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1. I was so angry with him that I almost lost it.
‘Almost lost it’ means the person almost lost control of themselves by saying something or doing something they really did not want to, like calling the person a bad name, deliberately knocking things over and making a mess, throwing something at the other person, or, hitting the other person.
他讓我十分生氣，我簡直忍不住要發飆！
Almost lost it 指瀕臨「發飆」「抓狂」的邊緣，快要控制不了情緒了。假若怒火延燒，無法及時冷卻下來，有可能就要摔東西、罵髒話，或動手打人了。
2. Yes, you were a little hot under the collar.
The previous sentence talked about anger. Sometimes, when a person is angry, they get physically warm, and their face and neck can become a red color. The ‘collar’ refers to the area by the neck, where the top button of a shirt is closed.
沒錯！你有一點「臉紅脖子粗」了！
人，生氣到某個程度，會有身體發燙，臉部及脖子都變紅的情況。句中 hot under the collar 這個片語，說明衣領 (collar) 以下的部位很燙。
3. I would like that burger with everything, but hold the mustard and tomato.
A ‘burger’ is a very popular food in the United States. When going to a restaurant, you can tell the person working at the restaurant that you do not want certain things on your burger. By saying to ‘hold the mustard and tomato’, you are telling them you do not want mustard or tomato on your burger.
我要的漢堡，裡頭夾什麼都可以，就是不要有芥末和馬鈴薯。
英文單字 hold 有多種含義，固然值得查考、細究；而本句中 “… with everything(,) but …” 這樣的表達，也算是常見的英文句構，宜多加揣摩。
4. I would like my salad dressing on the side, please.
At a restaurant, you can tell the person working there that you want your salad dressing to be served in a little cup ‘on the side’ instead of covering the salad. That way, you can put as much or as little on your salad as you want.
請把沙拉醬另外放，不要直接澆在生菜食品裡。
在餐廳點菜時，可能用到這樣的句子。如果你指定沙拉醬（生菜食品的調味料）另外盛在小碟子裡，那麼，吃生菜時，想沾多少就沾多少，也就不會太濃或太淡了。
5. My old man is old fashioned.
The words ‘my old man’ are American slang sometimes used by a person to describe their father. It might less often be used by a woman to refer to her husband or boyfriend. ‘Old fashioned’ refers to dressing or doing things in a way that was popular a long time ago.
我老爹是個老骨董—很守舊呢！
在這句美式俚語中 my old man通常指「老爸」而言；較少拿來指「丈夫」或「男朋友」。Old fashioned 可用來形容衣服款式（或做事方式）老舊、不合時宜。
6. Buying that new DVD for that low price was a real steal.
The words ‘a real steal’ are an American figure of speech. It means that the price is a good bargain. A person could make a joke and say that for it to be bought at any lower price would almost be like stealing it.
以這麼低價買到那張DVD 實在太划算了。
美語中 a real steal 是一種比喻的說法，字面義與「簡直是偷來的」相近；在中文裡，還有「揀到了便宜」「物超所值」…等等，類似的表達。
7. Having to do all that work in such little time is a tough row to hoe.
This sentence is using an image found in old agriculture. The words ‘a tough row to hoe’ refer to the rows of crops in the field. A hoe is a tool that a farmer uses to remove weeds. The word ‘tough’ means difficult.
短時間內要做完那一切工作，真難啊！
用 a tough row to hoe 來形容非常吃重（吃力）的一件事，意義很貼切；此處用的是從前農業時代，農人以手握鋤鬆土（或除草）的辛苦情景，其「意象」相當鮮明。
8. It cost me a pretty penny to get my car repaired.
‘A pretty penny’ is an American figure of speech. A ‘penny’ is a coin. In American money, it is worth 1 cent. (Approximately .317 New Taiwanese Dollars). ‘A pretty penny’ means it cost a lot of money.
我的車子送修，花了我好多錢。
A penny 在美國貨幣中只是 a cent（一分錢），一枚硬幣而已；不過 a pretty penny（漂亮的一文錢）卻是很多錢。這是美國式的修辭，一種比喻的說法 (figure of speech)。
9. The used car that I bought was in A-1 condition.
‘A-1 condition’ is an American figure of speech which means something being in the best condition possible.
我買的那輛中古車，性能極佳。
A-1 condition 指狀況特佳、性能「一等一」「一級棒」的意思。這也是美國式的修辭，一種比喻的說法。
10. Stacking those boxes so high is an accident waiting to happen.
‘An accident waiting to happen’ is an American figure of speech that refers to possible danger that could come as a result of the way something is done, or the way someone acts.
那些箱子疊得這麼高，就等著發生意外吧！
美語中 an accident waiting to happen 是指「有可能發生的意外」。
---- The above English Sentences are noted by Warren Sevander in English and Jerry Liang in Chinese, which have been put onto the website of St. James' Language Institute.
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