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學英文到後來,最害怕的不是艱深的文法或是不懂的單字,而是各式各樣的俚語! 因為俚語牽涉到文化背景等等許多因素,實在無法是從字面上就了解真正的意思。這時就必須從上下文或情境中去猜測其真正的涵義,或者查閱英英字典確認意思。以下為一些常聽到的英文俚語,大家趕快學起來,才不會誤會別人的意思喔!

 

 

1. He has got a frog in his throat.

 

他喉嚨裡有一隻青蛙???  難不成他把青蛙吞下去但是青蛙卡在他喉嚨裡 ? 千萬別緊張,這句話的意思是[ 喉嚨沙啞無法說話] 的意思!  Cambridge Dictionaries Online 解說得很清楚:  have a frog in your throat :  to have difficulty in speaking because your throat feels dry and you want to cough。

 

2.  His performance brought the house down.

Brought 是 bring 的過去式,bring the house down 是什麼意思呢? 我們來看Oxford Learner’s Dictionary 的解釋:
to make everyone laugh or cheer, especially at a performance in the theatre

 

明白了嗎? 這個俚語是說一個人的表演十分精采,讓全屋子的人都大聲叫好的意思喔!

 

 

3.  The beer is on the house .

 

這句話也不是說 [ 在房子上 ] ,Oxford Learner’s Dictionary對 on the house 的解釋:   
drinks or meals that are on the house are provided free by the pub/bar or restaurant and you do not have to pay

所以這個俚語的意思是餐館免費招待飲料或食物。 所以當你在餐廳聽到服務生跟你說: The beer is on the house.  就是餐廳免費招待你喝啤酒的意思,而不是說啤酒在屋頂上喔!

 

4. He tried to cook but made a dog’s breakfast.

 

聰明的你應該知道,a dog’s breakfast 並不是在說狗的早餐!我們一樣先來看英英字典對 a dog’s breakfast 的解說:

something or someone that looks extremely untidy, or something that is very badly done

所以 a dog’s breakfast 是指亂七八糟的東西,或是看起來一團糟的人。

 

5. Keep your shirt on!  Your car isn't badly damaged.

從例句中我們應該可以猜測到,Keep your shirt on  也不是要你把衣服穿好,而是要你不要生氣!一樣我們還是用線上英英字典來再次確認:keep your shirt on ( UK also keep your hair on)  : said to tell someone to stop being so angry or upset

 

6.  The comments he made on my performance just hit me close to home.

Close to home 這句俚語感覺很正向,但是從字典中才會發現這句話的真相:

Close to home:  usually said about something that upsets or embarrasses you, and often used with the verb hit as in the example

所以 close to home 其實是說某件事讓你覺得很沮喪或難為情,通常會和 hit 這個動詞一起使用。

 

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以上這幾句俚語只是廣大俚語文化的一小部分,俚語會隨著時間和地區不同而有所變化,如果只查中英字典通常沒有幫助,甚至紙本的英英字典也可能因為這句俚語太新了而沒有收錄。還好現在有很多線上的英英字典,例如Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, !  Cambridge Dictionaries Online, Longman English Dictionary Online……. 等等,非常方便使用,這些網站也常更新最新單字或用語,如果對任何英文單字或用語有疑問,千萬別忘了利用這些線上資源喔!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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