1.be on a gravy train 走运，有赚钱的机会

gravy在美国口语中有“容易赚得的利润”的意思，gravytrain意即“轻易发大财的工作”。该习语直译为“在一辆容易赚钱的火车上”，所以引申为“走运，有赚钱的机会”。

A: John seems to be on the gravy train thesedays. 约翰最近看起来很走运。

B: Yeah. He got a chance of going abroad toarrange an exhibition. 是啊。他得到了一个出国去办展览的机会。

A: I don’t know why the sun is not shining onme. 我不明白为什么我的运气总是不佳。

B: Don’t worry. You’ll be in the chips sooner or later. 别着急，总有一天你也会很富裕的。

2.be on cloud nine 高兴得飘飘然

该习语原为美国气象用语。该习语的流行据说应归功于50年代播放的一个名叫《约翰尼·多拉尔》的广播节目。Be on cloud nine的字面意思是“坐早九重云霄之上”，引申为“高兴得不得了”或“飘飘然”。例如：He wason cloud nine after winning the competition. (他在比赛胜利后欣喜若狂。)

A: You seem to be on cloud nine these days. How is your restaurant business? 你近来有些高兴得飘飘然。餐馆的生意怎么样?

B: How is my business? It’s none of your business! 我的生意怎么样?这不关你的事。

A: It’s rude of you to talk to me like this. 你这样跟我说话太粗鲁了。

B: I was only teasing you. You see, we have our clients eating out of our hands now. BothMark and I are feeling on the top of the world. 我只是在逗你玩儿。你看，我们现在已经有了许多回头客了。马克和我都感到非常高兴。

3.be on pins and needles 坐立不安

pins指“大头针”，needles指“针”，be on pins and needles的字面意思是“如坐在大头针和针上”，喻为“坐卧不安”或“如坐针毡”。

A: It seems you’re on pins and needles today. Anything troubling you? 你今天似乎坐立不安。有什么事吗?

B: Yeah. I don’t know why bad things keep happening to me. You see, my car was stolenand the warehouse had been broken into. I can’t put my finger on the causes of this damnedthing. 是的。我不知道坏事为什么总是找上我。你看，我的汽车被偷了，货仓也被盗了。我弄不明白怎么会发生这些倒霉事。

A: There must be someone who had planned that. He threatened to show you the colorwhen you refused to give him a promotion. 也许这是有人精心策划的。因为你没有提升他，他要给你点颜色看看。

4.be over the hump 已度过难关

hump的本义是“小丘，山脉”，over the hump直译为“越过山脉”，引申为“度过难关”。

A: The Asian financial crises have almost paralyzed Asian economy. 亚洲金融危机几乎使亚洲经济瘫痪。

B: Your company must be influenced by it deeply. 你们的公司肯定也很受影响吧

A: Yeah. But we are over the hump now. 是的。但我们现在我们已经渡过了难关。

5.be saddled with 把任务或责任强加在某人身上

saddle在这儿作动词，意为“使负担，强加”，saddle sb. with sth. 意为“为某人负重担”，因此该习语意为“把任务强加予某人”。

例如：I can’t be saddled with any more responsibilities.(我再也不能承担更多的任务了。)

A: How is George recently? 最近乔治怎么样?

B: Not very good. I hear that he is saddled with debts of his company. 不太好。我听说他的公司现在债务缠身。

A: What happened? 怎么回事?

B: It’s said that he was cheated by his partner. 据说是他的合伙人把他给骗啦。