burn the midnight oil 开夜车
to work hard very late into the night--and as if working only by the light of an oil lamp
EXAMPLE:
"The manager had so much work piling up on her desk she knew she was going to have to burn the midnight oil to finish it."
A month of Sundays 很久
a long period of waiting, especially when someone is impatient for things to happen
EXAMPLE:
“It was a month of Sundays before the engineering department finally finished the design of our company’s ambitious new product.”
A square deal 公平交易
a fair and honest business agreement or arrangement between two or more parties without false promises or hidden surprises
EXAMPLE:
“After many hours of negotiations the musicians, the music publishers and the Internet companies developed a distribution agreement that everyone felt was a square deal.”
Ace in the hole
秘藏的法宝(强大的备用力量)
a hidden advantage kept for later use that will help a person win (ace is a valuable playing card); alternatively, “an ace up your sleeve”
EXAMPLE:
“When he tried to get a job at the XYZ Corporation, John did quite well in the rigorous interview process, but he knew that his ace in the hole was the fact that his wife had a relative on the board of directors.
