cas/make sheep's eyes
Ken's been makiifg sheep'seyes at his ex-girlfriend all thenight.綿羊性格溫順,且一般斜視。16世紀(jì)幽默詩人約翰·斯克頓把綿羊的目光:(sheep'seyes)喻指“溫柔多情的目光”。castsheep'seyes即指“送秋波”“送媚眼”“投以含情脈脈的眼神”。上句可譯為: 肯整晚上都在含情脈脈地注視著他的前女友。
count sheep
I spent the whole night coun-ting sheep but l was still too Worriedto sleep.?dāng)?shù)羊(count、sheep),指心中默數(shù)想像中的羊以求入睡。上句可譯為:我整晚都在數(shù)數(shù),但仍然心煩得不能人睡。
like sheep
The poliffcians are like sheep,all afraid to act first,waiting tobe told what to do.綿羊性情溫順,膽小,因此sheep亦指“易受人擺布的人”。像綿羊一般(likesheep),即指“無獨創(chuàng)精神”“無獨立性”。上句可譯為:政治家們沒有首創(chuàng)精神,都害怕帶頭行動,總是等待別人告訴他該做什么。 follow like sheep,盲從。Some people will follow their lead-ers like sheep and never reasonwhy they do so.有些人總是盲目地聽從領(lǐng)導(dǎo),從不問個為什么。may/might as well be hanged/ hung for a sheep as a lamb
I'm going to be late for workanyway,so I think I'll go to theshop for a paper.I might as wellbe hanged for a sheep as a lamb。根據(jù)英國舊法律,凡是偷羊者一律處以絞刑。偷大羊要處死,偷小羊也要處死,既然都是一死寧可偷大羊(may as well be hahgedfor a sheep as lamb》。此語即喻指“一不做,二不林”。上句可譯為:反正上班要遲到,我想,一不做,二不休,干脆再到商店買份報紙。separate/tell the sheep from the goats
This test shold really separate the sheep from the goats.在《圣經(jīng)》中常把好人比作綿羊,把壞人比作山羊。《圣經(jīng)·新約·馬太福音》第25章第32節(jié):(在審判的日子里耶穌基督將再現(xiàn)人世)萬民都要聚集在他面前。他要把他們分別出來,好像牧羊人分別綿羊山羊一般(separate the sheep from the goats)。此語即指“區(qū)別善惡、好壞、優(yōu)劣”。上句可譯為:這種考試應(yīng)該能夠真正區(qū)分考生的優(yōu)劣。
咬文嚼字河谷
black sheep
敗類、害群之馬、不肖之徒(someone who isregarded by other members of their family or groupas a failure or embarrassment)。He's the blacksheep of the family.他是個敗家子。
lost sheep
迷途之羊,喻指誤人歧途的人(people goingastray)。Many people became lost sheep becausetheir shepherd led them astray.許多人成了迷途的羔羊,因為領(lǐng)路人把他們引入歧途。shoopthathavenOshepherd/sheepwithouta
shepherd
沒有牧人的羊群,喻指無依無靠的人;烏合之眾(disorderly people)。The deserters werescattered abroad,as sheep without a shepherd.那些被拋棄的人流落海外,就像沒有牧人的羊群,無依無靠。
sheepskin
羊皮紙,因美國,的畢業(yè)證書是用羊皮紙做的,故在美俗語中此語亦指文憑、畢業(yè)證書(diploma)。He received a sheepskin from Harvard in 2000,他于2006年獲得哈佛大學(xué)畢業(yè)文憑。