汉语习语的英文说法

 　　1.【不妙】something is to pay

　　The manager had a hunch¹ that something was to pay.

　　经理感到事情有些不妙。

　　汉语的“有些不妙”或“有点不对头”的概念常可用something is to pay的句式来表示。这一短语常和feel或have a hunch that连用。

　　Dialogue

　　Bob: Didn't you see the writing on the wall?

　　Sue: I even didn't have the slightest hunch.

　　Bob: But you should be prepared for such an outcome.

　　Sue: I had too much confidence in him.

　　Bob: But he ruined your business.

　　Sue: Well, if I knew there would be something to pay, I wouldn't should chalk it up to experience.

　　Bob: Well, you should chalk it up to experience.

　　Sue: You're right.

　　2.【眼中钉】a thorn in someone's flesh

　　I wonder why I become a thorn in their flesh. I've never harmed them.

　　不知为什么我成了他们的眼中钉了。我可从未错待过他们。

　　我们说的“眼中钉”与英美人讲的a thorn in someone's flesh指的是一回事，虽比喻有异，但意思相同。与此说法相似的还有“刺耳的话”（a flea² in someone's ear）。

　　Dialogue

　　Frank: I don't know why I should become a thorn in the John's flesh.

　　Betty: You mean your boss?

　　Frank: Yeah. He seems to bear me a grudge³.

　　Betty: That's because you are too much on the ball.

　　Frank: But why should that make him hate me?

　　Betty: That's because you put him in the shade.

　　3.【馋得流口水】make someone's mouth water

　　The delicacies⁴ on the table make him mouth water.

　　桌上的美味佳肴馋得他直流口水。

　　“使某人流口水”指“使某人垂涎”，是地道的汉语口语。这一概念一般是用make someone's mouth water的句式来表达的。

　　Dialogue

　　Sue: Wow! What a gracious table! Everything looks so beautiful.

　　Bob: This might be the best dinner you've ever had.

　　Sue: Surely it is. I can hardly wait. They make my mouth water.

　　Bob: I feel itching⁵, too. Let's start and try these delicacies.

　　4.【胡说八道】shooting from the hip⁶

　　He thinks I've got the hots for Lily? It's shooting from the hip!

　　他说我迷恋上李丽了？这简直是胡说八道！

　　汉语口语中的"胡说八道"曾被译成break wind。其实，英美人更习惯用shoot from the hip来表示这一说法。

　　Dialogue

　　Rose: I didn't know Joe was two-faced. He stabbed me in the back.

　　Mark: What did he do?

　　Rose: He told my boyfriend that I had affairs with several men, which, of course,

　　made my boy friend very suspicious of me.

　　Mark: I didn't believe he would shoot from the hip like that! It was very vicious of him. You must not put up with him.

　　Rose: Of course not! He will soon know what he deserves!

1 hunch   

n.预感，直觉

参考例句：

• I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉，他并不真正想去。
• I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。

2 flea   

n.跳蚤

参考例句：

• I'll put a flea in his ear if he bothers me once more.如果他再来打扰的话，我就要对他不客气了。
• Hunter has an interest in prowling around a flea market.亨特对逛跳蚤市场很感兴趣。

3 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

4 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

5 itching   

adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The itching was almost more than he could stand. 他痒得几乎忍不住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My nose is itching. 我的鼻子发痒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。