‘on

the ball

English Idioms 英文成语

1. on the ball

（on the ball = knowledgeable and attentive：知识渊博、细心周到）

英文解释：In sports like soccer, someone who stays "on the ball" is a skilled player who has control of the situation. So if you say a person is "on the ball," it means they are intelligent and attentive; they are not lazy or stupid and they don't forget things. 在像足球这样的运动中，一个能保持“on the ball”的人是一个能控制局面的熟练运动员。所以，如果你说一个人是“on the ball”，那就意味着他很聪明，很专注，他们不懒惰，也不愚蠢他们不会忘记事情。

例句：I don't know how Tiffany manages to keep track of all the details for 12 different projects - and still do everything so well. She's really on the ball. 我不知道Tiffany是如何成功记住12个不同项目的所有细节的，而且还把每件事都做得这么好。她真的很聪明很专注。

2. play your cards right

（play your cards right = do something correctly and skillfully：正确而熟练地做某事）

英文解释：Games like poker and blackjack are played with cards. Many of these games require strategy in addition to luck, so in order to win, you need to "play your cards right." This idiom can be used for doing any activity in a strategic and smart way. 扑克牌和二十一点等游戏都是用纸牌玩的。很多这样的游戏除了运气之外，还需要策略，所以要想赢，你需要“play your cards right”这个习惯用法可以用于以一种策略和聪明的方式做任何活动。

例句：It's not easy to do a double major in both biology and literature, but if you play your cards right, you can complete all the requirements in four years. 同时修生物学和文学的双学位并不容易，但如果你处理得当，你可以在四年内完成所有的要求。

3. all bets are off

（all bets are off = anything could happen：任何事都有可能发生）

英文解释：A bet is when you promise to pay (or receive) an amount of money depending on the result of a sports game or another event. If something unexpected happens - for example, the team's best player gets injured and leaves the game, then "all bets are off" - nobody knows what the result is going to be. In general English, this idiom is used when the future possibilities are completely unpredictable. 打赌是指你承诺根据体育比赛或其他活动的结果支付（或收到）一笔钱。如果发生了一些意想不到的事情——例如，球队最好的球员受伤离开了比赛，那么“all bets are off”-，没人知道结果会怎样。在一般的英语中，这个习语用在未来的可能性完全不可预测的时候。

例句：I promise to be polite to your friends, even though I don't agree with their political views. But if they start making offensive or racist remarks, then all bets are off. 我保证对你的朋友很有礼貌，尽管我不同意他们的政治观点。但是，如果他们开始发表攻击性或种族主义言论，那就不好说了！

4. against the odds

（against the odds = despite a low probability：尽管概率很低）

英文解释：The word "odds" refers to the probability of winning a bet - if the odds are good, then it is probable that you will win; if the odds are not good, then it is probable that you will lose. However, if the probability of succeeding is low and yet you succeed anyway, then you have succeeded "against the odds" - in spite of the improbability. “概率”一词指的是打赌赢的概率——如果概率很高，那么很可能你会赢；如果概率不高，那么很可能你会输。然而，如果成功的可能性很低，但你还是成功了，那么你已经成功了“against the odds”-尽管不太可能。

例句：There have been many efforts to eradicate indigenous culture over the centuries, but the native people have managed to preserve their traditions against the odds. 几个世纪以来，人们一直在努力根除土著文化，但土著人民克服重重困难，成功地保留了他们的传统。