语言小贴士第1期:一个模子印出来的
1. If we call someone a chip off the old block, we mean they are:
a) good at making furniture
b) police officers
c) similar to their parents
2. What was the 'block' made of in the origin of this expression?
3. Which very well-known international figure is a chip off the old block?
A chip off the old block: (相貌或性格)酷似父亲或母亲的人, 一个模子印出来的
A: Guess who I saw the other day?
B: Go on, who?
A: Helen! And guess what? She's joined the police, just like her dad.
B: Really? She's a chip off the old block, isn't she?
A: Yes! She was always very similar to her dad though, wasn't she?
When we describe someone as a chip off the old block, we mean that they are similar to one or both of their parents. It could be about their appearance 1 or their behaviour. The expression comes from carpentry and the idea is that the parent is a 'block' of wood, and the child is a small 'chip' of the same material. A famous example of a chip off the old block is George W.Bush 2, who, just like his father, went into politics 3 and, of course, became the president of the Unites States.
1. c
2. wood
3. George W.Bush
- In appearance, he was a little like his father.他看起来有点像他的父亲。
- She was a young woman of good appearance.她是一位年轻貌美的女子。