英語單詞真的很神奇,組合成短語意思常常是天差地別。比如下面這些與動物有關的英語短語,你能猜到它們的意思嗎?
1. Have kittens
1. 極度的緊張或不安
Sweet, cuddly, cute: what’s not to love about kittens, the most watched animals on the Internet? But giving birth to them might be a different experience altogether. Apparently, back in medieval times, a woman who suffered pains during pregnancy would often be advised by the local witch that she was, to her misfortune, carrying kittens, and that the only remedy was a magic potion to destroy the unhappy litter.
作為在網際網路上最受關注的動物,小貓甜美而惹人喜愛。但生下它們的過程可能是一個完全不同的體驗。顯然,中世紀時期,一個在懷孕期間遭受痛苦的女人常常被當地的女巫建議,她很不幸地懷著小貓,唯一的補救方法是喝下魔法藥水摧毀來摧毀腹中的胎兒。
例句:
‘Have you got that report ready yet? The boss is having kittens!’
你的報告準備好了麼?老闆非常緊張。
‘We’re so late – my mum’ll be having kittens.’
我們遲到了,我媽媽一定心煩意亂。
2. All dressed up like a dog’s dinner
2. 穿著特別或招搖的衣服
The Brits love their dogs – they’re the most popular pet in the UK. Dogs’ dinners, however, are not usually very appealing at all – in fact, the expression a dog’s dinner on its own also means a mess.
英國人愛狗,狗是英國最受歡迎的動物。但事實上,狗的晚餐卻並不吸引人,a dog’s dinner (狗的晚餐)這樣的表達本身的含義確實是負面的。
例如:
‘Where are you off to then, all dressed up like a dog’s dinner?’
你之後要去哪裡,穿得這麼招搖?
3. A cold fish
3. 冷漠的人
Dictionary definition: a + adjective + fish: a person who is strange in a specified ough in theory any adjective can be put before fish, cold is by far the most common one.
字典定義:a+形容詞+fish:某人在某方面較為特別。儘管在理論上其他形容詞同樣可以放在fish前,但cold是目前最為常用的詞。
If you’re a cold fish, you’re unemotional, and perhaps even unfriendly. To sound even more British, add a bit of:
如果你被叫做“cold fish”,你是有較少感情波動的、甚至是不友好的'。為了聽起來更英式化,也會在之前新增“a bit of”
例如:
‘I tried talking to Rachel at the party, but she’s a bit of a cold fish.’
在派對上我試圖和瑞秋說話,但她有些冷漠。
‘What did you think of him?’ – ‘Bit of a cold fish, wasn’t he?’
“你認為他怎麼樣?”“有一些冷漠,不是嗎?”
4. Like a bear with a sore head
4. 形容人易怒
Brown bears have been extinct in Britain for over a thousand years, but, like wolves, they have left their mark in our fairy tales: it seems wise to stay well away from one of the most dangerous animals in the world.
棕熊在英國已經滅絕了一千多年,但是,像狼一樣,它們在傳說故事中已經留下了印記:遠離這種世界上最危險的動物才是明智的舉動。
If you’re a like a bear with a sore head, you’re in a very bad mood. Interestingly, this phrase is more often used to describe men than women.
如果你是“like a bear with a sore head”,代表你心情很糟糕。有趣的是,這個短語更多地用來形容男性而不是女性。
例如:
‘I don’t know what’s up with Mike – he’s like a bear with a sore head today!’
“我不知道邁克發生了什麼”?“他看起來心情很糟”。
‘He’s like a bear with a sore head if he doesn’t get his cup of tea in the morning.’
“如果他在早上沒有喝一杯茶的話,就會心情煩躁”。