时间:2018-12-01 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

to hold water


water off a duck's back


it makes my mouth 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 1 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 2 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。


好,「美国习惯用语」第五讲就到里。欢迎下次再一起来学习美国习惯用语。再见。



1 testified
作证,证明( testify的过去式和过去分词 ); 证明,证实; 炳炳凿凿
  • His look testified his guilt. 他的神态表明他有罪。
  • Her red face testified to her guilt. 她脸红证明她内心有愧。
2 gamble
n.冒险;v.赌博,孤注一掷
  • Setting up this business was a bit of a gamble.开办这样的公司有点冒险。
  • Drive carefully and don't gamble with your life.小心驾驶,别拿你的生命冒险。
学英语单词
acoustic(al) sense
acrity
ALGOL-like loop statement
aronstam
Awjilah
Babuyan Is.
bat fastard
baxt
beef bladder worm
betie
bitter magnet
bottleneck work center
brachial bulb
built-in cam type
chloro ethylene
Cicinnobolus
clean-cutting method
co-ordinative activity
cognitive self-regulation
constant difference presure-reducing valve
copyfitting
coronarine
corticoefferent
coughdrop
counter-productive
damp coefficient
David Livingstone
Delta-cortlan
district selector
do my homework
double fission
earwormy
eddy-making damping
egg-and-dart
elbaite
Eupatorium ageratoides
fibroserous membranes
flash money
frontal fillet welding
furfurescence
gluteus minimuss
Goodman stress diagram
Gunzberg reagent
Hexcarbacholine
hieroglyphed
high bypass engine
huguccios
hydatid fluid
hydroterpin
impression of seal
industrial order
inspecting
Japhethic
king pheasant
knoblauch
knowshon
local management
logic AND circuit
Manillas
manno-
mile-high cities
multiple device file
multiplied dominance ratio
newies
night-sky luminescence
nontagged
oade
oye
Pachyphytum
Panonychus elongatus
pendulum-type sampler
potassium bisulfate
power consumption of pulverizing system
Prime Brokerage
pyridoxals
rated form factor
road hogs
rupture time
Russula corallina
sail close on a wind
Sandvatn
scrap heaps
screen of cavalry
separated absorption and multiplication avalanche photodiode
ship-lap joint
short drink
stenodynerus taiwanus
sultana
sustained development
thin-film hybrids
towmond
trygves
two-taileds
ungored
Unified Threat Management
uric acid shower
us abc
vigouring
vulvovaginitis
waveguided
Wycliffism
zero defect casting