IRON

ten / household items

Iron will
very strong determination
堅強的意志

***
It takes an iron will for disabled people to excel in the Paralympics.
殘疾人士在殘奧會中有出色表現需要堅強的意志。

Distinguished businessmen are usually people with an iron will.

卓越的生意人通常有堅強的意志。

Climbers who made it to the top of Mount Everest had an iron will.
爬上珠穆朗瑪峰山峰的人有堅強的意志。

An iron fist
people with an iron fist treat people severely
鐵拳, 鐵腕(的人)

***
My father has an iron fist. He punishes me on the spot without leniency.
我的父親是個鐵拳的人, 他當場懲罰我, 沒有寬鬆。

Mussolini ruled Italy with an iron fist in the 1920s and the 1930s.
密索里尼在1920及1930年代以鐵腕管治意大利。

Bosses who manage their companies with an iron fist are always out of favour.
以鐵腕管理公司的老闆得不到支持愛戴。

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CANDLE

ten / household items

Cannot hold a candle to someone or something
not as good as someone or something
不能與某人/事媲美

***
The singers nowadays cannot hold a candle to those in the 1980s.
現在的歌手不能與1980年代的媲美。

The corollary of providing universal tertiary education is a common

criticism that the present batch of university students cannot hold
a candle to those in the past.
提供全民大專教育的一個必然結果就是導致一個普遍的批評 - 現在的
大學生不能與以前的媲美。

His later musical works cannot hold a candle to those produced in the
early stage of his career.
他後來的音樂作品無法與他在職業生涯初期創作的媲美。

Burn the candle at both ends

become very tired doing too many things, staying up late
and getting up early 過度勞累, 疲憊不堪

***
Working parents burn the candle at both ends. It is difficult to juggle
between family and career.
要工作的父母疲憊不堪, 很難兼顧家庭與事業。

Most people burn the candle at both ends before holidays. They try
to finish all the outstanding tasks before they can genuinely take a rest.
大部份人都會在假期前過度勞累, 他們會嘗試完成手頭上未完成的工作,
然後可以真正地休息一下。

With his mother going to hospital, he is now burning the candle at both
ends. He often works overtime and visits his mother after work.
隨著他的母親入院, 他現在過度勞累, 他經常超時工作, 下班後要探望母親。

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 CUP
ten / household items

(People / things) are not someone’s cup of tea

not what someone likes or is interested in
(人/事)不是某人的心頭好, 不合某人心意

***
Reading may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but at least we should make
an endeavour to promote the good that reading brings, for instance, stress
relief, acquisition of knowledge of foreign cultures, or simply for a laugh.
閱讀未必是每個人喜歡做的事, 但至少我們要盡力推廣閱讀的好處, 例如減壓,
獲得外國文化的知識, 又或者只為大笑一埸。

They are planning on travelling to exotic places, but the North Pole is definitely
not their cup of tea!
他們正在計劃去一些較為異國情調的地方, 但是北極絕對不合他們的心意!

Jimmy is two-faced, ready to ingratiate himself with anyone. He is not

Helen’s cup of tea. She likes someone who is sincere and down-to-earth.
Jimmy是一個虛偽的人, 隨時預備討好任何人, 他不是 Helen的心頭好,
她喜歡真誠及腳踏實地的人。

BED

Get out of bed on the wrong side

/ get up on the wrong side of the bed
feel slightly angry or annoyed for no particular reason
無緣無故地一起床就整天情緒不好

***
He got out of bed on the wrong side and was bad-tempered all day yesterday.
他昨天無緣無故地一起床就整天脾氣不好。

When I get up on the wrong side of the bed, I just feel that nothing works well.
當我無緣無故地一起床就整天情緒不好, 就會覺得什麼事也不順利。

Did she get out of bed on the wrong side? She has been picking on
me since this morning.
她是否無緣無故地一起床就整天情緒不好? 她自從今早就一直故意刁難我。

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