abject poverty 赤贫

All too often it is the victim who gets blamed. 往往是受害者受到指责。

What your previous caller said was a load of old rubbish.

Look, I already have enough problems as it is. 瞧，我已经有太多这样的问题了。

arrant nonsense/sexism 彻头彻尾的谬论/性别歧视

I was angry and hurt and jealous as hell. 我又气又伤心，而且嫉妒得要命。

His chances of victory are, at best, uncertain. 他获胜的可能性至多也只能说是难以预料。

Persuading the bank to lend you money is a difficult task at the best of times. 即使在最顺利的情况下，说服银行贷款给你也是件困难的事。

The conditions they are living in are beyond belief. 他们的居住条件令人难以置信。

I was sickened and shocked beyond description. 我既厌恶又震惊，简直难以用言语来形容。

a cataclysmic failure 灾难性的失败

His drunken behaviour defied description. 他醉酒后的行为简直难以形容。

That's a dirty lie. 那是个无耻的谎言。

Don't you just love it when men talk to you like you're an idiot?

It's a dreadful shame that you can't go. 你不能去真是太遗憾了。

She's a fearful gossip. 她极爱说闲话。

Publishing has become a fiercely competitive industry. 出版业成了一个竞争非常激烈的产业。

What flaming idiot left the door open? 是哪个十足的笨蛋把门敞开着的？

grinding poverty 贫困不堪

Your mother's been going half crazy worrying about you. 你母亲都快为你急疯了。

How can anyone believe such nonsense? 怎么会有人相信这样的胡说八道？

That was the end of the discussion, if you could call it that. 讨论就到此为止了，如果可以这么说的话。

I hate to think how much money I have spent. 我不愿意去想花了多少钱。

I shudder to think what my parents will say when they see the bill. 一想到父母看到账单时要讲的话，我就不寒而栗。

It's bad enough that you were late, without lying about the reason.

The director admits that he was less than enthusiastic about the new school uniforms. 主任承认说他过去对新校服一点兴趣也没有。

a monumental disaster 大灾难

‘We've got a history class next, haven't we?' ‘Yes, more's the pity.' “我们接下来要上一堂历史课，是吗？”“是的，真不幸。”

I don't believe a teacher of any description would say such a thing. 我认为任何一位老师都不会说这样的话。

Oh well, I suppose I can borrow the money from someone else. 唉，我想我可以向别人借那笔钱吧。

She was painfully aware of his embarrassment. 她痛苦地明白了他的窘迫。

It was just plain stupid of him to get involved. 他卷入其中根本就是愚蠢至极。

They do it because it's the quote unquote thing to do. 他们做这件事正是因为有人反对。

He is a rank amateur. 他完全是个业余选手。

He made me look a right idiot. 他使我看起来像个十足的白痴。

She was a royal pain. 她是个非常讨厌的人。

That child will be the death of me.

The countries are still allies, but the special relationship, such as it was, ended long ago. 这些国家仍是同盟国，但那种特殊的关系，虽然不怎么样，早就结束了。

That's torn it! We'll never get home in time now. 这下完了！我们现在真的没法及时到家了。

There's no excuse for her talking to you like that. 她那样跟你说话，真是不可原谅。

We were late setting off, the traffic was terrible, and to cap it all we ran out of petrol.

To crown it all, the handle on my shopping bag broke.

Jack wasn't very happy, to put it mildly. 说得好听点儿，杰克是不太高兴。

a wicked waste/shame 极端的浪费/奇耻大辱

The library is closing due to a woeful lack of funding. 图书馆由于资金严重不足，即将关闭。

Medical supplies are woefully inadequate. 医药供应严重不足。

I looked everywhere and eventually found the wretched letter. 我到处寻找，终于找到了那封该死的信。