A lame duck manager cannot bring his business back on to the normal track。
一个无能的经理无法把他的企业重新拉回正常经营轨道上去。
2. out of thin air: 凭空，无中生有地
Unfortunately, I can't just conjure up the money out of thin air!
遗憾的是，我可不能用戏法凭空变出钱来。
3. fool's paradise: 黄粱美梦
A: Does the chairman realize that our company's business is going downhill?
董事长知道我们公司的业务在走下坡吗？
B:I don't think so. I'm afraid he is still living in a fool's paradise。
我想他不知道。他恐怕还在做他的黄粱美梦呢。
4. all washed up 彻底完蛋
Did you hear that Gloria's marriage is all washed up? She found her husband was seeing another woman, so she packed up, took the kids and moved out. Now she's suing for divorce。
Yestersay I had a real whammy. My boss fired me, and my wife asked for a divorce。
我昨天真是祸不单行。老板把我炒鱿鱼，我太太又要求离婚。
6.Get a foot in the door 迈出了第一步
You know that beautiful girl who sits ahead of me in English class? She keeps turning me down for dates, but I finally got a foot in the door today: she met me for coffee after class。
I'm really worried--our company is losing so much money these days that if things don't get better in the next two months we'll be a basket case and have to go out of business。