【a pat on the back】赞扬;鼓励 例:Pats on the back werent enough; he wanted hard cash.光表扬不够,他要的是现钱. 【反义】a kick in the teeth/pants责备,非难 例:All she got for her trouble was a kick in the teeth. 【近义】a shot in the arm鼓励 pull for为鼓劲 speak highly of赞扬 A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, but is miles ahead in results. -- Ella Wheeler Wilcox 在后背上拍一下离在屁股上踢一脚只有几节脊椎骨那么远，可是效果却要好得多。