Idioms| 典故

[英语作文范文]

 

1. call a spade a spade 直言不讳
    语出希腊谚语“称无花果为无花果,称桶为桶。”意为“直言不讳,开诚布公”。翻译成英语时后半部分发生变化,成为“把铲子叫做铲子”(Call a spade a spade),而且前半部分又常被省略,便形成这个成语,表示“有啥说啥,直言不讳、开诚布公地发表意见”。
    That old man hates long fancy words—he has always called a spade a spade. 老人憎恶拐弯抹角的话,他总是直言不讳。
2. cast pearls before swine  对牛弹琴
    语出《圣经·新约·马太福音》第7章第6节:“不要把圣物给狗,也不要把你们的珍珠丢在猪面前,恐怕它们践踏了珍珠,转过来咬你们。”(Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearl before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.)后人常用此语比喻“把珍贵的东西丢给不识货者”或比喻“某人不考虑听者的水平而发表一通超出其理解力的演说”。喻意上跟汉语的“对牛弹琴”相同。 
    Don't waste good advice on Helen for she will never listen to it. Don't cast pearls before swine. 不要再劝海伦了,她根本不会听,何必对牛弹琴呢?
3. cry over the spilt milk    后悔无用
    始见加拿大幽默作家哈利伯顿(Thomas C. Haliburton, 1796~1865)的《钟表匠》(The Clockmaker )一书。书中的主人公山姆·斯利克(Sam Slick)是一个钟表匠。一天,山姆的朋友对他说:“山姆,已经做过的事无可挽回,牛奶泼了,哭也没用。”(What's done, Sam, can't be helped, there's no use in crying over spilt milk.)此前,此语已广为流传,但多用于口语,见于出版物这是首次。之后,此语的使用范围更广,喻指“事已至此,后悔无益;为不可挽回的事忧伤”。
    After the baby tore up Sue's picture book, Sue's mother told her there was no use crying over spilt milk. 小孩撕碎了苏的图画书,苏的妈妈告诉苏现在哭也于事无补。