與食品有關的英文成語
英文有不少與食品有關的成語。在此僅舉數例以饗讀者。
To sow wild oats - to have a good time as a young person before settling down to adult responsibilities
例句﹕"Like many young men, John wanted to sow some wild oats after graduating from college."
"約翰與許多年輕人一樣﹐想在大學畢業後先盡情享受一番。"
From soup to nuts - everything imaginable
例句﹕"The bridal shop has everything from soup to nuts when it comes to weddings"
"凡是結婚用品﹐這家婚紗商店一應俱全。"
To be a peach! - to be great﹗
例句﹕"My friend Susan was a peach to lend me ten dollars when I found I didn't have enough money for lunch."
"我發現買午餐的錢不夠﹐我的朋友蘇珊借了我十塊錢﹐真是太好了。"
Peachy keen - fantanstic
例句﹕"All the kids agreed that the movie was peachy keen."
"所有的孩子都認為這部影片很棒。"
To separate the wheat from the chaff - to separate the good from the bad, or the useable from the useless
例句﹕"The revised evaluation process was designed to separate the wheat from the chaff."
"修改後的評議方法以辨別優劣為目的。"
To work for peanuts - to have a low salary
例句﹕"Tired of working for peanuts, Tom applied for and obtained a better job."
"湯姆不滿意原來的低薪工作﹐後來申請到一份更好的工作。"
Sour grapes - resentment and jealousy
例句﹕"Some people reacted negatively to Maureen's promotion, but she thought that it was just sour grapes."
"有些人對莫琳升遷有反感﹐她認為這是嫉妒心理在作怪。"
A lemon - an automobile that is always breaking down because of poor workmanship
例句﹕"Convinced that his car was a lemon when it broke down for the third time in a month, Bill decided to return it to the dealer from whom he bought it."
"比爾的車在一個月內第三次出現故障﹐他確定這輛車品質有問題(檸檬車)﹐於是決定把車結束給出售這輛汽車的經銷商。"
To have your cake and eat it, too - a desire to have something both ways at once
例句﹕"Margaret, who enjoyed the convenience of living with her parents but longed for the independence of living in her own apartment, finally accepted the fact that she could not have her cake and eat it, too."
"瑪格麗特享受與父母住在一起的便利﹐同時又希望有自己的公寓單獨生活。她最終接受了兩者不可得兼的事實。"
Crying over spilled milk - pointless regret over something that cannot be changed
例句﹕"Nicholas was upset that he had overslept and missed his job interview, but he decided that it was pointless to cry over spilled milk."
"尼古拉斯睡過頭錯失了面試一份工作的機會﹐心裏很難過。但他後來想開了﹐覆水難收﹐再後悔都於事無補。"
To spill the beans - to unwittingly reveal information
例句﹕"Tiffany had planned a surprise party for her husband's birthday, but her sister spilled the beans by mentioning it to him when she saw him at the market."
"蒂法妮打算悄悄給丈夫準備生日party﹐到時候給他一個驚喜。但她妹妹在市場見到蒂法妮的丈夫時提及此事﹐不小心洩漏了秘密。"
To bring home the bacon - to support one's family adequately
例句﹕"One of the reasons why Anne's parents approved of her new husband was the fact that he really brought home the bacon."
"安妮的父母對她的新丈夫表示認可的原因之一是他確實能使家人衣食無懮。"
As easy as pie - very easy
例句﹕"Nicholas had expected to have great difficulty in learning the rules of American football, but he was surprised to find that it was as easy as pie."
"尼古拉斯原以為學習美式足球的規則很困難﹐但出乎意料的是﹐他後來發現並不困難。"
Cream of the crop -the best
例句﹕"These puppies are the cream of the crop," said the breeder.
飼養員說﹕"這些小狗屬珍品。"
A finger in every pie -involved in everything, often to the annoyance of others
例句﹕"The new boss irritated some employees by seeming to want to have a finger in every pie."
"新來的上司看來事無巨細樣樣都要管﹐有些僱員為此一肚子怨氣。"
Cool as a cucumber - maintaining calm in difficult circumstances
例句﹕"Debbie was nervous when the examination began, but her friend Sarah was as cool as a cucumber."
"考試開始時戴比很緊張﹐但她的朋友薩拉鎮定自若。"
Cup of tea - something that appeals to one's personal taste
例句﹕"Peter declined the invitation to play cards, saying that it just wasn't his cup of tea."
"彼得拒絕打牌的邀請﹐他說這不是他的愛好。"
To use your noodle -- to use your brain, i.e., think
例句﹕"It wouldn't seem so hard if you would just use your noodle," the teacher told the student.
老師對學生說﹕"如果你肯用腦子思考﹐就不會覺得那麼難。"
To butter up -- to flatter
例句﹕"When Sylvia constantly praised her supervisor, some of her co-workers thought that she was just trying to butter him up."
"西爾維亞經常對上司說好話﹐有些同事覺得她簡直就是在拍馬屁。"
To go bananas - to lose one's composure
例句﹕"Tony was worried that his parents would go bananas when they found out that he had put a dent in their car."
"湯姆擔心一旦他父母發現他們的汽車被他撞出一塊凹痕﹐就會大發雷霆。"
Like taking candy from a baby - an absurdly easy task
例句﹕"The dishonest salesman was so good at cheating customers that it was almost like taking candy from a baby."
"那位不誠實的推銷員善於欺騙顧客﹐簡直就像從娃娃手裏搶糖吃那麼容易。"
To bear fruit -- to succeed
例句﹕"The Wright brothers worked diligently on their aeronautical research for years, confident that their hard work would eventually bear fruit."
"萊特兄弟倆多年勤奮從事航空研究﹐他們相信他們的辛勤勞動最終會獲得成果。"
Two peas in a pod -- exactly alike
例句﹕"Barry and his brother Gary looked so much alike that people often told them they were like two peas in a pod."
"巴裏與他的弟弟加裏長得十分相像﹐人們常對他們說他們就象同一個殼裏的兩顆豆。"
To eat humble pie -- to admit a mistake
例句﹕"The arrogant scientist had to eat humble pie when his efforts to invent a better rocket fuel caused an explosion."
那位自命不凡的科學家想發明更好的火箭燃料﹐結果發生了爆炸事件﹐他不得不承認錯誤。
In a nutshell - briefly summarized
例句﹕"In a nutshell, the overall position of the company has improved greatly in the past year," said the company president as he began his speech to the board of directors.
公司總裁在向董事會發表講話時首先表示﹕"總的來說﹐過去這一年公司的整體情況獲得極大改善。"
In the soup - in trouble
例句﹕"Rachel knew that if she did not finish her project on time, she would be in the soup."
雷切爾知道﹐她如果不按時完成自己的項目﹐就會遇到麻煩。
In a pickle - in a difficult situation
例句﹕"Bob was in a pickle when his car broke down in a pouring rainstorm."
鮑勃的汽車在瓢潑大雨中熄火﹐使他狼狽不堪。
Big enchilada -- an important person
例句﹕"Elizabeth's election as president of her sorority confirmed the opinion of her friends that she was a big enchilada."
"伊麗莎白的朋友們都認為她是個重要人物﹐她當選婦女聯合會主席一事證實了朋友們的看法。"
Cauliflower ear - an ear deformed by friction
例句﹕"The wresting coach insisted that his wrestlers always wear headgear, in order to avoid developing cauliflower ears."
"摔跤教練堅持要運動員自始至終戴頭盔﹐以防止耳朵受傷變形。"
Flat as a pancake -- very flat
例句﹕"The Great Plains are often described as flat as a pancake."
"人們常說大平原地區一馬平川﹐象個平底鍋。"
Nutty as a fruitcake - very eccentric or bizarre
例句﹕"The elderly man's behavior became so unusual that some of his neighbors considered him to be as nutty as a fruitcake."
"這位長者的行為如此不同尋常﹐有些鄰居認為他舉止怪誕。"
(完)