學英文到後來，最害怕的不是艱深的文法或是不懂的單字，而是各式各樣的俚語! 因為俚語牽涉到文化背景等等許多因素，實在無法是從字面上就了解真正的意思。這時就必須從上下文或情境中去猜測其真正的涵義，或者查閱英英字典確認意思。以下為一些常聽到的英文俚語，大家趕快學起來，才不會誤會別人的意思喔！
1. He has got a frog in his throat.
他喉嚨裡有一隻青蛙??? 難不成他把青蛙吞下去但是青蛙卡在他喉嚨裡 ? 千萬別緊張，這句話的意思是[ 喉嚨沙啞無法說話] 的意思! Cambridge Dictionaries Online 解說得很清楚: have a frog in your throat : to have difficulty in speaking because your throat feels dry and you want to cough。
2. His performance brought the house down.
Brought 是 bring 的過去式，bring the house down 是什麼意思呢? 我們來看Oxford Learner’s Dictionary 的解釋:
to make everyone laugh or cheer, especially at a performance in the theatre
明白了嗎? 這個俚語是說一個人的表演十分精采，讓全屋子的人都大聲叫好的意思喔!
3. The beer is on the house .
這句話也不是說 [ 在房子上 ] ，Oxford Learner’s Dictionary對 on the house 的解釋:
drinks or meals that are on the house are provided free by the pub/bar or restaurant and you do not have to pay
所以這個俚語的意思是餐館免費招待飲料或食物。 所以當你在餐廳聽到服務生跟你說: The beer is on the house. 就是餐廳免費招待你喝啤酒的意思，而不是說啤酒在屋頂上喔！
４. He tried to cook but made a dog’s breakfast.
聰明的你應該知道，a dog’s breakfast 並不是在說狗的早餐！我們一樣先來看英英字典對 a dog’s breakfast 的解說：
something or someone that looks extremely untidy, or something that is very badly done
所以 a dog’s breakfast 是指亂七八糟的東西，或是看起來一團糟的人。
5. Keep your shirt on! Your car isn't badly damaged.
從例句中我們應該可以猜測到，Keep your shirt on 也不是要你把衣服穿好，而是要你不要生氣！一樣我們還是用線上英英字典來再次確認：keep your shirt on ( UK also keep your hair on) : said to tell someone to stop being so angry or upset
6. The comments he made on my performance just hit me close to home.
Close to home 這句俚語感覺很正向，但是從字典中才會發現這句話的真相:
Close to home: usually said about something that upsets or embarrasses you, and often used with the verb hit as in the example
所以 close to home 其實是說某件事讓你覺得很沮喪或難為情，通常會和 hit 這個動詞一起使用。
以上這幾句俚語只是廣大俚語文化的一小部分，俚語會隨著時間和地區不同而有所變化，如果只查中英字典通常沒有幫助，甚至紙本的英英字典也可能因為這句俚語太新了而沒有收錄。還好現在有很多線上的英英字典，例如Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, ! Cambridge Dictionaries Online, Longman English Dictionary Online……. 等等，非常方便使用，這些網站也常更新最新單字或用語，如果對任何英文單字或用語有疑問，千萬別忘了利用這些線上資源喔!
目的式英語學習 (4)