在英語中,有許多介詞或時間/地點副詞由"and"連接而形成英語習語,你知道它們的意思嗎?下面作簡要介紹:
1. by and large:大體上,總的看來
例:I cannot totally take your point,but by and large I think yours is reasonable.
2. down and out:窮困潦倒,孤苦無助
例:People should lend him a helpful hand;he's really down and out.
3. far and away:毋庸置疑
Tom is far and away the best lecturer in our department.
4. high and dry:被拋棄的,處於痛苦之中的。
George took all the money away and left his companions high and dry,with nothing to buy the tickets.
5. high and low:到處
I looked high and low for my pen,but I couldn't find it anywhere.
6. ins and outs:錯綜複雜事物的因果
After careful investigation, he got to know the ins and outs of the accident.
7. on and off:間斷地
It rained on and off all day long.
8. on the up and up:坦率,誠實
How can we know whether a person is on the up and up by his appearance!
9. out and about:戶外活動
Mr Smith recovers quickly,and he'll be out and about very soon.
10. out and out:完全地,徹底地
What I said is an out and out truth.
11. over and over:多次地,重複地
The foreigner repeated what he said over and over,but I still couldn't understand him.
12. through and through:完全地,充分地
You can trust him,for he's honest through and through.
13. up and about:病癒
I'm much better now,I've been up and about for almost a week.
14. ups and downs:盛衰,浮沉
Life is hard. There are a lot of ups and downs in one's life.
y 大漢網絡 大漢版通發佈系統
Fall guy
(2002-11-28 17:28:34)
英語中有些詞語是從體育用語演變成日常用語的。“fall guy (替罪羊)”這個詞語就是一個很好的例子。所謂“替罪羊”就是指由別人決定來當輸家或犧牲品的人。
最早的“fall guy”是一些靠摔跤掙錢的人。20世紀末,摔跤在美國是一項十分盛行的運動。摔跤比賽不僅在大城市裏舉行,也在農村交易會和巡迴表演中進行。
摔跤比賽的目的是把對手的雙肩按在地上。雙肩着地叫做 “fall”,就是在摔跤中把對手摔輸。但是隨着這項運動的流行,它日益失去了運動的本色。許多比賽都是實現安排好的表演。摔跤手事先都知道誰是贏家。如果一個摔跤手比賽前被買通好,他就會甘願輸掉比賽,就是在比賽中 “take a fall”。這個人就叫做 “the fall guy”。
現在,“fall guy”已經演變成爲“替罪羊”,就是受騙代人受過的人。替罪羊總是要takes the rap,即背黑鍋。當然,“替罪羊”另一種常見的說法是“scapegoat”。
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