用法学习: 1. Who falls harder for who? 谁爱谁多一点. It's a long distance love, but still manageable可以接受的, 可以去做的. bigger they are, the harder they fall 站得越高, 摔得越响 Prov. When prominent people fail, their failure is more dramatic. After the newspapers reported that the mayor cheated on his wife, he lost the election and he can't get any kind of job. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Jackson used to be very wealthy, but he lost every cent in the stock market crash. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. 3. rathole I. 老鼠洞. a: a rat's burrow. b: a hole gnawed by a rat. An entrance to a living area or passageway used by mice or rats. A living area used by mice or rats. II. a: a narrow opening, tunnel, or passageway. b: a cramped space (as for storage or living quarters); esp : one that is oppressive or filthy. cooped up in a rathole like this. A: Bali is a fully corrupt rathole, Money does the talk there. People are bad to the core坏透了. (rotten to the core Fig. really bad; corrupt. That lousy punk is rotten to the core. The entire administration is rotten to the core. to the core all the way through; basically and essentially. (Usually with some negative sense, such as evil, rotten, etc.) Bill said that John is evil to the core. This organization is rotten to the core.). B: Honey, Bali is a nice place to visit. You can't make a broad statement 以偏概全 ( "People might make broad statements about a certain hall just because
they went one time and lost". In law, a broad statement is defined as a
general statement, or something that's quite obvious or unspecific.
Broad statements are used to try and break a subject down, or convey
general information. You can find more details of these and other kinds
of legal statements online. How do you know when your topic is too
narrow狭窄, too broad宽泛, or just right?) like that. III. a seemingly bottomless or unfillable hole. His last pile of money … went down the rathole when he tried to save an old friend from bankruptcy. 4. trip up somebody to cause someone to make a mistake. to cause someone to falter while speaking, thinking, etc. Mary came in while the speaker was talking and the distraction tripped him up. The noise in the audience tripped up the speaker. The lawyer used what he knew about her personality to trip her up in court. I did fine on most of the test, but I tripped up on the last problem. take away from someone or something to lessen the value or esteem of someone or something; to detract from someone or something. to reduce the praise earned by a person or group. She did a lot to help people, and no one should ever try to take that away from her. We made some mistakes, but I don't want to take anything away from Iowa State - they played a great game. The fact that she is quiet does not take away from her one bit. The huge orange spot in the center of the painting takes away from the intense green of the rest of the work. take something away I. to remove one number from another number. to detract from someone or something. The bright costume on the soprano takes a lot away from the tenor, who is just as important. The main subject of the picture is good, but the busy background takes away a lot. If you take 4 away from 12 you get 8. II. to remove something: A waiter came to take our plates away. III. UK to buy food in a restaurant to eat somewhere else: Is that to eat here or take away? 5. caught in the middle to experience the influence of opposing groups in a disagreement. My mother and sister are always yelling at each other, and I find myself caught in the middle. in the cross hairs in a position to be criticized or attacked. Her independence put her in the cross hairs of some local politicians. Usage notes: usually the situation results from holding opinions that are not popular or are too independent. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of cross hairs (crossed lines used to aim a gun). caught in the crossfire to be hurt by opposing groups in a disagreement caught in the middle. As politicians and educators debate school funding, it's students who are caught in the crossfire. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of caught in the crossfire (trapped between two groups that are shooting at each other). 6. take the easy way out to get free of something by taking the path of least resistance. the easiest but not the best way of doing something, esp. a way that does not involve much effort: If you take the easy way out and only do things you know you're good at, you'll never learn anything. You can depend on Kelly to take the easy way out of a tough situation. I'm not the type that takes the easy way out不是容易就屈服的, 容易就让步的. take the line/path of least resistance 图省事, 避重就轻 to act in the way which will be easiest because you will not have to argue with other people about it. You could always take the line of least resistance and go with the majority vote. The path of least resistance describes the physical or metaphorical pathway 途径, 路径 that provides the least resistance to forward motion by a given object or entity, among a set of alternative paths. The concept is often used to describe why an object or entity takes a given path. 8. A paddy field 田, 水田 is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing semiaquatic rice. Paddy cultivation should not be confused with cultivation of deep water rice, which is grown in flooded conditions with water more than 50 cm (20 in) deep for at least a month.
口语说法: 1. "sure" is kind of dismissive(拒人于千里之外的, 爱答不理的, 爱搭不理的, 不热情的, 敷衍的, 冷淡的. Showing indifference or disregard. Showing disregard, indicating rejection, serving to dismiss: a dismissive shrug. "the firm is dismissive of不屑一顾的, 瞧不起的, 瞧不上眼的, 嗤之以鼻的. the competitor's product"; "'chronic fatigue syndrome' was known by the dismissive term 'housewife syndrome'". He was highly dismissive of the report. contemptuous, scornful, disdainful, insulting, sneering, derisive. contemptuous 鄙视的, 看不起的, 瞧不上眼的 Showing contempt; expressing disdain; showing a lack of respect. I don't know that guy, but he just gave me a contemptuous look. ), is abrupt(唐突鲁莽的 abrupt I. 出乎意料的, 意料之外的. 没有料到的. Without notice to prepare the mind for the event; sudden; hasty; unceremonious. Unexpectedly sudden: an abrupt change in the weather. an abrupt turn 急转弯 in the road. The party came to an abrupt end when the parents of our host arrived. II. Curt in manner; brusque; rude; uncivil; impolite. Surprisingly curt; brusque: an abrupt answer made in anger. III. Having sudden transitions from one subject or state to another; unconnected; disjointed. The abrupt style, which hath many breaches. brusque (bru:sk) Rudely abrupt, unfriendly. Abrupt and curt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt. marked by rude or peremptory shortness; brush off (idiomatic) To disregard (something), to dismiss or ignore (someone), as unimportant. Again I begged her to keep an eye on her blood pressure and not get so worked up, and once more she brushed me off, this time with a curt request that I would go and boil my head. ), means "ask me no more questions". "Of course" is arrogant. dismiss something as something to put something out of one's mind or ignore something as something. (The second something can be a noun or an adjective.) I
dismissed the whole idea as foolishness. It was not possible to dismiss
the whole matter as a one-time happening. Molly dismissed the whole
event as accidental. 2. "出错" 的各种说法: go pear-shaped ( BrE. To go wrong; to go awry. "Uh oh, things are starting to go pear-shaped". ), go belly-up ('Belly-up' is an allusion to fish, which float that way when 'dead in the water'.). tits-up ( adj. I. (idiomatic, slang, usually of a woman, usually naked) Lying down face up. II. (idiomatic, slang, vulgar) Broken; failed; inoperable. III. (idiomatic, slang, vulgar) Dead. IV. The term is also used to mean fallen over (on one's back). ), going wrong/awry. "gone bust"/"went bust" to go bankrupt. A business that failed can be said to have "gone bust." It "went bust". You may get away with using it in non-business situations. "all botched up" My lab experiment got all botched up. --usually because I botched it up. "go haywire" - Things went haywire. derived from a reference to poorly done electrical wiring - too many wires, crossing wires, etc. go haywire 乱了套, 发了疯, 发了狂, 疯了 I. Rur. to go wrong; to malfunction; to break down. I
was talking to Mary when suddenly the telephone went haywire. I haven't
heard from her since. There we were, driving along, when the engine
went haywire. It was two hours before the tow truck came. II. to behave or work in a crazy or disorderly way. The system went haywire, and they charged her 71 times for a $50 check. She arrived at work early, hoping to get a lot done, but within minutes things went haywire. Etymology: based on the idea that something is in such bad condition that it has to be held together with haywire (wire used to tie together dried grasses). go down the tube/tubes to fail or become much worse His
business is going down the tubes and he's about to lose his house.
Prices are going up and the service is terrible - everything's going
down the tubes. head/go/turn/move South 消失不见, 找不到了. 没有影踪了. 没有消息, 杳无音讯 I. Sl. to make an escape; to disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.) Lefty went South the minute he got out of the pen. The mugger headed South just after the crime. II. Sl. to fall; to go down. (Securities markets.) All the stock market indexes went South today. The market headed South today at the opening bell. III. Sl. to quit; to drop out of sight. Fred
got discouraged and went South. I think he gave up football
permanently. After pulling the bank job, Wilbur wen South for a few
months. IV. 变差, 恶化. 变糟糕. To become unfavorable; to decrease; to take a turn for the worse. I should have walked away from the casino when my luck went south, but I stayed and ended up in the hole. He was unconcerned that his health might turn south. Yesterday the stock market moved south, ending up on a loss for the day. Afterward, when company profits had ventured a bit too far southward, the CFO began to get nervous.
This idiom is constructed with a variety of terms, all consisting of a
verb indicating movement and a direction indicating the movement is to
the south (southerly, southward, etc.) The exact construction may be modified to fit the circumstances. sidetrack I. 分心的, 分神的. =distract, digress. To divert from a main issue or course: I was sidetracked from my work by an unexpected visitor. II. To delay or block the progress of deliberately: "a bill that would sidetrack food irradiation in this country". III. To switch from a main railroad track to a siding. someone "got sidetracked," meaning they went astray, lost track, got caught up in something else. undivided
attention 全部注意力. 专注的. 一心一意 undivided adj. 全神贯注的;一心一意的, 未分开未分心的. 心不在焉的. unenthusiastic ( enthusiasm [inˈθju:ziˌæzəm]), half-hearted. absent-minded 不专心的, 心不在焉的, 注意力不集中的
preoccupied; forgetful; inattentive. preoccupied with one's thoughts so
as to be unaware or forgetful of other matters. engrossed or absorbed
in something, esp one's own thoughts. 心不在焉的例句: She had a dreamy look 眼神涣散, 眼神空洞 in her eyes. He listened with an absent air神情 and kept glancing at the door. The absent-minded脑子不知在想什么的 professor forgot to get off at Newcastle and was taken on to Edinburgh. He wore a look of abstraction若有所思 and I knew his thoughts ware far away. He pretended not to notice that Mildred was inattentive没注意的. He had an absent look on his face. She glanced at them a moment with the benign but vacant eye 空洞的眼神 of the tired hostess. (关于dreamy I. 多梦的. abounding in dreams. full of dreams a dreamy night's sleep. II. 梦幻般的 suggestive of a dream or dreamlike state. a dreamy smile. III. 爱做梦的, 不现实的. tending to dream instead of thinking about what is real or practical. full of dreamy ideals. He's like some dreamy kid. She was a dreamy young woman who never gave much serious thought to her future. IV.
游移的, 梦游的, 不专心的. having a quality which shows or suggests that you are
not noticing or thinking about what is happening around you. His face assumed a dreamy expression. He gazed at me with a dreamy look in his eyes. eyes are glassing/ glazing over. V. 浑然如梦的. pleasant, peaceful, and relaxing. inducing dreams or a dreamlike mood, esp. pleasantly: dreamy music. a dreamy, delicate song. VI. 梦寐以求的. wonderful; marvelous: a dreamy new car. ) get/have sb's
undivided attention 得到某人的全心关注 Students are listening with undivided
attention. I'll just finish writing this sentence, and then you
can have my undivided attention. put
off I. 延期, 推迟 They decided to put the meeting off until after
Christmas. Owing to the state of the ground, the match has
been put off. II. 使分心 I don't like music playing when I'm
working. It puts me off. If I am once put off I find it
very difficult to recapture the same train of thought. III. 敷衍, 推诿, 推脱. 糊弄. When he asked her to name a day for订个日子 their
wedding, she put him off. I'm not going to be put
off with that excuse. I won't be put off with such vague
promises. off on a sidetrack 离题万里, 跑题 Fig. on a digression; discussing a topic that is not the main topic. (Alludes to a train waiting on a siding. be ~; get ~; get someone~.) Anne got off on a sidetrack and never returned to her topic. The ineffective committee got off on one sidetrack after another. get carried away Fig. to be overcome by emotion or enthusiasm (in one's thinking or actions). Calm down, Jane. Don't get carried away. Here, Bill. Take this money and go to the candy store, but don't get carried away. I got carried away and bought four new shirts. Not everyone was carried away by the news that the team had won. go astray I. Lit. to wander off the road or path. Stick to the path and try not to go astray. I couldn't see the trail and I almost went astray. II. Fig. 丢了, 找不到了. [for something] to get lost or misplaced. My glasses have gone astray again. Mary's book went astray or maybe it was stolen. III. Fig. 走上邪路. 不走正路. 不走正道. to turn bad or wander from the way of goodness; to make an error. I'm afraid your son has gone astray and gotten into a bit of trouble. I went astray with the computer program at this point. IV. 搞丢了. to fail to arrive where it should. I don't understand how my e-mail went astray. V. to stop doing something in the way that you should. Sometimes even the most well-thought-out plans go astray. lead somebody astray I. 引上邪路. to influence someone so that they do bad things. Parents always worry about their children being led astray by unsuitable friends. II. to cause someone to make a mistake. The police were led astray by false information from one of the witnesses. sideways I. Toward one side: took a step sideways; a sideways glance. II. From one side: a painting lit sideways; sideways pressure. III. With the side forward: turned sideways to show the profile; a sideways
view. knock somebody sideways (British & Australian) to surprise, confuse or upset someone very much. The news of her brother's death knocked her sideways. go sideways verb. I. to become worse. Things have gone sideways. Don't go sideways on me.
II. 出差错. Jargon; most commonly found among enforcement officers,
military, and those in similar circles, including criminals. Used to
describe when a tense situation, usually an operation of some kind,
suffers a catastrophic breakdown and devolves into near-chaos, usually
requiring violence and/or aggression to restore order. Likewise, to say
something "almost went sideways" means that such a breakdown was narrowly averted. The drug bust went sideways when the dealer found the undercover cop's wire窃听器. The bank robbery almost went sideways when someone set off an alarm, but the robbers got their money and got clear before the police could respond. "Man, I hope this chopper patrol doesn't go sideways on us." (wire I. (informal)
A telecommunication wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph; a
telegram. II. (slang) 窃听器. A hidden listening device on the person of an undercover operative for the purposes of obtaining incriminating spoken evidence. III. (informal) A deadline or critical endpoint. This election is going to go right to the wire.) To go sideways(不太常用)
means "not going according to plan, but not necessarily going towards
an unpleasant outcome". It might be like serendipity. One known phrase
is the "lateral promotion". An upper-level manager might not get the vice president slot,
but instead be moved to another upper-level managerial slot. This may
be an unpleasant outcome, if the person really wanted the VP job, but at
least s/he didn't get demoted or fired. The expression "went sideways" does in fact mean that something went wrong, or awry. If you had plans but something else happened to cause those plans to go wrong, then you could say, "well that went sideways." lateral move or lateral promotion平调, 平升: A lateral promotion means you will have another sets of responsibilities, which could give you more authority and independence in making decisions, sans (sans [sænz] prep an archaic word for without. a bird sans feathers.) the topic of salary. In other words, more work and responsibility but no additional pay. This kind of a promotion has one pro: you will have a higher title at work,
which means you will be respected and recognized. The best thing about a
lateral promotion is you will be a vital part of your organization's
decision making process. Your ideas and thoughts will be valued.
Meanwhile, the only con side 不好的方面 of this lateral promotion simply lies on the money.
The additional responsibilities might not be worth your current salary.
Period. On the other hand, a lateral move means you are transferred to
another department or given a job which is different from your original
job, still, sans the topic of money. For example, you might be changed
from being the admin Assistant Manager to being the HR Associate. You
will have a totally different job description, but you are still in the
same company.
gazebo, kiosk, pergola, cabana: 1. A gazebo 在花园里盖得亭子样的建筑 is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Gazebos are freestanding独立的, 独栋的 or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides四面开放的; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest. Some gazebos in public parks are large enough to serve as bandstands or rain shelters. 2. A kiosk(以前指四面开放的亭子, 现在指卖东西的小亭子) is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. The word is now applied to small booths offering goods and services and to freestanding computer terminals. 3. A pergola爬满植物的棚子, 或走廊, arbor or arbour(wiki上几张图片的解释是:A steep hillside at Settimo Vittone, Piedmont, is terraced with tiers of pergolas, on which grapevines are trained. Alley with grapevine-covered pergola in the centre of Koilani village, Cyprus. Privacy and shade in a green tunnel, here trained on modern materials: Mirabellgarten, Salzburg) is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. As a type of gazebo, it may also be an extension of a building, or serve as protection for an open terrace or a link between pavilions. 4. Cabana[kəˈban(y)ə] I. a cabin or hut for relaxing. II. A shelter on a beach or at a swimming pool. wiki: Cabana (structure), a small hut built with a thatched roof, sometimes as a recreational structure. A cabana or cabaña is a structure of either of these types: an 'indigenous hut' or a 'recreational structure'. Indigenous hut: A small hut built with a thatched (θætʃ) roof茅草顶 ( Thatching ( thatch I. Plant stalks or foliage, such as reeds or palm fronds, used for roofing. II. 乱草似的头发. Something, such as a thick growth of hair on the head, that resembles thatch. III. 死掉的草皮. Dead turf, as on a lawn.) is the craft 技艺, 手艺 of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (Cladium mariscus), rushes灯芯属草, or heather一种开粉花的草, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low-cost, local vegetation. By contrast in some developed countries it is now the choice of affluent people who desire a rustic look for their home( rustic 乡村风情的, 农村气息的, 原始气息的 I. Country-styled or pastoral; rural. II. Unfinished or roughly finished. rustic manners. III. Crude, rough. rustic country where the sheep and cattle roamed freely. IV. Simple; artless; unaffected. ), would like a more ecologically friendly roof, or who have purchased an originally thatched abode.), most commonly built in tropical climates near natural bodies of water. Recreational structure: A temporary, seasonal, or permanent free standing shade structure with: adjustable curtains or shades; and/or decorative drapes or solid walls; all on one or more sides. These are often adjacent to swimming pools at resorts and hotels, and in private gardens. Urban luxury hotels, such as the Mondrian Hotel and Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, have semi-permanent ensembles of cabanas on the grounds or on a rooftop terrace that offer outdoor privacy, and can acquire some social cachet( cachet (ˈkæʃei) I. an official seal, as on a letter or document. II. an official sign of approval. III. superior status; prestige: a job with a certain cachet. IV. a distinguishing mark or feature. V. a hollow wafer for enclosing an ill-tasting medicine. VI. a design or other device drawn or printed on an envelope for philatelic purposes, as for a first-day cover. ). 5. In architecture a pavilion (from French, "pavillon", from Latin "papilio") has two primary meanings. It can refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in its intended use. A pavilion built to take advantage of a view is referred to as a gazebo. In its other primary meaning, in a symmetrical range of buildings in the classical styles, where there is a main central block – the corps de logis – the wings may end in pavilions that are emphasized in some fashion, in order to provide a full stop to the composition, like a period at the end of a sentence.
Mariah Carey risks wardrobe malfunction出糗 with the most epic plunging neckline低胸(low-cut): You really can't fault Mariah Carey for living the mantra "if you've got it, flaunt it". The 43-year-old diva practically made eyes pop out of their sockets with her cleavage-baring 露乳沟的 black gown on stage at the BET Honors award ceremony in Washington DC on Saturday night. Hovering dangerously close to a nipple slip(A wardrobe malfunction, or accidental nudity, is accidental exposure of intimate parts. It is different from indecent exposure or flashing, as the latter ones imply a deliberate exposure. There has been a long history of such incidents, though the term itself was coined in the mid-2000s and has become one of the most common fashion faux pas. In everyday context it often happens as a nipple slip where women expose the areola on their breast, which and is relatively common, but wardrobe malfunction suggests a public event or performance, particularly when there are allegations that it was deliberately staged for publicity reasons.), Mariah rocked the low-cut 低胸 Rubin Singer number with pair of long-sleeve gloves while writhing on a piano. That's some industrial-strength nipple tape(Nipple tape/ covers/sticker乳贴), MiMi! At least Mariah didn't suffer the same wardrobe malfunction she had on live TV last year. Sugar daddy site accused of prostitution: An online dating site has been accused of prostitution for uniting cash-strapped ( cash-strapped 缺钱的, 手头紧的, 手头不宽裕的 not having as much money as you need. used to describe a person or organization that does not have enough money: Working during study is a fact of life for most cash-strapped students. strapped for something needing something, usually money. (be ~; get ~.) I am really strapped for cash. Can you lend me some? Ted is strapped for money and cannot pay his bills. ) students with "sugar daddies" willing to pay thousands of dollars a week for companionship三陪, 作陪.The US-based Seeking Arrangement website pursues university aged women who need financial assistance to help them fund their costly tuition, the reports. When a 23-year-old woman, known only as Megan, planned to move to New York to study she knew she would struggle to afford it and decided to set up a profile on the site. Before she had even arrived in the city she received an invitation to go out on a date with a 47-year-old lawyer. "I was skeptical 抱着怀疑的态度 at first about it because I was like, this is like the kind of thing that could attract a lot of creeps ( creep I. Slang An annoyingly unpleasant or repulsive person. II. creeps Informal a feeling of fear, repulsion, disgust, etc. A sensation of fear or repugnance, as if things were crawling on one's skin: That house gives me the creeps.), but [it was] actually really nice," she said. Two weeks later she entered a relationship with a finance professional aged in his 40s, who pays her $1100 every ten days in exchange for accompanying him on dinner dates and sometimes weekends away. She said the relationship eventually became physical but added that she "never felt pressured 被迫, 强迫 to do anything I didn't want to do." "It did eventually reach that point. But it felt natural. It felt just like a normal relationship." Megan earned around $22,000 from the relationship before breaking it off. She is currently in another relationship, brokered by the site, that earns her $335 a week. "I more or less live comfortably because of it. I'm able to pay my rent a little easier. I haven't been really able to attack the principal amount ( attack I. To start work on with purpose and vigor: attack a problem. II. To begin to affect harmfully: a disease that attacks the central nervous system.) on my loan," she said. The enormous cost of university education in the United States ensures that the site has a steady flow of 固定客源 women willing to offer themselves to so-called "sugar daddies". Megan's annual tuition fees cost her $75,900. With other living expenses 生活成本 factored in she requires around $112,000 a year. Some critics have said the site is offering a prostitution service but Seeking Arrangement's spokespeople have predictably 可想而知的 rejected the assertion. "Prostitution is black and white; it's just an exchange of sex for money," Seeking Arrangement's public-relations manager Angela Jacob Bermudo said. "On Seeking Arrangement, people are coming to find their ideal relationship. It's about the connection. "These men are shelling out ( shell out (an amount of money) 花费高昂, 花一大笔钱 = splurge on, splash out to spend a certain amount of money. to pay money The insurance giant estimates that in Texas alone it will have to shell out $85 million to settle these claims. How much does the company expect to shell out for a solution to the problem? Usage notes: usually said about large amounts of money. I'm not going to shell out $400 for that! Come on. You owe me. Shell out! squander something away 挥霍, 浪费 to waste something; to use up something valuable wastefully. Where is all the money I gave you last month? Did you squander it all away? Frank squandered away all his assets. ) US$3,000 ($3,350) a month for a sugar baby. That's not something that a man is going to spend for a simple, one-night engagement."
