Sword of Damocles 临头的危险
The company declared that there’ll be another round of layoffs recently and Josh feels he has the sword of Damocles hanging over him.
Tilt at windmills 与想象中的敌人作战， 与假想的反对意见作对
We have spent enough time tilting at windmills. Why don’t we now vote on the issue and move forward?
Whipping boy 代罪羔羊，代人受过者
Jimmy broke the window by throwing a ball and he used his younger brother as the whipping boy.
Linda was fired when the merger went wrong but she was probably just the whipping boy of her director.
Albatross round/ about one’s neck 提醒人们不要犯错的事物
The conviction for theft when 19 years old will hang like an albatross round his neck for the rest of his life.
Shirley’s addiction to fast food is an albatross about her neck because she has been trying to lose some weight and become healthier.
He wants to help, yet he must take heed to avoid having another albatross bung round his neck.