Teach fish how to swim

Múa rìu qua mắt thợ

Dạy đĩ vén váy

Ví dụ:

“Tell Jane how to play perfectly the piano is just like teaching fish how to swim. She has been playing it for 20 years now”.

Play with fire

Chơi với lửa

Ví dụ:

“Don’t hang out with that gang of students. They always smoke marijuana and rob their neighbours. It’s like playing with fire.”

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Biết nhiều chóng già

Ví dụ:

“Don’t keep your son at home learning all the time like this. He needs a break and playing with his friends too. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know”

A cock-and-bull story

chuyện vớ vẩn

Ví dụ:

“-Have you heard about Jane’s moving out of town soon?

-That’s just a cock and bull story”

A chip off the old block

hổ phụ sinh hổ tử

Ví dụ:

“The father was a very good singer. When his boy was only 3 years old and he already started to sing. His father was so proud that his son was a chip off the old block.”

 

Barking dogs never bite

chó sủa chó không cắn

Appearances are deceptive

vẻ bề ngoài dễ làm cho người ta lầm lẫn

Alive and kicking

Bình an vô sự

Ví dụ:

“John’s completely recovered from that horrible traffic accident a week ago; he’s alive and kicking although there are still more than 10 people remaining unconscious”

A leopard can’t change its spots

Trời nắng thì lại trời mưa
Tính ai nết ấy có chừa được đâu

Ví dụ:

“He always says that he will go on an diet but I’m sure he will never do. A leopard can’t change its spots, you know”

Easy as pie

dễ như trở bàn tay

Ví dụ:

“-Can you install an anti-virus program to my computer?

-Easy as pie”