songbird

[美俗]女歌手；女歌唱家

That little girl sings well. She must be a songbird in the future.

那个小女孩歌唱得很好。她将来一定能成为一名歌唱家。

注解：
songbird意指鸣鸟，鸣禽，喻指声音洪亮而动听的歌唱者，常指女歌手，女歌唱家。

what makes someone tick

[俗]某人做事的动机，心理

The murderer was arrested.

The police were questioning him to find out what made him tick.

这个杀人犯被逮捕了。

警察正在审问他以查明他的作案动机。

注解：

make意指迫使，tick意指钟摆嘀嗒嘀嗒地摆动；

what makes someone tick系指迫使某人行动的动机、心理，喻指做事情的目的、原因。