处于困境中
Behind the eight ball
如果美国人说他们behind the eight ball，意思是他们处境困难。
When Americans say they're "behind the eight ball," it means they're in a difficult position.
这个短语要追溯到20世纪30年代，在当时的美国英语中这是一个台球术语。如果你的球在8号球后面，那选手就很难出击。（因为8号球提前落袋就算输）
Dating to the 1930s, this Americanism refers to the game of pool. A player positioned behind the eight ball cannot hit it.
秘密泄露
The cat's out of the bag
如果the cat's out of the bag（猫从袋子里出来了），意思是你泄露了秘密。
If "the cat's out of the bag," it means you've revealed a secret.
这个习语首次以这个含义出现是在1760年的一篇伦敦书评中。当时因为剧透而感到失望的评论家写道：“我们多希望作者没有剧透。”
This idiom first appeared with its current meaning in a London book review from 1760. Upset about a spoiler alert, the reviewer wrote, "We could have wished that the author had not let the cat out of the bag."
搁置议题
Table an item
当美国人table an item时，他们会将其搁置在一旁，以后再考虑。
When Americans "table an item," they set it aside for consideration later.
在英国和英联邦国家的英语中，这个短语的意思则相反。如果你在英国和爱尔兰等国家table一个议案，意思不是推迟，而是商讨出一个决议。
In British and Commonwealth English, this phrase has the opposite meaning. If you table something (i.e. a proposal) in countries such as the UK and Ireland, you're considering a decision rather than postponing it.
然而，在美国，如果一个议题被tabled，通常指这个议题被延后或搁置，以后再讨论。更让人困惑的是，on the table这个短语在美国的意思是“提到议程上”。
In the US, however, when a topic is "tabled," that typically means that it's postponed, or it will sit there on the metaphorical table until it can be discussed at a later date. To make things even more confusing, the phrase "on the table" in America could mean that something is up for discussion.
随大流
Jump on the bandwagon
当你jump on the bandwagon时，你要参加一个流行的活动或支持一个热门事业。
When you "jump on the bandwagon," you're joining a popular activity or supporting a popular cause.
19世纪，美国演出团和马戏团老板P·T·巴纳姆造了bandwagon这个词，指的是马戏团乘坐的四轮马车。
In the 19th century, American showman and circus owner PT Barnum coined the term "bandwagon," which referred simply to the wagon that carried the circus band.
发现游行是吸引注意力的有效方式后，政客们借鉴马戏团的做法，开始把花车纳入竞选策略中。
Noting that parades were an effective way to attract attention, politicians took a page from the circus workers' book and began incorporating bandwagons into their campaign strategies.
不过，确立这个短语在美国词汇中比喻用法的是西奥多·罗斯福。1899年，他在一封信中提到了政治花车。
But it was Teddy Roosevelt who helped cement the figurative phrase in the American lexicon, when, in 1899, he referenced political bandwagons in a letter he wrote.
最差的座位
Nosebleed section
如果你坐在nosebleed section（流鼻血的区域），你坐在场馆或剧院中最高也是最便宜的座位上。
If you're sitting in the "nosebleed section," you're seated in the highest (and cheapest) seats of an arena or performance space.
这一短语影射的事实是高纬度会让人流鼻血。在英国，剧院中最高处的座位被称作“神座”。
This phrase refers to the fact that high altitudes can cause nosebleeds. In the UK, the highest seats at a theater are known as "the gods."
出卖
Throw someone under the bus
如果某人throws you under the bus（把你从公交车扔下去），意思是他们为了自己的晋升而出卖你。
If someone "throws you under the bus," they're betraying you for their own advancement.
这个习语可能源自20世纪70年代的几个英式表达，比如fall under a bus或go under a bus（掉到公交车下）。
This idiom might have evolved from a few British expressions from the 1970s, such as "fall under a bus" or "go under a bus."