时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

   我今天是特别忙,要为一个退休的同事开欢送会,但是事先又不能让她知道,要给她一个惊喜,所以欢送会的一切准备工作都要背着她。我们今天要学的习惯用语,the coast is clear, 就特别适合这个场合。


  Coast是海岸的意思;clear有很多用法,在这里是没有任何障碍和危险的意思。The coast is clear, 作为习惯用语,就是没有人阻碍,危险已经过去,可以开始行动的意思。
  这回你明白了吧。我因为想给同事一个惊喜,所以在布置欢送会的时候,就一定得保证the coast is clear. 下面这些人好像跟我一样,也要认准the coast is clear. 他们是出于什么动机呢?还是让我们来听听下面这名记者的报道吧。
  例句-1:The thieves waited until 3 A.M. for the bank parking lot to be deserted 1. Once they thought the coast was clear, they backed a truck up to the ATM, ready to haul 2 it away. But they didn't realize the police had been watching the crime unfold; within minutes they were arrested.
  他说:小偷们一直等到凌晨三点,他们确定银行的停车场彻底没人了,才把卡车倒着开到自动取款机前面,准备把它拉走。他们没想到,警察一直在盯着他们,立即就把他们抓走了。
  真没想到有人会开着卡车去偷自动取款机。看来被钱迷了心窍的人,真是什么招数都想得出来。
  ******
  一种说法是,the coast is clear这个习惯用语最早是海盗和走私犯开始用的。他们要保证海岸上没有执法人员,才能开始行动。可以肯定的是,the coast is clear早在15世纪后期就很常用了,一直到今天。让我们看看下面这个中学生准备干些什么!
  例句-2:Even though my parents grounded me, I have to see my girlfriend tonight. My plan is to sneak 3 out of the house when mom and dad go next door to play cards. I'm not sure when the coast will be clear, but they should be leaving soon.
  他说:虽然父母罚我不许出门,但是今天晚上我一定要去会女朋友。我打算等爸爸妈妈到隔壁去打牌的时候偷偷溜出去。我不知道他们到底什么时候走,但估计是快了。
  我想,很多人象他这么大的时候,可能都干过一些不计后果的事情。我哥小时候,就常跟一些大孩子在外面混。有一次去偷邻居家的鸡,他年纪最小,负责望风,to see if the coast is clear. 结果被人抓住,被我妈狠狠教训了一顿。

1 deserted
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
2 haul
vt./n.(用力)拖,拉,(用车等)拖运,运送
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • The rope stood up under the strain of the haul.这绳子经受不住紧拉。
3 sneak
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
标签: 习惯用语
学英语单词
adhortation
andriamanjatoes
anion anion exchanger
annual heat consumption
antisigma
aranas
aristolochia sodium
babbitt metal bearing
barrier reared (br)
battleward
binary transfers
blastogeneses
bottleheads
bridelock
cambuss
climate conditions
combretaceous
constant temperature humidity chamber
coppermine (kugluktuk)
coxite process
crisp(i)ness
daytimes
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eastwoods
empiricists
enamel drops
exteso
Eye-Trouble
fast variable
free field
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gallotannin
general space
handcockite
hardenability
homophonic filtering
hvars
ice-cream-cone
in the behoof of someone
induced cooling tower
instructeth
interlight
interoffice transmission system
lifting fork
linear transition
loevit's cell
look for work
loss in grade
magnetist
malacological ecology
mammate
map interlinking
mentalization
minor tick marks
mission reliability
Misskito
monohydric acid
Montils
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nathaniel baileys
negative-resistance tube oscillator
niketown
nim tree
noise equivalent neutron source
October beer
olistoglyph
output password
panyard
paving flags
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phenarsenamine
Phloretin-Glucosidase
polycystogram
Populus wuana
porat
postreperfusion
Pyla, C.
radio receiver parts
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reims (rheims)
Rödental
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seclusio
semidecidability
Sesamoidean
shoe-making
silleticas
sinus unguis
small shape
sphenomaxillary suture
syndrome of yang deficiency due to yin excess
tantalous chloride
target detection
two noded vertical vibration
ultra portable
Vaimauga Dist.
variable interval reinforcement
vectored thrust
wheel of fortunes
youth hostelled