much ado about nothing 无事生非。

这一成语来自于莎翁的同名剧作。例句：My sister always makes much ado about nothing.我的妹妹老是无事自扰。

gild the lily/paint the lily 画蛇添足。

来自于《约翰王》 (The Life and Death of King John)中的诗句：To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, / To throw a perfume on the violet, / To smooth the ice, or add another hue / Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light / To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish, / Is wasteful and ridiculous excess. (为纯金镀上金箔，替纯洁的百合花涂上粉彩，给紫罗兰的花瓣洒上香水，研磨光滑的冰块，替彩虹添加一道颜色，或是企图用微弱的烛火为太阳增光添辉，实在是多此一举，浪费而可笑。)这一成语如今已被广为传诵。

Murder will out. / The truth will out. 纸包不住火。

《威尼斯商人》 (The Merchant of Venice) 中的情节早已为众人所熟知，其中有这样一句：Truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long. (真相终将大白;谋杀不能长久掩盖。)

What’s done is done. 木已成舟。

源自《麦克白》 (Macbeth) 中的句子：Things without all remedy should be without regard: what’s done is done. (无法挽回的事，只好听其自然;木已成舟。)

bay the moon/bark at the moon 空嚷;徒劳。

来自《尤利乌斯•恺撒》 (Julius Caesar)：I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, than such a Roman. (我宁愿做一只向月亮狂吠的狗，也不愿做这样一个罗马人)。有的书上将其译为“蜀犬吠日”，笔者认为不妥。“蜀犬吠日”源自我国唐代诗人柳宗元的《答韦中立论诗道书》， 蜀犬因为很少见到太阳，所以一旦日出就叫个不停。由此可见，“蜀犬吠日”用来比喻少见多怪的人，与本文讨论的成语不同。

be hoist with one’s own petard 作法自毙，作茧自缚。

出自《哈姆雷特》 (Hamlet)：For ’tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard. (开炮的要是给炮轰了，倒是一件好玩的事。)