双周Language Snacks音频小栏目，让你的口语摆脱课本和程式化的僵硬和无趣，更接地气更加原汁原味。

本期我们看at a loose end。

看看下面的对话，猜猜看？

A问B要不要去吃午饭，B说好啊，但是你难道不是和John有个会议要参加？

A: Hi! Do you want to go for lunch?

B: Sure, but I thought you had a meeting with John.

A说，他取消了，我at a loose end，B说好，我这就去拿外套。

A: Oh, he had to cancel, so I'm at a loose end.

B: Great, I'll just get my coat.

Most of us lead very busy lives these days, but do you ever finish everything you have to do and find that you have a bit of spare time to fill? In these situations, when we have free time, but we don't know what to do with it, we say we are at a loose end.  

This expression was originally about sailors' ropes which had become untied, or 'loose', and therefore were not being used properly.

如果你在一阵忙碌以后发现自己有那么一点空闲时间却不知道做什么好，你就可以用到”at a loose end”来形容自己的处境。

举例来看：

Well, I never find myself at a loose end. Things just keep coming up and I have a lot to do! So, bye now.

好吧，我从来没觉得自己空闲过。一直有新事情出现需要我去应对。所以，先这样吧，下次再说。

If you are at a loose end, are you:

a) busy, with lots to do?

b) free, and looking for something to do?

c) lost?

（本文图片来自网络）