生活英语对话 Episode 100: More tears

本单元是关于伤心流泪事的对话。

Helen: Alice! Please don't cry.
Alice: I can't help it. I've just done the exact same thing as you.
Helen: What! You had a bust-up with Tim?
Alice: No, not with Tim, with Paul.
Helen: But why?
Alice: Oh I had to babysit Ellie and she just gave me the runaround. But then when Paul asked how it had been, I just completely lost it. I called him a bad dad and I said that she was spoiled rotten 1.
Helen: Oh no, that's a bit harsh 2!
Alice: I know but I was so tired Helen. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Helen: Erm, do you think it's maybe time for us to eat some humble 3 pie?


Vocabulary (词汇)

a bust-up (非正式用语，爆发，突然发怒):
a fight or disagreement

gave me the runaround （敷衍搪塞）:
deliberately behave in a way that is not helpful

I completely lost it （完全发火了）
lost my temper 4 completely

harsh （严厉的；苛刻的）
unkind, cruel or unnecessarily severe

eat some humble pie (习语，指低声下气地道歉)
admit that you were wrong

本单元的语言点是关于吃喝的习语，请看下面的解释和例句。

Idioms: eating and drinking

Background (背景):
Idioms use language metaphorically 5 rather than literally 6. If you have 'a sweet tooth' it means you like eating chocolate and other sweet things, not that you have a tooth that's made of sugar. Idioms are also fixed 7 groups of words so you can't change the wording of an idiom. For example, you can say you 'make a meal of something' to mean take more time or energy doing something than is necessary but you can't say 'cook a meal of something' or 'make a cake of something'.


Eating idioms (与吃有关的习语):

to eat humble pie
to admit that you were wrong
She made a huge mistake a work and now she's going to have to eat humble pie and admit to the boss that she was wrong.

could eat a horse
am/is/are very hungry
I haven't had anything since breakfast time. I could eat a horse right now!

make a meal of it
take more time or energy doing something than is necessary
I only asked him to tidy up the sitting room but he made a right meal of it. It took him two hours just to clear up the room.

a second bite at the cherry
another try after you have failed the first time
He didn't get the job when he applied 8 for it last year but another vacancy 9 came up a few weeks ago and he got a second bite at the cherry. He's so please he got the job!

not my taste
I don't like it
She's happy with her new curtains but that bright colour isn't my taste at all.


Drinking idioms (与喝有关的习语):

not my cup of tea
similar to 'not my taste'. See above
She likes thrillers 10 but films that frighten me just aren't my cup of tea.

there's no use crying over spilt milk
it is useless to regret something which has already happened
I know you're upset you failed your exam but there's no use crying over spilt milk. Just get over it and start studying so you'll be ready to take it again soon.

throw cold water on something
to be negative about someone's ideas or plans
I spent hours preparing that report and then the boss threw cold water on it. What a waste of my time!

a storm in a teacup
a lot of unnecessary anger and anxiety about something that's not important
He got really angry with us about being late for work. But it was a storm in a teacup. We were only 5 minutes late.