课堂里学不到的英语

2007/01/27 08:34 ..by zhanghongbiao

up in the air
意思是指某人“由于不决，拿不定主意”。汉语中也有“云里雾里”这样的词组，大多也是比喻意义。

A: God knows how he can handle all this. As far as I know, he is still up in the air.
B: You don't have to worry about him really. He is the kind of person who

will make a decision at the last minute.
A: I still hope he can come to a decision soon.

wet behind the ears
相当于汉语中的“乳臭未干”、“少不更事”。

A: Hello, Betty, it is nice to meet you here.
B: Me too. In fact, this is the first time I attend a concert this year.
A: So your little sister has not come along with you?
B: No. She was not in the mood for doing anything.
A: What happened to her?
B: I don't have to know. She is no longer wet behind the ears.
A: Yes, I see. She is already 22 years old now.

wrap round one's little finger
这是英语中俚语说法，用英文来解释就是 under total control; blindly in love.

A: Stop doing those crazy things to Mary. Nothing will change between you.
B: No, I will have her wrapped around my finger.
A: Don't be silly. Many boys want to catch her heart, but everyone ends up with their hearts broken.

yellow Vs. blue
美国有一种印好的分类广告电话簿，只要你申请了电话，电话公司就会送给你，这种书是用一种黄色的纸张印刷的，随意被称为 yellow book. 而英语里有个词：pornography，色情文学的意思，因此淫秽书刊可以简单地说 porn book。另外，所谓的黄色电影在英语中是 blue movies. 而英语中的yellow的含义是“胆小”的意思。

You are such a dish.
“你是个绝色大美人。”而thrilled这个词抛开原意——“吓得发抖”之外，还有“惊讶”的意思。

A: Sandy. Let me introduce my girlfriend. This is Jenny, and this is Sandy, my best friend.
B: Hi! Glad to meet you. May I say, you are such a dish. I feel thrilled.
C: Thanks. I'm flattered.

You are telling me!
意思是“还用得着你说！”

A: A big surprise!
B: What surprise?
A: The manager is arrested on a charge of embezzlement.
B: You are telling me!
A: You have known it?
B: Of course. Didn't you read today's morning news?

you bet
俚语。意思是“的确，当然”。用以向对方观点表示肯定和赞同。

A: Aha, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?
B: I am quite well except busy.
A: I've nearly forgotten that you are now managing a firm.
B: Yeah, I'm now a wealthy man.
A: Sure! You bet! Everybody can see you are a millionaire.
B: But I am not happy.

you call!
意思是“你来作决定吧！”

A: You know I'm not good at this. You call!
B: All right, but I still want to know what everyone of you think about this. I want it to be our decision.
A: Sure! We all support you and whatever decision you will make.

you cannot be too careful.
这句话的意思是：“你要特别小心。”也就是“无论怎么小心都不过分”。类似这个句型的变体还有cannot, enough, 如 I cannot love you enough.“我怎么爱你都不够”。类似的还有"No woman can have too many skirts."

A: Gao, who's the teacher in charge of your Physics course?
B: That's Professor Richardson.
A: I hear he's extremely strict with students. You cannot be too careful.
B: Wow. Then I'll have a hard time this term.

You don't say!
这句话要表达的意思是“不会吧！”，也就是表示一种难以置信的感觉。

A: Peter got the sack this time.
B: You don't say.
A: It's ture. Everybody in his office knows it.
B: Hey, come on! Tell me something more about it.

zone out
这是英语中常见的俚语，用英语来解释即 to loose concentration; to dream while working, 意思就是在长时间工作后很难集中注意力。

A: You look so tired! How long have you been working in front of the computer?
B: I've been working with my computer for a long time. I'm starting to zone out.
A: Then you should go to bed and have a rest, and sitting here is just a waste of time.