时间:2019-02-09 作者:英语课 分类:美国俚语


英语课

   今天要学的习惯用语是: keep one's powder dry。在keep one's powder dry这个习惯用语里,powder指枪炮用的火药。以前步兵和水兵把火药装在火药桶里保持干燥,随时取用。要是哪个粗心大意的士兵忘了把火药桶盖子盖上,火药就可能受潮,装上这样的火药枪炮就开不了火了。于是军官时常会教训士兵:keep your powder dry,也就是要他们谨防火药受潮,随时备战。


  这就是keep your powder dry这个习惯用语的出典,但是如今这个习惯用语已经跟火药不相干了,而且不仅在军内还在民间流通。我们先来听以为军官在将军视察营房之后,正对不下讲话:
  例句1:Okay, men, the General liked what he saw. But we still may get a surprise inspection 1 any time! So keep your quarters clean and neat at all times. Remember the old rule, keep your powder dry.
  他说:好吧,各位,将军对看到的情况很满意。但是仍然可能随时对我们进行突击视察,所以大家得始终保持营房整洁。记住这条老规矩:有备无患。
  显然这里的习惯用语keep your powder dry是保持营房整洁,随时迎接视察。换句话说就是:有备无患。
  再看个例子,是有关邻里纠纷的。一场暴风雨吹倒Brown先生家的一棵大树。这棵树却把紧邻隔壁Green先生家的房子压坏了。这引起了两家的争执。后来请了几个房屋修理工来作房屋修复费用的估价。Brown最后终于同意偿付这笔修理费。这是Green先生在私下跟太太议论:他还是觉得放心不下。
  例句2:Honey, let's keep all our damages estimates handy. I don't trust Brown - he may find some excuse not to pay. Then we'll have to sue him in court so let's keep our powder dry.
  他说:亲爱的,我们要把所有的修理估价单据都保存在可随时取得的地方。我可不信任Brown那家伙,他会找个借口赖帐的。那时候我们就得上法庭告他了,所以我们得做好一切准备。
  显然这段话里的习惯用语let's keep our powder dry,意思是我们要把必要的证据保存在随手可得的地方,随时为索赔诉讼作准备。这里的习惯用语keep our powder dry还是有备无患的意思。

n.检查,审查,检阅
  • On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
  • The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。
标签: 俚语
学英语单词
acanthochiton
acception of persons
act according to
actvs
aetr
Akropong
ann c.
arteriae ulnaris
Asian cholera
atmosphere analyser
automatic monitoring
b-complex vitamins
barrow's
bill of lading copy
blow-run method
bricked it
brown smoke
chassepots
chewability
chirometer
civil time
clowers
Cogolin
consciousness-threshold
counterlaths
diameter ratio
differential block
doner kebabs
electronic journalism
ELEP (expansion-line end point)
employee business expenses
endomesoderm cell
euaugaptilus mixtus
factor of evaluation
finish gauge
fire extinguisher system
fordwine
globeflowers
GM_past-perfect-continuous-i-had-been-working
granoblastic texture
gross thickness
heavy-liddeds
horny-handed
hutzpah
hwyls
included angle
instantaneous frequency stability
insulating soft wire
isogermidine
Khārchok
land use mapping
lazy leucocyte syndrome
line of engagement
link (li)
Lithocarpus jenkinsii
lower end of duct
mediumfit
microscopics
microviscosity
mini-burgers
monotonic functional
morning draughtboard
nipponium
oligarchies
operatorship
Orissi
pharmacological compound
phosphatidylinositol(PI)
pole trawl
private listing
proton stream
psychorrhagia
qualified director
qualitative property
quartz watch
radio-thermoluminescence
Rhododendron jinxiuense
Sankt Gallenkirch
sarcinodes yeni
saturation patrols
scrap metals
shamshir
shyryf
specified point
Stewartia gemmata
sun-burned
super-huge turbogenerator
supply-demand relation
sylph-like
tandem milking parler
theos
thirled
trachy-pitchstone
two-way omnibus
unregimented
unvailing
valeryl phenetidine
washed down
whisenhunt
Wilkins Micawber
wintams
Zabud