英语习语趣谈【100】害群之黑羊 Talk until one is blue in the face & Black sheep

本栏目由李福兵原创编写,Eyre绘图。

朋友们一定遇到过那种说起话来滔滔不绝,没完没了的人吧! 如果他们谈论的是别人的闲话,英文中就说他们是gossip或gossipmonger. 然而他们有时候是为了说服某人去做某事而不断的进行游说,这种人在英文中有相应的表达。如:

Sally talked with that boy until she was blue in the face, but the boy still did what he wanted.
(译文:Sally与那个男孩谈话谈到脸色都变了,但这男孩仍然做他想做的事。)

在这个句子中我们看到一个很复杂的表达:talk until one is blue in the face. 它的意思是“交谈到脸色都变了”。朋友们可能观察到,当人们谈话谈得太多时,有时连呼吸都调整不过来,这时就有可能导致脸色变绿,所以当有人长时间的谈论过后,人们就会用“blue in the face”来描述他。注意,这个片语暗含的意思是说某人谈话谈个不停,一直到非常疲惫,但却没有达到应有的效果。To talk until one is blue in the face refers to someone who talks something a lot. Although he or she is exhausted, they don’t achieve what he or she wants. For example:

Our parents talked until they are blue in the face, but all of us didn’t changed our mind. We still decided to take part in an important race across the Atlantic.
 (译文:我们的父母谈话谈得精疲力竭,但我们全都没有改变我们的主意。我们仍然决定参加一个重要的横跨大西洋的比赛。)

现在的年轻人也许叛逆情绪比较突出,喜欢刺激与冒险,这不得不令父母头痛。但这并不足以使他们成为家庭中最不受喜欢的人。家庭中最不受喜欢的人在英文中的表达是:black sheep. 如:

Although we don’t follow our parents’ advice and sometimes, we even do what our parents oppose, they don’t consider us as the black sheep.
(译文:虽然我们不听从父母的意见,有时甚至做他们不愿意我们做的事,但他们并没有把我们看作是家庭中受人喜欢的人。)

black sheep本来的意思是“黑色的绵羊”一般地,白色的绵羊比黑色的绵羊有价值,因为黑色绵羊的毛很难染成其他颜色,实用价值相对就低些,所以黑色绵羊一般不太受主人的喜爱。后来,人们就用这个片语来比喻“在家庭中不受喜欢的人”。The idiom refers to someone who is regarded by other members of their family or group as a failure or embarrassment. For example:
Sometimes, I was considered the black sheep of the family, the weirdo in the group. I want to change myself.
(译文:有时家人认为我古怪,我被认为是最不令人喜欢的人。我想改变一下自己。)

结束语:如果一个家庭中有一个人很固执,他总是谈话谈得精疲力竭(talk until one is blue in the face)以说服别人听从他的意志,那么他可能就会成为家庭中最不受人喜欢的人(black sheep)。

英语习语趣谈【99】颜色不同,意思不同 in the red & have a green thumb

本栏目由李福兵原创编写,Eyre绘图。

英文中有许多使用了颜色的单词而构成的片语,比如今天我们要给大家介绍的两个。一个是in the red, 他的意思是“欠债的,负债的”。另一个是have a green thumb, 它的意思是“某人很会种花、种菜”。
   首先我们来看一看第一个片语in the red. 这个片语来自于20世纪初期。在公司的财务部门中当人们撰写财务报表的时候,如果公司处于盈利状态的话,他们就用黑色来表示最后的资金额度。相反,如果处于亏损状态,他们就用红色来表示亏损的资金额度。所以后来人们就用be in the red来形容一个人处于负债的情况之下。For example:

I can’t pay for your dinner as I was in the red for half a year. Perhaps, it will be my treat next time. 
(译文:因为欠债半年了,所以不能为你付午餐费,也许下次我请客。)

从上面的背景介绍不难看出,与in the red意思相反的片语是:in the black, 美国“9.11”事件过后,民航业曾一度处于亏损状态,但近一年来,他们却开始盈利了。看看下面这个句子是怎么描述的:

After the 10th September affair, the airline once was in the red, but recent years, they have tried their best to run and they are in the black.
(译文:“9.11”事件后,航空公司曾经处于亏损状态,但近年来,在他们的努力下,现在已处于盈利的状态。)

接下来,我们来看看第二个片语have a green thumb.
在美国,许多家庭都拥有一个花园,主人常花一些时间照料花草。他们的阿警方拇指被绿色植物染成了绿色,排说明他们花在花草上面的时间很多,把花草照料得很好。所以人们就用have a green thumb来形容一个人“某人把花草照料得很好”。The idiom refers to the fact that good gardeners have spend a lot of time on their gardens and get their hand stained green become of touching plants and finally, their gardens look really beautiful. For example:

Tom has a green thumb. He is very proud of his beautiful garden, and he always tells everyone that it’s worth spending lots of time on it.
(译文:Tom把花草照料得很好,他为自己漂亮的花园而感到很自豪,他常告诉别人花许多时间在花园里是值得的。)

实际上,有些人虽然花了很多时间在花草上,由于方法不当,花草生长得并不好,这时他们就不得不向别人请教经历了。看看下面这句话是怎么说的:

Tom told Susan who didn’t have a green thumb that he just watered his plants every day.
(译文:Susan不能很好的照料好自己的花草,Tom告诉她,他只是给花草每天浇一次水而已。)

结束语:要想成为一个很会照料花草的人(have a green thumb),除了要花很多时间外,还需要不少的资金,如果你已经欠了债(be in the red), 我想就不可能照料出一个好的花园了。

英语习语趣谈【98】故作清高 Play hard to get & Over the hill

本栏目由李福兵原创编写,Eyre绘图。

生活中总有这样的人,他们故意装出难以接近的样子,显得很清高。人们称他们为“酷”,英文用“cool”来表示。但我却不这样认为,我总觉得这样的人是play hard to get. 大家知道这个片语是什么意思吗?get在这里的意思可以理解为“相处”,play hard在这里的意思可以理解为“装作反对,不肯合作”,所以整个片语的意思就是“故意装出不肯合作的样子,故意装出难以接近的样子”。

The girl is playing hard to get. She doesn’t return Luming’s phone calls, but everyone knows that she really likes him.
(译文:这女孩故意装出难以接近的样子,他不回应卢明的电话,但每个人都知道,她真的喜欢他。)

有些人主观上是肯合作或可以接近的,但为了显示自己、加强自己的地位而故作不肯接近的样子,这时我们就可以用play hard to get来描述他们。The idiom means to pretend that you are not sexually interested in someone so that they will become more interested in you. 又如:

You shouldn’t be so depressive, Tony! Your girlfriend is just playing hard to get. If you don’t pay attention to her, I’m sure, she will pay attention to you within three days.
(译文:你不该如此的沮丧的,Tony. 你女朋友只是故意装出难以接近的样子,如果你不理睬她,我肯定不出三天,她就会来找你。)

今天我们要学习的第二个片语是Over the hill. 它的字面意思是“在山岗之上”,常用来比喻一个人年龄很大了,不再具有什么魅力,干什么事情都不太灵便了。The idiom indicates someone who is no longer young, and therefore no longer attractive or good at doing things. For example:

Now that Sam is over the hill, let’s do it. We are so young and should do more.
(译文:既然Sam已经上岁数了,就让我们干吧。我们那么年轻,应该多干点的。)

注意,这个片语是用来形容老年人的,特别强调老年人因为岁数的原因而做起事情来显得不灵便或根本就不能完成某些事情。又如:

My grandpa can’t move the heavy box because he is over the hill. He has to ask for help.
(译文:我爷爷搬不动这个沉重的箱子,因为他已经上岁数了。他不得不请求帮助。)

结束语:一般上了岁数的人虽然行动不便(be over the hill),但是却拥有丰富的经验。如果人们故意装出不肯合作或难以接近的样子(play hard to get),一般情况下,他们都能够察觉到的。