点点滴滴俚语笔记2

来源:百度文库 编辑:神马文学网 时间:2024/04/28 08:30:58
1. Not harm a fly/文质彬彬,温顺 .从字面意思上看,not harm/hurt a fly,表示不愿意伤害一只苍蝇,其实就是心地善良的意思。例句: dog may look fierce but he wouldn’t hurt a fly. 我们的狗别看样子凶,其实很温顺。
  2. Have a word with/与…讨论talk with (someone), discuss (something) with与某人谈话,与某人商谈某事。例句: I wanted to have a word with him about the Davison project. 我想要和他讨论关于戴维森计划的事。
  3. Not likely. 不可能。likely是“可能“的意思。表示“可能性“的词还有possibly和probably. possibly说明有50%的可能性,probably的可能性最高,likely所表达的可能性则位于它们之间。这些表达方式可用的场合很多。当有人问你:“Do you think Bill will come up on time at this evening party?“ 你就可以答,“Not likely.“
  4. Hither and thither/四面八方。Hither,是古英语,就是我们现在的here. Thither,也同样是古英语,意思是there. 这样一来我们就很好理解了。Here and there,这里,那里;就是到处,各处,四面八方这样一个意思。我们来看个例子:blown hither and thither by the wind 被风刮得到处都是的
  5. Tied up/极其忙碌。busy, occupied by 忙碌。例句:She couldn’t go to the movies because she was tied up at home with her studies. 她不能去看电影,因为她在家忙着读书。
  6. Can you come down on the sticker price? 你能卖得比标价低一些吗?在买大型物品如汽车,房子时,一般来说可以讲价。’sticker’指的是各种各样的标签。而’sticker price’就是标价的意思。另外在这句话中,’come down’是降价的意思。
  7. Tree hugger/环境保护狂。当“环境保护”的呼声迭起时,我们身边出现了这样一批人:tree huggers. Tree,就是树木,树。Hugger,是动词hug(拥抱)演变过来的,在这里是指抱…的人。Tree hugger,从字面意思上理解就是“抱住树木的人”。大家可以想象一下,抱住树木使其免遭砍伐,是不是有点荒唐呢?So“tree hugger”means an enthusiastic environmental campaigner,环境保护狂。So We are not tree huggers, but the environment protectors.
  8. Up a tree/处于困境。in a difficult situation 在困境之中。例句:When they were driving on the highway in the middle of the night, the car broke down which left them up a tree. 半夜里,他们在公路上开车时,车子抛锚了,使他们陷于困境。
  9. Do you have smokers’ toothpaste? 你这儿有烟民用的牙膏吗? ‘smoke’指的是“抽烟”,烟民就是‘smoker’,在公共场合,吸烟是不允许的,人们常常能看到这样的标语‘No smoking’.这句话可以是一位顾客向售货员提出,还可以说,“I would like to buy some smoker’s toothpaste.”
  10. A short fuse脾气火爆 fuse, piece of easily burnt material along which a spark moves to ignite a firework, bomb, etc so that it explodes.导火线,导火索。Short,我们都知道就是短的,矮的,不足的意思。那么,从字面意思上理解,short fuse就是引线短的意思。放过鞭炮的人都知道,如果一个鞭炮引线很短的话,那么在点燃引线后很短的时间内,鞭炮就会噼里啪啦得炸开来了。我们来看用法:Don’t irritate her, she’s on a short fuse today. 别惹她,她今天动不动就发火。 She has a short fuse. 她是个脾气暴躁的人。
  11. Be done with与…断绝关系, 做完… be finished with例句:She told me she was done with trying to help a friend who doesn’t appreciate her efforts. 她告诉我,她不愿再帮助一位不知感谢她的卖力的朋友。
  12. Bog down 陷于僵局,没有进展。slow down, be so entangled that further progress is impossible慢下来,受到纠缠而不可能有所进展. 例句:The SALT talks between Russia and America have bogged down once again. 苏俄和美国间的限武谈判,再度陷于僵局。
  13. Tit-for-tat/针锋相对,以报还报的。Nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India conducted tit-for-tat missile tests Friday, threatening to escalate tension in a region that is once again close to the brink of war. escalate vt.使逐步上升。brink n. (河,海,峭壁等的)边,界,岸[喻]濒临; (危险或刺激性事物的)边缘。巴基斯坦和印度又在展开针锋相对的导弹试验了。曾经一度濒临战争边缘,如此以报还报,使得地区形式又逐步紧张起来了。嗨!怨怨相报何时了啊!
  14. You messed up. 你办砸了。有不少人英语学了很多年了,很长的句子都能看懂,然而在和老外交流时却发现自己还是张不开嘴。其中的一个原因就是我们忽视了很多口语里常常使用的短小精悍的句子。像这句话里’mess’指的是“混乱、搞混”,比如你一进家门发现家里乱成一团,你就可以由衷的喊道,“What a mess!“
  15. Work wonders/创造奇迹have miraculous results。有神奇的效果。例句:This diet pill may not help you lose weight, but it’ll work wonders for fatigue. 这减肥药片或许不会使你减轻重量,但它对疲劳有神奇的效果。
  16. Good creatures/物质享受。good creatures有其特殊的含义,it means food and other things that minister to the material comforts of man,常用以喻饮食及其他足以予人物质享受者。我们也可以说,creature-comforts,物质享受。
  17. Take a breather/休息片刻 。take a break, take brief time off a job for relaxation。休息,工作中休息短时间以放松心情。例句: After two hours of discussion, I suggested that we take a breather but my colleagues insisted on continuing. 两个小时的讨论后,我提议休息片刻,但是同事们坚持耍继续讨论。
  18. My health sucks. 我的身体很差。sucks这个词在英语中被用得非常频繁。一般来说,它可以用在任何的主语后边来表示一件东西非常差。
  19. One’s Achilles heel/致命伤。Achilles,是希腊之神中的其中一位“阿基里斯”。传说,阿基里斯的脚踝看来很小,但却是致命的弱点。因此也就有了这样一个习语: an/one’s Achilles heel, it means weak or vulnerable point; fault, especially in somebody’s character, which can lead to his downfall.表示致命弱点;(尤指某人个性中可导致一败涂地的)缺陷。我们来看用法: Vanity is his Achilles hell. 虚荣自负是他的致命伤。
  20. Vanish in a whoosh 瞬间消失。今天,我在阅读的时候无意中看到这样一句话,觉得很有意思,在这里和大家一起分享一下。If I asked the fast-food order-takers to lend me , their friendliness would vanish in a whoosh. fast-food,快餐。order-taker,服务生。
  21. Not make heads of/Not make tails of 茫然。定义:fail to understand, net get a clear idea of 不明白,得不到清晰的概念。例句:The homework problems were so complex that all but the most brilliant students couldn’t make heads or tails of them. 作业中的问题是那么复杂,除了非常聪明的学生外,都茫无头绪。
  22. I feel run down. 我觉得我的身体很差。 run down在这句话中的意思并不是向下跑的意思。它在这句话中指的是情况恶化。 My health sucks!
  23. Ho-hum day/生活单调的日子。英语中有许多象声词,上面所提到的ho-hum也是其中一个,它是形容人在打哈欠时发出的声音。那么ho-hum day也就非常容易理解了,不停地打哈欠的日子不就是生活单调,无聊至极的生活嘛?So a ho-hum day, in other words, is a boring day. 我们来看两个例句: Looking different is a great way to jump start a ho-hum day. (使自己的衣着、外表) 看起来与众不同,或许是改变单调生活的一个好办法。Starting the day off with English sure makes for a ho-hum day. 如果一早就有英文课,这一整天肯定无聊透顶。
  24. Have a crush on 迷恋…;艳遇;触电be very fond of, enamored of 非常喜爱…;迷恋于… 例句: He has a schoolboy crush on one of his college professors. 他对于他的一位大学教授有著中毕生式的迷恋。
  25. Will a facial mask help my complexion? 面膜能帮我改善我的面部皮肤状态吗?有时候在你买化妆品的时候,应该请教一下那些售货员。他们对怎样保养你的皮肤应该有些好的意见。这句话便是一句你可以用来请教他们的话。当然,对他们说的话也不要全信,要知道他的工作是尽可能地卖出更多的商品。另外这句话中,‘facial mask’指的是面膜,‘mask’本身是面具的意思。
  26. In the dumps 1)表示一团糟2)表示情绪低落的。Dump,我们比较常用的意思是垃圾堆,堆存处;也可以做动词,表示倾倒(垃圾),我们也用这个词表示“倾销”,比如说反倾销,就是anti-dumping。在以下两句话中,dump又有着其特殊的用法:1.His social life is in the dumps. 在这里,in the dumps,表示一团糟,糟糕透了(感觉就象在垃圾堆里)。因此我们在翻译时不能说成他的社交生活在垃圾堆里,而应该巧妙的说成他的社交生活简直是一团糟。2.She always feels down in the dumps after breaking up with a boyfriend. 这句话中的in the dumps表示情绪低落的,失落的。所以这句话的意思就是她每次跟男朋友分手后,总是情绪低沉。我们再来看一个例句:I’ve been feeling a bit down in the dumps lately. 我最近有点情绪低落。需要提醒大家的一点是,dump在表示情绪低落;沮丧时,通常用复数-dumps.
  27. Pay one’s respects/向…表示敬意(拜访方式等)discharge one’s social obligations by calling upon. 以拜访的方式履行某人的社交义务。例句:We are going to go to the funeral tomorrow to pay our respects to the family. 我们明天要去参加葬礼以向这家人致意。
  28. What shades of lipstick do you sell? 你们卖的口红有什么颜色的?‘shade’在这句话中是颜色的意思。但一般来说它只用在化妆品中,如果你说“What shade is the cover of your book?”的话,肯定会被人嘲笑一顿。在一般的情况下,你最好还是用‘color’来表示颜色。
  29. Hook on/stick on/have a crush on依恋,上瘾. After two years of breakup, I’m still hooked on him. 分手两年了,我还是依恋着他。hook,可以做名词,解释为钩子,吊钩。hook,还可以做动词,意思是被钩住。如:My jacket got hooked on a rosebush. 仔细查了字典,原来hook还有这样一种解释:To take strong hold of;captivate,牢牢抓住;吸引。那么,再来看看上面句子中hook的用法,hook on从字面意思上理解是被...钩住,所引申的意思就是依恋某人,被某人吸引。今后大家在生活中听到“hook a husband”,可别翻译成钩到一个丈夫哦!找到了一位如意郎君是最合适的解释。同样,stick on也有这样一层意思,具体的推断和hook on有异曲同工之妙!
  30. Not be keen about/对…不热衷. not be very enthusiastic about, 对…不热衷;不狂热. 例句:be unenthusiastic about I like traveling but I’m not very keen about flying. 我喜欢旅行,但我对飞行并不热衷。
  31. I’ve met Mr. Right.我已经遇上了意中人。‘Mr. Right’有时也翻译成“如意郎君”。‘Mr.’后边通常跟上别人的姓,比如称呼‘John Smith’,就可以说‘Mr. Smith’或‘Mr. John Smith’.‘Right’的意思是“正好的、合适的”,比如可以说,“This is the right size for such a fat person like me.”(对我这种胖人来说,这个尺码正合适。)说“Mr. Right”时,并不是说那个人姓‘right’,而是用很调侃的口气说出“他就是我的意中人。”,即“He is my Mr. Right.”
  32. Put in an appearance 出席。例句:Even though we were busy, we thought it would be disrespectful not to put in an appearance. 纵然我们很忙,我们认为不出席是失礼的。
  33. Get one’s feet wet涉足,表示初尝某事。Get one’s feet wet,从字面意思上理解就是“把某人的脚弄湿”。其实这个习语也包含了另外一种意思,表示初次尝试做某事。在80年代末90年代初,“下海”这个词相当流行,几乎成为了当时的时尚。“下海”就是初次涉足商界的意思,那么我们也可以用“get one’s feet wet”来表达“下海”这一层含义。举例: My mother wanna go to business. Just to get her feet wet. 我妈妈想下海做生意,只是想尝试一下。
  34. Big shot/大人物. an important person重要人物.例句:He thinks he’s a big shot just because the teacher complimented him on his essay in front of the class. 就因为老师对全班称赞他的论文,他便自以为了不起。
  35. Joke:关于Joke常用搭配及用法。据说这个词是来自拉丁语的jocus,源自罗马神国之王Jove,因为他最喜欢开玩笑,所以人们用他的名字作为“玩笑”的代名词。下面就来看看和joke搭配的动词:
  1) tell a joke/crack jokes:说,讲。e.g. John cracked many jokes at last night’s party.
  2) play a joke:开(玩笑) e.g. She likes to play jokes on her teacher.
  3) see/understand a joke:明白,理解。e.g. Although he didn’t see the joke, he pretended he did and laughed loudly.
  4) The joke goes too far:过分了。e.g. I am afraid this joke has gone a little too far.
  5) 和joke搭配的形容词: obscene joke (下流、色情的笑话);practical joke (恶作剧);worn-out joke (陈旧的)
  36. I don’t have time for this.这句话的使用时机主要有两个,一是当你参与了某个活动,你却发现整个过程却是在浪费时间,这时候你就可以说I don’t have time for this.“我没时间瞎搅和。”以表示自己的不耐烦;I don’t have time for this.的另一个使用时机,就是当有人一味地拐弯抹角说话,你就可以用这句话要对方赶快切入正题。
  37. At stake/濒临危险seriously involved, in jeopardy 情况严重,危险中。例句: How can you ask me to lie to Mary? There’s a friendship at stake. 你怎能要我欺骗玛丽?这友谊濒临危险。
  38. You have one shot.就像参加日本的“火焰挑战者”节目,奖金虽高,但挑战的机会只有一个,这时候主持人就可以对参赛者说You have one shot.,表示对方只有一个机会。这里的shot指得就是玩像篮球这样必需投射得分的运动时,只有一球可投的意思,所以You have one shot.就引申为“你只有一个机会”的意思。下次有那种孤注一掷的时刻,这句话就可以派上用场了。 One-shot shop/one-shot web site.
  39. No laughing matter不是好笑的事。not something to be treated lightly 不可轻易处理的军情。例句:I wish you would stop joking about my black-eye.The pain is no laughing matter. 希望你不要再取笑我的黑眼圈,这疼痛可不是好笑的事。
  40. A breath of fresh air 带来新气象的人。breath,在这里解释为气味,香气。breathtaking,惊人的,激动人心的,惊险的。a breathtaking performance惊险演出。fresh,新鲜的。a breath of fresh air,从字面意思上理解就是“一阵新鲜空气”。如:fresh milk新鲜牛奶;fresh water淡水。今天我们就学习它的一种引申的意思:“带来新气象的人”。我们来看用法:Joelle is so lovely and lively that she is a breath of fresh air for the whole family. air,空气;大气。
  a. air这个词还有很多有趣的用法,比如说搭架子就是put on airs;
  b. clear the air消除误会;
  c. out of thin air无中生有;
  d. tread on air/walk on air飘飘然,得意忘形。
  41. The answer is out there. 真相就在那里。电视影集《X档案》有句名言:“真相就在那里。”The truth is out there.但是在哪里?就是在“那里”,只是必须要你自己去找而已!当有人说The answer is out there.时,代表这答案是远在天边,近在咫尺,只是当局者迷,你一时看不透罢了!或者是,有些问题的答案显而易见,但却是怎么想都想不起来时,你也可以说:The answer is out there.当然,当大家都不知道答案而只有你知道时,你也可以故弄玄虚地说:The answer is out there.
  42. Shake off/去掉。get rid of (said of illnesses or feelings) 除去(疾病或感觉) 例句:Actually, he had nothing to be afraid of, but he could not shake off the nervous feeling he had. 事实上,他没什么好担心,但他去不掉神经过敏的感觉。
  43. Regale/盛情款待. regale这个单词既可以做动词,也可以做名词,有以下三种解释: (1)动词。盛情款待;款待。regale sb. with sth--to entertain someone with something, especially stories,以...宴请,款待某人。For Example: (A)Bailey regaled the customers with tales of our exploits. (B)Aficionados will regale you with tales of lowered heart rates,new-found stamina and the 20 pounds they burned off. (2)动词。(讲究)吃喝,享用。固定搭配:regale on享用,吃喝。(3)名词。盛宴;佳肴;(饮食方面的)款待;一份食物(或饮料)。
  44. A still tongue makes a wise head寡言为智。Still,很多情况下都做副词用,解释为“仍然”。例如:He came yesterday and he is still here. 他昨天来的,现仍在此。在这里的still是做形容词,it means quiet, calm, and without any activity,静止的,平静的。举例:in the still of night,在寂静的夜晚。 Tongue,语言,舌头。比如:on the tip of (one’s) tongue,表示就要说出某事在被回忆出或表达出来的边缘。Wise,英明的,明智的,慎虑的。举例:a wise decision审慎的决定/ a wise leader英明的领导人。这句谚语告诉我们沉默寡言的人是比较聪明的。其实我觉得这句谚语并不是说明不说话的人就聪明,而是指大多数时间用于考虑问题,而不是说话的人,是比较聪明的。
  45. Get rid of/除去 discard, eliminate, dispose of 抛弃,消除,处理. 例句:Our house is so cluttered, because my husband refuses to get rid of anything that he thinks could be of any possible use. 我们的房子非常杂乱,因为我丈夫不把他认为可能有用的东西丢掉。与shake off意思相近。
  46. To stand on one’s own two feet/独立自主. 例句-1: “Son, somebody may try to get you to smoke marijuana or drink, just to fit in with the crowd. But I hope you can stand on your own two feet and say no.“ 这位父亲说:“儿子呀,有的人为了要你合群也许会劝你喝酒或吸毒。但是我希望你能够独立自主,拒绝他们的引诱。”例句-2: “Bill Brown has managed to stay in Congress now for twenty years. The voters don’t always agree with him but they really like the way he stands on his own feet and makes his own decisions on which way to vote, regardless of pressures from all the lobbyists.“这个人说:“比尔-布朗在国会当议员已经二十年了。选民们不一定都同意他的观点,但是他们倒很欣赏他在对各种提案投票时的那种独立自主精神。不管那些游说者给他施加多大压力,他都按自己的决定投票。”
  47. To throw oneself at someone’s feet今天我们要讲的第二个习惯用语是:to throw oneself at someone’s feet。To throw oneself at someone’s feet这个俗语可以解释为:公开对某人表示爱慕。比如说,一个男子在幻想自己未来的婚事,他对他的朋友说:例: “I’m still looking for the right girl to marry. And when I find her, I’ll throw myself at her feet and ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.“他说:“我现在还在物色一个我认为合适的女孩作为我的妻子。一旦我找到了,我就要拜倒在她的石榴裙下,恳求她作为我的终身伴侣。” To throw oneself at someone’s feet还可以解释为:为了得到一些好处而溜须拍马,或拜倒在某人脚下。下面的例子是说一个被判了罪的犯人:例: “The prisoner who has been convicted as a traitor threw himself at the feet of the judge and beg for mercy.“ 这句话的意思是:“那个被定罪为叛徒的犯人拜倒在法官的面前,求他发发慈悲。”
  48. Under the weather/身体不适 in bad health or spirits 健康或精神不好。例句: She said that she wasn’t sick, but just feeling under the weather. 她说她没病,只是感到有点不适而已。与前面的My health sucks, 以及I feel run down, 都是身体不好的意思。与My health sucks及I feel run down类似。
  49. Do I make myself clear? “我说得够清楚吗?”Do I make myself clear?,这就相当于中文的“你明白吗?”通常Do I make myself clear?的使用时机是在吵架,或是上对下的批评,但是其中带有“警告”的意味,就是有人屡劝不听,你已经受不了而给他最后警告时,最后就可补上这一句Do I make myself clear?
  50. Idea的词语搭配。记得当年在参加演讲比赛时,有一项就是即兴演讲,那时老师们给了topic之后,最重视的就是你的idea,因为对于没有充分准备的即兴演讲来说,大家对语言的驾驭能力都是差不多的,所以要是一分高下的话也是在idea上了。好了,闲话少说,
  下面就让我们来看看和idea搭配的动词吧:
    1) express,give:表达e.g. He cannot express his ideas clearly in speaking.
    2) advocate:鼓吹、维护e.g. This organization advocated Hitler’s Nazi ideas.
    3) borrow:借用、抄袭e.g. This idea was borrowed from the West.
  4) spread:传播e.g. Democratic ideas are being spread throughout the world.
    和idea搭配的形容词:
    1) Confucian ideas(儒家思想)
    2) dominant(主导思想)
    3) faint(模糊的概念)
    4) conventional(传统思想)
  51. There’s no turning back.背水一战 势在必行. 依字面上来看,There’s no turning back.就是“没有退路”的意思,凡是遇到势在必行,决定了就不能反悔的事情,都可以说There’s no turning back.。说得文言一点就是“背水一战”。
  52. Rub one the wrong way/惹怒. annoy, irritate 使懊恼,激怒. 例句:I can’t really explain why I don’t like him. He just rubs me the wrong way. 我无法解释为什么我不喜欢他,他就是使我生气。
  53. On one’s last legs/精疲力竭A: Oh, my God, I’m on my last legs! 天哪!我快要崩溃了! B: Take it easy. Worry won’t help. You’ll go nuts if you keep worrying this way. 放轻松一点,担心是没有用的。你再这样下去会发疯的。 on one’s last legs,此处last指“腿已经不能再动”,亦即“腿的机能已达到最后限度”,引申为精疲力竭、垮台、崩溃等意。
  54. He that sips of many arts, drinks none. ---- Fuller什么都学的人 什么也学不到. 这里我们来看一下sip和drink这两个词汇。sip means drink in small quantities.指呷小口的喝。例如:She sipped the hot tea. 她呷了一口热茶。drink means takesintosthe mouth and swallow,是指饮放入口中并吞咽的意思。例如: drank a cup of tea. 喝一杯茶。这句话,其实说的是一种学习态度。什么都去学的人,不可能样样都很精通,只是每样略知皮毛,结果只会是什么也没学到。
  55. Think the world of/喜爱consider someone wonderful, like or love someone very much. 认为某人很好,非常喜欢或爱某人。例句:It is obvious that they think the world of their young grandson. 很明显地,他们很喜爱小孙子
  56. Why do you weep? Did you think I was immortal? ---- Louis 你为什么哭泣,你认为我会永生吗?---路易斯。weep means to shed (tears) as an expression of emotion,是指流泪,作为激情的一种表达方式。例如:weep bitter tears of remorse. 流下悔恨痛苦的泪水 weep also means to express grief or anguish for; lament,表示哀悼,悲伤为…表达悲伤或愤怒;哀悼。例如:wept the death of the child. 哀悼孩子的死亡。weep another means to bring to a specified condition by weeping,是指哭泣,流泪哭…到某种特定状态。例如:She wept herselfsintosa state of exhaustion. 她哭累了。它常用的短语如下: weep oneself [one’s heart] out 尽情痛哭;哭得死去活来 weep out 边哭边说;用哭来发泄(感情)
  57. Beat one’s brains out/绞尽脑汁Definition: try very hard to understand or do something. 这个惯用语在中文里有一个很对应的翻译:绞尽脑汁. beat one’s brains out更加口语化一点。另外,要注意brain在这里用的是复数: brains,解释为智力、脑髓。Example: “Can you help me with this problem? I’ve been beating my brains out with it,but I just can’t solve it.“ 例句:“你能帮我解决这个问题吗?”“我一直在绞尽脑汁的想着这个问题,但就是不知该如何解决.”
  58. Cudgel one’s brains for绞尽脑汁
  59. Rack one’s brains, 绞尽脑汁
  60. Work one’s way一边做事一边earn one’s expenses while studying or while engaged in some other remunerative pursuit读书或在从事无报酬的工作时,自己赚取生活费。例句:You are lucky that you don’t have to work your own way through school like your parents did. 你很幸运,不需像你父母一样要自己赚取生活费去读书。
  61. Hot potato/难以处理的局面hot potato原来是指烤熟的土豆(baked potato),美国食品,所以美国后来用这个词语来指棘手的问题或难以处理的局面(A problem that’s being passed from one person to the next. It especially applies to problem that is tricky to solve or involves unpleasant or risky work.),有点像汉语中的“烫手的山芋”,但汉语中的山芋虽然烫手,却仍然是人人都想要的好东西,而英文中的hot potato则没有人想要,惟恐避之不及。例:The Mideast conflict is really a hot potato for all politicians around the world. 中东问题对世界所有的政治家来说都是个烫手的山芋。但是,“drop someone like a hot potato”就是“离开某人”“跟某人脱离关系”的意思了。以下两个句子意思差不多: The young man dropped her like a hot potato.(The young man dumped her quickly.)想来大家对. 另外,“hot potato”也是一种儿童游戏的名称,有点像我们的“丢手绢”,是不是可以直译为“丢土豆”?
  62. Hot的用法比较熟悉了,“She is hot!”就是说“她靓”,Hot的用法如下:
  a. Hot chicks自然是说“正点的MM”,
  b. A hot city是说一个城市很繁华,
  c. Hot sale是“热卖”“热销”的意思,
  d. Hot goods”不是“热销的商品”,而是指“偷盗来的物品”(stolen products),
  e. Hot off the press就是“刚出炉的报纸”,
  f. 如果有人“hot on your heels”就是“亦步亦趋地紧跟着你”,被一条大狼狗这么跟着可不是好事,
  g. Hot stuff”是指校花一类的人物了,知名度高、且很性感的(very popular and sexy person),你要老是“hot on her heels”,她就会变脸—“hot tempered”(quick to lose her temper),美人一发火,就有你好看的了,让你坐“热板凳”(on the hot seat),就是“给你麻烦”“让你感到难堪”的意思(源自处决死刑犯的电椅),”You then ended up on the hot seat.”于是,你的丑事立时成了一个“hot topic”。
  63. Potato的各种说法,大家也不会非常陌生,如:
  a. “couch potato”—“爱看电视的人”(整日躺在沙发上,吃着土豆条,眼睛像块土豆一样盯着电视机),
  b. “small potato”小人物,
  c. “potato-headed”傻瓜,
  d. “clean potato”好人(干净,与贪官相对),
  64. Burn the candle at both ends看到这个短语,大家都会觉得很形象,“burn the candle at both ends“一天中日出前日落后都点蜡烛工作,那么就是说“某人工作非常勤奋“,或者是过度消耗体力,精力等等。有关于candle的习语有很多,例如: a lighted candle 招待会,盛大的宴会,晚会 can not [be not fit to] hold [show] a candle to 远不如;不能与...相比。 go off like a candle in a snuff (=go off like the snuff of a candle) 突然死掉。hide one’s candle under a bushel不露锋芒。hold a candle to another 为别人尽力。hold a candle to the devil 助纣为虐,为虎作伥;离开正路。hold a candle to the sun 太阳底下点蜡烛,多此一举;作徒劳无益的事。not worth the candle 不值得,不上算,得不偿失。rush candle 微光;微不足道的人;孤陋寡闻
  65. Make one’s mark/出名。achieve one’s ambition, attain a position of importance. 达到抱负,得到重要的地位。例句:She is very young but she’s already been making her mark on the world. 她非常年轻,但是她已经在世界上出名了。
  66. Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance.–Durant教育是一个逐步发现自己无知的过程。
  67. Pop the question/求婚。make a marriage proposal例句: He finally popped the question after three years of waiting. 等了三年之後,他终於向她求婚了
  68. Cocktail/鸡尾酒. cocktail这个词最常见的意思是鸡尾酒,其实它还有很多种解释。
  1).a mixture of small pieces of fish, prawns, or lobster, served cold and eaten at the beginning of a meal. 西餐中头道进食的开胃品。(如茄汁等)
  2).(象鸡尾酒似以不同材料混合而成的)合成物. fog and smoke in equal parts-a city cocktail familiar to all 半雾半烟的合成物——大家所熟悉的城市特产
  3).(把几种水果切粒混合而成的)杯装水果(杂拌)
  4).以斯文自居而无教养的人
  5).门第低而地位高的人.
  69. Cocktail词组:
  1)cocktail glass (高脚的)鸡尾酒杯.
  2)cocktail lounge
  a.(在俱乐部、旅馆及机场等处)供应鸡尾酒等饮料的休息室.
  b.酒吧间. 3)cocktail stick取食签(用来挑起小块洋葱、香肠等).
  4)cocktail table =coffee table
  5)cocktail party鸡尾酒会(在下午举行,以鸡尾酒及其他饮料为主,目的常用于进行社交活动).
  70. A drowning man will catch at a straw人快淹死时,稻草也要抓。Straw,稻草,麦杆。举例:strawberry草莓/ straw color淡黄色/ straw man被当作挡箭牌的人。人在面临死亡的时候就连稻草也要抓一下,潜意识里希望稻草能帮上忙,实际上呢,抓稻草只是一种徒劳。我们平时说的“救命稻草”一词想必也来源于此吧!
  71. Worship the ground/极度喜爱。定义:one walks on love or admire greatly. 十分喜爱或佩服。例句: Mary worships the ground her father walks on, but she still disagrees with him occasionally. 虽然她很喜爱她的父亲,但偶尔也会和他意见不合。
  72. Eat humble pie/忍辱含垢 。今天我们来讲讲eat humble pie这个词组。humble,having a low social class or position,地位低下的;还可以解释为谦卑的;恭顺的。pie,就是西方人都很钟爱的馅饼。可以有很多种口味,如:apple pie苹果派;pumpkin pie南瓜派,等等。eat humble pie有其特殊的含义。它是指那些一向很骄傲的人做错了什么事,低下头承认错误。想象一下一个高傲的人在众人面前低下头,那是多么糗的事情啊!我们可以这么说:He’s eating humble pie.他出丑了。
  73. Jazz tickles your muscles, symphonies stretch your soul ---Whiteman 爵士乐使你的肌肉发痒,交响乐能舒展你的灵魂。---怀特曼tickle means to touch (the body) lightly so as to cause laughter or twitching movements. 使觉得痒轻轻地触摸身体以引起发笑或扭动的动作. 例如:I tickled the baby’s feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚,使她发笑。Tickle also means to tease or excite pleasurably; titillate: 逗乐,使高兴愉快地打趣或刺激;使愉快。例如:suspense that tickles the reader’s curiosity. 激起读者好奇心的悬念
  74. Take a liking to/爱好。to begin to like, enjoy or appreciate开始喜欢,以…为乐或欣赏… 例句:He never had taken much of a liking to cats他从来就不喜欢猫。
  75. Close to the vest/做事小心、谨慎 。Close to the vest有很多异体形式,“playing/keeping it close to the/your vest/chest“, 但最早它从一个更长地短语演变而来“playing your cards close to the vest“。这些短语从字面上看就是“把自己手上的牌紧紧地拿在胸口,以防别人偷看“的意思。我们一起来探究一下它是如何发展为“(做事)小心、谨慎“的意思。而这个短语的隐喻用法则是其本意的自然延伸。牛津英文字典用它来描述神秘的行为,请看原文例句:I couldn’t afford to give hints...You have to play these things close to your chest。其实,与扑克牌相关的比喻用法简直不胜枚举,如:keep a poker face, play your cards right, have a card up your sleeve,或have an ace in the hole。
  76. Tip your hand不谨慎,毫无戒备,这个短语是keep your cards close to the vest的反意.
  77. Lay your cards on the table打开天窗说亮话的意思。
  78. A burnt child dreads the fire一朝被蛇咬三年怕草绳。Burnt-damaged or hurt by burning,烧伤的,烧毁的,烧坏的。Example: The cake’s a little bit burnt, I’m afraid. 举例:我想这蛋糕有点烧焦了。Dread-to feel anxious or worried about something that is going to happen or you think will happen in the future,惧怕,担心。Example: I’ve got an interview tomorrow and I’m dreading it. 举例:我明天要参加面视,真有点担心。这句谚语从字面上理解是被烧伤过的孩子怕火,用我们中国人的话来说就是“一朝被蛇咬三年怕草绳”。
  79. Hit it off 志趣相投。定义:get along well with each other, agree彼此相处得很融洽;意气投合。例句:Unfortunately, I don’t really hit it off with my boss.很不幸,我和我的上司不很处得来。
  80. Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. --- Fielding。风流韵事与丑闻是品茶聊天时的最佳话题。---菲尔丁。
  81. Have a good mind to 考虑做,或许会… 定义:consider doing, probably intend to考虑做,或许会…例句:She said she had had a good mind to stay home and nurse her cold, but she came to work anyway.她要在家养病,但她还是去工作了。
  82. Come off it 停止傲慢或高傲的样子。俚语:Come off it/停止傲慢或高傲的样子。定义:stop being so haughty or superior/停止傲慢或高傲的样子。例句:Come off it, Jean. Just because your father is rich doesn’t mean you can boss your friends around like that.别骄傲了,珍。不要以为你父亲有钱就表示你可以叫你朋友做这做那。
  83. Cold turkey/直率言行, 彻底戒毒。这个短语的意思有好几种,现在我们来看以下:1).Immediate, complete withdrawal from something on which one has become dependent, such as an addictive drug. 彻底戒除迅速、彻底地从某人已形成依靠的某种习惯等中撤出,比如毒瘾。2).Blunt language or procedural method. 直率言行直率的语言或行为方式。例如:“Let’s get down to cold turkey.“它的意思就是“Let’s get down to business.“ (谈正经事,切入正题)。3).冷漠孤高的人,类似A cold fish.。4).突然完全停止使用毒品,为什么这么用呢?有人说拔过毛的火鸡皮布满了鸡皮疙瘩(gooseflesh),样子看上去就象戒毒者的症状。所以有了cold turkey的这个用法。
  84. A cold fish. 冷漠孤高的人
  85. Zeal without knowledge is the sister of folly. 无知的热情近乎愚蠢。
  86. Self-distrust is the cause of most of our failures. 我们绝大多数的失败都是因为缺乏自信的缘故。
  87. Some people pretend to despise the things they cannot have. ---- Aesop 伊索名言:吃不到葡萄的人说葡萄酸pretend means make pretensions,表示假装,矫作的意思。
  88. 这里,我们来看一下下列几个词:pretend,feign,assume,affect ,都含“假装”的意思。
  1)pretend指“感觉到某事,而在言行上装出是真的”,如: pretend not to hear 假装没听见。
  2)feign指“精心装有或装作”,如: feign deafness 装聋。
  3)assume指“装出有某种感情的样子,以掩饰其真正的感情”,如: She assumed a look of sorrow. 她假装着悲伤的样子。
  4)affect指“为达到某种效果而假装有某种特征或情感”,如: affect a British accent。装英国腔。
  89. In good hands/得力助手。俚语:In good hands/得力助手。定义:aided by an expert or other reliable person专家或其他可靠的人的帮忙。例句:Mrs. Thompson is an excellent nurse so you are really in good hands.汤普生太太是一位优秀的护士,你真是得到一位好帮手。