"跑腿 (pǎotuǐ)" has two meanings. One is to serve others for money or for free. The other is to run here and there to do odds and ends for oneself.

“得手” metaphorically means to succeed in doing something smoothly.

“卖关子” means stopping a story at a climax to keep the listeners in suspense.

“风凉话”means discouraging or taunting somebody.

“闷葫芦”means a person who does not speak a lot as a calabash gourd or an enigma that is difficult to understand.

The original meaning of “跳槽” is that cattle jump the trough to eat in another one.

“软柿子(ruǎn shìzi)” originally and literally means a soft persimmon.

The original meaning of "小菜一碟" is a small dish.

本文为2013中国汉字听写大会9月27日周五晚 第九期大赛题目及详解，内容仅供参考。截止到2013年9月27日，中国汉字听写大会已经进行了九期比赛，《中国汉字听写大会》充分展示了中华汉字书写的真谛和魅力，在此列

The original meaning of“里程碑”is stele to mark the mileage of the highway and the road in the urban and rural area.

“拔尖” is a spoken language which describes people or things better than the ordinary ones or the top best.

本文为2013中国汉字听写大会9月20日周五晚 第八期大赛题目及详解，内容仅供参考。截止到2013年9月20日，中国汉字听写大会已经进行了八期比赛，《中国汉字听写大会》充分展示了中华汉字书写的真谛和魅力，在此列

本文为2013中国汉字听写大会9月13日周五晚 第七期大赛题目及详解，内容仅供参考。截止到2013年9月13日，中国汉字听写大会已经进行了7期比赛，《中国汉字听写大会》充分展示了中华汉字书写的真谛和魅力，在此列

“开小差” original means a solider deserted from the army.

The word “吃苦” means The literal meaning of “吃苦” means eating bitter. It is a metaphor of suffering or bearing hardships.

“插手”means to intervene or to interfere. People often say“插手……事务”.

“炮灰”means the cannon fodder. Now, it indicates someone who is sacrificed for other’s benefits.

“草根” describes people or things related to the broader public, local institutions or the countryside.

“海归” refers to people who return to their home countries to work or start businesses after having studied or worked overseas.

The original meaning of “风声” is the sound of the wind. It metaphorically means news or rumor which is not so sure unusually.