介绍:
1) Give someone the slip
"Quick- there is a police car behind us; let's give him the slip!"
"My brother will be at the movie tonight. Afterwards, let's give him the slip and go to a party."
"There was a man following me when I left the office, but I gave him the slip on the crowded main street."
Meaning: To lose someone who's following you, possibly using a trick to do so.
Etymology: A "slip" (noun) is an old English word for a fake coin; if you bought something and paid for it with a fake coin, you gave the seller "the slip". To do something to get away from someone is to "give him the slip."
2) Flash in the pan
At first, some of the major record labels thought rap music would only be a flash in the pan.
Everyone thought that young hotshot detective could solve all the cases, but it turned out he was just a flash in the pan.
The movie director produced one fantastic film, but all the rest were terrible. Apparently she was just a flash in the pan.
Meaning: Something which disappoints by failing to deliver anything of value, despite a showy beginning. Briefly successful or popular.
Etymology:
In the 1850s Californian Gold Rush, prospectors who panned for gold became excited when they saw something glint in the pan, only to have their hopes dashed when it proved not to be gold but a mere 'flash in the pan'.
3) Red herring
"Smoking can't be bad for you. Lots of people enjoy it!" "That's a red herring."
"We need more revenue to support the programs that we have. Children are our future. Let's support children." "That's a red herring."
"I understand your concerns about the environment, but what we should really discuss is how I helped create educational opportunities for all children. Our kids are our future." "That's a red herring!"
Meaning: a fact or argument introduced into a discussion which draws attention away from the main point.
Etymology: a news story by English journalist William Cobbett, c. 1805, in which he claimed that as a boy he used a red herring (a cured and salted herring) to mislead hounds following a trail.
