執死雞 snatch at something when it happens to be (unwanted) by someone

(成語) (動詞) 意外地, 得到人棄我取的機會

今年暑假飛往溫哥華的機票已訂滿了. 偶然地, 有乘客取消了兩張機票. 我執死雞, 訂到了機票 .

(idiom)(verb) Literally, the expression means ‘to pick a dead chicken’. It refers to the situation where, usually, you have been waiting or looking for something that is hardly available. When the thing happens to be available for some reasons (particularly when it is unwanted, unused, cancelled etc. by someone), you take the occasion to snatch it.

執[jap1] : pick

死[sei2] : dead

雞[gai1] : chicken

Air-tickets to Vancouver this summer have been fully booked. I snatched at two tickets when they happened to be cancelled by two travellers.