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熟词生义 | stomach, mean, impossible, square & screw

• March 9, 2021 • 翻译·译事随笔

[scode type="green"]1.stomach

n.勇气[/scode]
拓展:

stomach 除了我们常见的意思(胃)以外,作为动词还可以表示“忍受”to be able to accept an unpleasant idea or watch something unpleasant.

例句:

①He can't stomach the idea that Peter might be the next chairman.

他一想到彼得可能会出任下届主席就很不舒服。

②She found the violence in the film hard to stomach.

她觉得这部电影中的暴力场面令人难以忍受。

除此之外,再拓展一个搭配:

have no stamach for

没有做某事的欲望(或勇气)

例句:

They had no stomach for a fight.

他们不想打架。
[scode type="green"]2.mean

adj.出色的,娴熟的[/scode]
这个词,作为形容词时,我们平常见到最多的意思是“小气的,吝啬的,卑鄙的”,但是它还有一个感情色彩完全相反的意思“You can use mean in expressions such as 'He plays a mean trumpet' and 'She mixes a mean cocktail' to indicate that someone does something extremely well.”(出色的,娴熟的)

例句:

He is a mean tennis player.

他是一个出色的网球运动员。

拓展:

这里还要补充一个关于“mean”的熟词生义,“

If someone is being mean, they are being unkind to another person, for example by not allowing them to do something.”(不友好的)

例句:

The little girls had locked themselves in upstairs because Mark had been mean to them.
[scode type="green"]3.impossible

adj.难以应付的[/scode]
英英释义:

①If you describe someone as impossible, you are annoyed that their bad behaviour or strong views make them difficult to deal with.

②An impossible situation or an impossible position is one that is very difficult to deal with.

例句:

①The woman is impossible, thought Frannie.

②The Government was now in an almost impossible position.
[scode type="green"]4.square

n.乏味的人;古板的人;老古董;书呆[/scode]
英英释义:

(informal, disapproving) a person who is considered to be boring, for example because they are old-fashioned or because they work too hard at school.

拓展:

“square”作为名词和形容词兼具“书呆子、古板的人”之义。

除此之外,这里想补充几个关于“square”的短语:

①a square meal

一顿丰盛的饭

(a good, satisfying meal)

如:

He looks as though he hasn't had a square meal for weeks.

看他那样子,就好像几个星期没吃过一顿像样的饭了。

②back to sqaure one

(因无进展)回到起点,从头再来

(a return to the situation you were in at the beginning of a project, task, etc., because you have made no real progress)

如:

If this suggestion isn't accepted, we'll be back to square one.

如果这个建议得不到采纳,我们就得从头再来了。
[scode type="green"]5.screw

v.与……发生性关系[/scode]
英英释义:

If someone screws someone else or if two people screw, they have sex together.

例句:

①Why? So you can screw more guys?

为什么,去搞更多的男人吗?----《美国恐怖故事第二季》

②You screwed him, and now I am.

你跟他睡过,如今我也睡了。---《逍遥法外 第三季》

拓展:

screw作名词时的本义是“螺丝钉”,除此之外,还可以表示“性交伴侣”(a partner in sex),拓展两个俚语:

①have a screw loose 举止略有异常,行为古怪

②put the screws on sb 胁迫,逼迫

作为动词时,一个比较常见的意思是“拧上去”(to be attached by screwing)

①The bulb should just screw into the socket.

②The lid simply screws on.

再拓展两个常见俚语:

①screw up one's courage 鼓起勇气,相当于“pluck up one's courage”

②screw you/him 去他妈的(swearing words 美剧常见短语)

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