英式英语和美式英语之别——令美国人糊涂的英式短语

小编曾有一期文章展示部分令英国人困惑的美式短语，现在让我们换换思路，看看一些令人困惑的英式短语。英国人常用的一些习惯用语或成语的出处含混不清，这使得亲英派的人们怕是也不习惯这些不同寻常的表达方式。

1. They’re chalk and cheese. What does it mean?

A. They’re very different.

B. They’re looking pale.

C. They’re very fickle.

2. Bob’s your uncle! What does it mean?

A. You used nepotism.

B. What a coincidence!

C. You come from a rural area.

D. The task is easily achieved.

3. I’ve known her for donkey’s. What does it mean?

A. I’ve known her for a very long time.

B. She’s a jerk.

C. I don’t trust her.

D. I know a lot of her secrets.

4. Something for the weekend. What does it mean?

A. A condom

B. A time-consuming hobby

C. Marijuana

D. A duvet

5. At Her Majesty’s pleasure. What does it mean?

A. A lazy morning

B. Waiting for somebody slow

C. A beautiful sunset

D. In prison

6. Swings and roundabouts. What does it mean?

A. Ways of avoiding problem

B. Obstacles that prevent you getting somewhere

C. Gains and losses that offset each other

D. Perks of a job that aren’t mentioned in the job advert

7. Horses for courses. What does it mean?

A. Somebody wearing cloths suited to a younger person

B. Food that looks good by tastes terrible

C. A very competitive race

D. Different things suit different people

8. He’s got the hump.

A. He’s in love

B. He’s very hungry

C. He’s annoyed

D. He can drink a lot of alcohol without getting drunk

9. I need to spend a penny

A. I’m addicted to candy

B. I can’t afford to go abroad this year

C. I need to go to the toilet

D. I need to change my shoes

10. He’s on the pull

A. He’s going to get promoted

B. He relies on charity

C. He’s hoping to have sex with someone

D. He’s driving

准备好看答案了吗？往下拉！

1. A

“chalk and cheese”等同于美国人说的“apples and oranges”，形容两个事物或人是完全不同的或完全无法兼容的，通常的句式为“like / as different as chalk and cheese”，例如：we'll never get on—we're like chalk and cheese。

2. D

“Bob’s your uncle”据说源于 Arthur Balfour，他曾被自己的首相叔叔 Robert Cecil（昵称为Bob）任命在多个颇有声望的职位上，现用于表示很轻松就能完成某项任务。例如，Put together a couple of kitchen fitments, buy a coffee machine and Bob's your uncle.

3. A

“Donkey’s”通常是”donkey’s years”的简写方式，最初可能写作 donkey’s ears，指代某物长度上很长，现指很长一段时间。例如，we've been close friends for donkey's years.

4. A

令人难以置信，“Something for the weekend”指避孕套，人们通常认为这是售卖避孕套的理发师向顾客推销时的委婉词语，例如”something for the weekend, sir?”

5. D

“His sharp practice cost him a term at Her Majesty's pleasure”，如果有人 at Her Majesty’s pleasure，那他就是关押在英国监狱里。形成这一词组是因为君主最初拥有自由裁决是否关押某人的权利。

6. C

Swings and roundabouts 在英式英语中意为“不同的行动或选择最终都造成毫无收益或毫无损失的情况，或所得和所失相抵消”，是不是有点殊途同归或是失之东隅，收之桑榆的意思呢？更为完整的短语是”to gain on the swings and lose on the roundabouts”。例如，I don't want to have to, but it's swings and roundabouts.

7. D

Horses for courses 是英国谚语，意为“不同的人适合不同的事物”，其出处是短语” Different race horses would perform better on different racecourses / 不同的赛马在不同的赛道上各有更好表现”，真是各有所长或是各有所爱的含义吧。例如：So I'm not interested in politics, it's horses for courses.

8. C

短语 get / have / give someone the hump 的出处并不清楚，可能是与骆驼相关，其含义为“变得或令人恼怒、无缘故发脾气”，例如”fans get the hump when they lose”或”Debate has been raging about road safety, with people across London getting the hump.”

9. C

在英国，曾经需要花费一个 penny 使用一次投币式公共厕所，这就是短语 spend a penny 替代“小便”的委婉说法，例如”you can't get to sleep when you want to spend a penny”。

10. C

例句中的 pull 和 attractions 之间看起来有很明显的关联。短语 on the pull 在英式非正式语境中指企图吸引某人上床，例如”an eligible bachelor on the pull”或”I remember now why I'm not interested in going on the pull.”

（来源：牛津辞典微信公众号  编辑：Julie）