英语习语趣谈【31】雨后春笋 Pop up & See to something

本栏目由李福兵原创编写,Eyre绘图。

随着社会的发展,人民生活水平得到逐渐提高,文化需求也越来越高。现在越来越多的人们习惯了上网冲浪。让我们看看下面的句子是怎样描述的,注意其中包含了一个我们今天要给朋友们介绍的片语:

Surfing net is becoming very popular. We have seen new internet bars popping up across the city.
(译文:上网已经变得很普遍了。我们看到新网吧在这个城市如雨后春笋般的出现。)

如果我们请大家直接翻译例句中的“如雨后春笋般的”这样一个中文意思,还真把大家给难住了。也许你们不会想到用两个单词就可以搞定吧!这就是pop up. 这个片语含有“突然出现”的意思,在口语中常指“(在意想不到的地方或时间)突然出现, 冒出来”。To pop up means something appears immediately at an unexpected time or place. For example:

These years, craft stores are popping up across the country.
(译文:这些年,手工艺店正如雨后春笋般的在这个国家出现。)

生活改善了,笔者偶尔也进进馆子。听朋友说有个餐馆服务员特beautiful and sexual. 一下班我们就迫不急待的钻进去…你猜怎么着?等了半个小时,order的快餐还没有送到。当那位漂亮的服务员向我们道歉时,朋友直盯着人家看,嘴里不自禁的说:“没关系,没关系。”哎!看到他那口水巴棘的样子,我非常生气,向餐厅老板抱怨道:

In order to run your restaurant well, your attendants must see to the needs of your customers.
(译文:为了运作好你的餐厅,你的服务员必须照料到顾客的需要。)

在这句话中,我使用了一个片语:see to something,它的意思是“照料,负责”,而不是看到某物的意思呢! To see to something means to deal with something or do something for someone, 注意这里的to是一个介词,而不是动词不定式的标志。又如:

After having dinner, I told my mother that I would see to the washing up.
(译文:晚饭过后,我告诉母亲我将负责洗餐具。)

结束语:小康社会真是好啊,党的十六大刚胜利闭幕,有些单位里私家小车就如雨后春笋般的出现(pop up), 那些负责(see to something )修理家庭型轿车的厂家这下可乐了。

英语习语趣谈【30】都是美女惹的祸 Make one’s mouth water & Do to one’s heart’s content

本栏目由李福兵原创编写,Eyre绘图。

古人云:饭后三步走乃养生之道。每天晚饭后总是要到大街上走一走的,说是养生之道,其实不尽然,主要的还是为了要看一看美女。看美女本来就是对美的尊重,也是对美的赞扬。每当看到那些身材很好模样又漂亮的女孩,禁不住感叹:上帝创造的天使为何这般令人垂涎。

Looking at beautiful women in streets every time makes my mouth water.
(译文:每次在街上看到美女就使我垂涎。)

片语make one’s mouth water的意思是“使人垂涎。”从字面上理解,使某人的嘴里冒出口水来,是不是使人垂涎的意思呢?The idiom means to stimulate desire for something. Especially, if food makes your mouth water, it smells or looks so good you want to eat it immediately. For example:

It made the guests’ mouths water to see the roast beef.
(译文:看到了烤牛肉,客人们不禁垂涎三尺。)

看美女本来是一种享受,但如果你死死的盯着人家看(stare with a wide-eyed gaze), 而且还口水巴棘的,从美女嘴里冒出来的就是“色鬼”两个字了,多尴尬!都是美女惹的祸的啊! 总结一条重要经验是:美的东西往往是不能让人尽情的享受的(do not let someone enjoy to one’s heart’s content)。
片语Do to one’s heart’s content 意思是“尽情地,”即 do something as much as one wants to do,本意可以翻译为“做某事使某人从心里都感到满足(content)”,言外之意就是指“尽情的做某事。”

Today is Saturday. I can sleep to my heart’s content.
(译文:今天是星期六,我可以尽情地睡觉了。)

At weekends, we always play football games to our hearts’ contents.
(译文:在周末,我们总是尽情的踢足球。)

还有一个片语表达的是相同的意思,to the top of one’s bent. Bent是兴趣爱好的意思。处于兴趣爱好的顶端(top),不正是“尽情、尽兴”的意思吗?

结束语:能让人尽情的去做的事很多。有一顿丰盛的晚餐,你可敞开肚子尽情的吃(eat to your heart’s content)。如果你有很多钱也可以尽情的挥霍。哎,这真令人垂涎呀(make one’s mouth water)!

英语习语趣谈【29】反反复复 孤枕难眠 Hang over someone’s head & Settle someone’s estate

本栏目由李福兵原创编写,Eyre绘图。

朋友们或许有这样的经历,当有些事情放在心里挥之不去的时候,总是惦记着,脑里思考着要如何处理它,因而不能完全的处于放松状态, 而且使你睡觉时反反复复,难以入眠。这时我们就可以用一个英文片语来形容:hang over someone’s head. 这是什么意思呢?让我们先来看一个例句:

Thanks for asking, but I don’t want to go to the movies tonight because I can’t enjoy a movie with a big exam hanging over my head.
(译文:谢谢邀请,但今晚我不想去看电影。因为我不能在面临大考下享受电影。)

这里的片语hang over someone’s head意思是指“某人面临某种威胁或压力,某事悬在心头。”Hang over 本来是指“悬挂”的意思。如果有一些事情挂在了头上(head), 你是不是感到了一种压力呢?Something to hang over your head, it means that it is a problem or a matter that is going to be with you, or has been with you wherever you go. You can’t get rid of it. It is constant source of problem or worry. For example:

US president Bush has a major worry hanging over his head. It is not easy to end the war against Iraq immediately.
(译文:美国总统布什有一个重大忧虑悬在心头。伊拉克战争要很快结束并非易事。)

有一天,笔者偶然路过某一商场时,看到一架十分精致的钢琴。本想买了来,可是自己穷得叮当响,清算了一下父母走后留下的资产,哎,他们欠人家的帐还没有还清呢!(have a financial obligation hanging over their heads), 所以只好打消了这个念头。对了,朋友们知道“清算某人资产”该怎么说吗?
 
After my grandfather died, it took a long time to settle his estate.
(译文:我祖父逝世后,清算遗产花了很长时间)

在这个句子中,片语settle one’s estate的意思就是指“清算某人资产(遗产)。”settle 本来有“安置”的意思,这里指“处理,整理”。处置(settle) 财产 (estate),首先要清算一番嘛! To settle something means to complete or finish something. We settle arguments(争论) by coming to an agreement about what to do. We settle a bill by paying it. A person’s estate is made of all the things that they own their property(财产). So to settle someone’s estate means to determine what to do with the possessions(所拥有的财产) after that person has died. For example:

I was depressive when my parents passed away. I had no desire to settle their estate at all.
(译文:父母过世后,我根本没有心情清算他们的财产。)

结束语:人们总是努力工作希望能留下一笔财富给后代,这样待自己上了天堂,他们清算遗产时(settle someone’s estate),也不至于会太失望。所以,如何挣钱这个问题就常悬在人们心头 (hang over someone’s head)。