
BBC地道英语 – Not have a bad bone in one’s body
“Not have a bad bone in one’s body(没有一根坏骨头)” 用来比喻某人 “诚实善良,没有任何负面的性格特征”。

“Not have a bad bone in one’s body(没有一根坏骨头)” 用来比喻某人 “诚实善良,没有任何负面的性格特征”。

当我们说某人 “quick on the uptake”,意思是这个人 “很快就能明白或掌握某件事情”。反之,假如说某人 “slow on the uptake”,就表示这个人 “理解某件事情感到很吃力,领悟较慢”。

When the public voice called for war, all knew, and still know, that without them it could not be carried on through the period which it might last, and the patriotism, the good sense, and the manly spirit of our fellow-citizens are pledges for the cheerfulness with which they will bear each his share of the common burden.

“Blind someone with science” 的意思是 “用大量的专业术语、以复杂的方式描述一件事情,从而唬住他人”

It is that our two nations, divided by distance, have been united by history. No people ever believed more deeply in the cause of Irish freedom than the people of the United States. And no country contributed more to building my own than your sons and daughters.

在谈论一个没有达到理想结果的事情或情况时,表达 “chalk something up to experience” 用来表示 “将这件事情当作一次学习的经验或教训”。当已知事情的具体内容时,可以直接用 “it” 替换 “something”,即 “chalk it up to experience”。

“Pick someone’s brains” 的意思是 “请教某人,就某个话题咨询这个人的意见,或请此人帮助回答、解决一个问题”。这是表示 “问问题” 的一个非正式说法。

我们用表达 “walk before you can run(先学走,再学跑)” 来比喻 “做事应循序渐进”。比如,在学习新事物的时候,不应急于求成,而是先学会基本的技能,再尝试更复杂、困难的事情。我们也可以用 “don’t run before you can walk(会走之前先别跑)” 来提醒别人 “不要急于求成”。

And graduates, if you go out there and make that claim, if you reach back to help others do the same, then I am confident that you will lead lives worthy of your dreams, and you will fulfill that precious Spelman legacy that is now yours.

I look forward to an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft. I look forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens.

“Make a mental note” 的意思是 “试着记住一件事情”。如果想说明要记在脑子里的事情具体是什么,可以说 “make a mental note of something”。

“Cover a lot of ground” 既可以按字面理解为 “跨越很长的距离”;也可以被用作一种比喻,表示 “提供的信息十分全面,或者教的内容涉及面很广”。这个表达用在教育领域时,通常用来描述 “传授的内容涵盖了很多知识点”。

合成名词 “goody-goody” 指 “自鸣得意或道貌岸然的人”,这个人可能 “伪善、假正经,或在他人面前故意讨好卖乖”。这是一个非正式的说法,带有贬义,表达 “goody two shoes” 的意思相同。

When you leave the friendly confines of West Philly: Never be discouraged. Never hold back. Give everything you’ve got. And when you fall throughout life—and maybe even tonight after a few too many glasses of champagne—fall forward.

“Eager beaver” 比喻 “对工作热忱、干活非常卖力的人”。

We have no excuse for defeatism. We have every good reason for hope — hope for peace, yes, and hope for the defense of our civilization and for the building of a better civilization in the future. I have the profound conviction that the American people are now determined to put forth a mightier effort than they have ever yet made to increase our production of all the implements of defense, to meet the threat to our democratic faith.

合成名词 “know-it-all” 带有贬义,意思是 “自以为无所不知的人”,用来形容某人觉得自己比别人懂得都多,其实不然。

Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.

No matter what you want to do with your life, you want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.

“Not have a hair out of place(一丝不乱)” 用来比喻某人的 “外表形象非常干净、利索,衣冠整洁”。