大热门－odds-on favourite：the person, horse etc that is most likely to win a race or other competition －被大家认为最有机会赢得比赛的马或是人
e.g. "Lord of the Rings" should be the odds-on favorite to take home the most awards.
-- 指环王应该是赢得最多奖项的大热门
今天看sit-com（情景剧）学了另外一个表示很有机会赢的人是词shoo-in: especially American English informal someone who is expected to easily win a race, election etc- 也就是大热门.
shoo-in for
She was a shoo-in for the Beauty Pageant.－她是这次选美的大热门。
shoo-in to do something
He looked like a shoo-in to win the Democratic nomination.
赛马－horse-racing
骑马：horse-riding
“看走眼”可以说“back the wrong horse”：to support someone or something that is not successful
stand a chance(of doing something)：to be likely to be able to do something or to succeed － 有机会成功
e.g.You'll stand a better chance of getting a job with a degree.
I think you stand a fifty-fifty chance of winning. －我觉得你有五成的机会赢。
千万不要望文生义，以为rub shoulders with sb.是擦肩而过的意思。function在这里是指 a large party or an official event.
很多英文单词都是一词多一义。
我们平时说的熟人可以说成acquaintance -- someone you know, but who is not a close friend
have a passing/nodding acquaintance with sb. - 点头之交，表示不是很熟悉，只是见面打个招呼而已。
潇潇语言实验室 No.34
风中之烛
Candle in the Wind：a song originally written in 1973 and sung by Elton John. It was recorded again with different words in 1997, in memory of Diana,（为了纪念黛安娜） Princess of Wales,(威尔士公主） and it sold more copies than any other record ever made.
这集不是要谈黛安娜王妃。这集主要说说蜡烛。
can't hold a candle to somebody/something： informal if something or someone cannot hold a candle to something or someone else, they are not as good as the other thing or person－比不上、比...逊色
No other singer can hold a candle to her.- 没有其他歌手能比得上她。
在美国电视连续剧Alias(双面女特工)第四季中,反面间谍Sark和CIA特工(agent) Vaughn的老婆有染(Sark had an affair with Vaughn's wife)。Vaughn的老婆也是反面特工，后来被Vaughn杀死。Sark见到Vaughn后说了以下的话：
Sark: Was it the infidelity or the espionage that motivated you to kill the woman I loved? －是她的不忠还是她的间谍活动让你杀了我爱的女人？
Sark: She once actually told me that she longed to love you . . . but the mundane existence you provided couldn't hold a candle to my passion. －她曾经告诉我她渴望去爱你...但是你提供的平凡生活是不能和我的激情相比的。
我们烧蜡烛一般只烧一头，但是如果两头都烧，那么蜡烛消耗的自然更快些。英文中有两头烧蜡烛的说法：
burn the candle at both ends： informal to get very tired by doing things until very late at night and getting up early in the mornings －说的是一个人非常努力工作，晚睡早起，弄得自己非常疲劳。
spread yourself too thin： to try to do too many things at the same time so that you do not do any of them effectively -指一个人同时干许多事情，结果弄得自己很累，办事效率也不高。
对你的工作狂(workaholic)朋友，你可以说,"You're burning the candle at both ends." or "You're spreading yourself too thin." 说这两句话都是劝对方不要过分劳累。
那么开夜车怎么说呢？当然不是 drive a car at night:), 应该说:burn the midnight oil: informal to work or study until late at night - 开夜车，熬夜
e.g. He burned the midnight oil to prepare for the final exams.
candlelight - 烛光
by candlelight －借着烛光 小时候家里没电的时候就会点蜡烛或是煤油灯（kerosene lamp)
There was a blackout last night, so we studied by candlelight.－ 昨晚停电了，所以我们点蜡烛学习。
告诉别人秘密前还经常说一个短语Between you and me －意思是秘密不要告诉别人，你知，我知，天知，地知好了。
别人和你说"Your secret is safe with me."的时候你还真别全信。
有些人就是嘴巴不严，容易说露嘴。She has a big mouth. = She says too much or tells another person's secrets.
当你不小心把别人的秘密说出去，你可以责怪自己me and my big mouth！－都是我的大嘴巴！
e.g. Oops, I shouldn't have said that. Me and my big mouth.
责怪别人嘴巴不严：you and your big mouth －你这个大嘴巴！
知道BMW代表什么么？就是 Big-mouthed Woman的首字母啊(initials:)
表示“泄密”的短语有：spill the beans：informal to tell something that someone else wanted you to keep a secret
还有let the cat out of the bag：to tell someone a secret, especially without intending to －不小心把秘密泄漏出去。
kiss-and-tell (名词）[countable usually singular] a story, article, book etc in which someone tells the public the secret details of a romantic relationship that they had with a famous person －有些人把自己和名人的罗曼史写成文章、书奔走相告，这种文章、书就称为 kiss-and-tell
也可以用作动词。 I don't kiss and tell. Kiss and tell 的人最没品。
"打小报告"英文说 tell on sb.:to tell someone in authority about something wrong that someone you know has done - used especially by children
向警方报告罪犯的行踪英文说turn somebody in：to tell the police who or where a criminal is
e.g. His wife finally turned him in.
那么turn oneself in是“自首”。
向警方告密有一个词：tip-off (noun) innformal a secret warning or piece of information, especially one given to the police about illegal activities － 也就是俗称的“线报”
e.g. The arrests came after a tip-off from a member of the public.
也可以用作动词 He tipped me off. - 他向警方告密，出卖了我。
警方的一些秘密行动包括做卧底和便衣。
work/go undercover －做卧底
e.g. a cop who goes undercover to catch drug dealers －一个做卧底捉毒贩的警察
秘密被揭露，真相也要大白。当你觉得自己有权知道真相，不想被隐瞒，你可以说，"I demand to know the truth!"
这是我从电视上听到的句子，说话的人充满愤怒。－我要知道真相！
读高中的时候，我曾经摘抄过这样的句子"Flattery is cheap. How about some truth?" - 奉承太过廉价，来点实话怎么样？
说实话前可以在前面加"To tell you the truth/God's honest truth/truth be told/honestly/to be honest/to be frank/frankly, I think your book sucks!" - 老实说，我觉得你的书很糟糕。
这样的实话，可不是人人爱听，有时还是tell a white lie撒个善意的谎言，少伤人心好了。
在美国连续剧Alias里听到这么一句话：
Sometimes a satisfying lie is much better than the awful truth.