用法学习: 1. side profile 侧面, 侧影. From the front, I look normal besides a little chubbiness in the cheeks even though I am not chubby at all. From the side profile I have no self confidence. I have a big nose and my forehead and chin don't line up but I don't know exactly what surgeries or injections I would need. I want a cute button nose but that wouldn't fix my chin. axiomatic [ˌaksɪəˈmatɪk] 不言自明, 不用说的, 毫无疑问的, 自不待言的 self-evident or unquestionable. "It is axiomatic that dividends have to be financed". dog leash 狗绳. 拴狗绳. "kept a tight leash on his emotions"; "he's always gotten a long leash". have/keep somebody on a short/tight leash 管得很严, 管的很松 to have a lot of control over someone's behaviour and allow them very little freedom to do what they want He doesn't go out with the lads so much these days. Michelle keeps him on a tight leash. be straining at the leash to be very eager to do something that you are being prevented from doing at the present time Meanwhile we hear that our soldiers have reached a peak of fitness and are straining at the leash. long game 持久战 (play the long game) A long-term strategy or endeavor. The U.S. and its allies hope to use the leverage of sanctions to persuade Iran to back down. . . . For each side, the long game remains shaping the diplomatic compromise to their own liking. Play the long game, don't rush in thingg. Mr. Lynch has always preferred the long game and he is banking on luring Democrats home to the Mayor's side in November. Usage notes: One who follows a long-term strategy is said to "play the long game". Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war The military order Havoc! was a signal given to the English military forces in the Middle Ages to direct the soldiery (in Shakespeare's parlance 'the dogs of war') to pillage and chaos.
The term is the predessor of 'play havoc' (with). This is now more common than 'cry havoc' but has lost the force of the earlier phrase - just meaning 'cause disorder and confusion'. 2. 广告: You wouldn't throw out a blunt pencil, so why do the same with your razor? Razormate uses friction摩擦力 to clean and sharpen 磨快 razors, so they last longer, giving you a closer shave and less irritation. 演员太帅被围"攻": An actor mobbed by women desperate to take a selfies with him when he dropped into a Saudi Arabian shopping mall was arrested for 'mixing with women unrelated to him'. He said: "I asked my followers on Snapchat about the best mall to visit and they recommended Al Nakheel, so I took up their suggestion 采纳建议 and said on social media that I was going there on Friday. what a grinch! 太扫兴了: The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss. He first appeared as the main character of the 1957 Christmas story How the Grinch Stole Christmas! A spoilsport or killjoy: it's hard not to feel like a bit of a Grinch criticizing the importance of 'zine culture'. paranormal [ˌpærəˈnɔːməl] 灵异事件 A paranormal event or power, such as the appearance of a ghost, cannot be explained by scientific laws and is thought to involve strange, unknown forces. 奇异的; 超自然的. 灵异事件. Science may be able to provide some explanations of paranormal phenomena. n. You can refer to paranormal events and matters as the paranormal. unable to be explained by science and therefore mysterious. 超常事件, 无法解释. 解释不了的事件. We have been looking at the shadowy world of the paranormal. I am not doubting your story 质疑, 怀疑你的故事, 不相信你说的. put somebody through hell 受了不少苦, 经受折磨, 吃苦受累 to make someone suffer Our coach put us through hell trying to get us fit for the big race. He didn't understand the people he worked with or care whether he put us through hell. put someone through something to make someone do or experience something difficult or unpleasant. Children shouldn't be put through the ordeal of giving evidence in court. The team are put through a daily fitness programme. put someone through it (=make someone experience something unpleasant): He really put Jones through it when the reports were late. There is more to something/somebody than meets the eye 没那么简单. something that you say when you think that something or someone is less simple than they seem to be at first There's more to this than meets the eye. I suspect Tom's not telling the truth. There must be more to him than meets the eye, or else why would she be interested in him? safety net 保险网. 安全网, 保护网. I. a net that is under something to catch people if they fall. II. a plan or system that is designed to protect people or prevent serious problems. The benefits system provides a safety net for those in real need. British government didn't want to guarantee a safe passage for Julian Assage to get a MRI. Britain refuses to grant Julian Assange safe passage for shoulder pain medical check. Mr Assange has been holed-up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012, seeking to avoid extradition to Sweden. "We did ask the British government for a safe passage for humanitarian reasons in coordination with Ecuador so that Julian Assange can get an MRI," foreign minister Ricardo Patino told a briefing in Quito. The foreign minister spoke two days after Britain said it would stop continuously standing guard outside the Ecuadoran embassy in London. high note: A successful point in an event or period of time: he wants to end his managerial career on a high note. crowd I. to move to a particular place at the same time as a lot of other people. crowd round/around 围住: Everyone in the restaurant crowded round them and started singing. crowd into: We crowded into the kitchen with the others. II. [transitive] if a group of people crowd a place, they make it full by being in it. Hundreds of people crowded the streets. III. [transitive] if things such as thoughts or memories crowd your mind, your mind becomes full of them. Images of the accident kept crowding my head. IV. [transitive] to stand so close to someone that it annoys them or makes them feel nervous. Don't crowd me! crowd in on someone 围过来, 聚拢过来 I. if a group of people crowd in on someone, they move close to them and then surround them. Some youths he didn't know began crowding in on him. II. 压过来. if things such as thoughts or memories crowd in on you, they seem to threaten you and make you feel upset. Everything was crowding in on me and I felt that I couldn't cope. don't count your chickens before they're hatched I. You should not count on something before it happens. II. You should not expect all of your hopes to be fulfilled. Don't count those chickens yet. Don't jinx it. 3. 脱口秀女王和男孩的缘分: 'We were shooting in the projects in Chicago and I was sitting on set during a break, and this cute little sparkly-eyed 两眼冒着火花的, 两眼闪闪放光的, 眼睛熠熠生辉的 boy came underneath the yellow tape to hand me a soda. 'I was so charmed 迷住, 折服 by him that I started talking to him about his family, his school life, and found out that he was in a situation where his mother didn't have a job and they were stuck in the projects.' She explained that she took it upon herself 主动帮忙 to help the family move out of the projects, find employment for Mitchell's mother, and enroll him in a local private school. Oprah said that, at the age of 16, Calvin said that he couldn't stay at the boarding school because 'the teachers didn't like him'. 'I said, 'Calvin, this is the moment. This is a seminal ( [ˈsemɪn(ə)l] I. formal a seminal piece of writing or music is new and different and influences other literature or music that comes after it. 影响深远的, 决定一生的. Highly influential, especially in some original way, and providing a basis for future development or research. "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" was a seminal work in the modern philosophy of science. II. Creative or having the power to originate. III. medical containing semen. ) moment for you. I know you are 16 and can't see the road ahead 看不到前路, but if you leave this school and refuse to get an education - I have tried to offer you an education twice - there isn't another school I can put you in. And when she ran into Mitchell earlier this month, Oprah already suspected that he told his story to the tabloids because she was asked by a media outlet for comment about her 'secret son'. She said: 'I could see the little boy in his eyes, even though time has changed a lot for him, and I said to him, 'What are you doing? Why did you go to the tabloids?' 'As I left, and he was looking so forlorn( [fə(r)ˈlɔ:(r)n] I. 孤独悲哀的 appearing lonely and sad. We watched her, a forlorn figure alone on the platform. a. used about places that are empty and in a bad condition. One of London's best-loved landmarks now stands forlorn and almost derelict. II. wanted by you very much despite knowing that there is little chance of getting what you want. forlorn hope: He knew that winning a medal was a forlorn hope.), he was like, 'Can I speak to you?' So I said to somebody on my team, 'Will somebody get Calvin's number so I can contact him later?' I didn't realize the whole thing was a setup 设计好了的." 'I learned from that experience, if you really want to change somebody's life, you gotta be able to spend enough time with them to change the way they think about what their life can be,' she said. 'It isn't enough to give a person a new life or money or a new car, you have to teach them how to fish themselves 授之以渔.' Mitchell said that he became suicidal and depressed after their relationship ended years ago. He reportedly pleaded with Oprah for forgiveness after she asked him why he had spoken to a tabloid. Mitchell said he charmed Oprah when they first met by offering her a Diet Coke, and she offered him a job as her 'personal bodyguard' before asking his mother Eva if she could adopt him. After realizing their run-in was a set-up, the media mogul no longer wants anything to do with him. 4. cut of one's jib 我喜欢你的风格 (idiomatic) A person's general appearance, manner, or style. Usage notes: Often used in form "to like the cut of someone's jib", as in "I like the cut of your jib." I like the cut of his jib. I admire the way he bent you three idiots over a barrel and showed you the 50 states. Bend her over a barrel and show her the 50 states It first appeared in the movie "Horrible Bosses." It basically just means your gunna bend that bitch over and stick it in her and show her who's boss. Chandler: "Hey bro are you gunna get with her tonight?" Jake: "Hell yeah bro Imma make sure she's sore tomorrow. I'm gunna bend her over a barrel and show her the 50 states." Chandler: "Thatta boy". I've been running hot. The phrase "running hot" is used to describe cars that are driven very fast: the engines are working so hard that they are getting very hot. This has an obvious connection to the sexual imagery mentioned previously. 歌词: If you start me up. If you start me up I'll never stop. I've been running hot. You got me ticking gonna blow my top. run hot and cold (idiomatic) To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure. Henrietta's feelings for Delbert run hot and cold -- one minute she's hopelessly in love with him, and the next she can't stand the sight of him. The business runs hot and cold; some months our firm doesn't earn enough to cover expenses 入不敷出 and other months, we net 400% profits. blow hot and cold 一会儿东, 一会儿西, 这一下子那一下子, 忽东忽西的, 一会儿喜欢一会儿不喜欢的 (intransitive, idiomatic) To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion. The Xinhua commentary said that Chen "blows hot and cold, behaves capriciously and is a hard man to trust." stake a claim If you stake a claim to something, you say or show that you have a right to it and that it should belong to you: He marked the spot on his map where he had seen the gold and returned later that month to stake his claim. 5. 广播明星: Amanda Keller says bosses were 'horrified' after she and Brendan Jones were booked in economy while network peers Kyle and Jackie O enjoyed business on SAME flight: And while an ARN spokesperson has said it was simply an 'administrative error' - rather than favouritism or demands - Amanda has further backed her radio bosses, telling the Daily Telegraph on Saturday: 'I don't think it was a deliberate thing.' Last Thursday, Kyle slammed the report on his radio show getting particularly worked up over an idea that was also expressed of Jackie being pregnant with her second child. 'Have some decency 要点脸吧 in whatever's left under your fingernail as a journalist, don't go writing pumped up news stories about Jackie being pregnant, it's not true,' he said. He added he and Jackie often fly business for work trips and they both hated the idea of posing by a Rolls Royce for a photo as the paper wanted. No doubt Amanda isn't too concerned 没什么, 不关心, 无所谓, 不当回事 with the flying drama, as she is this week celebrating the launch of her memoir. 明星听谁的节目: I love Fitzy and Wippa. I mean, I'm contractually obliged to say that because we work in the same building and they're mates of mine. But as far as AM radio goes, I look up the likes of Alan Jones and Ray Hadley and Neil Mitchell. And to be honest I don't mind a bit of Kyle and Jackie O. I'm a big flicker of the radio dial so I tend to give everyone a go." 6. 比伯出走: Justin Bieber throws ANOTHER tantrum and storms off stage in Oslo... just hours after walking out on Spanish: The Baby singer has pitched another fit. Justin Bieber stormed off stage during a performance in Oslo, Norway on Thursday night. Video has been posted on Twitter of the incident which shows shortly after one of his fans had spilled a beverage on stage. When 21-year-old singer tried to wipe it up, he became irritated as his Beliebers got in the way of him trying to mop up the mess, which caused him to storm off. As Justin walks away he throws down the rag as he says: 'Yeah, I'm done. I'm not doing the show.' His fans begin to scream in hopes that the pop singer was either joking around or that he would have a change of heart, but he definitely seemed serious as he threw his hoodie on stage before his exit. After the incident, the What Do U Mean singer posted a groveling ( [ˈɡrov(ə)l] to show too much respect for someone or be too willing to obey someone, because you want to please them or you are afraid of them. ) apology on his Instagram which featured the text: '"I'm not doing the show." - Justin Bieber to the fans before walking off.' He captioned the emotional post to his 42.1 million followers: 'Sadly it's Been a rough week for me, long days no sleep, while having to be "on" as they would say for cameras fans etc. In no way did I mean to come across mean, but chose to end the show as the people in the front row would not listen. Hopefully people will understand where I am coming from. I don't always handle things the right way but I'm human and I'm working on getting better at responding not reacting. Unfortunately people were affected by this as am I. 'For the people in the back I am so sorry and for anyone I may have disappointed I'm sorry. Sorry for wasting the tv people's time I'll be sure to make it up to you next time on tour. With love Justin.' This is the second incident within a 24-hour period where the pop megastar has walked off as he bailed on a Spanish radio interview after a nine-minute exchange. His bizarre interview just hours earlier featured three Spanish speaking DJs - one of whom had very broken English - and no translator for Bieber. It was obvious Justin became annoyed at the line of questioning during the interview on Wednesday which culminated in asking him to make 'a crazy video to break the internet' for their 'hundreds of millions of followers'. 'Hundreds of millions are they? Crazy,' Justin scoffs(scoff I. [intransitive] to laugh or say things to show that you think someone or something is stupid or deserves no respect. It's easy to scoff when you haven't tried it yourself. scoff at: Economic analysts scoff at claims that inflation is on the rise. II. [transitive] British informal to eat a lot of something very quickly. Who scoffed all the pizza?). 'Let's do it'... and promptly walks off. 7.
Airport under investigation after security guards are accused of extorting passengers for hundreds of pounds by planting 栽赃陷害 BULLETS in luggage: An investigation has been launched into Manila's airport security following claims of an alleged 'bullet-planting' scam against passengers. The scam reportedly sees ammunition dropped into travellers luggage as they go through security at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines. Victims are then required to pay a fine ranging between 500 pesos (£6) and 30,000 pesos (£410) or face charges of illegal possession of ammunition. According to the BBC, an overseas Filipino worker and Japanese tourist are the latest to report that they have been victims of the so-called 'bullet scam.' Filipino worker Gloria Ortinez missed her flight to Hong Kong after being held in police detention for several days. While going through the security at the airport, which has only recently been removed from the 'world's worst airports list' by travel website, Sleepinginairports.net a bullet was found in her hand 手提行李 luggage. Despite denying that the bullet was hers, and stating that she would never carry one because of Hong Kong's strict security laws, she was held by the airport's Office of Transportation Security (OTS). Japanese tourist Kazunobu Sakamoto was arrested after failing to show documents authorising him to carry ammunition - after two bullets were found in his luggage. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that an American woman in a wheelchair was forced to pay 500 pesos (£6) to be let off 让离开 after two 22-Caliber bullets were found in one of the pockets of her luggage. Surveillance at the airport has been increased following a spate of complaints and an investigation was recently launched into the personnel accused of involvement. Wheelchair-bound Rhed de Guzman was easy prey 猎物, 目标 as she struggled with three suitcases amid chaotic crowds in Manila's international airport. The first she knew she was the target of the Great Bullet Scam was when airport staff were feigning alarm after her suitcases passed through a security check as she was making her way to a departure lounge to catch her flight to the US. Security staff confronted her, holding a .22-calibre bullet, claiming it had been found in one of her suitcases. Ms de Guzman was horrified, protesting that the bullet was not hers and she didn't even know where bullets could be obtained. Staff playing the "bad cop" role told her to she was heading to a Manila jail and not the US and disappeared with her travel documents. But the "good cop" guy wasn't away long. "Ma'am, that's OK, for 500 pesos ($15), please hand it to me secretly as my supervisor may catch me," he said. Ms de Guzman said she was terrified but wasn't going to be scammed, and posted the incident on Facebook on September 18. Even though two airport staff were subsequently sacked, a racket where airport staff plant bullets in the luggage of passengers and extort money 勒索钱财 from them has flourished since then, prompting a public outcry, and forcing Philippine president Benigno Aquino to order an investigation at the weekend. Among a growing number of people who refused to pay up was American missionary Lane White, who spent six days in jail before he was released, only after paying a fine. According to Philippine media, overseas Filipino workers flush with cash 满身现金 and desperate to be reunited with their families are the most targeted被盯上的, including maids returning from Hong Kong. The number of victims is unknown as most victims pay up but there have been six recorded cases in recent days. In a past scam, airport security staff would sell a police badge to departing passengers. When the badge was discovered during the final baggage screening, security staff would pounce, accusing the passenger of being in possession of stolen police identification, a very serious crime in the Philippines. The ruse inevitably prompted an escorted visit to an airport ATM. Manila airport's plastic bag wrappers are doing a roaring trade 生意很火, 生意蒸蒸日上, 生意兴隆.
Beauty on the move: Two-thirds of British women now apply their make-up on their morning commute: Applying your make-up on the tube used to be as taboo as talking in a library. But a new study has found that more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of British women now apply all their make-up on the morning commute - with an extra 22 per cent just touching up their lipstick or mascara while travelling. With the average journey to work taking 45 minutes, it leaves ample 大量的, 充足的 time for British women to cover up blemishes, lengthen eyelashes, powder their noses and apply lipstick. But unsurprisingly 75 per cent of women reported a cosmetic mishap thanks to sudden traffic stops, being jostled on a packed train or bus and having to juggle holding cosmetics and a mirror. Lipstick was the most applied cosmetic on the go, with pressed powder and blusher following suit. Eyeliner 眼线 was deemed the most difficult product, with only 33 per cent of women attempting to apply it whilst on the move due to the steady hand 手稳 needed to get an accurate result. Loose powders were a no-go for women while travelling with 76 per cent saying they deliberately avoided them due to the mess they could make. Two-in-one products such as palettes and lip/cheek stains however were cited as perfect for the commute due to their space and time saving nature. Ruth Attridge, spokesperson for Debenhams says, 'Make up application is now a frequent sight during the weekday rush hour. It's blusher, not blushes these days. 'Women told us that it comes down to saving time in the mornings and with the UK's commute now the longest in Europe, a full face of makeup is easily achievable between King's Cross and Embankment'. Etiquette Expert and author of Ultimate Guide to Party Planning and Etiquette, Liz Brewer says, 'A quick dab of powder 稍微擦两下, 抹粉, 抹两下 or discretely reapplying lipstick is acceptable, however, to put on all your make-up in public is as bad as eating in the street. Some things should be kept behind closed doors. 'Make up should always be used to enhance your features - creating some magic in the transformation. It would seem senseless to reveal your beauty secrets to all and sundry!'. A morning makeup routine on the move is most popular amongst women in their thirties, commonly balancing the demands of work, family life and socialising. Research into cosmetic purchasing from Debenhams found however that it was women in their twenties who most often applied makeup on the evening journey as they ventured out for drinks after work. Ms Attridge continues, 'A tube spruce seems to be a good use of the time for busy professional women. 'However, we'd advise avoid spritzing ( spritz [sprɪts] 喷香水 to spray a liquid on someone or something. ) fragrance, plucking 修眉, 拔眉 your eyebrows or filing your nails 锉指甲 on the commute for the comfort of your fellow travellers'. Of course, there are practical precautions one must always take, especially if you're catching a CountryLink train, which has a tendency to jerk and lurch forward 晃来晃去 without warning." Applying makeup on the train is a complete no-brainer. I have never been an early riser 早起的人 and the hour-long commute to work each morning presents the perfect opportunity to whack on the warpaint. You get to press the 'snooze' button a few more times and have something to do instead of forlornly staring at your iTunes library, desperately missing Serial. Though the mid-commute beauty regimen is a time-honoured ritual for many women, people have been pretty vocal in their criticism 发声批评. Slate's etiquette expert Dear Prudence says that on-the-go nose powdering is a strict societal no-no: "you are engaged in private activities they'd [your fellow commuters] rather not be witness to." A Japanese transport company campaigned against it: "Please do it at home." And one beauty blogger goes so far as to say it completely ruins the feminine mystique – or "a woman's magic" – because maintaining a certain je ne sais quoi is every lady's ultimate aim, right? Who knew that keeping to one's self with a pragmatic timesaving technique that puts breakfast before beauty could be so offensive? Apparently, women who apply makeup in public is a personal bugbear ( = bug-a-boo = bugaboo I. something that worries people, especially something you think they are silly to worry about. An ongoing problem; a recurring obstacle or adversity. that old 90s bugaboo, low self-esteem. II. An imaginary creature meant to inspire fear in children. A mythical, nocturnal creature; a hobgoblin. Any imagined fear or threat, or a fear presumed larger than it really is. ) in the same shamed commuter category as man-spreaders 腿大张开的人, 张开腿的人 ( a person who spreads their legs wide open on a bus or a train to prevent others from sitting next to them. Every time I see a man spreader on the subway I intentionally sit next to him to spar for my room. spar I. to practise fighting with someone. The two fighters sparred with each other in the late 1980s. II. mainly journalism to argue. Foreign ministers sparred over new defence proposals.), stair-blockers挡楼梯的人, butt-gropers捏屁股的人(bum-pinch), open-mouth coughers 张嘴咳嗽的人 and people who listen to Drake through tinny earphones before 8am. Of course, when you were busy bronzing ( I. make (a person or part of the body) suntanned. "Alison was bronzed by outdoor life". II. give (something) a surface of bronze or something resembling bronze. "the doors were bronzed with sculpted reliefs". ), blushing and blending on the bus, you probably never turned your mind to the mechanics of a woman's "magic", which we're supposed to keep under wraps 24-7. And this irks us so. Just as Germaine Greer questioned why we haul our whole handbags into the loo instead of pulling out the individual tampon we need, why isn't it cool to be open about a routine that everyone knows about and that most women do every day of their lives? A swipe of crimson lippy is fine – even sexy – but anything more is vain and unladylike 不女人的, 不像女人的? We'd like to remind catty ( 尖酸刻薄的. 说话刻薄的. used for describing someone who enjoys saying cruel or unpleasant things about other people. With subtle hostility in an effort to hurt, annoy or upset, particularly among women. deliberately hurtful in one's remarks; spiteful. "catty comments". II. Resembling or characteristic of a cat. a catty smell.) commenters that tackling one's beauty regimen on the train, bus, tram, plane or ferry is rarely a first choice for women. Juggling brushes, wands and mirrors while wobbling 晃来晃去的 along in a poorly lit tunnel is hardly ideal, but sometimes real-life problems – kids, laundry, parking, deadlines – conspire to ( conspire I. to secretly plan with someone to do something bad or illegal. conspire (with someone) to do something: He is accused of conspiring with three others to sell cocaine. conspire against: Anyone suspected of conspiring against the regime was ruthlessly dealt with. II. if events conspire to produce a particular situation, they seem to be deliberately working together to cause problems for you. conspire to do something: Falling demand and high interest rates have conspired to produce a big drop in profits. conspire against: It seemed that everything was conspiring against her.) keep us getting ready on time. Anything that has the potential to impale your eyeball mid-commute – mascara wands, sharpened eyeliners, eyelash curlers, 'waterlining' – ought to be done with caution. Avoid loose powders or any non-viscous ( [ˈvɪskəs] 粘稠的. 黏稠的 a viscous liquid is thick and sticky. ) liquid that could easily end up on the lap of the person next to you and invest in makeup with creamy textures instead. As a general rule of thumb, focus on your brows and cheeks when moving and save the eye makeup and lipstick for when you're completely stationary. Also, eyeliner that lands point-down on a grimy train station floor is eyeliner that will never go near your face again. Yes, be conscious of your fellow passenger. The stench of nail polish on the train is about as strong and offensive as a Macca's sausage and egg McMuffin. And never is it ever permissible to file or clip your fingernails in public. Yet aside from these non-negotiables 无可争议的, 没有讨论余地的, which really go without saying, makeup on the morning commute is not up for anyone else's judgement. If anything, manoeuvring eyeliner while negotiating the most vicious of speed bumps or a swell of mid-air turbulence is cause for admiration, not annoyance! Toss these tools into your handbag and enjoy that extra lie-in ( lie in 睡懒觉 to stay in bed in the morning for longer than usual. lie in wait (for someone) I. to hide so that you can attack someone when they pass you. II. if something unpleasant is lying in wait for you, it is going to happen to you. Little did I know what troubles were lying in wait for me when I got home. someone has made their bed, and they must lie/sleep in it used for saying someone must accept an unpleasant situation they are in because they caused it. ) in the morn. Given the pitiable ( [ˈpɪtiəb(ə)l] making you feel sympathy and sadness. ) state of public transport, you're always going to be 10 minutes late, but at least you've just saved 20.
名模新宠: The liaison lighting up London society: How Kate Moss has fallen for a blood-quaffing ( to drink something quickly or with a lot of enjoyment. ) count 13 years her junior: As a way of establishing your rock 'n' roll credentials, being a bona fide blood-drinking count is a very good start. Not Dracula himself, admittedly, but throw in Nikolai von Bismarck's to-die-for ( to die for (idiomatic) Very good; exquisite; excellent; particularly desirable. She makes these chocolate-peanut butter candies that are just to die for. ) cheekbones and eccentric sense of style and it becomes clear why he piqued the interest of one Kate Moss. Never mind the 13-year age gap — Miss Moss has never been one for the shackles of convention 忍受传统禁锢的人 — this is the liaison lighting up London society. Ever since Nikolai, 28, moved into the basement of 41-year-old Kate's sprawling North London home, tongues have been wagging about the nature 什么关系 of their relationship. And while they are in no hurry to confirm or deny anything, the fact is that this unlikely couple have struck up an intense relationship in double-quick time( double-quick very quickly: She left the room double-quick when I started singing. in double-quick time very quickly, or as quickly as possible: I shouted and he was gone in double-quick time.). With Kate negotiating the delicate issue of her troubled marriage to Jamie Hince — she has not been seen with him since early summer — Nikolai, the great-great-grandson of Prince Otto von Bismarck, the 19th-century Iron Chancellor of Prussia, has become a firm fixture 生活的一部分, 一份子 in her life. He accompanied her to the opening of tycoon Richard Caring's latest London celebrity hotspot, Sexy Fish, last week. The next day they travelled to the Cotswolds together for a leisurely pub lunch. 'He is the perfect man for Kate at this precise moment, and in her life there's no point looking for happy-ever-afters because she's far too unpredictable for that,' was the assessment of one long-standing confidante this week. 'Things are very tricky with Jamie, to say the least. But Kate's not the type to be moping around at home in her dressing gown, crying. 'Nikolai's timing is impeccable. He's turned up just at the point when Kate's looking for a few laughs and to put some fun back into her life. 'She's got a track record of finding exciting, relatively unknown guys and lifting their profile. Look at Jamie: who had heard of him before he met Kate? 'The most obvious comparison is Pete Doherty. Kate was obsessed with him for years. Nikolai is cut from the same cloth(cut from the same cloth 一样一样的, 异曲同工: Very similar; possessing many of the same fundamental characteristics. of the same nature; similar. "don't assume all women are cut from the same cloth". ). He's dangerously charismatic and seriously pretty, but has none of the addiction problems Pete suffered from.' While the couple have declined to comment on their relationship, it is an open secret among Nikolai's friends that he has long been smitten with Kate. Described as 'a seriously accomplished social butterfly', he has known the model since his teens because of her friendship with his mother, Countess Debonnaire von Bismarck. Darlings of high society magazine Tatler, the von Bismarcks effortlessly bridge the gap between old school London society and the new money generation of musicians, models and designers. Debbie, as she prefers to be known, runs an appointment-only boutique in Knightsbridge selling glittering accessories imported from around the world. Kate, who describes the countess as a 'one-off', has long retained her services as a stylist and all-round design guru. Indeed, when Kate was appointed Vogue's contributing fashion editor last year she persuaded Debbie and her husband, Count Leopold von Bismarck-Schonhausen, to open the doors of their £7 million Chelsea home for a shoot. Kate's assessment of the property said a lot about what she finds attractive about Nikolai. She called it 'London's most glamorous party house'. Unlike many of the previous men in her life, who came from relatively anonymous backgrounds and were always somewhat wide-eyed 眼界大开的 ( having one's eyes wide open as a result of surprise, fear, etc. "the whole class was wide-eyed, glued to the television". II. inexperienced; innocent. "a wide-eyed country boy". ) at the circles Kate moves in, von Bismarck is gloriously self-confident. As a teenager, Nikolai, known to his three younger brothers as Nick Nock, attended Harrow, but was never destined for a conventional career 传统职业, 正规职业. When he expressed an interest in photography his mother arranged for two of her close friends to help. Aged 16, he was off to New York for work experience with the world-renowned Mario Testino, who had previously snapped his mother. Next he went to Paris to study at the Parsons art school before heading back to the U.S., where he assisted the legendary Annie Liebovitz. Also working for her at the time was the Duchess of Cambridge. A supreme networker, Nikolai was already good friends with the young Royals. Indeed, Princess Beatrice, whom he dated, chose him to take the official photographs of her 18th birthday. The couple had hiked the Inca Trail together during his gap year, but friends say that the romance stuttered as Nikolai became more serious about his photographic career. There are clearly no hard feelings, however, as Beatrice is a regular presence at Nikolai's photo exhibitions and her boyfriend, Dave Clark, is a good friend. Yet while his old Chelsea pals were flitting between Verbier and Mustique, Nikolai was ploughing a different furrow, travelling to Ethiopia, where he lived with traditional tribes. Speaking of his time there, he said: 'I drank cow's blood for breakfast and slept in a tent that was guarded by kids with AK-47s. I painted with them, drank ouzo [an aniseed- flavoured drink] with them, fired guns with them — I became one of them.' He was speaking at his debut solo exhibition in London two years ago, where he was joined by his then model girlfriend Theodora Richards, daughter of Rolling Stones legend Keith. The guest list was a perfect illustration of how the hard-partying Nikolai straddles all aspects of society: Bob and Pixie Geldof, actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ronnie Wood, Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece: a seamless melange of rock royalty and the real thing. Inevitably, such attention being lavished on a relatively novice photographer has led to jealous mutterings 嚼舌头, 窃窃私语 in some quarters. 'Is his success down to the photographer or his subjects?' one society figure said to me this week. 'The skill or the fact that he gets free publicity and doesn't ever have to worry about paying the mortgage?' At the same time it would be unfair to suggest the von Bismarck name is an unmitigated privilege. As is so often the case with such families, they are no strangers to tragedy. It was a shocking episode(two of his family members died of overdose. ), and one that still casts its shadow over the von Bismarck family. Yet such issues have nothing to do with Nikolai, and he is said to have inherited the happy-go-lucky nature of his father, who — despite his intimidating official title — exhorts all and sundry ( all and sundry Cliché everyone; one and all. Cold drinks were served to all and sundry. ) to call him 'Bolly'. And it is this joie de vivre that is understood to have captured Kate's imagination. While his younger brothers are following a more conventional route through life (Tassilo, 26, works for an investment firm while Caspar, 23, and Alexander, 20, are students at New York University), Nikolai is rather more unconventional. 'Money never comes into a conversation with Nikolai, as you tend to find with people who are born into it,' a society figure who has known him for years told me this week. 'He lives for the day and isn't afraid to try anything. It's just perfect for Kate because this is a lad who worships the ground she walks on(worship the ground sb walks on to love and admire someone very much: I worship the ground you walk on - you must know that by now.), but places no expectations on her. 'I remember when he was a young lad and Kate pecked him on the cheek at a party. He was boasting to his mates for weeks about how he'd kissed Kate Moss. It was very sweet. 'Now he's all grown up and they are living under the same roof. For anyone else it would go to their head, but when you're the blood-drinking Count Nikolai this kind of thing passes for normal 都是正常.' Indeed, it is only months since Nikolai was celebrating his birthday on Mustique with mates including Kate's husband, Jamie Hince. Sadly for Mr Hince, the next time it is more likely be a beach holiday for two.
