a problem that everyone knows very well but no one talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc.

Eleventh hour

If something happens at the eleventh hour, it happens right at the last minute.

In your element

If you are in your element, you feel happy and relaxed because you are doing something that you like doing and are good at. "You should have seen her when they asked her to sing; she was in her element."

Memory like an elephant

'An elephant never forgets' is a saying, so if a person has a memory like an elephant, he or she has a very good memory indeed.

See the elephant

If you see the elephant, you experience much more than you wish to; it is often used when a soldier goes into a warzone for the first time.

You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

This idiom means that in order to achieve something or make progress, there are often losers in the process.

have a skeleton in the cupboard|have a skeleton in

have an unpleasant secret: "There are a lot of skeletons in their cupboard."

a white elephant

something that is expensive, but has no use: "People say the stadium is a white elephant and a waste of money."

a memory like an elephant

have an excellent memory: "She won't forget, you know. She has a memory like an elephant."

at the eleventh hour|eleventh|eleventh hour|hour

prep. phr. At the last possible time. Aunt Mathilda got married at the eleventh hour; after all, she was already 49 years old.

can't make an omelette without breaking eggs|break

To achieve a certain goal one must sometimes incur damage, experience difficulties, or make sacrifices.

A proverb. When we drove across the country, we put a lot of mileage on our car and had a flat tire, but it was a pleasant trip. "Well, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs," my wife said with a smile.

eleventh hour|eleventh|hour

adj. phr. Pertaining to the last minutes; the last opportunity to accomplish a task. The editors made several eleventh hour changes in the headlines of the morning paper.

fellow traveller|fellow|fellow traveler|traveler|t

n. A sympathizer with a political movement who does not officially belong to the political party in question. Many Germans after World War II were innocently accused of being fellow travellers of Nazism. During the McCarthy era, many Americans were accused of being Communist fellow travellers.

in one's element|element

adv. phr. 1. In one's natural surroundings. The deep-sea fish is in his element in deep ocean water. 2. Where you can do your best. John is in his element working on the farm.
Compare: AT HOME 2.
Antonym: OUT OF ONE'S ELEMENT.

keep one's eyes peeled|eyes|keep|keep one's eyes s

v. phr., informal To watch carefully; be always looking. The bird-watcher kept his eyes peeled for bluebirds. When the boys walked through the roads, they kept their eyes skinned for snakes.
Compare: EYES OPEN¹, EYE OUT.

mental telepathy|mental|telepathy

n. phr. The passing of one person's thoughts to another without any discoverable talking or carrying of signals between them. Mrs. Smith knew the moment her husband's ship sank on the other side of the world. It seems like a case of mental telepathy. Most or all men who practice mental telepathy on stage have really trained themselves to detect tiny clues from the audience.

out of one's element|element|out

adv. phr. Outside of your natural surroundings; where you do not belong or fit in. Wild animals are out of their element in cages. Chris is out of his element in singing class.
Compare: OUT OF PLACE, BEYOND ONE'S DEPTH.
Antonym: IN ONE'S ELEMENT.

skeleton in the closet|closet|in the closet|skelet

n. phr. A shameful secret; someone or something kept hidden, especially by a family. The skeleton in our family closet was Uncle Willie. No one mentioned him because he drank too much.

well-heeled|heeled|well

adj., slang Wealthy; having plenty of money. Bob's father, who is well-heeled, gave him a sports car.
Compare: IN CLOVER, ON EASY STREET.

white elephant|elephant|white

n. phr. Unwanted property, such as real estate, that is hard to sell. That big house of theirs on the corner sure is a white elephant.

brave the elements

brave the elements
Go out in stormy weather, as in We've just about run out of food; I'll brave the elements and walk to the store. The use of elements for atmospheric agencies dates from the early 16th century but is rare today except in this expression, which is often used hyperbolically.