slang/idiom today (Jan.01--Jan.07 06)

Moses

Again to say "Happy New Year" to those who love English learning!

Jan. 01 06

"to stick to one's guns"

对于士兵来说,在被很多敌人包围的情况下还要能持续装炮弹发射的话,他们肯定需要很多勇气. 这种精神在英文里就是 to stick to one's guns. To stick to one's guns 从字面上来解释是指枪. 但是这个俗语现在几乎和枪没有什么关系,它的意思就是: 在日常生活中坚持原则, 稳步前进, 不屈服外界的压力.

Examples:
1) Dad: Pumpkin, I hear that some of the students at your school are fooling around with drugs. But I hope, young woman, that you stick to your guns and keep saying no!
    Daughter: I see and I will, dad!

2) I have to admire the ladies who fifty years ago worked so hard to get women the right to vote. People laughed at them at first but they stuck to their guns and got the congress to pass the 19th Amendment back in 1920.

3) To graduate successfully from the university means that you should stick to your guns and never give up.

German Version:festbleiben, nicht weichen, nicht nachgeben.
Beispiel: Wenn er sich was entscheidet, bleib er in seinem Entschluss fest.

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Jan. 02 06

"dog in the manger"

manger就是"牛马的饲料槽". 这个成语来自一个寓言故事,说的是狗占马槽的故事,一只狗躺在堆满稻草的马槽里,狗是不吃草的动物,而当马或牛一走进稻草时,这头狗却朝着马,牛狂哮,不准食草动物享用.因此,“狗站马槽”就成了一个家喻户晓的成语而进入英语中. 讽刺那些占据职位或某些物质却不做事的人.中文也有非常"形象"的描述,说一个人是"占着茅坑不拉什么什么".

We use this idiom to describe a person who prevents others from enjoying sth that is useless to himself; a churlish fellow who will neither use a thing himself nor let others use it.

Examples:
1) He borrowed a lot of books from the library, but he didn't read a book.He was really a dog in the manger.

2) There are some officials who are only the dogs in the manger.

3) Smith was a dog in the manger over that roll of wire; it was no use whatever to him,but he wouldn't let us have it.

German Version: Neidhammel

ps: i'm not sure of the german version. Neidhammel means "jd, der vollen Neid hat". So i take it with a pinch of salt, though it said so in the dictionary.

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Jan. 03 06

"a storm in a teacup"(Br.)="a tempest in a teacup" (Am.)

字面意思“茶杯里的风暴”.据法国著名作家巴尔扎克(Honore de Balzac,1799-1850)记述,A storm in a teacup出自18世纪法国哲学家和思想家孟德斯鸠的名言.有一次,他听说圣马力诺发生了政治动乱,就用“茶杯里的风暴”来评论.因为圣马力诺是欧洲最小的共和国,只有一万人口,孟德斯鸠认为那里的动乱对整个欧洲局势无足轻重.
This idiom is used to mean much excitement about something trivial; a lot of fuss about a trifle; to worry over sth umimportant. 按其比喻意义,相当于中文中的“小题大做”,"大惊小怪".

Exmaples:
1) The people next door are continually quarreling ,but it is usually a storm in a teacup.

2) A: What is it all about?
    B: Nothing serious,just a tempest in a teapot.

German Version:ein Sturm im Wasserglas

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Jan. 04 06

"have an axe to grind"

have an axe to grind是个源自美国的成语, 字面意思是“让斧头磨一磨”. 据英国《朗曼英国成语词典》等记述,这个成语出自美国著名的政治家、科学家本杰明·富兰克林(Benjamin Franklin,1706--1790)所写的一则故事.富兰克林幼年时,在院子里遇到一个带有斧头的陌生人,那人称赞院子里那个磨石(grindstone)很好,想看看它好不好使,便花言巧语的让他转动磨石,而那人就在上面磨利自己的斧头.
据“美国之音”英语广播节目《词汇掌故》说,这个成语出自1810年美国宾夕法尼亚(Pennsylvania)一家报纸上首次刊登的一则故事.故事说的是有个陌生人手持一把斧头,想找磨石来磨利他的斧头.他在街上遇到一个男孩,就问道:“好孩子,你爸爸有磨石吗?”那男孩就带他到家里来,帮他转动磨石磨斧头.这对一个孩子来说是件艰苦的活,男孩把手都磨破了,累个半死才把斧头磨得闪闪发光.那个人见目的达到,不仅没向小孩道谢,反而教训孩子快点去上学,以免迟到.
2个故事实质上讲的是同一件事.这个故事的寓意很清楚:“持斧待磨者”用恭维的话来达到个人目的,人们不要上当受骗.

It means to have private interests to serve; to have sth to gain for oneself; to have a selfish reason.中文类似的语境有:别有用心,另有企图,怀有私心.

Examples:
1) He may offer you a post in his firm, but he has an axe to grind, he wants to stand well with your father.

2) His interest in our venture cannot be sincere, because i knew he has an axe to grind.

3)  In the first place, let me assure you, gentlemen, that i have not an axe to grind.

German Version: eigennuetzige Zwecke verfolgen

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Jan. 05 06

"a horse laugh"

A horse laugh在英文里并不是指马在笑.作为一个俗语,a horse laugh是一种"表示不信任的嘲笑".

Examples:
1) When this guy running for Congress told us how much money he'd save us taxpayers, we all gave him the horse laugh. We knew when he was in the state legislature, he always voted for higher taxes.

2) Harry thinks he's God's gift to women: that none of them can resist his charm. So we all gave him the horse laugh when he asked the new girl in class to go to a movie and she told him to get lost.

German Version: wieherndes Gelaechter

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Jan. 06 06

"bell the cat"

bell the cat系成语to hang the bell about the cat's neck的简略,愿意是“给猫的脖子上挂铃”.相信大家都听过"老鼠开会"的故事: 一群老鼠在鼠洞里举行会议, 讨论如何对付凶狠的猫.白胡须老鼠提出:“我有个方法,在猫的脖子上挂一个铃.这样,猫一走动铃就响,我们就可以闻铃声而逃避了”,群鼠一致同意这个建议,欢呼:“That's a capital idea.We will bell the cat!No more fear of the cat!”但是,谁去给猫挂铃铛呢?没有一只老鼠敢去,一个个都溜掉了.老鼠会议豪无结果,它们不安全的境况当然也无法改善. 寓言所寄托的意思很明白:遇到困难的问题时候,既需要有出谋献策的人,更需要有挺身而出的实干家.
中文的含义大概就是:自告奋勇去冒险,老虎头上拔毛,挺身而出..

"bell the cat" means to do something dangerous in order to save others; to step forwar bravely to face the danger; to take a risk for the good of others.

Examples:
1) Everybody made suggestion, but no one actually offered to bell the cat.

2) We didn't know who would put him this delicate question when my friend offered to bell the cat.

German Version: der Katze die Schelle umhaengen

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Jan. 07 06

"red tape"

it means something negative. "红色的带子"? 当然不是,实际上是指"官僚主义,文牍主义". 就是人们在和政府或官方机构打交道时往往会遇到的拖延、混乱等令人烦恼的障碍.那这和红带子又有什么关系?这是因为在古时候官方的文件一般都用红带子捆起来的,这样红带子就和官僚主义连在一起了.相信大家在这方面都有很多的经历,在德国这样的情况也很普遍.所以我觉得这个俗语还是非常的实用...:):)

Examples:
1) With all the red tape I ran into at city hall, it took me three months to get my business license.

2) You can't believe how much red tape there is in getting a visa. You have to get a birth certificate and other personal papers, fill out a bunch of complicated forms and have an interview, passing a test. After that you wait and wait.

German Version: Buerokratismus, Amtsschimmel

[ Last edited by Moses on 2006-1-7 at 19:32 ]

Moses

Originally posted by 茉莉花 at 2006-1-5 12:20:
I learned another idom from your explaination (for Jan.2) :

take sth. with a pinch of salt

that's good!!::

Moses

dear all,

i will be absent for nearly 6 weeks, from Jan. 9 to Feb. 18, which means "slang/idiom today" will have a pause for one and half month. I'll go on with it when i'm back again. thanks for your support! kiss.gifkiss.gif
hope that we've all got some fun from my introduction. miss u all!!cu later!:):)

[ Last edited by Moses on 2006-1-4 at 14:15 ]