Balancing act (compromise in dilemma /deal successfully with two or more people, groups, or situations that are in opposition to each other )  [The UN must perform a delicate balancing act between the different sides in the conflict. ]
Hot air    (loud and confused empty talks)  [No one likes a person who thinks very highly of his own opinions but is really full of hot air.]
Go belly-up  (collapse/to be dead-end)  [My brother’s company went belly-up last month when its revenues were far below its monthly debts, so now he’s looking for a job.]
Keep the head above water    [Earning barely enough to support the family, father was quite happy only if he could keep his head above water.]
XYZ (Check your zipper) 
Rome was not built in a day.
Penny wise and pound foolish.(小事聪明、大事聪明)
Variety is the spice of life.
Honesty is the best policy.
Bellybutton
Plain sailing(easy unobstructed progress)
Flowery language/plain flowery
Snak e charmer(a performer who uses movements and music to control snakes)
Snake pit (insane asylum疯人院)
Snake up/queue up
Tuck Sb. in (tuck the sheets in firmly for sb.)
Tuck in (eat up/ usually refers to a considerable quantity of food)
Spend less and save more
Exhaust (the exhaust from a car engine)
Carbon emission
Selfie /foodie/
Goose bumps/goose skin/goose flesh
Chicken-livered
Chicken liver
Sandwich (insert or squeeze tightly between two people or objects)
Keep sb. In line
Wipe-out(collapse/an event or a result that completely destroys something) (a fall from a bicycle or while skiing or being capsized on a surfboard)
Touch and go
Nod in sleep
Turn the head of
Take French leave 不告而别
Foot/pay the bill 
Go Dutch/ a Dutch treat/ split 50/50  [ I’d love to go, but I insist we go Dutch.]
Raise Cain(fly into a rage/get angry )  [ If i don’t get out of here now, my boss is going to raise Cain.][ On weekends we wanted to have late rise in the morning, our neighbour started to raise Cain.]
On/in the cards(adv. Probably )  [An early general election is certainly on the cards.]
Cut and run(leave away in a hurry)  [If he had cut and run early, Democrats would have complained about his backbone.][you pick your side and you stick it! You don’t cut and run when things get ugly.]
In broad daylight(in public/before a big crowd of people)  [They even committed such crimes in broad daylight. ]
Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Prevention is better than a cure.
One good turn deserves anther.
Make hay while the sun shines.
Get over jet-lag
Cards on the table  /put/place one’s cards on the table 摊牌
I’m flattered./You flatter me.
Written in water(fleeting)
Full of beans (talk nonsense)
Not know beans (to be ignorant or uninformed)
Not worth a hill of beans(to be worthless)
Spill the beans(tell a secret)
Dangle a carrot(encourage/incentive)
Carrot and stick()
Pea-brained(simple-minded/stupid)
Pass an olive branch
As thick as pea soup
Like two peas in a pod(be very close with or similar to someone)
In a pickle
Hot potato(difficult issue)
Salad days(youthful period of one’s life)
Confide in someone吐露、倾诉
Run deep(if a feeling runs or goes deep, it is very strong and difficult to change)[the economic ties between China and the US run deep.][it all sounds logical enough, but Europe’s democratic divisions run deep.][but her feeling for him run deep.]
Turn on a dime(skillful/flexible/talented)
Penny for your thought[-a penny for your thoughts.--Oh,i was just thinking about how to tell i’m leaving.]你呆呆的在想什么了
An eagle eye[a good surgeon must have an eagle’s eye, a lion’s heart, and a lady’s hand.]
Be all ears[the children were all ears when the girl told them stories.]
Come down to earth    [he has come down to earth and stopped dreaming of being rich.]
[the two lovers are living in a kind of dreamworld; but they’ll come down to earth.]
Nothing ventured,nothing gained.
It never rains but it pours.
Once bitten, twice shy.
A bad workman blames his tools.
Play someone at their feet=an eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth
I’ll live up to my parent’s expectation.
His name slipped from my memory.
See eye to eye  (be in agreement)  [i see eye to eye with you.]  [it is a mere coincidence that they see eye to eye on this point.]
plum blossom