语言小贴士第1期:一个模子印出来的

1. If we call someone a chip off the old block, we mean they are:

a) good at making furniture

b) police officers

c) similar to their parents
 
2. What was the 'block' made of in the origin of this expression?
 
3. Which very well-known international figure is a chip off the old block?

A chip off the old block: (相貌或性格)酷似父亲或母亲的人, 一个模子印出来的

A: Guess who I saw the other day?
B: Go on, who?
A: Helen! And guess what? She's joined the police, just like her dad.
B: Really? She's a chip off the old block, isn't she?
A: Yes! She was always very similar to her dad though, wasn't she?

When we describe someone as a chip off the old block, we mean that they are similar to one or both of their parents. It could be about their appearance¹ or their behaviour. The expression comes from carpentry and the idea is that the parent is a 'block' of wood, and the child is a small 'chip' of the same material. A famous example of a chip off the old block is George W.Bush², who, just like his father, went into politics³ and, of course, became the president of the Unites States.

1. c

2. wood

3. George W.Bush

1 appearance   

n.出现，露面；容貌

参考例句：

• In appearance, he was a little like his father.他看起来有点像他的父亲。
• She was a young woman of good appearance.她是一位年轻貌美的女子。

2 bush   

n.灌木，灌木丛，矮树

参考例句：

• This bush has grown up a lot in the last few months.这矮树丛几个月来已向上长高了很多。
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.一鸟在手，胜于二鸟在林。

3 politics   

n.政治，政治学；政纲，政见，策略

参考例句：

• They seldom talk on politics in those days.那时人们很少谈论政治。
• The two brothers differed about politics.这兄弟俩政见不同。