1. 不同的表达
粪车 night cart
跳墩桥 foot bridge
盛夏 full summer
鸦雀无声dead silence
洗碗池(槽)kitchen sink
人山人海a sea of faces
扫兴的人(事)wet blanket
工薪阶层 wage-earner
杀人狂 serial killer
啤酒肚 pot- bellied; paunchy
笑掉大牙 to laugh one's head off; to laugh sb sick
短斤少两 to give (sb) short weight
The very idea!真是莫名其妙!
It's not my day.今天倒霉了。
at sixes and sevens 乱七八糟
Please let me know.请告诉我。
to have a short memory 记忆力差
like a cat on hot bricks 热锅上的蜗蚁
It's Greek (or, Chinese) to me.我一点也不懂。
An empty bag cannot stand up.人是铁,饭是钢。
to blow one's own horn (or, trumpet)王婆卖瓜,自卖自夸。
deadbeat parent赖债父母(离婚后不想文付子女抚养费的人)
to do log-rolling 互相捧场(You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.)
吃了吗? Have you had your meal?中文只是个问候语,但直译成英语却有邀请对方吃饭的意思。
2. 观察事物角度和联想不同
walking dictionary——能行走的“字典”;有大量词汇的“人”;活字典——着眼点是活的,能说话的“字典”。