An Axe to Grind
A grievance, a disagreement with someone that justifies confrontation
另有所图；有不同意见；别有用心
- He looks like he's got an axe to grind. Better have a talk with him.
他看来是牢骚满腹，你最好找他谈谈。 - Bob had an axe to grind at tom's expense.
鲍勃以牺牲汤姆的利益来满足其私心。
Bag of Hammers
Stupid, oriented toward illogic
愚蠢的（类似于不是门廊上最亮的灯，也不是抽屉里最锋利的刀）
Bury the Hatchet
Make peace, agree to end a dispute
和解；停战；言归于好；捐弃前嫌
- Can't you two bury the hatchet and get back to a normal working relationship!
难道你们俩不能言归于好，恢复正常的工作关系吗？
Mend Fences
Improve relations after a dispute
改善不良关系，尤指在政治中
- Washington was last night doing its best to mend fences with the Europeans, saying it understood their concerns.
昨晚，华盛顿尽最大努力与欧洲各国修好，称理解其担忧。
Put a Spanner in the Works
To sabotage something; to cause something to fail
破坏某物；使某事失败
- If the girl is intending to many John, his mother will put a spanner in the works.
如果那个姑娘打算同约翰结婚，约翰的母亲就要加以阻挠。
Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day
Complex projects take time
罗马不是一天建成的；伟业非一日之功
Tighten the Screws
Increase pressure on someone
拧紧螺丝，加强控制
- The Kremlin may try to tighten the screws on the opposition, NGOs and free media after the elections.
大选结束后，克林姆林宫也许会试图加强对反对派力量、非政府组织和自由媒体的控制。
Throw a Wrench Into
To sabotage; to cause to fail
阻碍，破坏
- Their delegation threw a giant monkey wrench into the process this week by raising all sorts of petty objections.
他们的代表团本周提出了各种细枝末节的反对意见，极在地阻挠了进程。
Shit a Brick
Be extremely fearful
非常惊骇
- We were all shitting bricks as the truck missed the car by inches.
当那辆卡车差点撞上小车时，我们都吓坏了。
