I love this desire which comes from a fire in my belly.
一首歌的歌詞:Fire in my heart, fire in my belly too Got a heart and a mind and a fire inside And I’m crazy about you You, you on your high flying cloud You, you when you’re laughing out loud.
Have a yen for也是口語,同樣表示“I have a desire for”: I have a yen for a thick juicy steak. He has a yen for this girl.
102.Digital cameras are cheap now, you can get one for peanuts. 最便宜的東西莫過于花生,用買花生的錢就能買的東西,那當(dāng)然是很便宜了。以前美國南部產(chǎn)棉花,但棉花對土地有結(jié)板塊的作用。后來農(nóng)民發(fā)現(xiàn)棉花收割后種花生對土地有幫助,于是開始種花生。那時花生不過像雜草一樣,農(nóng)民任其爛在田里。直到發(fā)明了花生醬后,花生才漸漸地成為人們喜歡的食物。
103.Blow out 與 blow away
With this dress, you are going to blow away everybody at your party.
I am blown out to find out that she would not come.
104.You are so jumpy. 你真是有點(diǎn)神經(jīng)質(zhì)。一個人興奮得亂蹦亂跳,所以顯得有點(diǎn)神經(jīng)質(zhì).
105.Are you getting the picture You are going to get the whole picture.
106.Tough, 這個詞是口語中使用頻率比較高的,a tough guy,
It is pretty tough to get a reservation. 這里的tough就是difficult得意思。You just have to tough it out.
107.Rough, 注意,rough與touch意思不同,容易混淆。
I have some rough patches with my wife. 我有好些地方得與老婆去磨合磨合了。
108.I am here now, I need to get in a swing of it. 我已經(jīng)到了,該投入行動了。
109.More brawn than brain 四肢發(fā)達(dá),頭腦簡單 Nowadays, pop-culture icons are more brawn than brain. 現(xiàn)在流行文化中的偶像都是些四肢發(fā)達(dá),頭腦簡單的家伙。
110.Once you get to the meat of the subject, you will start to enjoy it. Meat肉,這里做“精髓”解。Nub也有這個意思:the nub of the story
作者:信天優(yōu) 回復(fù)日期:2007-10-13 18:56:35
111.Watch out for bait-and-switch tactics. 街頭騙子常用的手法就是快速地掉包,先用一個誘餌,乘你不注意掉包。
112.Ball這個詞人人都識,就是球的意思。但在口語里,還有三個其他的含義。The little girl had a ball at school today. 這個小女孩今天在學(xué)校參加了一個舞會。
另外on the ball 的含義是,有知識,有才華,懂行,辦事利索。
He is a teacher who is really on the ball. 他是個了不起的老師。a manager who has a lot on the ball很懂行的經(jīng)理; a student who has nothing on the ball 學(xué)得一塌糊涂的學(xué)生
另一個說法表示一個人“能干”,可以說hot-shot:The boss would like to hire a hot-shot employee 能干的職員 a hot-shot teacher, 能干的老師,
Ball的第三個用法是having sex:They met, they clicked, they are having a ball.
I am glad you have started the ball rolling. 很高興你把這事推動起來了。補(bǔ)充:
The ball is in your court now.現(xiàn)在球已到你那邊了。(意即得由你作次決定了,作出回應(yīng)了)
Fireball:火球,例如像原子彈爆炸一般,引申為“成功、熱情、精力旺盛”之意。I hope John will join us, he is a fireball.(or he is a ball of fire.)我希望約翰能加入我們,他是個熱情旺盛的人。
113.Blur 模糊,Taiwan talk is just a blur. 臺灣問題的討論不過是在攪混水。The next hour is a blur to me.接下來的一個小時我就稀里糊涂了。
114.I have worked my butt out.我干活干得筋疲力盡了。中國人“我干這活都掉了兩斤肉。”英語里是累得屁股都掉了。
115.Snake oil 江湖郎中開的藥 a snake oil salesman, 一個騙子推銷商,傳銷賣的東西基本上都是snake oil。中國的保健品基本上也都是snake oil,中國最有名的snake oil恐怕是腦白金了。
116.I saw several old geezers walking in the street. old geezer 老人,老頭子(有幽默味道,并不含貶義),表示老頭子還有另兩種說法:old chap, old stick,這只能熟人之間用,
117. She is angry with me, but I stick to my guns.她對我很憤怒,但我決不讓步。stick to one’s guns 表示堅持原則。堅守原則的另一說法是:You need to hold your ground even if some people oppose you. 就算有人攻擊你,你也一定要堅守立場。
118.A night owl 熬夜的人 He is a night owl. 相當(dāng)于He likes to burn night oil.
119.Mr. Li never throws anything away, he is a pack rat. 李先生從不扔掉任何東西,他簡直是垃圾收藏家。
120. He has been my sidekick for several years.他是我多年的好友。Sidekick 可以是老朋友,也指在關(guān)系中處于小弟的位置:I have been his sidekick for many years, now it is time that I break into my own business. 我作他的跟班已經(jīng)好些年了,現(xiàn)在我該自己創(chuàng)業(yè)了。
121. Close but no cigar. 差不多就答對了,但尚不能獲獎。(大概是答對了就會獎勵一支雪茄吧)同樣的結(jié)構(gòu)有Thanks but no thanks.如果你謝絕別人要給你提供的幫助或東西時,你可以這么說,“謝謝,但不需要。”
122. three strikes, you are out. 這是一句棒球語,但也開始用在日常生活中,往往意思為:“如果你犯三次,就把你開除。”好些年前,美國曾討論一個叫“three strikes law”,又叫“habitual offender laws”,該法律主要是針對那些刑事犯罪慣犯,如果一連犯了三次重罪,刑期就得自動延長,甚至是終生監(jiān)禁,有點(diǎn)中國“嚴(yán)-打”的味道,但也有人指出這法律不合憲法,因?yàn)閼椃ㄖ幸?guī)定,一罪不二罰。
123. The returns are good but the stakes are high. 回報誘人,但風(fēng)險極高。
124. Every year, f
our hundred Americans die from heat stroke. Heat stroke就是中暑,今年中暑的人特別多。
125. I need some back-up from you. 我需要你的支持。Support是書面語,backup是口語。Police: I need backup, I need backup.請求支援,請求支援。Back off, 讓開。
126. get out of here. 直接的意思是,滾到一邊去吧。也可以意為:得了吧。如果你不同別人的話,也可這么說。
127. I am pulling an all-nighter. 熬夜
128. Let me get my head around this. 讓我把這件事想清楚。
129. you need to get your head straight. 你得頭腦清醒清醒。
130. the sticks,這里的sticks 是“樹林,深林”的意思。He is a guy in the sticks, how could you expect him to know that? 他住深山老林,他怎么可能知道這事?stick-thin, 或者 as thin as a stick 骨瘦如柴 I remember her as a stick-thin teenager. 我的記憶里,她是個骨瘦如柴的青少年。比較:out of the woods脫離深林,意即“脫離危險”。
131. Streamliner 高速列車,我國最近開通的D字頭車就可稱為streamliner,另一個詞是子彈頭車bullet train,賽車也可以說是streamlined cars;
132. I try to fix Michael up with my sister’s classmate Mary. 我想要撮合Michael與我妹妹的同學(xué)Mary成一對。
133. One for the books 值得記一筆的事件,難以置信的事件。
134. You should bypass the mind and go straight to the bloodstream of your listeners. 你不要跟聽眾講大道理,而應(yīng)該直接去打動他們的心。 Or say: go straight to their gut feeling
135. Many Chinese people like to play devil’s advocate in politics. 許多中國人最喜歡在討論政治時唱反調(diào)。play devil’s advocate就是“抬杠”的意思。
136. I don’t like his devil-may-care attitude. 我不喜歡他那毫不在乎的態(tài)度
137. “惡搞”如何說?spoof, spoofing attack, “When a good product gets spoofed, that is too bad.”
138. "I wouldn’t vote for him for dogcatcher" or "He couldn’t run for dogcatcher in this country". Dogcatcher 捕狗員,如有流浪狗在街上,捕狗員的工作就是抓這些狗,這是最低賤的活了。“連捕狗員我都不會選他去當(dāng)。”(實(shí)際意思是:他又如何可以競選當(dāng)縣長?)
139. 出血大甩賣deep discount, blowout sale, 清倉大甩賣closing sale, clearance sale, 減價 on sale, slashed by half,
140. Turnoff, 本意是“關(guān)燈”,如果一個人一來就關(guān)燈,這個人就是“turnoff”(掃興): One of the girls’ biggest turn-offs is guys who are indecisive. 女孩最不喜歡的人就是那些老猶豫不決的男子。A woman who is aggressive is a turnoff to men. 什么事都搶先爭贏的女人不受男人的歡迎。Zhang Yimou’s movies are always turnoffs. 張藝謀的電影都叫人看不下去。
141. Gotcha. 是got you的口語形式,意思就是“明白”。
142. She can really turn a phrase. 她的語言文字能力極強(qiáng)。又可以說:a turn of phrase, She has a nice turn of phrase which should serve her well in journalism. 她善于文字表達(dá),因此適合從事新聞業(yè)。又作“表達(dá)法”解釋:Significant other’, meaning ’partner’, now that’s an interesting turn of phrase.
143. there is a lot of ground work to do. 還有好多預(yù)備工作要做。這大概是源于航空業(yè),在飛機(jī)起飛前,要做很多的地面工作。
144. That is the real deal. 這才是真正的目的,真正的實(shí)惠所在。
145. I don’t mean to cry over your shoulder, but here is my reality, I have lots of bills to pay. 我并不是想賺取你的同情,但我的實(shí)際情況是,我真的有好多賬單還沒有付。
146. Net Gestapos track down and punish offenders for even some minor perceived rule-breaking offense. Track down 追蹤, 哪怕是那些微不足道的犯規(guī),網(wǎng)蓋都會要窮追不舍把犯規(guī)者法辦。
147. 他是代課老師??梢哉fa temporary teacher, 不過口語的說法是He is a fill-in teacher. Fill-in 臨時替代。
148. He is quite spunky today. Spunky, 興高采烈,情緒好。From the spunky look on his face you could tell he must have done well in the test. 從他有精神的表情上可以得出他一定考得不錯。
149. They beat us fair and square. 我們輸?shù)眯姆诜?。Everyone wants to get rich ovenight, they don’t care if they will earn something fair and square.
150. I want you to get your room in shipshape. 請把房間收拾好。Everything is shipshape.一切都好,一切準(zhǔn)備就緒。Shipshape指的是軍艦上一切都是有條不紊。