含义: a man of letters

學者, 作家

lette 成语

a red-letter day

a special day, a memorable day This is going to be a red-letter day. I found my lost keys!

chain letter

a letter that is copied and sent to other people This letter says I will have bad luck if I break the chain.

dash off a note/letter

quickly write a note or letter and send it Josi dashed off a note to her cousin in Toronto - in English.

four-letter word

bad word, profanity: damn, hell, shit etc. He gave a good speech, but he used a lot of four-letter words.

red-letter day

(See a red-letter day)

round robin (letter)

a letter written by a group of people with each person writing part of the letter We sent a round robin letter to the librarian to ask for better opening hours for the library.

Russian roulette

a potentially dangerous situation Putting the load of plutonium on the old ship was like playing a game of Russian roulette.

to the letter

exactly, with nothing done wrong or left undone The chief negotiator for the union followed the contract agreement to the letter.

dead letter

Idiom(s): dead letter

Theme: NONFUNCTIONING

an issue, law, or matter that is no longer important or that no longer has force or power. (Could also be used for a person.)
• His point about the need for education reform is a dead letter. It is being done now.
• This point of law is a dead letter since the last Supreme Court ruling on this matter.

bread-and-butter letter

Idiom(s): bread-and-butter letter

Theme: POLITENESS

a letter or note written to follow up on a visit; a thank you note. (Fixed order.)
• When I got back from the sales meeting, I took two days to write bread-and-butter letters to the people I met.
• I got sort of a bread-and-butter letter from my nephew, who wants to visit me next summer.

Dear John letter

A letter written by a partner explaining why they are ending the relationship is a Dear John letter.

Letter of the law

If people interpret laws and regulations strictly, ignoring the ideas behind them, they follow the letter of the law.

Man of letters

A man of letters is someone who is an expert in the arts and literature, and often a writer too.

Red letter day

A red letter day is a one of good luck, when something special happens to you.

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.

a red letter day

a day of great importance: "It's a red letter day tomorrow in the company. It's our fiftieth birthday!"

Dear John letter|Dear John|John

n. phr. A note or a letter informing one that a romantic relationship or a marriage is over. Jane left a "Dear John letter" on the table and went home to live with her parents.

Russian roulette|Russian|roulette

n. A game of chance in which one bullet is placed in a revolver, the cartridge cylinder is spun, and the player aims the gun at his own head and pulls the trigger. Only a fool would risk playing Russian roulette.

bread-and-butter letter|bread|bread and butter|but

n. A written acknowledgment of hospitality received. Jane wrote the Browns a bread-and-butter letter when she returned home from her visit to them.

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.

chain letter|chain|letter

n. A letter which each person receiving it is asked to copy and send to several others. Most chain letters die out quickly.

dead letter|dead|letter

n. phr. An undeliverable letter that ends up in a special office holding such letters. There is a dead letter office in most major cities.

letter-perfect|letter|perfect

adj. phr. Memorized perfectly; perfect to the last letter. The actor was letter-perfect in his role.

man of letters|letters|man

n. phr. A writer; an author; a scholar. Chekhov was not only a practicing physician but also a first-rate man of letters.

night letter|letter|night

n. A telegram sent at night at a cheaper rate and delivered in the morning. I waited until after six o'clock in the evening before sending the telegram home because I can say more for the same price in a night letter.

open letter|letter|open

n. phr. A public message in the form of a letter addressed to a particular person or to a group. There was an open letter to the president of the United States in today's morning paper.

red-letter day|day|letter|red|red-letter

n. phr. A holiday; memorable day (usually printed in red on calendars). The Fourth of July is a red-letter day. It was a red-letter day for Felix, when he won the lottery.

to the letter|letter|to

adv. phr. With nothing done wrong or left undone; exactly; precisely. He carried out his orders to the letter. When writing a test you should follow the instructions to the letter.
Compare: TO A T.

crank letter

crank letter
Also, crank call. An irrational, fanatical, or hostile letter or telephone call. For example, The office was flooded with mail, including a lot of crank letters, or Harriet was upset enough by the crank calls to notify the police. This expression employs crank in the sense of “irrational person.” The first term dates from the mid-1900s, the variant from the 1960s.

letter

letter
In addition to the idiom beginning with letter, also see bread-and-butter letter; crank letter; dead letter; four-letter word; poison-pen letter; red-letter day; to the letter.

poison-pen letter

poison-pen letter
A letter, usually anonymous, that makes malicious statements about the recipient or a third party. For example, She told the police about the poison-pen letters, but they said they couldn't pursue the matter. [Early 1900s]