用法学习: 1. (one's) head on a plate/platter A phrase used hyperbolically to refer to a very harsh punishment. If I find out that Paul was the one who sabotaged my presentation to the board, I'll have his head on a plate! Identify the vandals, and bring me their heads on a platter! I saw the phrase "Call for sb's head on a plate" I am frankly astounded that Gingrich hasn't been asked more about his various affairs and divorces—they are legitimate subjects for inquiry when you consider a) how merciless and, obviously, hypocritical he was when, as Speaker of the House, he was calling for Clinton's head on a plate during Monicagate; and b) how sanctimonious he continues to be on the campaign trail, ranting about the encroachment of secular values into American life. sanctimonious [sæŋktɪmoʊniəs] 自以为高尚的 adj If you say that someone is sanctimonious, you disapprove of them because you think that they are trying to appear morally better than other people. [disapproval] He writes smug, sanctimonious rubbish. You sanctimonious little hypocrite! She displays none of the sanctimoniousness often associated with spirituality. 2. 电影: While in rural Louisiana, she hears news reports of blackouts in several major cities before she is sideswiped ( sideswipe 剐蹭 if one vehicle sideswipes another vehicle, their sides touch quickly because one is trying to go past the other and gets too close. n. 顺便批评, 被扫到. a criticism that you make while you are talking about something else. A catty or sarcastic remark. ) by a truck and knocked off the road, falling unconscious. incidental [ɪnsɪˈdɛnt(ə)l] noun. something that is related to something else but is not as important the costs of travel, hotels, refreshments, and other incidentals. The bulk of the spending 大部分的花费 for their tour went to flights and accommodation while in Australia, as well as food and incidentals, which totalled $237,700.34. adj. I. an incidental expense, event, etc. related to something but considered less important. an incidental observation. incidental expenses (=small costs connected with an activity): You will receive an allowance for meals and incidental expenses. incidental to: Information skills are not merely incidental to the curriculum but central to it. "an allowance to cover meals, taxis, and other incidentals". II. If one thing is incidental to another, it is less important than the other thing or is not a major part of it. The playing of music proved to be incidental to the main business of the evening. [+ to] You should also include incidental costs such as taxis and accommodation. III. accidentally happening as a result of an activity or process. incidental damage. incidental music 背景音乐 music that is played in the background of a movie, play, or television program and helps to create a particular feeling or mood. 3. Gangland widow interview: Gangland widow Roberta Williams has launched a violent on-camera attack on an A Current Affair reporter in what is her most explosive television interview to date. Reporter Reid Butler traded jokes with the ex-wife of late drug kingpin Carl Williams, but in a little more than half an hour, one question sent Ms Williams into a violent rage. A Current Affair's crew caught Ms Williams launching numerous physical attacks on Butler, including one instance where she grabs him by the neck and slams him against the wall. For broadcasting code of conduct reasons, the full "choke" attack was too confronting to show in the promotional material but will be broadcast on Monday night. Ms Williams' fiery 脾气不好 side was famously portrayed in the hit television series Underbelly, but her media appearances have always been relatively cordial 温和的(I. friendly He had never known him to be so chatty and cordial. He said the two countries had close and cordial relations. They all greeted me very cordially and were eager to talk about the new project. Egypt wants to solve the problem in an atmosphere of cordiality. II. Cordial is a sweet non-alcoholic drink made from fruit juice. ...fruit cordials. n. A cordial is a strong alcoholic drink with a sweet taste. You drink it after a meal. ) – until now. Butler sat down with Ms Williams to comb over 梳理 her and Carl's relationship with Lawyer X, the gangland lawyer Ms Williams claims has "Carl's blood on her hands" because her informing led to his murder convictions. Carl was murdered in prison in 2010. "If I see her face to face, I'd punch her head in," Roberta tells Butler. Ms Williams details the extravagant lifestyle Lawyer X lapped up as a close friend of Carl, including drug taking and drinking, all while she went behind the drug lord's back to pass on information to detectives about his activities. "She was like one of the boys," she told Butler. "She was playing two sides of the fence(play both sides against the middle To manipulate two opposing sides of an argument, conflict, competition, etc., against one another for one's own benefit or advantage. My father and my uncle are engaged in a bitter business rivalry. If I can play both sides against the middle, I might be able to secure some sizeable investments for my own company. Janet really dislikes Mary and wants to date her boyfriend, Mike, so she's been playing both sides against the middle to get them to break up. side of the fence A particular position or point of view in an argument or topic of debate. We may be on different sides of the fence about this issue, but that doesn't mean we can't work together. Senators will have to decide which side of the fence they're sitting on when the bill comes up for a vote next month. my, her, the other, the same, etc. side of the fence my, the opposite, the same, etc. point of view or position in an argument: The former allies are now on opposite sides of the fence. Make up your mind — which side of the fence are you on?), so of course it was a front 表象, 假象(front I. 幌子. an organization or activity that exists to hide an illegal or secret one. front for: They used the store as a front for dealing in stolen goods. II. [singular] behavior that is not sincere because you want to hide your real feelings. He always pretended he didn't care but we knew it was just a front. put on a front: She's putting on a brave front, but she's really very worried. ). She came into this to put Carl in prison for the rest of his life." On 4 April 2010, while incarcerated 服刑 at HM Prison Barwon, Williams was beaten to death with the stem of an exercise bike by another inmate, Matthew Charles Johnson. Williams enlisted the help of others willing to perform the contract killings in exchange for large payments of cash. At the time of his death, he was in the maximum security Acacia unit of HM Prison Barwon near Geelong. Williams would have been 71 before he was eligible for parole.
TV Series - Champion: 1. diminutive [dɪˈmɪnjətɪv] 矮小的 I. A diminutive person or object is very small. very short or small. The new boss turned out to be a diminutive woman with bright blue eyes. She noticed a diminutive figure standing at the entrance. Close your eyes, picture yourself, and tell me what you see. A diminutive 15-year-old with no friends. Wrong answer. You are a talented and amazing kid who's worked his whole life for this moment. And that is why you are gonna crush it. Right? All right, everybody, let's put your hands together. II. A diminutive 缩写 is an informal form of a name. For example, 'Jim' and 'Jimmy' are diminutives of 'James'. n. A diminutive is a suffix which is added to a word to show affection or to indicate that something is small. For example, '-ie' and '-ette' are diminutives, for example in 'doggie' and 'statuette'. degenerate [dɪˈdʒenəˌreɪt] to become worse. If you say that someone or something degenerates, you mean that they become worse in some way, for example weaker, lower in quality, or more dangerous. Inactivity can make your joints stiff, and the bones may begin to degenerate. From then on the whole tone of the campaign began to degenerate. ...a very serious humanitarian crisis which could degenerate into a catastrophe. ...various forms of physical and mental degeneration. ...the degeneration of our political system. The demonstration soon degenerated into violence. adj. [dɪˈdʒen(ə)rət] I. [disapproval] 堕落的. immoral. If you describe a person or their behaviour as degenerate, you disapprove of them because you think they have low standards of behaviour or morality. ...a group of degenerate computer hackers. ...the degenerate attitudes he found among some of his fellow officers. a degenerate lifestyle. II. formal in a worse state than before. noun [dɪˈdʒen(ə)rət] 卑贱的人. 卑鄙的人. someone whose behavior is considered shocking or immoral. If you refer to someone as a degenerate, you disapprove of them because you think they have low standards of behaviour or morality. Hey, what are you doing? What I do every night: eat dinner while watching "RuPaul's Drag Race. " Oh, no, I don't think so. Look, we're not degenerates who eat dinner in front of the television. Need a change of scenery. Chose the wrong person to confide in. 3. the pits The worst possible situation. A very unpleasant or unfortunate thing, situation, or circumstance. I'm sorry to hear about your divorce, Sam—that's the pits! I worked as a telemarketer one summer, and it was the pits. Spending your birthday working alone is the pits, or That job is the pits. The allusion in this term is unclear. Some think it refers to coal pits, others to armpits, and still others to the area beside an auto racecourse, also called the pits, where cars are serviced during a race. The economy is in the pits. So there hasn't been a mistake. Do you have any final wishes 遗愿? Please don't shoot him. He's got so little to live for already. What? I mean, he's had so many tough breaks ( tough break I. An adverse circumstance resulting in misfortune or hardships; an instance of bad luck. John's had some tough breaks lately, between losing his job and getting in that horrible car accident just two weeks later. It was a tough break for the team who had come so close yet again to finally getting into the playoffs. II. An interjection of mild or insincere sympathy for someone else's misfortune. A: "When my parents said I'd be getting a car for my birthday, I didn't think it would be some beat-up old van like this!" B: "Sorry, tough break pal. It's still cool that you got a car, though!" Tough break, Tom. Better luck next time!). He was the star baseball player of our high school team. Full ride to college(A full-ride scholarship is an award that covers the entire cost of college—including tuition, room and board, text books, school materials, and sometimes even living costs and study abroad fees. The details can change from scholarship to scholarship, but in essence the full-ride covers more than just tuition. A full-ride scholarship can be awarded by the federal government, the colleges themselves, or by a private source (though those are rare). These are highly sought-after, highly competitive awards that are only given out to an incredibly small fraction of students—around 0.1%, in fact. Full-Tuition: The difference is in the name: tuition. These scholarships cover the tuition of the college, not necessarily other fees like travel expenses, room and board, various student fees, or other costs. It varies scholarship to scholarship, of course, so some might cover other costs besides the tuition, but that is the main focus. However, since full-tuition is sometimes used interchangeably with full-ride, you may find a full-tuition scholarship covering things like: tuition, room and board, textbooks, laptops, travel expenses, and more. Like full-rides, full-tuition scholarships can be awarded by the government, colleges, or private sources (again, rare). Both full-rides and full-tuition scholarships are extraordinarily hard to come by. Since they are largely merit-based, students often have high GPAs, class ranks, test scores, or have incredible athletic abilities or leadership qualities that make them highly coveted by schools. That being said, go ahead and apply—but don't stake your entire college financial plan on it! If you receive that full-ride / full-tuition, that's awesome! If not, you should have a backup plan in place.), and he lost it all through bad decisions. Okay, there were some things that were out of my control. The economy was in the pits, also Iraq, and then, yeah, some alcohol, some weed, but like. Wait, you were an athlete? How? I mean, your brother on the other hand, I mean, his body's smoking. I mean, I'd get it if my wife slept with him. But what is the point of killing this guy, huh? Broken dreams 破碎的梦想, deteriorating body, no dog. In a lot of ways, keeping him alive is worse punishment, don't you agree? Scientifically, we're all deteriorating, right? But yes, there's some truth to what he's saying. Huh. I mean, I guess, if you put it that way 你那么说的话, my cheating wife and incurable dandruff aren't really anything - compared to your whole deal. Exactly! Well, I'm gonna head out. I got five other guys I gotta confront this morning.
The rugby league achievements that Israel Folau turned his back on with code switch: They allow for no injuries or form lapses 状态下滑, stretching Folau's exceptional early career numbers across a timeframe in which both impediments would likely have occurred. Then again, who's to say that 谁又敢说 Folau would not have been an even better rugby league player at times in the past eight years? The point, anyway, is to get a rough idea of what Folau, 29, might have done had he stayed in rugby league. Answer: he could have built a legendary career that rewrote the record books. He could have been an Immortal. What do we make of his career as it instead turned out; other than the glaringly obvious observation that, in playing three football codes at the highest level, he has been a wonderful sportsman? Folau's AFL career was unfortunate. He had no real aptitude 天分, 天生的能力 ( natural ability that makes it easy for you to do something well. an aptitude test. aptitude for: I had no aptitude for accountancy and began to hate it.) for the game, which he never actually wanted to play in the first place; he later revealed that his father had insisted he take the $6 million, four-year deal on offer to be a cynical headline grab for the GWS Giants. He quit after two years with GWS that reaped 13 AFL games for two goals. Two years wasted, for the most part. Rugby union - which he joined for the 2013 season via the NSW Waratahs, after a serious flirtation with the Parramatta Eels - was always going to be different. Like rugby league, the 15-man game was tailor-made for Folau's wonderful skills and he proved a dynamic fullback. He has so far played 73 Tests for the Wallabies, for 37 tries. Folau's CV is glittering 闪光. A record three John Eales Medals, a Rugby Championship title and a Super Rugby championship. Yet it can be nit-picked 并非无可挑剔的, 挑剔, 找茬. Folau has never won the Bledisloe Cup, of course, as the Wallabies have inexplicably not held it since 2002. The Rugby Championship win in 2015 came in a shortened tournament in which each side played each other only once; while Australia beat New Zealand in Sydney, the All Blacks dished out yet another Eden Park hiding the following week to retain the Bledisloe. Then, of course, came that year's World Cup final. New Zealand 34, Australia 17. Folau emerged from an injury-hampered tournament to produce a strong game, yet even then was shaded 比下去, 相形见绌 by opposing 对方的 fullback Ben Smith. When the moment arrived that Folau surely dreamed of when signing with rugby, the All Blacks were simply in another class and he was powerless to stop them. That 2015 run was the undoubted high point of 高峰期 Folau's Wallabies career, and of Michael Cheika's coaching reign. It has otherwise been slim pickings 不剩什么了, 没什么可选的, 无奈之选, 没什么好选的, 别无选择(slim pickings little or no success in getting something because there is not very much of it remaining. A small amount left after others have taken a share. After each of the children took what they wanted of Mother's things, it was slim pickings for the rest of the family. This expression alludes to animals devouring a carcass. Buyers who have waited for bargains at the end of the year will find slim pickings. slim chance A very small possibility. There's a slim chance that the computer will reboot as normal, but it's much more likely that we'll have to reinstall the operating system. It's only a slim chance that we'll make the plane, at this rate. We may need to book new tickets. slim [someone] down to cause someone to lose weight. You have really slimmed down a lot since I last saw you. I need to eat less so I can slim down. He slimmed down quite a bit after he had his health problem. They started to slim her down in the hospital, but she gained the weight back as soon as she got out. The dietitian slimmed down all the patients under his care.). Judging Folau's rugby career is difficult. He came to rugby in his prime and has starred, but in a Wallabies team that usually appears to be playing a different sport to the All Blacks. He has not been a game-changer 决定性的任务 in the trans-Tasman battle; mainly because the gap is too vast for one man to bridge 差距太大(bridge a/the gap to connect two things or to make the difference between them smaller: The president singled out education as a vital tool in bridging the gap between rich and poor. This collection of stories bridges the gap between history and fiction.), but neither has he produced transcendent ( [trænˈsendənt] 凌驾一切之上的, 超一流的, 超人一等的, 超越一切的 Something that is transcendent goes beyond normal limits or boundaries, because it is more significant than them. not limited or influenced by negative attitudes, thoughts, or feelings. the notion of a transcendent God. ...the idea of a transcendent God who stood apart from mankind. vocabulary: Transcendent describes something so excellent that it's beyond the range of human understanding. Transcendent shares the prefix trans, meaning "across," with many familiar words such as transport ("carry across"), transcontinental ( across a continent"), and transparent ("allowing light to shine across"). Transcendental meditation carries people across to a higher consciousness. So something transcendent goes across boring reality into super awesomeness in a world all its own. It moves you. Angels are transcendent, and even your favorite novel can be transcendent. transcend [trænˈsend] to become free of negative attitudes, thoughts, or feelings that limit what you can achieve. Gandhi helped people transcend political and class barriers. Something that transcends normal limits or boundaries goes beyond them, because it is more significant than them. ...issues like humanitarian aid that transcend party loyalty. ) moments in the Bledisloe. His All Blacks opponent has usually had his measure (have the measure of sb/sth formal to understand what someone or something is like and to know how to deal with him, her, or it: I don't think she's under any illusions about her husband - she has the measure of him. get the measure of someone/take someone's measure to understand what someone is really like so that you can decide how to deal with them or defeat them. She seems to have got the measure of the champion. get/ take/ have the measure of sb/sth 算准, 了如指掌, 摸清了, 看透了 If you get or take the measure of someone or something, you discover what they are like, so that you are able to control them or deal with them. If you have the measure of someone or something, you have succeeded in doing this. The governments of the industrialized world had failed to get the measure of the crisis. Has he taken the measure of us and concluded that we're not willing to risk a life? Lili was the only person I knew who had the measure of her brother. ). And it's not just New Zealand. Sixth-ranked Australia also trails 落后于 Ireland, England, Wales and South Africa in World Rugby's rankings entering this World Cup year. A player's perceived worth can't help but be tarnished if he is not playing in a winning team, whether the lack of success is his fault or not. Matt Giteau was spiked by Wallabies coach Robbie Deans in 2011 having starred 主导一个时代 through an era where success was hard to come by 很难得, 凤毛麟角. Current champions like Folau and David Pocock could join Giteau with 100 Test caps, but without much international silverware ( I. You can use silverware to refer to all the things in a house that are made of silver, especially the cutlery and dishes. There was a serving spoon missing when Nina put the silverware back in its box. II. 奖杯. Journalists sometimes use silverware to refer to silver cups and other prizes won by sports teams or players. Everton paraded their recently acquired silverware.). Folau might be a slim chance of catching George Gregan's Wallabies caps record (139) and David Campese's try-scoring mark (64). His 56 Super Rugby tries for the Waratahs are already the most in franchise history. Folau has just extended his contract 续签合同 with Rugby Australia, through to 2022. He turns 30 on April 3. Outwardly, as least, he is happy with how his switch to rugby has played out 呈现. "I'm really grateful to Rugby Australia and the Waratahs for all they have done for me," Folau said in a statement. "When I made the switch to rugby five years ago, I could never have dreamed that it would have gone this well." It has gone well. But it seems there are two things about Folau that we'll never know. How different would things have been for him in a better Wallabies era? And just how great would he have been had he stayed in rugby league?
Why Jennifer Aniston doesn't need Brad Pitt: Pitt was recently spotted at Jen's 50th birthday bash, prompting speculation the two former spouses might be getting back together. This is the last thing we should be hoping for. Never will you find a better example of a woman whose public image has been more thoroughly dominated by a man than the case of Jennifer Aniston. It's just been a mere day since her ex Brad Pitt was spotted at her 50th birthday party. And who could forget February last year, when she and ex-husband Justin Theroux announced in a mutual statement they were separating: "Whatever else is printed about us that is not directly from us, is someone else's fictional narrative," they said. The public promptly ignored their warning and began the rabid 癫狂的 speculation on if, when and how she and ex-husband Brad Pitt would get back together, now that they were both single once more. And seeing Brad at Jen's birthday celebration has added further fuel to that fire. We've stolen Jen's identity and replaced it with a gossip mag caricature. Since the moment she began dating Brad Pitt ("Adorable Sitcom Star Nabs World's Hottest Guy!" bleated (bleat [bli:t] I. When a sheep or goat bleats, it makes the sound that sheep and goats typically make. From the slope below, the wild goats bleated faintly. ...a small flock of bleating ewes and lambs. ...the faint bleat of a distressed animal. II. If someone bleats, they speak in a weak, high voice. [written] 'I don't want it,' Eric bleated. Bleat is also a noun. She wanted to scream, but all that would come out was this faint bleat. III. If you say that someone bleats about something, you mean that they complain about it in a way which makes them sound weak and irritating. [disapproval] They are always bleating about 'unfair' foreign competition. Don't come bleating to me every time something goes wrong. bleat on about 喋喋不休: If you say that someone is bleating on about something, you mean that they are talking about it a great deal in a way which makes them sound weak and irritating. [mainly British, disapproval] It's no good bleating on about it, you ought to do something about it.) the mags in some variation or another), we were intent on seeing her not as an individual but as a trope (I. a use of a word or expression in an unusual way to help a writer to achieve an effect. II. a recurring idea or motif in an artistic genre, especially one that is overused. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler kickstart the urban "tough-guy" detective trope. Horror writers have to work hard if they want to avoid the usual tired old tropes 类型, 典型形象.). Gwyneth, who came before her, was never well-liked. Too smug, too uppity 骄傲的, 傲慢的, 自以为是的 (conceited, cocky, swanky [informal], self-important ) ( [informal, disapproval] If you say that someone is uppity, you mean that they are behaving as if they were very important and you do not think that they are important. If you just tried to show normal dignity, you were viewed as uppity.), too inaccessible 难以接近的. Angelina, who oh-so-famously came after her tenure as Mrs Brad Pitt, was the shameless homewrecker whose tireless activism and charity work only barely managed to keep the pendulum of public ire from swinging fully in her direction. Poor, heartbroken, girl-next-door Jen, however, was the Goldilocks of female stereotypes. Not too sexy. Not too chaste ( [tʃeɪst] I. If you describe a person or their behaviour as chaste, you mean that they do not have sex with anyone, or they only have sex with their husband or wife. [old-fashioned] He remained chaste. II. Something that is chaste is very simple in style, without very much decoration. ...chaste clothes.). Not too outspoken. Just right. America's sweetheart became America's charity case 被可怜的对象, 可怜的人, 人见人怜的, ( I. a person or group regarded as needing help or financial support. "she was sent as a charity case to a Catholic boarding school". II. a person for whom one performs an action purely to be a nice person. I'm going to his formal dance, but he's just a charity case. ) overnight. The world loved Jen and Brad as a couple. She ticked all the boxes as being someone worthy of the affections of the world's most eligible bachelor. Not least because she never acted as though she believed she was. Nothing is less attractive than a woman who knows her worth, after all. Jen's self-deprecating sense of humour kept the snark ( unkind remarks or criticism Her reviews are always full of snark. ) at bay, and all was right with the world. She deserved Brad. Of course, when it all went to sh*t and Brad left her (allegedly) for his smouldering(I. 闷烧的,\ burning slowly without flame, usually emitting smoke for fear of turning the smouldering fire into a full-blown conflagration. Whole blocks had been turned into smouldering rubble. II. 压抑着情感的. communicating suppressed or half-suppressed feelings, esp of anger, desire, etc. His darkly smouldering eyes never left her face. There is a smouldering anger in the black community. his smouldering hatred.) Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star, the public outrage led to the near-canonisation ( canonize 封神 [kænənaɪz] in BRIT, also use canonise If a dead person is canonized, it is officially announced by the Catholic Church that he or she is a saint. Joan of Arc was finally canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. ...a celebration of the saint's canonization. ) of the Friends star. ”All she did was love him!" we cried. "She DESERVED to be happy with Brad! How dare Angelina swoop in 闯进来 and steal him!" And overnight, Jennifer Aniston went from homecoming queen to tragic heroine. And she stayed there. No matter the career success, the lasting and rock-solid female friendships, the subsequent romantic relationships or her "how-the-f**k-is-she-nearly-50?" abs, Jennifer Aniston was constantly plagued 阴魂不散的, 围绕着, 困扰着, 摆脱不掉的 by the shadow of her marriage failure. It hung over her single years like a scar — "Poor Jen just wants a baby!' the headlines taunted — and coloured her marriage to Justin Theroux with the kind of patronising attention usually reserved for someone who has beaten cancer. "She'll never be the same, but at least she's battled through to the other side," the public's benevolence 仁慈, 慈爱 towards their union seemed to say. Which brings us to single Jen. In a few days it will be one year since Jen and Justin announced their split. Brad is also single after his messy divorce from Angelina, which included rumours of violence and alcohol abuse. Obviously, everyone loves a full-circle love story, but for a public who have spent over a decade lamenting that Jen hasn't had the life she deserved, do we really think this is what that life should look like? A reunion with a man who, intentionally or not, publicly humiliated her on the world stage? A man who, by his own admission, is only just now dealing with a drinking problem that plagued him for decades? A man who, by all accounts, hasn't looked back in her direction since 2005? Why, if we love Jennifer Aniston so much, would we think Brad Pitt was anything close to what she deserves? We might not know the real Jennifer Aniston at all, but surely the least she deserves is a chance to move forward from the sadness of her marriage breakdown with hope for the future, rather than scraps from the past. It's all anyone deserves.
