give me a hand
foot the bill
blow out
lock, stock and barrel
hook, line and sinker 美国俚语第一课：MP3
每一种语言都有它独特的成语和俗语。而学习外语的人经常在理解这些习惯用语时会感到很困难。这是因为你不可能从组成某个习惯用语的字面上来懂得它的意思。
比如,美国人经常说:“Give me a hand.” 按照字面来理解, “give me hand”就是“给我一只手。”可是,它的意思却是“帮我一下忙。”
另外一个例子是: “Foot the bill.”
“Foot”的意思是 “一只脚”,而“bill”在这儿的解释是“账单”。“Foot the bill.”并不是把帐单踩在脚底下,而是付账的意思。
另外,有的时候,一个词汇有好几种解释。就拿下面一句话来作例子吧:
例句-1:“We arrived two hours late at the big blow-out for Charlie’s birthday because our car had a blow-out.”
一个是“Lock, stock and barrel”,另外一个是:“Hook, line and sinker”。
Lock, stock and barrel和Hook, line and sinker都是全部的意思,可是用法却不同。
我们先来举一个Lock, stock and barrel的例子:
例句-2:“Mr. Rockefeller bought the whole oil company lock, stock and barrel.”
这句话的意思是:“洛克菲勒先生把整个石油公司买了下来”。换句话说,也就是他买了这个石油公司的大楼丶油井和其他属于这个公司的资产。
Hook, line and sinker虽然也和lock, stock and barrel一样是全部的意思,可是它还带有受骗的意思。例如:
例句-3:“I warned Sally not to believe that man's stories about how rich he was, but she swallowed them hook, line and sinker. After she married him, she found out that he owed everyone in his office money.”
他说:“我告诉沙利不要相信那个男人说的他多么有钱之类的话。可是沙利却一点都没有怀疑他。等到结婚才发现这个人几乎向每个同事都借了钱。”
刚才我们讲解了在学英语过程中经常会碰到的一些问题。有些习惯用语从字面上看不出它们的确切意思,例如:give me a hand和foot the bill。另外还有些习惯用语在不同场合却表达不同的意思,如blow out。还有一些俗语,它们在字典上的解释是相同的,但是却有不同的用法,就像lock, stock and barrel和hook, line and sinker。
1.Would you please give me a hand with my English study?
2. I can foot the bill for the lovely lunch.
3. I am so sorry for my late arrival as my car had a blow-out.
4. He sold his paintings lock,stock and barrel.
5. I believed the joke, hook,line and sinker.作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-4-18 08:55 标题: Lesson 2 本帖最后由 刘哲 于 2013-4-19 15:34 编辑
例句-1: Honey, let me take you out to dinner. But you know I don’t feel like dressing up to go some place fancy. How about just going down the street to the greasy spoon and getting hamburgers?”
例句-2: Mike, you ought to try the potstickers at that little Chinese joint on New York Avenue. It looks like a greasy spoon but the potstickers are great and the price is cheap.
例句-3: Say, Charley, if you don't have plans for tonight, why don’t you come out to our house and have a potluck with us? Helen won’t have time to cook anything special, but she can put an extra plate on the table for you.
今天我们要讲两个和耳朵，也就是ear有关的成语。中国人经常说那些不听劝告的人对别人的话总是“一个耳朵进一个耳朵出”，把它们当作“耳边风”。美国也有完全相同的说法。他们是这样说的： "It goes in one ear and out the other."
下面是一个父亲在说他的女儿：
例句-1："I told Sally it was foolish to marry that man, but it went in one ear and out the other. Now she wishes she'd listened to me. He drinks and gambles and she wants to leave him."
例句-2："How many times have I told you to get to work on time. But my words just go in one ear and out the other. So I don't have any choice but to fire you."
下面我们要讲的一个习惯用语是：play by ear. Play就是玩的意思。可是，play by ear的意思并不是“玩耳朵”。这个词汇的来源和音乐有关系。它原来指的是那些会弹钢琴或某种乐器，但是却不会看五线谱的人。每当他们要弹奏某个曲调时，他们只能凭着上一回听到的记忆来弹。可是play by ear现在已经成为日常用语了，意思是做一件事不是事先有计划的，而是走着瞧，临时决定。例如，你被请到某处去讲话，可是又没有时间准备。你就可以对听众说：
例句-3："I haven't had a chance to prepare any notes so all I can do is start talking and play it by ear."
这话的意思是：“我今天没有什么准备，所以就只好讲到那儿就算那儿了。”
下面一个例子是一个人在和朋友约会：
例句-4:"I am not sure if my wife wants me to go shopping with her on Sunday. If she decides to go with her sister instead, then I can play tennis with you. Let's just play it by ear."
例句-2："We had so much food left over from dinner at the China garden last night that we took enough home in doggy bags to feed the whole family tonight."
她说：“昨晚我们在汉宫吃饭剩下了好多菜。我们带回家的剩菜就足够我们全家今天晚上再吃一顿的。”
尽管美国人现在对身体里的胆固醇是否太高很敏感，但是他们到饭馆吃早饭时还是经常要点荷包蛋。可是，荷包蛋的做法各有不同。有的要蛋黄老一点，有的要嫩一点。有的只要煎一面，有的要两面都煎一煎。在英语里，这些都有不同的说法。要是你喜欢吃只煎一面的荷包蛋，那你就应该对服务员说：你要你的鸡蛋： Sunny side up.
Sunny side的意思是太阳的那一面，sunny side up也就是蛋黄向上的意思。要是放在整个句子里的话就是：
例句-3："I would like to have my eggs sunny side up."
例句-4：M: "Miss, I'd like two fried eggs sunny side up and the sausage on the side."
F: "Not me. I don't like to see my eggs staring up at me with big yellow eyes. Miss, two fried eggs, over easy and not fried too hard."
第一个是doggy bag。 doggy bag是指人们把在饭馆里吃剩下来的饭菜装在里面带回家的口袋。第二个是sunny side up。Sunny side up是要荷包蛋只煎一面。今天讲的第三个习惯用语over easy。Over easy的意思是荷包蛋两面都煎一下。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-4-21 11:56 标题: Lesson 5 in hot water
英语里有好些习惯用语都和“水”，就是water这个字有关系。有的用：hot water；还有的用：cold water or deep water。在英语里用这些词汇组成的习惯用语就和水一样普遍。但是，它们都有一个共同的特点，那就是它们一般都含有贬意。今天我们要向大家介绍两个用water这个字组成的习惯用语。第一个是：in hot water. In hot water的意思并不是“在热水中”。它的确切意思是指某人或某些人出境困难,遇到非常麻烦的问题了。举个例子来说吧：
例句-1："Joe is really in hot water now -- his girlfriend just found out he's seeing another woman."
这句话的意思是：“乔伊现在可是难办了，因为他的女朋友最近发现他另外还有一个女朋友。”
我们再举一个例子：
例句-2："That movie actor tried to cheat on his income tax, but he got caught and now he's in hot water with the government."
这是说：“那个电影演员想在缴纳所得税的时候弄虚作假，可是给税务局发现了。现在，他可麻烦了。”
今天要讲的另一个和water有关的习惯用语是： to throw cold water on something. To throw cold water on something和中文里说的“泼冷水”意思完全一样。下面的例子是一个人在说他办公室里发生的事：
例句-3："Everybody else in the office thought my idea was great, but the boss threw cold water on it."
例句-4："I had planned on going to medical school but my dad threw cold water on this idea the other day when he told me he wasn't sure he had the money to pay my tuition for so long."
他说：“我一直想上医学院。可是，那天我爸爸给我泼冷水，说他不一定有能力替我付那么多年的学费。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-4-22 09:25 标题: Lesson 6 to hold water
这一课里我们再要讲两个和水，也就是和 water 这个字有关的词汇。第一个是 to hold water。
To hold water 按字面解释当然可以说是“不让水漏出来”。但是，它的另外一个意思是指某一个人找的借口、提出的理由、或说的话是确实的，站得住脚的。美国人经常说："That excuse simply doesn't hold water."意思是：那个借口根本站不住脚。我们来举个例子：
例句-1："The accused man claimed that he'd been in another city the night of the murder. But his story didn't hold water after three different witnesses testified in court that they had seen him running from the scene of the crime."
这句话的意思是：“这个被控告的人说，发生谋杀案的那天晚上他出门去了，不在当地。但是，有三个不同的证人都出庭作证说，他们看见他从作案的地点逃跑。因此，他说出事那天他不在当地的说法根本是靠不住的。”
今天要讲的另外一个和water这个字有关的习惯用语是 water off a duck's back。
鸭子身上的毛就像雨衣一样，水在上面呆不住，一下全滑掉了。因此，water off a duck's back 是指毫无作用。就像下面这句句子所说的：
例句-2："I keep telling my friend it's foolish to gamble all of his money, but it's like water off of a duck's back."
这是说：“我一直告诉我的朋友，不要那么傻，把所有的工资都用在赌博上。可是，我的话对他全然不起作用。”
另外一个例子是：
例句-3："The doctors tell us it`s dangerous to smoke, but such good advice rolls off of some people like water off of a duck's back."
这是说：“医生都告诉我们抽烟对身体是有害的。可是，这种劝告对于有些人来说就像耳边风一样，毫无作用。”
水对人的身体来说是非常重要的。可是,在英语里，这些和water有关的成语都含贬意好像有点奇怪。不过，至少有一个和water有关的习惯用语是让人高兴的。那就是：to make my mouth water 顾名思义，这个说法的意思是“让我流口水”。
例句-4："The roast duck that restaurant serves is my favorite dish. Every time I think about it, it makes my mouth water."
这个人说：“我最喜欢吃那个饭馆的烤鸭。每当我想起它我就会流口水。”
今天我们讲了to hold water，water off a duck's back和 it makes my mouth water这几个同water有关的习惯用语。
例句-1："The retreating German army tried to blow up all the bridges on the Rhine River to stop the Allied troops from crossing into Germany."
这句话的意思是：“正在撤退的德国军队设法炸毁莱茵河上所有的桥梁来阻挡联军越过莱茵河进入德国。”
另外blow up也可以指一个人发脾气或发火。我们来举一个例子：
例句-2："I really blew up when I learned that my girlfriend was going out with another man."
这是说：“当我知道我的女朋友还跟另外一个男朋友出去玩的时候，我可真火了。”
Blow up有的时候还可以解释成给气球吹气，给排球和汽车轮胎打气。比如一个人说：
例句-3："I have to stop at the gas station to blow up my front tires."
他说：“我得到加油站去给汽车的前轮打气。”
最后，放大照片也可以用blow up这个词。你可以到印照片的店里对售货员说：
例句-4："I 'd like 8 by 10 blow ups of these negatives, please."
这是说：“请你把这些底片放大成8X10那么大的照片。”
今天要讲的第二个和blow这个字有关的词汇是blow out。
Blow out和blow up 一样至少也有四个不同的意思。汽车轮胎炸了可以用blow out这个词。比如有一个人说：
例句-5："My car smashed into a tree when I had a blow-out."
他说：“当我的轮胎炸了的时候，我的车就撞到一棵树上去了。
Blow-out还可以解释为把火灭掉。比如，一个母亲对孩子说：
例句-6："You'd better blow out that candle before it sets fire to the tablecloth."
这位母亲说：“你最好还是把那蜡烛灭了吧，否则台布都要烧着了。”
在另外一种情况下，blow-out可以指电灯的保险丝断了：
例句-7："All the lights went off in the building and the elevators stopped when the master fuse blew out."
他说：“大楼的总保险丝一断，楼里所有的灯都灭了，电梯也停了。”
Blow out也可以指那种规模很大，排场很讲究的聚会。下面这句话就是一个很好的例子：
例句-8："When the Lees celebrated their 25th anniversary, they invited all their friends to a big blow-out at the best hotel in town."
他说：“当李家夫妇庆祝他们结婚二十五周年的时候，他们在当地最高级的旅馆里举行了一个规模盛大的聚会,把所有的朋友都请去了。”
今天我们讲了两个常用的词汇，一个是blow up，另一个是blow out。Blow up 和blow out各自都有好几个意思。刚学英语的人一开始也许会感到有点混乱。但是多接触，多使用后也就会逐渐熟悉起来的。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-4-24 10:40 标题: Lesson 8 to be led by the nose
今天我们要讲的习惯用语是和鼻子，也就是和nose这个字有关系的。鼻子是我们的嗅觉工具，也是我们的呼吸器官，是人体的一个重要组成部份。英语里有不少成语和俗语等习惯用语都和鼻子有联系的。比如to follow your nose是一直走的意思，或者是随着你闻到的味道去找什么东西，或什么地方。又比如to pay through the nose是指付出很高价钱。
在这次节目里,我们要介绍另外两个和鼻子有关的习惯用语。第一个是 to be led by the nose。To be led by the nose是一种很不愉快的经历。它的意思就是一个人全部在别人的控制之下，就像一头牲口被人用绳子牵着鼻子走一样。那末to be led by the nose在一般情况下的用法是怎么样的呢？下面这句话就是一个例子：
例句-1："Ed's wife is a strong-minded woman and leads him around by the nose."
这句话的意思是：“埃德的太太是一个个性很强的人，埃德简直就是被她牵着鼻子走。”
下面我们再来举一个例子。这是一个爸爸在给他的儿子提供一些忠告：
例句-2："Remember, Son, don`t let other people lead you around by the nose. You'll get along a lot better in life if you use your own judgment and do what you yourself think is the right thing."
这位爸爸说：“儿子，你可千万要记住不要让别人牵着你的鼻子走。要是你能用你自己的判断力，做你认为是对的事，那你的日子会过得好得多。”
下面我们要讲的一个词汇是 under your nose。举个例子来说吧：有一个人突然发现自己的眼镜找不着了，他到处找，楼上、楼下，找遍了家里每个角落还是找不到。最后，他的太太给他找到了。那眼镜就在他坐着看书的椅子旁边。他太太就会说：
例句-3："See, they were right under your nose the entire time."
她说：“瞧，你的眼镜一直在你的鼻子底下。”
Under your nose的意思也就是一样东西离你很近，但是，你就是没有看到。
我们再举个例子来说明under your nose的用法：
例句-4："Did you read in the paper how bold that robber was at the art museum? He cut three paintings from their frames and walked out with them right under the guards' noses."
这个人说：“你有没有在报上看到关于那个去博物馆偷东西的贼有多么大胆的消息吗？他把三幅画从镜框里割了下来，然后就竟然在警卫的鼻子底下带出了博物馆。”
以上我们讲了两个和鼻子，也就是nose这个字有关系的习惯用语。第一个是 to be led by the nose，这是被别人牵着鼻子走的意思。今天讲的另一个词汇是 under your nose，意思是没有看到就在自己身边的东西。
作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-4-25 09:35 标题: Lesson9 to pull your socks up
例句-3：I have bad news: our sales were off 18% for the last quarter. So I'm telling you guys -- you have to pull your socks up and get out there and sell more stuff, or you'll be looking for new jobs this summer.
例句-5：Have you seen Jack's sister, who's here visiting from California? She'll knock your socks off: she's the most gorgeous-looking woman I've seen for a long time.
例句-2：I tried to keep a poker face even though I was scared to death when I went back to my doctor to hear the results of my lab tests. But I admit I gave him the biggest smile of my life when he told me the tests were negative and there was nothing wrong with me.
玩牌的时候脸上不露表情的人往往都很谨慎，把牌放在靠胸口的地方，免得给别人偷看。这在英文里就是 close to the vest。Close to the vest用在一般情况下就是指一个人非常小心不让别人知道他在干什么。
我们先来听听一位记者的讲话：
例句-3：Two other governors have already announced that they will run for president in the next election but the governor of our state is still keeping his plans close to his vest -- nobody is sure what he will do.
例句-4：John, keep this close to your vest but I want to tell you our company is going to merge with a big New York corporation -- they'll announce it sometime next week.
他说：“约翰，我要告诉你，我们的公司要和纽约的一家大公司合并了，他们下星期内就要宣布。不过你知道就行了，不要往外说。” 作者: 孔德体 时间: 2013-4-26 15:53
step by step , we can learn well.作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-4-27 09:32 标题: Lesson 11 The shoe is on the other foot
美国的成语或俗语和其他语言一样同生活中的各个方面有关。有一些和食品有关，有的来自扑克牌游戏，还有的和穿着有联系。今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语是和鞋子、手套有关系的。首先，我们要介绍的是“The shoe is on the other foot”。
The shoe is on the other foot的意思是：形势已经完全不同了。下面这个例子就能够说明the shoe is on the other foot在日常会话中是怎么用的：
例句-1: "Back in school we made fun of Jones because we thought he spent too much time studying instead of having fun. Now the shoe is on the other foot -- he's made lots of money and the rest of us are just barely making enough to feed our families."
这句话翻成中文就是说：“以前在学校里念书的时候，我们老是笑话琼斯，认为他这个人老是念书，不会玩。可是，现在情况就完全不同了。他赚了不少钱，而我们这些人的收入只够维持家计而已。”
下面的一个例子是一个球迷在夸耀当地的棒球队：
例句-2: "For the last ten years the Tigers have been the worst team in the league: we've finished down at the bottom. But now the shoe is on the other foot: we have all these good young players and we're beating everybody else in the whole league."
这句话的意思是：“我们这个地方的球队老虎队十年前是参加联赛的所有球队中最次的一个，比赛结果老是最后一名。现在可不同了。我们球队的队员都很年轻，球艺也好。他们把其他球队一个个全打败了。”
现在我们来讲一个和手套有关的习惯用语： To work hand in glove
To work hand in glove的意思是密切合作。我们来举个例子吧：
例句-3: "The local police are working hand in glove with the FBI to find the bank robbers."
这是说：“当地的警察正在和联邦调查局密切合作设法找到那些抢劫银行的罪犯。”
Hand in glove这个词汇也经常用在反面的场合，形容一些人合谋犯罪等。下面就是一个例子：
例句-4: "I read in the paper about this customs officer they arrested at the airport. They caught him working hand in glove with a gang of smugglers to bring diamonds into the country without paying duty."
这个人说：“我在报纸上看到有关那个在机场被逮捕的海关官员的消息。他们发现他和一些走私者密切合作，把钻石带进来而不缴关税。”
上面我们讲了两个美国人常用的词汇。第一个是 the shoe is on the other foot，这是指情况完全不同的意思。另外一个是 to work hand in glove，这是密切合作的意思。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-4-28 10:01 标题: Lesson 12 本帖最后由 刘哲 于 2013-4-28 10:02 编辑
例句-1: "Turn left at the next corner and then follow your nose -- you can't miss it."
这人说：“到前面的路口向左转,然后一直走就到了,你不会看不到的。”
很明显，这句句子里“follow your nose”的意思就是“一直走”。 Follow your nose还可以解释为利用嗅觉找到什么东西。例如：
例句-2: "You say you're looking for the French Bakery? Just walk two blocks north, turn left, and you can smell that wonderful smell of fresh bread baking: just follow your nose and it will bring you right to the front door.”
“Follow your nose”在这句句子里着重的是嗅觉，而不是方向。今天我们要讲的第二个常用的习惯用语是: Pay through the nose。 Pay就是付钱的意思。按字面上来解释，pay through the nose就是通过鼻子来付钱，这听起来似乎很痛苦。而实际上，pay through the nose的确切意思是付出比真正的价值高得多的钱，或者说付出的钱实在太多而感到心痛。我们来举个例子吧：
例句-3: "My brother Bob borrowed the money to open his restaurant five years ago when the interest rate was so high, so he's been paying through the nose ever since."
例句-4: "Life is funny. When the famous dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh was alive, nobody wanted to buy his pictures. But now rich people will pay through the nose for one, sometimes more than five million dollars."
今天我们讲了两个和nose有关的常用词汇。第一个是follow the nose。Follow the nose可以指“一直走”，也可以解释为随着你闻到的味道去找什么东西，或什么地方。今天讲的第二个和nose有关的词汇是to pay through the nose。To pay through the nose是付出很高价钱的意思。 作者: 刘威 时间: 2013-4-30 14:06
Ths for sharing.
Really nice material.作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-2 10:00 标题: Lesson 13 To keep an ear to the ground
大约一百五十年前，美国一些开荒的人逐步地到西部的荒野去开拓。这些拓荒者从当地印第安人那里学到了一个诀窍，那就是躺下身来把耳朵贴在地上，就可以听到几英里以外野兽奔跑的蹄声。这对于那些拓荒者来说是非常重要的，因为他们听到的蹄声也许是印第安人骑着马来攻打他们的马群奔跑声，也可能是几千头受惊的野牛正向他们奔驰而来。如果不及时躲避，他们会被这些野兽践踏成泥的。现在，印第安人和野牛群的威胁已经没有了。可是，把耳朵贴在地上这个诀窍已经成为一个俗语，在英文里也就是 to keep an ear to the ground。
To keep an ear to the ground，它的意思就是保持高度警觉，及早发现那些即将会发生的事情的预兆。比如说，一个精明的政客对选民的想法总是很警觉的，有时候，一些选民还没有想到的事，他们倒已经想到了。下面一位国会议员说的话正好说明了这一点：
例句-1:"Every two weeks while the Congress is in session, I try to get back home to California to talk to people. This doesn't give me much time to relax with my family, but I have to keep an ear to the ground and hear what voters are thinking about."
这位议员说：“当国会举行会议的时候我每两个星期设法抽空回加州一次去和当地的人进行交谈。我没有多少时间可以和家人在一起，但是我得及时了解选民的想法。”
下面我们再听听另外一个议员说的话：
例句-2:"I try to keep an ear to the ground and what I hear these days is that most people think we spend too much money on building roads and not enough on our schools."
这个议员说：“我总是设法注意人们的想法。最近我听说，大多数人认为我们在筑路方面花钱太多，而用在学校方面的钱却不足。”
下面我们要讲的一个习惯用语也是和耳朵，也就是ear有关的。它是 up to one's ears。 Up to one's ears有好几个意思。首先，它可以解释成“很忙”的意思。比如说：
例句-3: "Half the people in my office are home sick, so I'm up to my ears!"
这个人说：“我办公室里有一半的人有病请假，所以我简直忙得不得了。”
下面这个例子是一个丈夫为了逃避到厨房去帮他太太的忙正在找借口：
例句-4:"Gee, honey, you know I'd like to help you paint the kitchen tonight, but I'm up to my ears in paper work I had to bring home from the office. "
这个丈夫说：“亲爱的，你知道我很愿意今晚帮你把厨房上油漆。可是我从办公室带回来好些要做的事。”
Up to one's ears这个习惯用语在下面这句句子里的意思就不同了：
例句-5:"The mayor says he didn't know people on his staff were taking bribes. But my guess is he's up to his ears in it."
这句话的意思是：“市长说他不知道他手下的工作人员接受贿赂。可是，我猜想他完全是介入这些事的。”
今天我们讲了两个习惯用语，第一个是 to keep an ear to the ground，意思是保持高度警觉。另一个是 up to one's ears，这是指很忙，或者是完全介入某件事的意思。
美国人最普遍的纸牌游戏就是扑克,扑克牌游戏就像牛仔裤一样具有美国特色。那末，扑克牌游戏是怎么玩的呢？很简单，每次游戏开始，在发牌前，每个参加玩扑克的人都在牌桌中间放同等数目的钱。发牌以后，每个人再下赌注。发牌前每个人拿出来的钱和发牌后下的赌注都归游戏的获胜者。由于扑克牌游戏在美国人当中十分普遍，因此有许多牌桌上的语言逐渐就成了日常用语。例如：Sweeten the pot。Sweeten the pot在牌桌上的意思是把赌注的总数加得高一些，这样可以对玩游戏的人更有吸引力。可是，这个词汇已经变成一个日常用语了。它的意思是：为了使一个提议更有吸引力而在原有的条件基础上再增加一些对对方有利的条件。我们来举个例子看看：
例句-1: "Miss Smith didn't want the job until the company sweentened the pot by offering her a higher salary and the use of a company car."
例句-2: "They've built so many new office buildings here that they have trouble renting out all the space. So some landlords sweeten the pot; they offer a company six months free rent if it signs a three-year lease."
另外一个来自玩扑克牌游戏的词汇是：The cards are stacked against you。The cards are stacked against you。这句话是说，你处于很不利的情况下，成功的机会很少。下面的例子是说一个人受了骗:
例句-3: "Last night I got into a poker game with these men I met in the hotel bar. And I lost a thousand dollars before I realized the cards were stacked against me. All I could do was pick up the money I had left and walk away."
例句-4: "I really wanted to try out for the basketball team when I was in college. But the cards were stacked against me: I'm only five feet six inches tall and everybody else was six-two or even taller."
这个人说：“当我上大学的时候，我真想参加篮球队。可是，那不可能，因为我身高只有一米六多，而其他人都至少有一米八。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-6 11:07 标题: Lesson 15 To fly off the handle
现在，美国人就把有的人突然失去控制而勃然大怒的现象叫作：To fly off the handle。Fly是飞的意思，而handle是指斧头柄。我们来举个例子看看，to fly off the handle在日常生活中是怎么用的。
例句-1: "My wife spent all afternoon yesterday cooking a special dinner for our wedding anniversary. So she really flew off the handle when I came home three hours late."
他说：“为了庆祝我们结婚周年，我太太化了整个下午精心烹调。可是，我昨晚晚了三个小时才回家。她可真火了。”
当然，丈夫也会发火的。下面说话的这位太太正在担心她的丈夫会对她发火。她对丈夫说：
例句-2: "Honey, please don't fly off the handle -- I had a little accident with the car, but it certainly wasn't my fault."
她说：“亲爱的，你可别发火。我出了一点小车祸，但是那绝不是我的错。”
那些开发西部的拓荒者经常拿打猎获得的小动物作为他们的肉食，有时还利用它们的皮毛。他们还训练狗在打猎的时候学会把打中的动物叼回来。可是，动物为了逃命，往往会爬到树上去。那些狗有时一糊涂没看清楚动物上了哪棵树，结果对着一棵没有动物的树乱叫。这在英文里就是：To bark up the wrong tree。To bark 就是狗叫，wrong是错的意思，tree就是树。To bark up the wrong tree翻成中文可以说是：找错门了。例如，一个人说：
例句-3: "If my brother-in-law hopes to borrow any more money from me, he will be barking up the wrong tree."
这句话的意思说：“要是我的小舅子再想问我借钱，那他算是找错了门了。”
Barking up the wrong tree也可以是指错怪了某人。下面这句话就是一个例子。警察逮捕了一个嫌疑犯，并在盘问他。这个人对警察说：
例句-4: "Hey man, if you think I was the guy who robbed that bank today, you're barking up the wrong tree! I was nowhere near the place."
他说：“喂，要是你认为我是今天抢银行的那个人，那你就错怪我了。我根本就没上那儿去。”
今天我们讲了两个和美国开拓西部有关的习惯用语。
第一个是：To fly off the handle，这是发脾气，发火的意思。
第二个是：To bark up the wrong tree，这是指找错了门或错怪了人。
四十年前，乘飞机可是一件新鲜事，是一个值得向朋友夸耀的冒险行动。可是，现在乘飞机已经变得和乘公共汽车差不多了。美国的航空公司每天大约有一百万乘客。空中飞行变得如此普遍的原因之一是由于电子导航系统的发展，这样飞机就可以在无线电电波发出的领航信号指挥下准确地从一个机场飞到另一个机场。这些尖端的科学设施已经变得非常普遍，因此美国英语里有一个表达形式，那就是：Right on the beam。Right on the beam在日常生活中的意思就是一个人做某件事做得很对。下面就是一个例子：
例句-1:"Your school report is right on the beam: you followed directions exactly and got all the facts down in the right order."
例句-2:"I thought Mr.Claghorn's speech was right on the beam last night! Just like he says, we need to spend more money on educating our children. He makes a lot of sense to me."
像电子导航系统这样现代化的安全设施在以前是根本没有的。在使用无线电电波，雷达和空中交通管制系统前，飞行员只能根据地面的铁路、河流和水塔那样的标记来决定他们的航向。要是一个飞行员不得不在云层里飞，或在气候不好的情况下飞行的话，那他只好靠自己的猜测来决定方向了。这在英语里就是：To fly by the seat of his pants。现在人们用To fly by the seat of his pants来形容某种局面，也就是你在做某件事的时候没有明确的指导，也缺乏足够的知识。下面这个例子就可以说明这个词汇在日常生活中的用法：
例句-3:"When Jones started up business in a new town, he didn't know anybody, so he had to fly by the seat of his pants."
例句-4:"Driving to a friend's house last night I took the wrong turn off the main highway and got lost. I didn't have a road map but I flew by the seat of my pants and after twenty minutes I found the street I was looking for."
以上我们讲了两个来自空中飞行的习惯用语。
一个是：Right on the beam，在日常生活中这句话的意思就是一个人做某件事做得很对。另外一个习惯用语是：to fly by the seat of my pants，这是来形容某种局面，也就是你在做某件事的时候没有明确的指导，也缺乏足够的知识。 作者: xizhilang 时间: 2013-5-7 12:38
很不错哦，关注中，提高英语，good study作者: xizhilang 时间: 2013-5-7 16:10
学习了，很不错哦，learn something new everyday作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-8 09:13 标题: Lesson 17 To keep one's shirt on
例句-3: "Did you hear what happened to Joe? He's lost his shirt, the poor guy -- invested all his money in a fancy restaurant and it just went out of business."
例句-4: "Be careful of salesmen who call on the phone and offer to sell you land on the beach down in Florida. You can lose your shirt because the chances are the land is under water at high tide."
例句-1: "My boss is a stuffed shirt: all he talks about is how important his ancestors are, how he was number one in his class at his university, and the wonderful things he thinks he's done for our company."
这个人说：“我的老板老是爱摆架子，吹嘘自己。他一开口就是说他的祖先的地位有多么重要，他在大学念书时又如何成为他们班里的第一名，还自称对我们公司作出了多大的贡献等等。”
下面这个例子是一个选民在谈论他对候选人的看法：
例句-2: "I think I'll vote for Jimmy Brown instead of the other guy James Leland Elegant the third. Jimmy ins't a stuffed shirt like Elegant -- he's a friendly, informal guy like us ordinary people."
他说：“我想我会投布朗的票，而不投那个看来很高雅的利兰。布朗不像利兰那末神气活现。他很友好、随和，就像我们普通老百姓一样。”
我们再来讲一个和shirt这个字有关的俗语：To give you the shirt off his back.。从字面上来解释，to give you the shirt off his back 就是把他的衬衣从背上拿下来给你。一个人要是肯把衬衣脱下来给你的话，那就是一个在你患难的时候能拿出他所有的一切，包括他的衬衣，来帮忙的人。这种朋友是很可贵的。下面我们来举一个例子。这是一个女孩在和朋友说她的父亲：
例句-3: "Of course Dad gets mad at me sometimes for no good reason. But if I ever need it, I know he would give me the shirt off his back."
这是说：“我父亲有时对我发火也不见得有什么道理。但是,只要我需要，他总是会尽一切力量帮助我的。”
不仅是父亲，那怕是在一般人当中，这种好心人也是不难找到的。例如下面这句句子里谈到的这个人：
例句-4: "Pete never says very much. But when he hears about somebody who's sick in the hospital or lost his job, he's always the first to put his hand in his pocket and bring out money to help. Yes, sir, he's the kind of man who'd give you the shirt off his back."
这句话的意思是：“皮特这个人平时话不多。但是，每当他听说某人有病进了医院，或失了业，他总是第一个拿钱出来帮忙。是的，他是这种会尽力帮助别人的人。”
今天我们讲了两个和shirt这个字有关的成语，一个是：A stuffed shirt，这是指那些爱摆架子，表现得神气十足的人。 另外一个成语是 To give you the shirt off his back，这是指尽自己的力量帮助别人。「美国习惯用语」第十八讲就到里。欢迎下次再一起来学习美国习惯用语。再见。
每一种语言都反映了各个民族的文化习俗和社会发展。美国的许多成语和俗语也不例外。它们不仅表现了美国历史上各个不同阶段的特点，而且也反映了这个国家当代的特色。四十年前，乘飞机在美国还是少有的事，现在已经成了人们旅行的一种很普通的交通工具。对于某些经常到外地去的人，坐飞机已经像乘公共汽车一样。有些夫妻分居两地的人，每个周末乘飞机回家也不是很特殊的事了。今天我们要讲两个由飞行俗语而变成日常用语的词汇。过去，当飞行员在空中发现汽油不足或是机器出了故障，他们就不得不用降落伞，以保生命的安全。这在英文里就叫：To bail out。To bail out 用在飞行方面就是从飞机上跳伞。可是，现在除了军用飞机外，很少飞行员还带着降落伞飞行。To bail out 现在已经成了一个日常用的词汇，它的意思就是摆脱一些麻烦或危险。比如说，一个人在谈到他的朋友的时候说：
例句-1: "Smith was lucky enough to bail out and quit the company just before it went bankrupt."
他说：“施密斯还算是运气，在那个公司倒闭前就辞职了。”
下面一个例子是说怎么样帮助别人渡过经济难关：
例句-2: "After his restaurant failed, Bill couldn't pay back the money he had borrowed from the bank. He was afraid the bank would take the house he'd put up as security. But his dad bailed him out and paid the loan off for him."
这句话的意思是：“比尔的饭馆倒闭后，他没有钱来还银行贷款。他当时很害怕，担心银行会把他的房子拿走，因为他把房子当做他贷款的担保。后来，他爸爸替他还清了银行的钱，这样才把他从危机里解救了出来。”
例句-4: "Everyboday thought this young actor would have a brilliant future after he starred in two pictures that made a lot of money. Then he appeared in three films that nobody want to see, and his career took a nose dive -- no producer wants him any more."
这句话是说：“大家都以为那个年轻演员，在演了两部盈利非常高的电影后，一定会前途无穷的。可是后来，他又演了三部谁都不要看的电影。这样，哪个制片人都不要他了，他的影台生涯从此就一落千丈。”
今天我们讲了两个来自飞行的习惯用语。一个是：To bail out，这是指跳伞，或解救困难。另一个是Nose dive，意思是急剧下降，或一落千丈。「美国习惯用语」第十九讲就到里。欢迎下次再一起来学习美国习惯用语。再见。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-13 08:53 标题: Lesson 20 Up in arms
在美国人讲话时，或从书刊报纸上，你经常可以听到或见到一些由手臂，就是英文里的arms这个字组成的成语或俗语。有些习惯用语从字面上就可以很明显地了解它的意思，不需要解释。With open arms 就是一个很好的例子。当你听到一个朋友说: "My family received me with open arms when I came back from my trip to California." 很明显，这是说当你的朋友去加利福尼亚州后回家的时候，他家里的人都非常欢迎他。可是，有些习惯用语就不像with open arms这样容易理解了。比如说，什么是：Up in arms？这儿的arms不是指手臂了，而是指武器，如枪、炮、箭等。Up in arms的意思是起来进行武装斗争，或者非常愤怒，准备打架。我们来举个例子：
例句-1: "All us students are up in arms at the news the school is raising our tuition ten percent."
这句话的意思是：“当我们学生听到学校要提高百分之十的学费时，我们都火冒三丈。”
下面我们要举的例子是一个国会议员在和一个同事谈论新的税收提案:
例句-2: "No way am I going to vote for a bill to raise income tax again. The voters back home are already up in arms about how much the government takes out of their pay already and I have to run for re-election this fall."
这位议员说：“我绝不会投票支持再次增加所得税的提案。我们州的选民对政府现在从他们工资里扣除的税的数量已经非常恼火了。而我今年还要竞选连任。”
例句-3: "I keep trying to get friendly with that lovely blonde who sits next to me in biology class. But she keeps me at arm's length."
他说：“我一直设法和那个生物课坐在我旁边的金发姑娘接近。可是,她老是和我保持一定距离。”
在用at arm's length作为和谁保持一定距离的时候,一般都是这么说的：to keep someone at arm's length。
下面我们再来举一个例子。这是一个人在警告一个朋友不要和某人接近：
例句-4: "Let me warn you about this Smith fellow. He seems like a nice, friendly guy. But it's wise to keep him at arm's length. You get too friendly with him, and the first thing he'll do is ask to borrow money from you."
这个人说：“我要警告你关于那个叫Smith的家伙。他看起来似乎很友好。但是，你最好还是和他保持一定距离。一旦你和他过于接近，他马上就会问你借钱。”
美国的成语和俗语,也和其他语言一样,有许多都是由身体各个部份的名称组成的。例如：To follow your nose是指“一直走”。另外还有：To play by ear，意思是看着办。其他还有用hand 和foot这些字组成的习惯用语。
在这次节目里我们要向大家介绍由腿，也就是leg这个字组成的习惯用语。中文里也有许多和腿这个字有关的俗语,像拉后腿、飞毛腿等。我们今天要讲的第一个习惯用语是：To shake a leg。Shake的意思是“摇动”。 Leg当然是指腿。你可能已经猜到，to shak a leg就是赶快行动的意思。
举个例子来说吧，一个妈妈对儿子说：
例句-1: "Come on, shake a leg, son, or you're going to be late for school."
这个妈妈说：“儿子，你快点儿吧！否则你上学要迟到了！”
下面我们再举一个例子。这是一个卡车司机在对卸货的人说话：
例句-2: "Let's shake a leg there, you guys! I got to get this truck unloaded and on the way back to the warehouse before dark."
他说：“喂！你们这帮人快点儿吧！我得把这车货卸完，在天黑前赶回仓库去呢。”
例句-3: "My roommate said this girl had told him she wouldn't mind going out with me. But when I invited her to a movie, I learned he was just pulling my leg."
这个大学生说：“我的同房间同学说，那个女孩愿意和我一起出去玩。可是，当我请她去看电影的时候，我才发现我那同学是逗我，开我的玩笑。”
要是这个大学生聪明一点的话,他当时就可以对他的同学说：
例句-4: "Hey, stop pulling my leg, will you! I don't believe that girl really said she likes me and would like me to take her out."
这句话的意思是：“喂，你别逗我行不行！我才不信那个女孩真的说了她喜欢我，还要我邀她出去玩。”
今天我们讲了两个由leg这个字组成的习惯用语。它们是：To shake one's leg，这是指赶快动作的意思。
To pull one's leg，这是指和别人开玩笑。和leg这个字有关的俗语里还有一个很有趣的说法,那就是：Break a leg! 从字面上来看，break a leg难道是断了一条腿？或是倒霉？不是，break a leg的确切意思是祝愿别人成功。例如，你的朋友明天要去参加高考，你就可以对他说：Break a leg! 不管你明天要去干什么，我们在这儿也希望你Break a leg!
「美国习惯用语」第二十一讲就到里。欢迎下次再一起来学习美国习惯用语。再见。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-15 09:22 标题: Lesson 22 To twist someone's arm
例句-2:"My son has been twisting my arm to let him take my car out on a date ever since he got his driver's license. This weekend, I finally let him take it. And now it's in the body shop for a thousand dallars of repairs: he had an accident on the way to pick up his girlfriend."
下面我们要讲的一个俗语里既有 arm 也有 leg：To charge someone an arm and a leg。Charge就是要多少价钱的意思。任何东西要你付出一只手臂，还加上一条腿恐怕要价也太高了一点，很不值得。很明显，to charge someone an arm and a leg的意思就是要价太高。下面这句话就是一个例子：
例句-3: "Don't go to that fancy new restaurant. The food isn't very good and they charge you an arm and a leg for it!"
例句-4: "Say, if you need a dentist, you might want to try my brother. He's fresh out of dental school and trying to set up a practice. But he does good work, and he won't charge you an arm and a leg for it like most other dentists."
现在我们来复习一下今天讲的两个习惯用语。
第一个是 to twist someone's arm，那是强迫某人做你要他做的事。
第二个是 to charge someone an arm and a leg，这是指要价太高。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-16 10:18 标题: Lesson 23 To take candy from a baby
一般人在做任何事情的时候总是想找捷径，越容易越好，这似乎是人的本性。因此，在英语里有不少成语和俗语是形容办事很容易的。其中之一就是：To take candy from a baby。Candy就是吃的糖，baby在中文里就是小孩。To take candy from a baby的意思就是：某件事情很容易办成，就像把孩子手里的糖拿来一样。请听下面这个例子：
例句-1: "Getting grandmother to loan me the money was as easy as taking candy from a baby."
这个人说：“要我祖母借我那笔钱那简直是太容易了。”
我们再来举一个例子吧。这是一个被关在监狱里的犯人在和牢房里另一个犯人说话：
例句-2: "Louey told us that robbing this bank would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. But somebody told the police and they were waiting for us. We had no choice but to throw down our guns and surrender."
To take candy from a baby，欺负小孩，从小孩手里拿糖，在想象当中是很容易的。但是，实际情况恐怕并不见得如此。发明这个成语的人也许从来也没有设法把婴儿的小拳头扒开，然后把那小手里的糖拿来。任何做过父母的人都会告诉你孩子一般都会紧握着手里的糖不放，要是你硬是要拿，他就会大声哭叫。可是，尽管如此，to take candy from a baby已经成为美国人经常用来形容办事容易的词汇了。
另外一个形容事情很容易办的俗语也是和食品有联系的，这就是：A piece of cake。Piece 是指一片，或一块；cake就是蛋糕。A piece of cake的意思当然可以是指一块蛋糕。可是，作为俗语，它的意思就成了：这件事太容易了。例如，一个工作人员，犹豫了好久，最后终于鼓足了勇气去和老板提出增加工资的要求。他原来以为要和老板进行一番争论。可是，出乎他的意料，老板马上同意了，还说，他确实应该增加工资了。这样，他喜笑颜开地回到家里对太太说：
例句-3: "Honey, I finally asked Old Man Jones for my raise. And it was a piece of cake!"
他说：“亲爱的，我终于对老琼斯提了要求增加工资的事。我没有费吹灰之力他一口答应了。”
首先使用 A piece of cake 这个俗语的是二次世界大战期间联军的飞行员。那时，他们往往是这样说的：
例句-4: "At the briefing before we took off to bomb the Germans, our commander told us it would probably be a tough flight. But it turned out to be a piece of cake: no anti-aircraft fire and no enemy fighters."
例句-1: "Read this book by Professor Winter -- he's a top gun in Shakespeare research."
这位教师说：“大家看一下温特教授写的这本书，他是在莎士比亚研究方面最优秀的学者。”
Top Gun这个习惯用语在美国律师当中用得也很多。下面的例子就是一个律师在给他的委托人提供建议：
例句-2: "Sorry, I don't handle divorces myself, but if you really want to divorce your husband, I can give you the name of two of the top guns in New York when it comes to getting a good divorce settlement."
例句-4: "Our new cook from Sichuan is bringing in a lot more people. And the bottom line is that last month we made a profit of fifteen thousand dollars."
他说:“我们那个从四川来的新厨师吸引了不少顾客。其结果是上个月我们赚了一万五千美元。”
美国人经常问下面这个问题：What's the bottom line? 这就是说，在对一个问题讨论结束后，其结果到底是什么，这也是有关的人所必须了解的内容。
今天我们讲了两个习惯用语，一个是：top gun；另一个是：bottom line。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-20 08:56 标题: Lesson 25 Just for laughs
笑是人类表达喜怒哀乐各种不同感情的一个不可缺少的形式。笑这个字，也就是英文里的laugh经常出现在美国的成语或俗语里。人们经常会做一些事，纯属为了高兴。这在英文里就是：Just for laughs。Just for laughs这个俗语在不同情况下，它的意思也就不同。首先，它可以解释为：做某件事纯属为了高兴，就像我们上面讲的那样。我们来举个例子吧。
例句-1: "Come on and get your jacket -- let's go out and have a couple of beers just for laughs."
这个人说：“来吧，穿上你的外套，我们到外面去喝两杯啤酒高兴高兴。”
可是，Just for laughs有时也可以指做愚蠢的事，或有害的事。下面的情形就是一个例子：
例句-2: "Just for laughs they tossed Mary in the swimming pool with all her clothes on. Then they found out she didn't know how to swim."
下面要讲的一个和laugh这个字有关的习惯用语不一定会使当事人高兴。To laugh up one's sleeve。Sleeve就是衣服袖子。To laugh up one's sleeve从字面上来看是在袖子里笑，实际上也就是偷偷地笑。To laugh up one's sleeve的真正意思就是偷偷地笑话某人，因为这个人有些可笑的地方，而他本人还没有发现。例如：
例句-4: "We were all laughing up our sleeves at the teacher when he was up at the blackboard explaining the math problem. He had a rip in the back of his pants and didn't know it."
例句-5: "We were all laughing up our sleeves at our brother when he sat down at the dinner table. He'd seen his girl off at the airport and had lipstick on his face and didn't know it."
笑是最好的药品。不管这句话对不对，美国大众读物「读者文摘」的一个笑话拦就是用这句话来做标题的。但是，笑并不一定总是显示高兴或快乐。笑这个字，也就是英文里的laugh，在一般情况下都含有褒意，可有的时候却包含一种贬意，类似耻笑、讥笑、冷笑等，这些当然不会是好的药品。今天我们要讲两个由laugh这个字组成的习惯用语，一个是 a horse laugh，另一个是 the last laugh。从这两个词汇中，我们就可以看到laugh这个字在英文里和中文一样具有正反两面的含义。现在，我们先来讲 a horse laugh。Horse就是一头马。A horse laugh在英文里并不是指马在笑。作为一个俗语，a horse laugh是一种表示不信任的嘲笑。下面这个例子是说一些人对某个竞选议员的候选人表示不信任：
例句-1: "When this guy running for Congres told us how much money he'd save us taxpayers, we all gave him the horse laugh. We knew when he was in the state legislature he always voted for higher taxes."
例句-2: "Harry thinks he's God's gift to women: that none of them can resist his charm. So we all gave him the horse laugh when he asked the new girl in class to go to a movie and she told him to get lost."
下面我们要讲的一个和 laugh 这个字有关的俗语是 the last laugh。The last laugh的意思就是，在某人开始做一件事情的时候，许多人都说他不会成功。但是最后他还是成功了。这时候，他的心里很高兴，也许还很得意，这就是the last laugh。发明飞行的赖特兄弟两人就是一个例子。当他们在1903年十二月宣布他们将实现人类飞行的梦想的时候，有的报纸写文章讥笑他们。可正是那一天，他们开创了人类进入飞行的新时代。The last laugh可以说是最令人满意的笑了。我们来举个例子吧：
例句-3: "I used to laugh at my roommate in college -- he'd stay in and study on weekends while I went out for a good time. But I guess he has the last laugh on me. He's a famous brain surgeon and me, I'm selling used cars and barely make enough to live on."
这个人说：“我过去在大学的时候总是笑话我同宿舍的同学，因为他周末老是呆在学校念书，而我总是出去玩。现在，我猜想他一定很得意地在笑我。他已经成为一个脑外科专家，而我则以卖旧汽车为生，只能勉强糊口。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-22 09:12 标题: Lesson 27 A red letter day
红颜色这个字，就是英文里的 red，也经常出现在美国的成语和俗语里，有时是正面的，有时是反面的。例如，我们在中文里说，铺上红地毯来欢迎外国贵宾。在英文里也就是 to roll out the red carpet to honor a visiting head of state，或者也可以说 to give someone the Red carpet treatment。我们来举个例子吧：
例句-1:"When Ann came back from her long vacation, we gave her the red carpet treatment."
这是说：“当安度了一个很长的假期后，我们像贵宾一样欢迎她回来。
可是 red 这个字有时也包含着一种贬意，比如说 in the red。做生意的人最怕 in the red，因为那是指亏本。今天我们要讲两个由 red 这个字组成的习惯用语，一个具有正面的含义，另一个包含着反面的意思。我们先来讲一个表示高兴、快乐的习惯用语 a red letter day。A red letter day 的中文意思就是：大喜日子。对于某个人来说，那是指发生好事的一天。例如，一个母亲说：
例句-2:"It was a real red letter day for me when my son came home from three years in the navy. We rolled out the red carpet to welcome him home."
我们从这句话里也可以看出，to rolled out the red carpet 并不一定要用在高官显贵的身上，对普通人也能这么说。我们再来举个例子说明 a red letter day：
例句-3:"I'm lucky--my birthday is a real red letter day. It's on December 31, New Year's eve and all over the world people are out celebrating it."
这个人说：“我运气真好，我的生日是十二月三十一号，刚好是新年前夕，全世界的人都庆祝那一天。”
下面我们要讲的一个俗语，它的含义我敢肯定人人都讨厌。这就是 red tape。Tape 是带子的意思。Red tape 是指官僚主义，或文牍主义。换句话说，red tape 就是人们在和政府或官方机构打交道时往往会遇到的拖延、混乱等令人烦恼的障碍。那末，这和红带子又有什么关系呢？这是因为在古时候官方的文件一般都用红带子捆起来的，这样红带子就和官僚主义连在一起了。现在我们来举个例子：
例句-4: "With all the red tape I ran into at city hall, it took me three months to get my business license."
这个人说：“我在市政厅遇到了各种官僚主义的麻烦。我化了整整三个月才拿到营业执照。”
下面我们再来举一个有关 red tape 的例子：
例句-5:"You can't believe how much red tape there is in getting a visa. You have to get a birth certificate and other personal papers and fill out a bunch of complicated forms and have an interview. After that you wait and wait."
她说：“你简直不会相信，要拿到一个签证会遇到多少官僚主义的麻烦。你先要拿到你的出生证和其他有关你个人的证件，然后填一大堆复杂的表格，接着还要去面谈。办完这些事以后，你还得一等再等。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-23 09:17 标题: Lesson 28 A black sheep
黑颜色和白颜色往往是对立的。黑代表黑夜和邪恶，而白象征着日光、善良或美德。在美国好莱坞早期那些无声电影里，导演往往给英雄人物戴上白帽子，而给坏蛋戴黑帽子。这样，连十岁的孩子一看就马上知道谁是好人，谁是坏人。白帽和黑帽就这样逐渐成了一个习惯的说法，也就是 white hats and black hats。White hats and black hats 就代表好人和坏人。黑和白这两个字 black and white 经常在美国的成语和俗语中出现。可是，它们并不一定像好人、坏人那样黑白分明。有时候，黑还具有肯定和积极的意思。例如，对一个做生意的人来说 in the black 就意味着赚钱，而不是亏本。今天，我们要讲两个和 black and white 这两个字有关的成语。首先我们来讲一个和black有关的常用语 a black sheep。Black 当然是指黑颜色，而 sheep 是一头羊的意思。一头黑颜色的羊 a black sheep 指的是一个给他周围的人带来耻辱的人。请听下面这个例子：
例句-1: "Uncle Joe is the black sheep in the family. Instead of getting a job, all he does is drink too much, gamble away any money he gets and chase after women."
例句-2: "We all thought my youngest brother was the black sheep in our family. In fact he was in so much trouble he ran away to Australia. But he started a new life there, married a wonderful girl, and now he's a millionaire."
下面我们要讲的一个习惯用语是和 white 这个字有关系的，这就是 A white lie。Lie 就是谎话的意思。那末，难道骗人还分黑白吗？是的。A white lie 的意思就是那种为了避免使对方感到难受而说的谎话。比如说，一个女孩子新交的男朋友很难看，但是为了不要使她感到难受，你说了个谎，说你认为他很英俊。回到家，你就对丈夫说：
例句-3: "I told a white lie when I told Jennie her boyfriend was goodlooking. The truth is he's just about the ugliest man I've ever seen."
她说：“我骗珍妮说，她的男朋友很英俊。其实，他大概是我看到的所有男人当中最难看的了。”
我们再来举一个例子：
例句-4: "My mother and dad taught me never to tell a lie. So I feel guilty every time I tell even a little white lie, although I do it just to make somebody feel better."
今天我们讲了两个和黑和白，也就是 black and white 有关的俗语。它们是 a black sheep 和 a white lie。「美国习惯用语」第二十八讲就到里。欢迎下次再一起来学习美国习惯用语。再见。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-24 05:27 标题: Lesson 29 rain check
例句-1: Say, I'm sorry but we just sold the last TV set we had on sale. But I'll give you a raincheck so you can still get the special price when we get in a fresh stock a couple weeks from now.
例句-2: I'd love to go out with you, Ben. I'm sorry I'm busy tonight, but I'd like a rain check.
她说：“本，我很愿意和你出去玩。但是，非常抱歉的是我今晚很忙。我们下回去玩好吗？”
******
下面我们要讲的一个和雨，也就是rain这个字有关的成语就是It never rains but it pours. It never rains but it pours这句成语翻到中文就是“祸不单行”的意思。我们举个例子来看看It never rains but it pours这个成语在句子里是怎么用的：
例句-3: I really feel sorry for Mike. First his wife left him. Next he lost his job. Then somebody stole his car. Like they say, it never rains but it pours.
例句-4: Oh boy! You can't believe the trouble I had today. My alarm clock didn't go off, so I missed biology class. Then, I lost my home work assignment for math. I invited my girlfriend to lunch and after we ate, I found I'd left my wallet at home. It never rains but it pours.
今天我们要讲的两个俗语是和枪，也就是英语里的gun这个字有联系的。我们要讲的第一个俗语是to stick to one's guns。对于士兵来说，在被很多敌人包围的情况下还要能持续装炮弹发射的话，他们肯定需要很多勇气。这种精神在英文里就是to stick to one's guns.
To stick to one's guns从字面上来解释是指枪。但是这个俗语现在几乎和枪没有什么关系，它的意思就是：在日常生活中坚持原则，稳步前进，不屈服外界的压力。比如说，一个爸爸对他在大学念书的女儿讲话：
例句-1: Pumpkin, I hear that some of the students at your school are fooling around with drugs. But I hope, young woman, that you stick to your guns and keep saying no!
这位爸爸说：“小鬼，我听说你们学校的学生里有吸毒的现象。我希望你坚持正道，坚决抵制这种恶习！”
事实上，世界上有许多事都是靠坚忍不拔的精神才能办成的。下面我们再来举个例子：
例句-2: I have to admire the ladies who fifty years ago worked so hard to get women the right to vote. People laughed at them at first but they stuck to their guns and got the congress to pass the 19th Amendment back in 1920.
******
今天我们要讲的第二个俗语虽然没有gun这个字，但是和开枪也是有关的，这就是shooting the breeze。Shoot就是开枪的意思。Shooting the breeze就是在很轻松、很愉快的气氛下和朋友聊天。例如，一个教室里的学生在等教授来上课。其中有两个学生是同乡。这两人中的一个说：
例句-3: Say, Bill, how about coming back to my room after class? I'll get a couple of cold sodas and we'll shoot the breeze for a while.
例句-4: At the staff meeting this morning the boss told us she wanted to see us at our desks busy working instead of spending so much time standing around shooting the breeze with each other.
今天美国两个很有名的年轻电影明星，一个叫Paul Newman，另一个叫Tom Cruise。不久前他们一起拍了一部电影，叫「绿钞票」。这是因为美国钞票的背面都是绿颜色的。绿颜色也是草和树等自然界生物的颜色。除此之外，绿颜色还可以包含其他各种意思。有的时候，它意味着年轻、新鲜、有力、成长。另外一些时候，绿颜色是指不成熟,就像没有熟的苹果那样。我们今天要讲的两个俗语就是跟绿颜色，在英文里就是 green 这个字有关的。第一个是green thumb。大家都知道green 的意思是绿颜色。Thumb 就是大母指。可是green thumb 并不是说某人的大拇指变绿了或染上了绿颜色。Green thumb指的是某人在种花或种菜方面很有才能，或在这方面很有知识和技术。比如说，一位太太在谈到她邻居李太太的时候说：
例句-1: "I wish I had a green thumb like Mrs. Lee -- look at the beautiful roses in her yard."
这位太太说：“我真希望我能像李太太那样会种花,瞧她院子里的玫瑰花多好看呐！”
可是，不会种花和种菜的人看来还不少，下面讲话的这个人看来更糟糕：
例句-2: "I guess I don't have much of a green thumb: every year I plant cabbage, beans and sweet corn in my backyard but all I ever get is a lot of weeds."
在全世界各地，绿颜色的交通灯就是可以通行的意思。可是，除了交通灯以外，人们也经常在日常生活中用「开绿灯」这个说法来表示某个计划获得批准，可以进行。在中文里，我们也经常这么说的。下面我们要介绍的一个俗语就是 green light。我们已经知道，green就是绿颜色，light就是指灯。Green light就是绿灯。在美国，一个在某公司工作的管理人员可能会对他的秘书说：
例句-3: "My boss liked my idea to open a branch office in Los Angeles and gave me the green light to go ahead."
这位经理说：“我的老板非常支持我在洛杉矶开一个分公司的建议。他让我按计划去办。”
下面我们再来举个例子：
例句-4: "The astronauts were in the space shuttle ready to go, but somebody saw one of their computers had a problem. It's fixed now, but Houston Control is checking it again before they give the green light to launch."
这句话翻成中文就是：“宇航员都已经进入航天飞机，准备出发。但是，有一个人发现他们的一个电脑有问题。现在虽然已经修好，可是休斯顿控制中心正在再一次进行检查，然后再让他们正式发射。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-5-29 09:27 标题: Lesson 32 Singing the blues
美国的成语和俗语五彩缤纷。其中有一些是和红颜色有关，如：red letter day 和 red tape。有的和绿颜色有关。如：green thumb 和 green light。不管是红或是绿，它们都含有特殊的意思。
今天我们要讲两个和蓝颜色，也就是英语里的 blue 这个字有关的成语。在日常生活中，blue是一个非常口语的词汇，美国人经常使用。它的意思就是情绪很低。正因为如此，blues 这个字就成了爵士音乐里面的一种。称谓 blues 的这种爵士音乐，它的特点是节奏慢，曲调很低沉。
在日常会话中，要是你对一个朋友说: "I really have the blues today." 这就是说，你今天因为某种原因情绪很不好。
现在，我们先来讲一个和 blue 有关的俗语：singing the blues。Singing 的原动词是sing，就是唱歌、唱戏的唱。Singing the blues 的意思就是诉苦、抱怨。请听下面这个例子：
例句-1: "Every time I ask Joe to pay back the money he borrowed from me, he sings the blues about all the things at home he needs money for."
这人说：“每当我要乔还他借我的钱的时候，他总是诉苦，说他家里有多少开支。”
换句话说，就是乔用诉说家里的种种困难来做借口，设法不还他欠的钱。我们再来举个例子：
例句-2: "Don't pay any attention to that guy! He's always singing the blues about how poor he is, but the truth is he has more bucks in the bank than the two of us put together."
下面我们要介绍的另一个俗语是 like a bolt out of the blue。Bolt 是闪电，blue 在这儿是指蓝色的天空。 Like a bolt out of the blue 的意思就是晴天霹雳，也就是出乎意外、没料想到。有时，你花几个小时也解不开一道数学题。可是，当你不再去想它的时候，你脑子里突然出现了答案。人们还经常用 like a bolt out of the blue 来形容车祸。请听下面这句句子：
例句-3: "A driver may testify that he was going the normal speed limit when a truck appeared in front of him out of the blue and he did not have time to stop."
例句-4: "The announcement that the president of our university was quitting to go to another school hit us like a bolt out of the blue. He's always said he liked it here so much he would stay until he retired."
美国人很喜欢吃 apple pie。 Apple pie是一种用烤箱制作的甜点心，它的外面是一层面粉，里面是用苹果做的馅儿。中文有时把 apple pie翻成“苹果排”。美国人喜爱吃apple pie是他们刚从欧洲移居到美洲来以后就开始了。每个家庭主妇都经常做苹果排。为了说明apple pie是美国生活的一个特点，人们常说: "As American as apple pie." 这句话的意思是：就像苹果排一样具有美国特色。下面就是一个例子：
例句-1: So many Asian restaurants have opened up in Washington that a writer on a daily paper here jokes that dim sum, Japanese sushi and Vietnamese spring rolls have become as American as apple pie.
例句-2: Football and baseball are as American as apple pie as they were invented by Americans and played and watched everywhere in this country. Many people would glue to their TV sets whenever there are major competitions.
美国人也很喜欢吃土豆，特别是刚从烤箱里拿出来的一个个热气腾腾的土豆。下面我们要介绍的一个俗语是: hot potato。大家都知道hot的意思是热或烫。 Potato就是土豆。热的土豆固然好吃，但是它会烫你的手，你会想法马上甩掉的。 Hot potato作为俗语，它的意思就是一个争论很激烈的问题，没有一个人愿意为它承担责任。例如：
例句-3: The question of whether to raise taxes to cut the budget deficit is a real hot potato for a lot of politicians.
这个人说：“是否用增加税收的方法来减少预算赤字的问题对于许多政客来说是一个棘手的问题。”
下面这个例子是一位律师在给另一位律师提供建议：
例句-4: If I were you, I'd drop that client like a hot potato; he's always suing somebody for something, but he usually loses and he doesn't pay his lawyer's bills.
鸡蛋也是一些美国俗语的组成部份。要是一个人把他所有的钱都当做赌注，想冒险发财，这在中文里是“孤注一掷”，在英文里就是：to put all his eggs in one basket. Eggs就是鸡蛋，one basket就是一只篮子。 To put all his eggs in one basket的意思就是把所有的鸡蛋放在一只篮子里，这样是很冒险的。我们来举个例子:
例句-1: If you want to play the stock market, it's smarter to divide your money and buy three or four different stocks instead of putting the whole amount into just one stock and putting all your eggs in one basket.
To put all your eggs in one basket不仅可以用在经济方面，它还可以用在其他方面。下面这句句子就是一个例子：
例句-2: Going steady in high school with only one member of opposite sex is a mistake. Go out with several people -- don't put all your eggs in one basket.
乌鸦是人们都讨厌的鸟，它又大又黑，叫的声音既粗又难听。乌鸦的肉也老得没法吃。可是，有一个美国俗语偏偏就是“吃乌鸦”: to eat crow. Eat就是吃，crow就是乌鸦。乌鸦肉根本是没法吃的，因此要一个人吃乌鸦，那肯定是非常难受的。这也正是to eat crow这个俗语的意思。 To eat crow的确切意思是一个人把自己弄得很丢脸，因为他犯了一个很难堪的错误，而又不得不承认。也许举个例子能够更好地说明to eat crow的意思：
例句-3: That man running for mayor went around bragging he'd win the election by a big 50,000 majority. But he had to eat crow when the woman running against him won by more than 60,000 votes.
例句-4: Our neighbor had to eat crow yesterday. He's been telling us what a good tennis player he is. Well, he took my 12-year-old son out to play and the kid beat him three straight sets.
当别人提到猴子的时候，你脑子里会出现一个什么形像呢？一般来说，人们认为猴子是一个很聪敏的动物，大家都喜欢观察它们，这是因为猴子的行动往往跟人很像。它们也确实和人一样有的时候很调皮、爱耍花招。美国的成语和俗语也反应了猴子的这些特点。今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语就是和猴子的特性有关的。我们要介绍的第一个俗语就是：monkey business。 Monkey 就是猴子的意思， business 是指做生意或办什么事。但是 monkey 和 business 两个字合在一起用的时候，它们的意思就变了。 Monkey business 是指不道德或不合法的行为，往往是偷偷摸摸和具有欺骗性的行为，例如盗用公款等。下面我们来举一个例子：
例句-1: "The newspapers say there's a lot of monkey business going on at city hall, with officials getting money under the table from people who want the contract to build the new airport."
Monkey business 不一定指当官的人贪污腐化，一般人当中也可能出现不轨行为，下面这个人说的就是一个例子：
例句-2: "I think there's some kind of monkey business going on in that house across the street. People going in and out all day long; maybe they're selling drugs or something."
下面我们要讲的一个和 monkey 有关的俗语是 to make a monkey out of somebody。 Somebody 是指某个人。To make a monkey out of somebody 这个俗语的意思是：把某人弄得好像一个傻瓜一样。下面我们来举一个例子：
例句-3: "My friend Pete made a monkey out of me the other day. He told me the party Saturday night was formal, so I wore a suit and tie. But everybody else there was wearing a tee-shirt and blue jeans. It sure made me feel like a fool."
我们今天讲了两个和monkey 有关的俗语。它们是 monkey business 和 to make a monkey out of somebody。[美国习惯用语」第三十五讲就到里。欢迎下次再一起来学习美国习惯用语。再见。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-6-4 14:09 标题: Lesson 36 hot seat
美国人在日常生活中经常用hot这个字，例如 hot potato， hot dog，hot number， hot rod等等。它们有的时候代表好的、正面的意思，但有一些则具有反面的意思。今天我们要介绍两个和hot这个字有关的习惯用语。第一个是：hot seat。
大家都已经知道hot这个字是热的意思，seat 就是座位。 Hot seat这个俗语从字面上来解释就是那个座位很热，或很烫。但是，它的真正意思却并非如此。大家都知道，有些国家在处决那些被判死刑的犯人时不是用枪决的方式，而是让犯人坐在一张可以通电的椅子上，把他电死的。以前，人们就是把犯人坐的那张椅子叫做hot seat。可是，美国好些州现在都已经废除了死刑。Hot seat这个俗语的意思也有所改变。现在，hot seat这个俗语指的是那种可能会产生麻烦，或让人感到难堪的局面。请听下面这个例子：
例句-1: I thought it would be fun to judge the high school beauty contest. Instead I ended up on the hot seat. When we picked the winner, I made one girl happy and nineteen others mad at me.
例句-2: If you're mayor of a big city these days, you're sitting in the hot seat -- it's hard to make voters happy when you don't have the money in the budget to give them all the things they expect.
例句-4: Please don't get hot and bothered about all these dirty pans and dishes, honey. After dinner you just sit down and relax and watch TV, and let me clean up the kitchen.
这位丈夫说：“亲爱的，你别因为这些脏的盘子和碗就发火和担心。吃完饭，你就去坐下，看看电视，轻松轻松，让我来把厨房打扫乾净。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-6-5 09:22 标题: Lesson 37 to break your neck
在美国英语里，有一些习惯用语都和neck这个字有联系的，但是它们的意思却各不相同。我们先来讲一个美国人经常用的、由neck这个字组成的俗语：to break your neck。 Break 这个字的意思是把什么东西弄断或打破。但是，to break your neck的意思并不是指你的脖子真的断了。 To break your neck作为俗语是尽一切力量努力去做某件事的意思。下面这位爸爸说的话就很清楚地告诉大家to break your neck这个俗语的用法：
例句-1: I wish Sam would study harder, because I am breaking my neck to scrape up the money to keep him in college.
例句-2: You don't have to break your neck fixing this TV set: I really don't need it next week.
他说：“你不必赶紧地修这个电视机,我下星期并不需要它。”
在任何情况下把脖子伸得太长都是既冒险又危险的。中国话里有“枪打出头鸟”的说法。在英文里就是：to stick your neck out。据说to stick your neck out这个说法是来自形容乌龟的处境。当乌龟的头缩在乌龟壳里的时候，一切都很安全。可是，一旦它们把头伸出来，那可就危险了。可是，to stick your neck out已经成为美国人在日常生活中常用的表达形式了。下面我们来举个例子：
例句-3: I think my boss is dead wrong about hiring his son-in-law, but I'm not going to stick my neck out and tell him!
这个人说：“我认为我的老板雇用他的女婿是绝对错误的，但是我才不去冒那风险去告诉他呐。”
可是，不怕担风险的人还是有的。下面这个人就是在称赞他们州的国会议员：
例句-4: I admire our congressman -- he's one politician who's not afraid to stick his neck out and say what he really thinks, even if it costs him some votes.
这句话的意思是：“我很钦佩我们的国会议员。他是一个敢于冒着风险说自己心里话的政治家尽管那样做会使他失去一些选票。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-6-6 10:36 标题: Lesson 38 pain in the neck
下面我们再讲两个和脖子有关的俗语。第一个是 pain in the neck。Pain这个字大家都知道是痛的意思。 Neck 是指脖子。但是，pain in the neck 并不是脖子痛的意思，pain in the neck 是说某人很讨厌。这个俗语非常普遍，你每天都可以听到美国人这么说: He's a real pain in the neck.这就是说：“那个人真讨厌。”下面这个例子是一个饭馆的老板在说某个顾客：
例句-1: I want to run and hide every time I see that woman come into my place. A real pain in the neck; she's always complaining about the food and the service.
Pain in the neck 不是一定要针对别人说的，有时还可以用在自己身上。我们来举个例子。下面是一个很不高兴的爸爸在对儿子说话：
例句-2:I don't want to be a pain in the neck, son, but I've reminded you a dozen times already to clean up your room. Better do it tonight, or you can't use the car this weekend.
下面我们要介绍的一个和 neck 有关的习惯用语是 neck and neck。 Neck and neck 是指比赛进行得很激烈，竞争双方不相上下。 Neck and neck 这个说法原先是来自比赛，如赛跑、赛马等。就拿赛马来说吧，有的时候两匹马齐头并进，很难分辨出那匹马在前头，那一匹在后头。在有的情况下，一匹马由于它的脖子比另一匹马先到终点而获胜，还有的时候甚至由于它的头，或它的鼻子先到而成了冠军。但是，neck and neck 现在也经常用在别的竞争方面，下面这个例子就能说明这一点：
例句-3:Right now, only a week from the election, the republicans and the democrats are running neck to neck and none of the experts can predict which party will win.
例句-4:I'm running neck and neck with the clock to see if I can finish on time.
这句话的意思是：“这次节目的时间已经很紧了，我正在加紧播送，不知能不能在限定时间内播完这次节目。”
我们讲了两个和neck这个字有关的习惯用语，其中之一是pain in the neck。 Pain in the neck 是指某人非常讨厌的意思。这是美国非常普遍的一个俗语。我们今天介绍的另一个和 neck 这个字有关的习惯用语是neck and neck。 Neck and neck是指比赛双方齐头并进，竞争十分紧张，不分上下。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-6-7 09:51 标题: Lesson 39 to have a heart
例句-2: "Charlie, I know I've owed you the hundred bucks for a long time. But, have a heart: give me a little more time because I really don't have it right now."
从科学的角度来看，人的心就是人体内输送血液的重要部份。但是，对我们大多数人来说，人的心要比这意义深远的多，它不仅是维持生命所不可缺少的一部份肌体，而且也是人的各种感情的源泉。今天我们再来讲两个和“心”，也就是英文里的 “heart”这个字有关的习惯用语。首先,我们要讲的是：My heart stood still。我们上面已经说过，“heart”就是心， stood 就是 stand 的过去时，意思是站着， still 就是静止的、不动的。大家可能从字面上已经猜到 My heart stood still 的意思了。 My heart stood still 就是指某件事使你非常害怕，或惊恐，以致你的心脏都几乎停止跳动了。我们来举个例子吧：
例句-1:"My heart stood still when the other car ran through the red light and I knew we were about to crash."
例句-2: "I have to tell you my heart stood still when I saw that baby fall into the water. But that boy jumped right in after the kid and pulled him out before he went under -- that boy deserves a medal!"
例句-3: "Son, you and I have to sit down and have a heart to heart talk about your school grades. You have to do something to bring them up if you want to get into a good college."
大多数的人都很钦佩那些力量充沛、勇往直前的人。这种人为了达到目的而采取行动的时候毫不畏惧。在认定了目标以后，他们就会全力以赴。这种精神在英文里就是：to go all out。一本字典对to go all out的解释就是：以最大的决心和所有的力量去做一件事。 To go all out这个俗语经常用在体育方面，下面就是一个例子：
例句-1: Our basketball team went all-out to win the championship game. But so did the other team, and they beat us by two points.
例句-4: That's a very close family -- whatever happens to one of them, sickness, money trouble, anything, the rest of them come to help. They'd go through hell and high water for each other.
他说：“这家人之间的关系非常密切，不管任何人发生什么事，无论是生病也好，缺钱花也好，或发生其他任何问题，每个人都会来帮忙的。不管家里谁有了困难，大家都会为他赴汤滔火。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-6-13 10:34 标题: Lesson 42 to go for broke
大胆勇敢和鲁莽轻率之间的界线有的时候并不是很明确的。今天我们要讲的两个俗语就能够分清这两种不同的品质。首先我们要给大家介绍的一个俗语是 to go for broke。 To go for broke 的意思就是一个人准备冒损失一切的危险来采取一项行动，也可以说是“孤注一掷”。体育运动员往往会遇到这种情况。下面就是一个例子：
例句-1: "The biggest auto race of the year is ready to start. All the drivers are ready to go for broke and drive their cars until they fall apart."
例句-2: "Okay, I'm going to go for broke and bet all the money I have on my cards. I don't see how anybody can beat what I'm looking at here in my hand."
拿到一付很好的牌而冒一些风险似乎还是有一定的道理。可是有些人在情绪激动或者发怒的时候往往会在没有充份估计形势的情况下，不顾后果地鲁莽从事。这在英文里就是 to go overboard。 Overboard 这个字的意思是从船上掉到水中，就像一个粗心大意的水手，专心致意地忙着工作，一不小心，手没抓紧就掉下水去了。 To go overboard 作为一个习惯用语可以解释为在不顾自己安全的情况下就鲁莽地采取行动。下面我们要举的例子是一个妻子在劝她的丈夫不要轻率地作出决定：
例句-3:"John, let's not go overboard and get a new car right now. With all the other expenses we have, we won't be able to make the monthly payments."
例句-4: "I wouldn't go overboard and buy a lot of stock in that company right now. I hear their profit is down from what it was last year."
这位股票商说：“我现在决不会太轻率地大量买那个公司的股票。我听说他们今年的利润比去年的低了。”
以上我们讲了两个习惯用语，一个是 to go for broke。 To go for broke 是指竭尽全力或孤注一掷。我们今天讲的另一个俗语是 to go overboard。 To go overboard 的意思是鲁莽从事，也就是在没有很好地考虑后果的情况下就采取行动。 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-6-20 16:12 标题: Lesson 43 to put your best foot forward
比如说，你正在找工作，和某个公司约好了去面谈，或者你第一次要去和一位异性会面，这个时候你就想要给他们一个好印象。这在英文里就是to put your best foot forward。为了给人造成一个好印象，也就是说to put your best foot forward，你在去面谈前肯定会尽量把衣服穿得体面一些，在和人面谈的过程中脸上还老是笑容可掬。下面这个例子就是某人在给别人出主意，如何设法给招工的单位一个好印象：
例句-1:Better get a haircut before you go to that job interview tomorrow. You want to put your best foot forward because there are twenty other people after the same job.
我们再来举一个例子说明怎么样用 how to put your best foot forward：
例句-2:I finally got a date with that girl I've been trying to go out with so long. So I'm putting my best foot forward and sending her a dozen roses and a box of chocolates before I pick her up tomorrow.
你难免有的时候会在生活中或工作中碰到一些麻烦和困难，可是，要是你很聪敏或者是很幸运的话，那末这些麻烦和困难都能得到解决。美国有一个俗语就是形容这种情况的。这个俗语就是to land on your feet。 To land on your feet的字面意思是：你的脚站在地上。可是它的确切含义是：你在经历了一些困难后最后又回到一个稳定的状态，也可以说是逢凶化吉了。那么，这个俗语的出处是什么呢？有的语言专家认为，这个俗语可能来自对猫的观察。你也许注意到，当一只猫从树上掉下来的时候，它表现出一种特殊的技能：它能在空中还没有落地之前调整自己身体的姿势，从而使自己平安地落地。我们来举一个例子吧：
例句-3:My brother Joe got fired for never coming to work on time, but he landed on his feet and found another job that paid twice as much money.
例句-4: Mr. Green is one of these people who's not afraid to put his money into some very risky investments. Sometimes he'll lose out, but somehow he usually manages to land on his feet and find money to put into something else that makes a profit.
这个人说：“格林先生就是那种不怕冒很大危险去投资的人。有时，他也确实会亏本，但是他总是会逢凶化吉，找到钱去投资生财的。” 作者: 刘哲 时间: 2013-6-24 21:27 标题: Lesson 44 to put your best foot forward
比如说，你正在找工作，和某个公司约好了去面谈，或者你第一次要去和一位异性会面，这个时候你就想要给他们一个好印象。这在英文里就是to put your best foot forward。为了给人造成一个好印象，也就是说to put your best foot forward，你在去面谈前肯定会尽量把衣服穿得体面一些，在和人面谈的过程中脸上还老是笑容可掬。下面这个例子就是某人在给别人出主意，如何设法给招工的单位一个好印象：
例句-1:Better get a haircut before you go to that job interview tomorrow. You want to put your best foot forward because there are twenty other people after the same job.
我们再来举一个例子说明怎么样用 how to put your best foot forward：
例句-2:I finally got a date with that girl I've been trying to go out with so long. So I'm putting my best foot forward and sending her a dozen roses and a box of chocolates before I pick her up tomorrow.
你难免有的时候会在生活中或工作中碰到一些麻烦和困难，可是，要是你很聪敏或者是很幸运的话，那末这些麻烦和困难都能得到解决。美国有一个俗语就是形容这种情况的。这个俗语就是to land on your feet。 To land on your feet的字面意思是：你的脚站在地上。可是它的确切含义是：你在经历了一些困难后最后又回到一个稳定的状态，也可以说是逢凶化吉了。那么，这个俗语的出处是什么呢？有的语言专家认为，这个俗语可能来自对猫的观察。你也许注意到，当一只猫从树上掉下来的时候，它表现出一种特殊的技能：它能在空中还没有落地之前调整自己身体的姿势，从而使自己平安地落地。我们来举一个例子吧：
例句-3:My brother Joe got fired for never coming to work on time, but he landed on his feet and found another job that paid twice as much money.
例句-4: Mr. Green is one of these people who's not afraid to put his money into some very risky investments. Sometimes he'll lose out, but somehow he usually manages to land on his feet and find money to put into something else that makes a profit.
赞一个~
otluck 是每个人都带一样菜的一种聚会。现在你就懂得下面这句话的意思了:
