[英文慣用語]
to work one's butt off = to work very hard (拼命工作)
In English, we can say some people worked so hard that a certain body part "come off." 在英文中，我們可以說某人工作到一些身體部位"脫落"來敘述他工作很努力。
1. to work my backside (背部) off [Australian-informal]
2. to work my arse (臀部) off [British-informal]
3. to work my butt/ass (臀部) off [American-informal]
4. to work my socks (襪子) off [standard, but used less often]
E.g. My father worked his butt off to pay for our education. 我父親為了我們的教育費拼命工作。
E.g. I work my socks off to get a 120 on the TOEFL.
我為了在托福得120拼命的努力。
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補充資料:
1. laugh head off = to laugh very hard and loudly, as if one's head might come off (大笑不止,笑得前俯後仰).
2. Some people (including Hillary Clinton) say "work my heart out" (嘔心瀝血) to mean work very hard, but this is not common --http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=954284
3. Please note that this is different than "work 'something' off."
A. work something off (發洩) = to get rid of anger, anxiety, or energy by doing physical activity.
E.g. I was so mad! I went out and played basketball to work my anger off. He works off nervousness by knitting.
B. work something off (通過工作或活動) 除去, 消除 = to pay off a debt through work rather than by money. I had no money so I had to work the bill off by washing dishes.
E.g. I have to work off my debt.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/work+off
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/laugh+head+off
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/work+ass+off
http://www.idiomquest.com/learn/idiom/work-one%27s-socks-off/
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