【英语学习】美国英语也有不少与吃有关的实用短语

2015年11月05日 美国驻华大使馆



经常接触美国英语的人可能会觉得,美国人似乎也喜欢借助胃思考问题,因为他们的日常会话往往与食物和烹饪联系在一起。例如,志趣相同、形影不离的好朋友如同“two peas in a pod”(一个豆荚里的两颗豌豆)。如果情况每况愈下,他们会说“out of the frying pan and into the fire”(刚跳出油锅又掉进火炉)。谈到什么事很容易,就说“ a piece of cake”(小菜一碟)。这种情况当然不限于英语,其他语种也有异曲同工之处。

Simmer down

在压力很大,心烦意燥的情况下,人的心情如同捂紧一口盖子的热锅在火上烤,锅内鼎水沸腾,倒海翻江。这时候就需要改小火,降一降温。这时你可能会说,消消气,冷静一下,不然会爆了。

会话: “You don’t need to scream just because we missed the bus. Simmer down!”(你只不过误了一班车,用不着大呼小叫。不要火那么大!)

Too many cooks in the kitchen

厨房太小,厨师太多。(Thinkstock)

做某一件事可能不需要太多的人,人多不一定好,就像厨房里人太多会你挤我,我挤你,相互干扰,反而于事无补。

会话: “Do you two want me to help you set up your tent? Or will that be too many cooks in the kitchen?”(要不要我帮你搭这个帐篷?会不会厨师太多,欲速不达?)

Half-baked

我们经常说,祝你心想事成。但心里想的不一定马上成功,还需要有一个完善的过程,就像一个还没有完全烤好的蛋糕,还欠一些火候。如果有人提出了一个计划,但你觉得还不够成熟,你会说这事还有待完善。不过,这个短语也有“考虑不周”,甚至“欠妥”和“半生不熟”等意思,略带贬义,用时需要多加注意。

会话: “You think you’re going to save enough money for a luxury car by putting aside only $10 a week? That sounds half-baked to me.”(你只靠每星期省10美元,就想买一辆豪华汽车?我觉得好像有些不周边际。)

Hot Potato

烫手的山芋吃起来香。 (Shutterstock)

你有没有抓过烫手的山芋?你一定会觉得烫得受不了,为了不灼伤皮肤,你会不由自主地在两只手里倒来倒去,或者把火烫的山芋扔掉。这个短语往往用来比喻难以接受或者不想搀和的意思。

会话: “Among all the topics discussed in that debate, the tax increase was the hot potato. No one would touch it!”(在我们讨论的所有问题中,增税是一只烫手的山芋。谁都不想碰这个问题。)

Melting Pot

以种族大熔炉著称的纽约市聚集了各种文化背景和肤色的人。 (Flickr/Jesse Garrison)

人们往往将多种食材放在一个锅里,不论炖煮还是凉拌,如果搭配适当的话,就能做出一盘十分味美可口的菜肴,我们常见的什锦色拉就是一例。尽管各类食材味道各异,口感不同,但混合在一起可以形成一种有别于个别食材的独特风味。人类社会也是如此,不同种族、族裔、文化和背景的人和谐相处,可以组成一个海纳百川的大熔炉。

会话: “In New York City you can find clubs with music from dozens of cultures around the world. It’s a real melting pot.”(你在纽约市可以找到各种各样的音乐俱乐部,听到来自全世界数十种文化背景的音乐。这里的确是一个大熔炉。)

学习英语的其他资料来源

脸书(Facebook)的American English resource center and the 美国英语(American English )网页适合学习英语会话。美国之音(Voice of America)电台公开播放的新闻、播客和英语教学对于不同程度的学生学习英语都有帮助。

ShareAmerica的 英语学习(English Learning) 网页刊登了很多有关学习语言的文章供参考。


Maybe American-English speakers think with their stomachs, because they often express themselves in the language of cooking. Good friends who like the same things are “like two peas in a pod.” Any bad situation that gets worse moves “out of the frying pan and into the fire.” Something really easy is “a piece of cake.”

If you talk to an American, it probably won’t be long before he or she uses one of these food-based idioms.

Simmer down

When things get tense, people’s tempers can boil over like a covered pot of soup on a stove that’s too hot. Just as you’d turn the heat down on that soup and keep it warm at a low bubble, you might tell an overexcited person to simmer down before he explodes.

In conversation: “You don’t need to scream just because we missed the bus. Simmer down!”

Too many cooks in the kitchen

Small kitchen, too many cooks (Thinkstock)

When you want to get something done, more people isn’t necessarily better. Just as too many people in a kitchen will get in each other’s way, too many people working on one task can make it hard to finish the job.

In conversation: “Do you two want me to help you set up your tent? Or will that be too many cooks in the kitchen?”

Half-baked

Some ideas are fully developed and ready to put into practice. Then there are the ones that aren’t. They are as disappointing as a cake that isn’t baked all the way through. If someone came to you with a plan that needed more time and thought, you might tell him or her that it is half-baked. But be careful — the phrase is mildly insulting.

In conversation: “You think you’re going to save enough money for a luxury car by putting aside only $10 a week? That sounds half-baked to me.”

Hot Potato

Hot potatoes are better eaten than held. (Shutterstock)

Have you ever tried to hold a baked potato? They keep their heat for a long time. If you can hold a hot potato, you probably toss it from hand to hand or look for someone else to throw it to just to keep from getting burned. People try to get rid of a difficult or controversial matter that comes to them in the same way.

In conversation: “Among all the topics discussed in that debate, the tax increase was the hot potato. No one would touch it!”

Melting Pot

Many cultures and colors in the melting pot that is New York City (Flickr/Jesse Garrison)

All sorts of ingredients go into a cooking pot, each having its own taste and character. When they’re melted together those tastes combine into something that’s new, different and better than the recipe’s individual parts. Societies that encourage diversity in race, ethnicity, culture and outlook are the same way.

In conversation: “In New York City you can find clubs with music from dozens of cultures around the world. It’s a real melting pot.”

Other resources for learning English

The American English resource center and the American English page on Facebook can help you master conversational English. The Voice of America offers news stories, podcasts, and other free tools that help students at different levels.

Keep up with more language-resource articles on ShareAmerica’s English Learning page.


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