sling(投掷)/throw mud at someone
if someone slings mud at another person, they try to make other people
have a low opinion of them by saying unpleasant things about them. Companies should think carefully before slinging mud at someone who may respond with a libel诽谤,损害名誉 action costing millions of dollars. I left Hollywood because I was fed up with all the mud-slinging揭发隐私 that goes on there. over the top too extreme. To blame one person for the collapse of the business seems way over the top. I listened to her speech, and some of her language was just over the top.
Obama在胜选后的集会上发表演说"There will be setbacks(顿挫, 挫折, 退步, 逆流) and false starts(1. 抢跑 2. 毫无结果的尝试 a false start a failed attempt to begin an activity or event. After a false start when he left his first job after only a week, he was offered some modelling work.). There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president." 还有"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in(矢志努力to help with others to get something done. As soon as we knew what a big job it was, Gwen and I just pitched in with the rest of the group.) and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." president-elect当选但还没有就职的总统 incumbent在职的,现任的 outgoing即将离任的 incoming即将上任的 quicksand 1. 流沙A
bed of loose sand mixed with water forming a soft shifting mass that
yields easily to pressure and tends to engulf any object resting on its
surface. 2.陷阱(quicksands) A place or situation into which entry can be swift and sudden but from which extrication救出解脱 can be difficult or impossible. Often used in the plural: "This theory of the future entrapped [them] in the quicksands of Vietnam" Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
fracture n.&v. 1. 破碎,碎裂 2. 骨折 fracture a bone折断骨头 3. 滥用 ignorant writers who fracture the language滥用语言的无知作家 rupture n.&v. 1. 破碎,裂开 2. 疝气(A hernia, especially of the groin or intestines.) puncture n.&v. 1. 刺破,戳破 2. 医学里的穿刺 acupuncture 针灸 constipation n. 便秘(Difficult, incomplete, or infrequent evacuation of dry, hardened feces from the bowels.) piles 痔疮=hemorrhoid internal [external] hemorrhoids
green with envy非常嫉妒的 wishing very much that you had what someone else has. Sharon's going off to the south of France for three weeks and we're all green with envy. freakout=freak-out 1. 吸毒引起的幻觉 An experience of frightening feelings or hallucinations, especially as a result of taking a drug. 2. 过于幸福或愤怒An experience or scene of unrestrained excitement or irrational behavior. 3. One having such an experience or participating in such a scene. dealership 经销商, 经销权 uncalled for=uncalled-for 1. 不必须的,不需要的, 多余的, 多此一举的 Not required or requested; unwanted: uncalled-for suggestions多余的建议. 2. 不应该的, 没有理由的, 无缘无故的 Not justified or deserved; unwarranted: uncalled-for
rudeness. 'm sorry. That was uncalled for. ...Leo's uncalled-for
remarks about her cousin. Your comments were quite
uncalled-for你的意见很没有道理. =unwarranted undeserved 不应得的, 不该受的, 冤枉的 has an undeserved reputation as a coward(for being dull and dry) glove compartment /box 汽车仪表板上的小柜, 小储藏箱(a small storage area in the dashboard of a car) storage box / cosole box 是指汽车扶手下边的储物箱, 完整可称为Front/central Console Box 关于详细的汽车部件的名称或术语列表, 参见http://binfen.blogbus.com/logs/52961514.html a sea change (literary) a complete or profound change突变,突发性彻底转变. The
huge increase in the number of people working freelance represents a
sea change in patterns of employment over the last 10 years. (often + in) in dire straits(in dire need急需) in extreme danger or difficulty情势危急. Officials in Washington say the peace process is in dire straits. Usage notes: sometimes used in the forms dire economic straits or dire financial straits: He's been out of work for eight months, and his family is in dire financial straits.
My children face a daily barrage(1. 拦河坝,堰 2. 密集的火力攻击,如用于掩护战友(A heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of friendly troops to screen and protect them) 3. An overwhelming, concentrated outpouring, as of words连续质问,连珠炮似的 a barrage of criticism接二连三的一大堆批评 a barrage of questions连珠炮似的问题) of insults and name-calling骂人
MY CHILDREN suffer more than I do for being Jewish. I think it's much more common更普遍的
in France among young people nowadays. My children have to face a daily
barrage of insults and name-callings. Thankfully they haven't really
been the victims of physical violence. But I know other people whose children have been verbally and physically harassed and one who actually had to go to hospital.
You cannot say anti-Semitism反犹太主义 is a recent phenomenon
in France but it does seem to have worsened and become more publicly
obvious in recent years. In just the first half of 2004 there have been
more than 370 discriminatory acts歧视性行为
against Jews which have given rise to complaint. I think that people
are now much more free to say what they want about people, races,
anything they want.
The boundaries marking what you can say in public and what you cannot have retreated and people can get away with逃脱处罚 all kinds of malicious insults and slurs污蔑诽谤. This is absolutely intolerable; after words come acts, so we must do our utmost to condemn this way of speaking. Any racist or discriminatory comments must be severely punished.
But, however bad the situation may be, Sharon's comments were highly excessive. He simply has no legitimacy to make appeals like that. There has been a Jewish community in France for over 2,000 years. You cannot talk about "French Jews"; we are simply French citizens of Jewish denomination(1.名称称谓 2. 宗教派别), just as there are French citizens of Muslim and Christian denomination.
If one of us were to make the decision to go to live in Israel it would be the highly personal, spiritual choice of an individual仅是高度个人的选择. Sharon is wrong to suggest such a decision could be collective. One thing is for sure: we must keep our heads保持冷静(to be calm despite danger or difficulty. When Lisa collapsed he kept his head and tried to revive her, but nothing worked. 反义于lose your head) and not panic. I have faith in this government to fight against this anti-Semitism.
I can bear witness to (bear witness to something作证 to show by your existence that something is true. The survivors of this disaster bear witness to a terrible event we would like to forget.)
President Chirac's willingness to try to solve the problem. France is
certainly not the most anti-Semitic or racist country in the world; we live in a democracy and we are surely capable of beating this kind of hatred. Mr Zrihen, the author of this article, is vice-president of Crif, an umbrella group representing Jewish organisations in France.
Analysis: Palin's words may backfire on McCain
WASHINGTON - By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling(1. n. 棺罩帷幕 a pall of smoke烟幕 2. v. 扫兴, 使生腻 ) around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering摇摇欲坠的,步履蹒跚的 campaign. And though she may have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated (无确实根据[证据]的) and carried a racially tinged(1.着色 2.微带气息) subtext潜台词 that John McCain himself may come to regret.
First, Palin's attack shows that her energetic debate with rival Joe Biden may be just the beginning, not the end, of a sharpened role in the battle to win the presidency.
"Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so
imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists
who would target their own country," Palin told a group of donors in
Englewood, Colo. A deliberate attempt to smear抹黑,中伤 Obama,
McCain's ticket-mate echoed the line at three separate events Saturday.
"This is not a man who sees America like you and I see America," she
said. "We see America as a force of good in this world. We see an America of exceptionalism."
Obama isn't above attacking McCain's character with loaded words充满火药味的语言, releasing an ad on Sunday that calls the Arizona Republican "erratic" — a hard-to miss
suggestion that McCain's age, 72, might be an issue. "Our financial
system in turmoil," an announcer says in Obama's new ad. "And John
McCain? Erratic in a crisis. Out of touch on the economy." A harsh and plainly partisan(1. 强硬支持,党羽, 立场强硬或激进的 2. 党派性的) judgment, certainly, but not on the level of suggesting that a fellow senator is un-American and even a friend of terrorists.
In her character attack人身攻击, Palin questions Obama's association with William Ayers, a member of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground. Her reference was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were "pals" or even close
when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a
political event for Obama early in his career. Obama, who was a child
when the Weathermen were planting bombs, has denounced Ayers' radical views and actions.
With her criticism, Palin is taking on the running mate's traditional role of attacker, said Rich Galen, a Republican strategist.
"There appears to be a newfound sense of confidence in Sarah Palin
as a candidate, given her performance the other night," Galen said. "I
think that they are comfortable enough with her now that she's got the
standing with the electorate to take off after Obama."
Second, Palin's incendiary煽动性的 charge
draws media and voter attention away from the worsening economy. It
also comes after McCain supported a pork-laden Wall Street bailout plan
in spite of conservative anger and his own misgivings.
"It's a giant changing of the subject改变话题," said Jenny Backus, a Democratic strategist. "The problem is the messenger. If you want to start throwing fire bombs, you don't send out派遣 the fluffy bunny to do it. I think people don't take Sarah Palin seriously."
The larger purpose behind Palin's broadside is to reintroduce the
question of Obama's associations. Millions of voters, many of them open
to being swayed to one side or the other, are starting to pay attention to an election a month away.
For the McCain campaign, that makes Obama's ties to Ayers as well as
convicted felon Antoin "Tony" Rezko and the controversial minister Jeremiah Wright ripe for renewed criticism. And Palin brings a fresh voice to the argument.
Effective character attacks have come earlier in campaigns. In June 1988, Republican George H.W. Bush criticized Democrat Michael Dukakis over the furlough休假 granted to Willie Horton, a convicted murderer who then raped a woman and stabbed her companion. Related TV ads followed in September and October.
The Vietnam-era Swift Boat veterans who attacked Democrat John Kerry's war record started in the spring of 2004 and gained traction in late summer.
"The four weeks that are left are an eternity. There's plenty of time in the campaign," said Republican strategist Joe Gaylord. "I think it is a legitimate strategy to talk about Obama and to talk about his background and who he pals around with."
Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee "palling around" with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn't see their America?
In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims,
not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers' day 40 years ago. With Obama a
relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed嗡嗡 with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate.
Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as
"not like us" is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that
the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.
The fact is that when racism creeps into the discussion, it serves a purpose for McCain. As the fallout附带结果 from Wright's sermons showed earlier this year, forcing Obama to abandon issues to talk about race leads to unresolved arguments about America's promise to treat all people equally.
John McCain occasionally says he looks back on decisions with regret. He has apologized for opposing a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. He has apologized for refusing to call for the removal of a Confederate flag from South Carolina's Capitol.
When the 2008 campaign is over will McCain say he regrets appeals such as Palin's?
