时间:2019-01-14 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

Up in arms


At arm's length


在美国人讲话时,或从书刊报纸上,你经常可以听到或见到一些由手臂,就是英文里的arms这个字组成的成语或俗语。有些习惯用语从字面上就可以很明显地了解它的意思,不需要解释。With open arms 就是一个很好的例子。当你听到一个朋友说: "My family received me with open arms when I came back from my trip to California 1." 很明显,这是说当你的朋友去加利福尼亚州后回家的时候,他家里的人都非常欢迎他。可是,有些习惯用语就不像with open arms这样容易理解了。比如说,什么是:Up in arms?这儿的arms不是指手臂了,而是指武器,如枪、炮、箭等。Up in arms的意思是起来进行武装斗争,或者非常愤怒,准备打架。我们来举个例子:


例句-1: "All us students are up in arms at the news the school is raising our tuition 2 ten percent."


这句话的意思是:"当我们学生听到学校要提高百分之十的学费时,我们都火冒三丈。"


下面我们要举的例子是一个国会议员在和一个同事谈论新的税收提案:


例句-2: "No way am I going to vote for a bill to raise income tax again. The voters back home are already up in arms about how much the government takes out of their pay already and I have to run for re-election this fall."


这位议员说:"我绝不会投票支持再次增加所得税的提案。我们州的选民对政府现在从他们工资里扣除的税的数量已经非常恼火了。而我今年还要竞选连任。"


下面我们要讲的另一个由arms这个字组成的习惯用语是:At arm's length。Length在中文里的意思就是长短。At arm's length就是指和某人保持一定距离。下面这个例子是一个大学生在和他同宿舍的同学说话,请大家注意at arm's length 这个习惯用语在句子里是怎么用的:


例句-3: "I keep trying to get friendly with that lovely blonde who sits next to me in biology class. But she keeps me at arm's length."


他说:"我一直设法和那个生物课坐在我旁边的金发姑娘接近。可是,她老是和我保持一定距离。"


在用at arm's length作为和谁保持一定距离的时候,一般都是这么说的:to keep someone at arm's length。


下面我们再来举一个例子。这是一个人在警告一个朋友不要和某人接近:


例句-4: "Let me warn 3 you about this Smith fellow. He seems like a nice, friendly guy. But it's wise to keep him at arm's length. You get too friendly with him, and the first thing he'll do is ask to borrow money from you."


这个人说:"我要警告你关于那个叫Smith的家伙。他看起来似乎很友好。但是,你最好还是和他保持一定距离。一旦你和他过于接近,他马上就会问你借钱。"


今天我们介绍了两个和arms 有关的习惯用语。第一个是:Up in arms,这是指起来进行武装斗争,或者非常愤怒,准备打架。另一个是:At arm's length 或者To keep someone at arm's length,这是和某人保持一定距离的意思。「美国习惯用语」第二十讲就到里。欢迎下次再一起来学习美国习惯用语。再见。




n.加利福尼亚(美国)
  • He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
  • We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。
n.(某一学科的)教学,讲授,指导,学费
  • Students can apply for individual tuition.学生可以申请个别指导。
  • Is this money enough for the tuition fee?这些钱交学费够吗?
vt.警告,注意,远离;vi.提醒
  • I must warn you that my patience is almost at an end.我必须警告你我已经没有耐心了。
  • If you warn me in advance,I will have your order ready for you.你若预先通知我,我就能给您准备好了。
学英语单词
acft
additional document
alar plate
anachitis
anhydrous sodium sulfate
audio-recording
bilithic filter
bowyang
braeden
bulletheads
cellular sheet pile wharf
choosest
chromoneucleoprotein
chrysemys pictas
Consumer Reports
coppice-wood
coral spot
cordierite-anthophyllite rock
crack border
cylic compound
denumerable at infinity
Dictyodrama
Dihydrocoumarone
duncer
error routine address
family Ascaphidae
finger buff
finger-pick
follow feed
football leagues
fuel knock
gabeller
Geneva Bureau
gigabarrels
gished
heavyhanded
homentropic
incestous
incremental pricing
indol(e)amine
indolic
initial free volume
inverse suppressor
jeanbandyite
key schedule
knot-head
light-weight concrete
liquor sauce
longisporin
Lord President of the Court of Session
macro-cracks
magnetic detent
megamonuments
microcosmographic
need it!
nongeriatric
nonzero queue
one's word is as good as one's bond
paediatric psychopharmacology
pareucalanus sewelli
party to a case
penis palmatus
perpendicular susceptibility
pet subject
piscinest
plain snap gauge
plug and chug
plug-finishing bur
poeciloblast
polyimidoylamidine
Posang-ni
proportion of resin present
providers
RAM refresh operation
rauning
reaction control
return flow line
round bordered pit
rug? vaginales
saddle coil magnet
Samut Songkhram, Changwat
Sepyron
Silfiac
spinal lemniscus
stabilizing tester
starting torque in air
static memory interface
stellaria uliginosa murr.var. undulata franch. et sav.
swifterly
sy
the fag end of sth
threofuranoside
tocofersolan
trade identity
transition transient
Triodanis perfoliata
uncarboxylated
under water fittings
unequaladdendum system
venae spinales externae posteriores
William Caxton
willians