美国人经常挂在嘴边的话

the last straw:忍无可忍

来源:大家都知道骆驼比较强壮,可以承担很重的东西.但假如不断往它背上加东西的话,到了一定程度就会达到它所能承受的饱和点,哪怕再多加一根稻草也会使它承受不了.所以,the last straw的意思是忍无可忍,终于使人不能忍受的最后一击.

"All these years I've tried to be a good wife, even though you're lazy, you drink too much and half of the time don't even have a steady job. But when I find out you are spending money on another woman, that's the last straw! I want you out of my house right now and I never want to see you again."

“这些年来，尽管你比较懒，喝酒过度，还基本没有固定的工作，但我一直尽力做一个贤惠的妻子。可是，当我发现你把钱花在另一个女人身上的时候，我忍无可忍。你给我马上出去，我不想再见到你了。”

Never heard of such a thing!

Never heard of such a thing!这句口语很常用,意思是从没听说过这样的事,真的假的,不会吧,表示惊讶和怀疑.

Joe: The tax office is now open on Sunday! 税务所周日也上班.

Jenny: Never heard of such a thing! 不会吧,真的假的.

这句口语还可以说成I've never heard of such a thing!

I am not my brother's keeper:这事儿与我无关

I am not my brother's keeper.亦作Am I my brother's keeper? 在口语中可以理解为:这不关我的事,这事儿与我无关,我又不是他的保姆,我怎么会知道?

来源：这句习语来源中圣经中Cain和Abel的故.在Cain谋杀了他的兄弟Abel之后,上帝问他的兄弟在哪, Cain回答道, "I know not; am I my brother's keeper?"

这句习语在生活中很常用,如果有人问你某人在哪里,你如果回答I am not my brother's keeper.或者Am I my brother's keeper?

意思是:"这不关我的事,这事儿与我无关,我又不是他的保姆,我怎么会知道?" 这句话通常带有不耐烦的语气.

A: Where's Robert? 罗伯特哪里去了?

B Am I my brother's keeper? 我怎么会知道?

A: How could you let him run off like that? 你怎么让他跑掉了?

B: I'm not my brother's keeper. 这又不关我的事.

(I've) got to split.我该走了

Jane: Look at the time! Got to split. 看看时间,我该走了.

Mary: See you later, Jane. 再见

Bill: It's getting late. I've got to split. 要晚了,我该走了.

Sue: Okay, see you tomorrow. 好,明天见

Bill: Good night. 晚安

mix things up 换个新花样,尝试新鲜事物

mix things up可以理解为换个新花样,尝试新鲜事物.

Rather than doing the same things, year after year, Santa likes to mix things up and try new ideas and new approaches.

圣诞老人不会年复一年地做同样的事情,他喜欢有新花样,尝试新的点子和方法.

Let's try to mix things up today in our program.

今天我们尝试着在我们的项目中换个新方法.

next to nothing:几乎没有,接近于零

She ate next to nothing at dinner.

晚饭时她几乎什么也没吃.

No wonder she's ill. She eats next to nothing.

难怪她病了,她几乎什么都没吃.

Her job's so cushy: she does next to nothing and earns a fortune.

她的工作真轻松:几乎无所事事却能挣大钱.

on the back burner 搁置,暂停,处于次要地位

on the back burner的意思是搁置,处于次要地位.由on the back burner的原意:搁在靠后的炉子上(靠边站)引申而来.

She decided to attend Harvard, where she would study political theory and put her acting career on the back burner.

她决定到哈佛攻读政治理论,暂时放下她的演艺事业.

Something urgent has come up, so we put your project on the back burner temporarily.

有紧急事件发生,所以我们把你的计划暂时搁置.

One sandwich short of a picnic:脑袋少根筋,愚笨

One sandwich short of a picnic:意思是脑袋少根筋,愚笨.笔者也见过'two sandwiches short of a picnic'的说法,但意思都一样rally used when telling someone they are really stupid.

类似'an X short of a Y'这样的短语还有很多,都是同样的意思,例如还可以说成one brick short of a load,a few fish short of a hatstand等等.

After talking to him for about 10 minutes I decided he was definitely one sandwich short of a picnic. 我和他谈了10分钟话,觉得他很笨(脑袋缺根筋).

You really are one sandwich short of a picnic aren't you! 你弱智啊?(慎用)

Tread carefully:多加小心,小心行事

知道了这个俚语的意思后,我们来看下面的例句:

The situation is very serious, tread carefully.

情况不妙,要多加小心.

If you decide to make the leap, tread carefully.

如果你决定大规模扩张公司海外市场,要格外小心.

in no time at all立刻,马上的意思,形容时间短暂

I can't believe I finished my work so fast. It took no time at all .

我简直不能相信我很快就完成工作了,几乎毫不费力.

In no time at all they were standing there.

没有多久,他们一起站在了那里.

The wise boy thus gained a fine bag full of marbles in no time at all.

就这样,聪明的男孩很快便有了一包美丽的大理石.

Patrick sympathized, and decided to try the horseradish himself. In no time at all he too was crying.

帕特里克很同情他,并且决定也亲自尝尝辣根.随即,他的眼泪也下来了.