VOA慢速英語:別被人"抓現(xiàn)行"

歡迎收聽美國之音英語教學(xué)欄目，這里是詞匯故事。

Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let's hear Faith Lapidus name a few off the cuff, or without any preparation.

你想過一些關(guān)于衣服的表達麼?讓我們來聽Faith Lapidus來說一說。

People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are restless or nervous have ants in their pants. They might also fly by the seat of their pants. They use their natural sense to do something instead of their learned knowledge. Sometimes, people may get caught with their pants down. They are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say she wears the pants in the family.

人們穿褲子來遮蓋下部分身體。有時候我們形容緊張不安的人說“ants in their pants”。還可以用“fly by the seat of their pants”。他們憑直覺而不是他們所學(xué)的知識來做一些事情。有時，人們可能會被發(fā)現(xiàn)脫褲子了，意思就是他們被發(fā)現(xiàn)正在做一些不應(yīng)該做的事。此外，每一個家庭都有當(dāng)家人。有時妻子會吩咐丈夫怎么做，我們就說她wears the pants in the family，在這個家里當(dāng)家。

Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to tighten your belt. You may have to live on less money and spend your money carefully. But once you have succeeded in budgeting your money, you will have that skill under your belt.

一般情況下褲子總會有放東西的兜。花錢花的快就可以用“burn a hole in your pocket”來形容，把褲兜燒了個洞，錢都沒了。還有些時候你需要腰帶來系褲子。如果錢幣平常少了，就tighten your belt，勒緊褲腰帶。你可能會非常小心翼翼的花每一分錢。但是一旦你有能力預(yù)算好支出，你就可以under your bult，有做好預(yù)算的能力了。

I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat – immediately, without waiting. And sadly, you cannot pull money out of a hat. You cannot get money by inventing or imagining it.

我經(jīng)常表揚那些能夠省錢不亂花錢的人。我真的該向他們脫帽致敬(take my hat off)。然而，當(dāng)輪到我自己的時候，花錢如流水，果斷買買買。可悲的是，你不能靠想象就能掙錢。

Boots are a heavy or strong shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people. I really do. You can bet your boots on that. Yet, truly important people are hard to replace. Rarely can you fill their shoes or replace them with someone equally effective.

靴子是一種很重的鞋子。自負的人會認為他們會更重要。我不喜歡這種人。真的。你可以即深信不疑。然而，真正重要的人是難以替代，你很難取代他。

My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too firm and severe. They think he is a real stuffed shirt. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve. He shows his feelings openly. And, he knows how to keep his shirt on. He says calm and never gets angry or too excited.

我父親是一位非常重要的人。他經(jīng)營著一個大公司。他穿西裝和長袖襯衫。一些不很了解他的人認為他非常嚴(yán)厲，他們認為他愛擺架子。但我知道我的父親是非常爽快的，他會直接表明他的情緒。而且，他知道如何保持冷靜，從不生氣或興奮過頭。

Also, my father has never lost his shirt in a business deal. He is too smart to lose all or most of his money. This is because my father rolls up his sleeves and prepares to work hard. He often has a special plan or answer to a problem that he can use if he needs it. He is like a person who does magic tricks. We say he has a card up his sleeve.

還有就是我父親在生意場上從未失手過。他非常精明，不會損失他全部或大部分資金。這是因為我父親做好了努力工作的準(zhǔn)備。他對問題常常有特殊的方案或解決方法。他像個魔術(shù)師。我們說他總會找到制勝法寶。

This VOA Learning English program, Words and Their Stories, was written by Jill Moss and presented by Faith Lapidus.

We leave you with this Nancy Sinatra – yes, that's right, Frank Sinatra's daughter – singing "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'."

If you find out a lover has been cheating on you, you can say to them, "these boots are made for walkin'" as you walk out the door.

I'm Anna Matteo.