April 13, 2015 / 
Useful Expressions from “A” IS FOR ALIBI by Sue GRAFTON (16)
All the sample sentences are my inventions.
(1) fill … to the brim (with …) = ～であふれそうになるまで・縁までいっぱいに注ぐ/詰め込む
a) Brian held a chilled mug in his left hand and then filled it to the brim with draft beer fresh from the tap.
b) Don’t fill your suitcase to the brim, Susan. You may need some room for a few souvenirs.
c) “Watch out for the box on the floor,” Barry called out. “It’s filled to the brim with toys for Christmas.”
d) My five-year-old daughter looked at the glass filled to the brim with milk, and said, “If I drink this milk without spilling a drop, will you give me whatever I ask for?”
(2) startled out of (one’s concentration) by … = ～にびっくりして・驚いて(集中力が途切れる)
a) Mr. Reese was furiously tapping away at his keyboard when he was startled out of his concentration by a scratching sound on the door.
b) Jill was startled out of her nap by the sound of the alarm she had set on her cell phone. She sat up on the sofa, rubbing her eyes, reached for her cell phone and turned off the alarm.
c) Roy was sleeping on the sofa in his small office on the tenth floor on the night of April 10. At around midnight, he was startled out of his sleep by three rapid gun shots coming from outside his office.
(3) as far as the eye can see = 見渡す限り
a) Colonel Nielson opened the window and looked at the vast expanse of the shining blue sea that stretched out into the horizon as far as the eye could see.
b) It's been snowing heavily on and off for the last three days. The farm fields behind our house is now covered deep with snow as far as the eye can see.
c) When we walked up the steep hill to Carl’s winery, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of his vineyard that spread out below as far as the eye could see.
(4) move in together = 一緒に住む
a) Ellen and Linus decided to move in together to save money for their wedding.
b) My father is very conservative and will not approve of us moving in together before marriage. But my mother seems to be encouraging me to move in with you.
c) Fred and I are planning to move in together as soon as we find an apartment somewhere halfway between his workplace and mine.
(5) go against one’s grain = 体質・性分に合わない
a) I normally buy things a their listed prices, because it goes against my grain to haggle over prices.
b) Jennifer, I’m not going to argue with you over Mike Richie. It simply goes against my grain to argue with another woman over a man. You can have him if you want.
c) It went against the grain for Lloyd to tell a lie to his children, but he could not bring himself to tell them the truth about how their mother passed on.
