A bundle of nerves /nervous Nellie
上次我们讲了几个跟nerve有关的习惯用语:Get up the nerve ,have got a lot of nerve 和of all the nerve 。我们今天再学习两个nerve短语。第一个是: a bundle of nerves 。
Bundle意思是一束或者一捆。A bundle of nerves 如果直译就是一束神经,这当然不是这个习惯用语的意思。这个习惯用语是用来说某一种人的。让我们看个例子来琢磨那是什么样的人。
例句1:Ive been a bundle of nerves since the company told us its losing money and will have to lay off 20 percent of our staff. I dont know if I can hang on to my job or not.
自从公司告诉我们公司因亏损不得不裁员百分之二十之后,我就惶惶不可终日。我不知道自己还能不能保住工作。
例句2:Im worried about Sally - shes a real bundle of nerves these days. I dont know why: maybe its because she drinks a dozen cups of coffee a day. That would make me nervous too.
我很担心莎莉,她近来总是很神经质。我不懂她怎么会这样,可能是因为她每天喝十几杯咖啡吧。我要是喝太多咖啡也会变得神经兮兮的。
刚才的例子里有nervous这个词。它是从名词nerve派生而来的形容词,意思当然是神经的,或者神经质的。我们接下来要学个由nervous组成的习惯用语:nervous Nellie 。
Nellie是女人的名字,但是nervous Nellie却既可以用来指女人也可以说男人。这个习惯用语从本世纪二十年代开始流传,现在已经不清楚Nellie这个名字的出典。用这个名字也可能只是因为Nellie和nervous都以字母n起头,读起来很顺口。
美国政界人物有时会用nervous Nellie这个说法来贬低政敌。
例句3:Yes, I know the nervous Nellies in the other party are saying in the papers and on TV that our bill will cost taxpayers more money than it will save, but theyre scared of any new ideas!
我知道反对党的那帮胆小鬼在报纸和电视上宣称我们的提案会使纳税人花费更多,但是这些人害怕任何新设想。
可见他在这儿把那些反对党人物称为nervous Nellies,其实在说他们是一些草木皆兵的胆小鬼。
例句4:I dont like to sound like a nervous Nellie , but Ive got to tell you Im a little scared about whether our company can stay in business the way things are going right now.
我可不愿意表现得杞人忧天,但是我得告诉你照目前的发展情况看来,我有点担心我们的公司能否站得住脚。
上一篇: 四招教你避免说Chinglish
下一篇: “鼓起勇气”怎么说?
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