美國習慣用語Lesson 86 - let the cat out of the bag...

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to let the cat out of the bag

look like the cat that ate the canary

今天我們要給大家介紹的習慣用語是和貓，也就是cat有關的。以后我們還要講和狗，就是dog有關的俗語。

我們先給大家介紹：to let the cat out of the bag。從字面上來解釋，to let the cat out of the bag它的意思是：讓那只貓從口袋里出來。但是，它的實際意思是：在不小心的情況下瀉露了秘密。下面這個例子就能說明這個俗語的意思：

例句-1: I bought a nice wrist watch as a surprise for my wife's birthday. But I'm afraid I let the cat out of the bag--I hid it under my socks and she found it when she was putting my clean clothes away.

這位丈夫說：我給我太太買了一只很好的手表作為生日禮。我把手表藏在我的襪子底下，可是當我太太替我把乾凈衣服放好的時候，她發(fā)現(xiàn)了那只手表。所以，我的秘密恐怕已經瀉露了。

生日禮物被發(fā)現(xiàn)還不是什么嚴重的事，可是下面這個例子就不是開玩笑的事了：

例句-2: It was supposed to be a secret that we were firing our accountant for stealing money. But one of the secretaries saw the memo and let the cat out of the bag by telling her friends.

這個人說的是辦公室里的秘密。他說：我們解雇了我們的會計，因為他偷錢。這件事原來是應該是保密的。但是，一個秘書看見了一張有關這件事的條子，然后就告訴了她的朋友，這樣就瀉露了秘密。

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下面我們要講的一個和cat有關的俗語是：look like the cat that ate the canary。Canary就是金絲雀。Look like the cat that ate the canary這個俗語是用來形容一個人顯得非常滿足，就像一只貓終于實現(xiàn)了它長期來的愿望，把鳥籠打開，把里面那只可憐的金絲雀吃了一樣地感到滿足。下面的例子說的是兩個朋友去賽馬，其中的一個重要方面是個老手，可是卻輸了，而那個新手卻贏了。這個老手說：

例句-3: My friend didn't listen to my advice and he bet twenty dollars on the horse. Why, I couldn't believe my eyes! The horse won by a nose and my friend came back with the two thousand bucks he'd just won, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

他說：我的朋友沒有聽我的勸告，在那個馬身上壓了二十塊美元。我真是難以相信我的眼睛。那匹馬跑得快了一點點就贏了。我那朋友拿了他剛贏的二千塊美元回來，非常得意。

我們再來看看一個剛被提升的人是如何的得意：

例句-4: Say, I think Mister Green in Personnel just got that promotion he's been wanting so much. I saw him walk out of the boss's office like the cat that just ate the canary.

這是一位同事在說話：喂，人事處那個格林先生大概升了一級，這是他迫切期望的。我看見他從老板的辦公室出來，得意非凡。