时间:2019-02-18 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

我们今天要讲的几个习惯用语都表示这样的意思:地位优越、或者境遇良好。第一个是: sitting pretty。 Pretty不是个生词,它解释“漂亮的。” 但是习惯用语sitting pretty可不是“坐著很漂亮”的意思。让我们听个例子来体会sitting pretty这个习惯用语的确切含义:


例句-1:My friend Joe has been a poor farmer working hard all his life. But he's sitting pretty now on: a big oil company found a big pool of oil under his land and today he's a millionaire.


他的朋友Joe向来是个辛劳耕作、勉强维生的穷苦农民,然而一家大石油公司在他的土地下发现了一大片油田。他顿时成了百万富翁,当然从此就不愁吃穿,安享清福了。


既然他的地下有丰富的石油蕴藏,石油公司必然要出高价买他的地。他顷刻间家产百万,再也不必终年操劳,就能坐享其成了。所以这里的sitting pretty描绘某人处于不愁吃穿、经济宽裕的地位。


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我们再学个习惯用语: in the catbird seat。 Catbird是美国的一种鸟,它的啼声有点像猫叫因而得到这个名字。美国一位有名的体育节目广播员Red Barber在五十年前起用了这个习惯用语in the catbird seat,并且令它家喻户晓。


这位广播员的家乡在美国的南端。那儿多的是catbirds。这种鸟儿喜欢在高高的树顶上唱歌。这一方面因为在高不可攀的树顶上没人能侵犯到它的安全,同时也为了让自己的歌声能传向四面八方。


让我们听个例子来体会sitting in the catbird seat比喻意义是什么。这段话在说打扑克。


例句-2:All the players seemed to have good cards because they kept raising the bet. But Helen just tried hard not to smile: she was sitting in the catbird seat with a royal flush nobody could beat.


他说:几个打牌的手上似乎都有好牌,因为他们在不断提高赌注。但是Helen却在使劲儿憋住不笑出来,因为她手上握著五张最大的同花顺子,几乎必胜无疑。


会打牌的人都知道大同花顺子是所向无敌的,虽然每个人手上牌都不错,但是强中还有强中手,更有强人在后头。Helen握著这样一手好牌,她就处于必胜的优越地位了。所以习惯用语sit in the catbird seat意思是处于必胜无疑的地位。


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我们再学一个表示境遇良好的习惯用语: happy as a clam 1。 Clam是蚌。蚌都把自己埋藏在河床或者海滩的泥砂里。


这个习惯用语来自北大西洋沿岸地带。蚌最喜欢涨潮的时候,因为好多水掩盖了它居住的洞穴。它就更安全了;人们既找不到它,也不可能把它挖掘出来当美餐了。


习惯用语happy as a clam说的就是被水和泥砂掩盖著而乐滋滋的蚌。当然,窝在水底下泥砂里也不见得有多么美好,然而蚌却就是乐在其中。那么习惯用 happy as a clam用来比喻什么呢?让我们听个例子来体会。


例句-3:My uncle is retired 2 now and happy as a clam. He's not rich by any means but his pension is just enough to let him live quietly and visit his daughter in California every winter.


他说:我叔叔现在退休了,倒也满自得其乐的,当'他绝对不算有钱,但是他的退休金却刚够他过安闲日子,每年冬天还能去看看他在加州的女儿。


他叔叔的退休金刚够他过安闲日子,每年还可以去加州探一次亲。他的生活水平当然和有钱人的奢华没法比,但是他叔叔却也自得其乐。这样看来happy as a clam,用来描绘虽境遇平常、却怡然自得的心境。

 



n.蛤,蛤肉
  • Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀!我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
  • The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
学英语单词
abrasiometer
accuracy of forecasting techniques
Adcon-I
anadara taiwanica
bachelor apartments
balanced value
Baushar
be in duty bound to do
bellyaching
benzyl neocaprate
bighorn rivers
botulin
canalicyoplasty
cascom
character generation option
chopping device
consumer profiling
country-people
customary form
cyclically balanced budget
delve into sth
demultiplexers
distillest
down for lining
drugg
dutch-speaking
eigenspectra
eight-liter
environmental photobiology
eprolin-S
expect to departure
extended low-surface brightness source
f.f
Fay-wei
fixing powder
forgat
Franklin Mts.
gyrene
Habit-formation
ignition point
inquests
internal block brake
Ishinomaki
Kapachira Falls
Kefenrod
kemppi
lithotriptor
longitudinal median plane
Makushino
mal de raquette
malt vinegar
material surface
meshcement
moss-likest
neurofibromas
neuron nucleus
non-negative characteristic form
nonexistant
nucleus fastigii
orifice tube
periglacial
pile lighthouse
platinum-silver alloy
plumbous nitrate
Podophyllum hexandrum
prosopopoeia
pseudo-indole
quadrate (bone)
re-arrive
reciprocal coefficient
resonant-cavity maser
rice scoop
roof bar
rubbing off
scolithus
self-align type
self-parodying
simal
sixthform
sizzle reel
source neutron
spanandry
spirocheticidal
ST_technology_internet-terminology-and-abbreviations
Super Technirama
supernity
swarl
tabular calculation
taibi
taraghi
tectosilicates
temporary ramp
tighthead
trpes
tuberculum
vapour check
venae conjunctivales anteriores et posteriores
VG-BWS
vinyl tile
writing-pad
yarmuk
yoldia similis