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Mum's the word意思是“妈妈的话”?大错特错!

英语四六级备考 2019-03-01 09:12

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大家肯定有疑问:难道mum's word不是“妈妈的话”?这里的mum和妈妈没有关系哦~它原意指的是被捂住嘴后发出的"mmm..."的声音,表示不愿意或不能说话~那mum's the word的意思大家应该已经猜出来了吧~它表示保密!

这个习语来自于莎士比亚的《亨利六世》。Seal up your lips and give no words but mum.直接翻译是:闭上嘴巴,啥也不说,除了保持沉默。于是,mum is the word就从句子中提取出来,用在提醒别人保持沉默,恪守诺言的语境。

其中的"mum"是"momme"的俚语说法,在中古英语中是“保持沉默”的意思。"mum"的这层意思,是由"murmur"--“哑剧演员”发展而来。

A boy presents a handkerchief he made for his mother at a kindergarten in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, May 9, 2013. Children made cards, handkerchiefs and other gifts for their mother to celebrate the coming Mother's Day. [Photo/Xinhua]

举个例子:

“I won the lottery!”Paul whispered in his wife's ear.

“我中彩了!”保罗在妻子的耳边悄声说。

“Don't breathe a word!”

“千万要保密!”

“Okay,honey;mum is the word.”

“好的,绝对不讲出去。”

 

那么,当别人跟你说Mum's the word让你给他保密时,除了Yes还可以怎么回答得更加真诚呢?

I won't say a word.

我保证对谁都不说出去。

I won't say anything.

我什么都不说。

My lips are sealed.

我的嘴很紧。

当然可能有些大嘴巴,忍不住就说出去了,通常开场白是这样的:我跟你说件事,你不要告诉别人哦!然后就开始泄露秘密了。

I'll level with you.

好吧,我就直说吧。

I have a confession to make.

有件事我一定要坦白。

Well, as a matter of fact...

好吧,说实话……

 

那如果是你不小心说漏嘴了咋办?

It was a slip of the tongue.

无意中说漏了嘴。

Really? Didn't she know about it?

真的吗?她不知道这件事?

I spilled the beans.

我泄露了秘密。

I stuck my foot in my mouth.

我把不好/失礼的事说出去了。

A lucky photographer has managed to capture these adorable images of the playful first moments in the lives of young polar bear cubs, Feb 6, 2014. [Photo/IC]

不过做人嘛,还是要有分寸和底线的。当你忍不住要说出去的时候,就想一想:别人跟你说这个秘密的时候,有多信任你吧!

另外,我们整理了一份和妈妈有关的表达。

 

01  Mummy's boy

Mummy's boy指的是:很听妈妈的话,什么事情都让母亲来做主,而自己毫无主见的男生或者成年男性。也就是我们常说的“妈宝男”!

Don't marry him! He's just a mummy's boy.

别嫁给他!他就是一个妈宝男。

Tim is a mummy's boy. He left his girlfriend because his mother didn't like her.

提姆是一个妈宝男,因为他妈妈不喜欢他的女朋友,所以他离开了对方。

 

02 everyone and their mum

Everyone and their mum:

每个人和他们的妈妈 ×

大多数人,很多人 √

这个短语,用夸张的手法来形容“非常多的人,几乎每一个人”

Everyone and their mum is going on a vacation, but I have to work.

大家都要休假了,可我还得工作。

 

03  stay-at-home mom

Stay-at-home mom:大家应该很好猜出来是什么意思吧?呆在家里不外出工作,全身心在家带宝宝的妈妈,也就是“全职妈妈”。

Being a stay-at-home mom is as much hard work as going to an office everyday.

全职妈妈和每天出去工作一样辛苦。

John: So we've been talking about women's roles in society. And are you a stay-at-home mom or a working mom?

约翰:我们来谈谈女性在社会中的角色。你是全职妈妈还是职场妈妈?

Sarah: Well, I guess I'm both. Right now, I'm on maternity leave and I'm on six months of maternity leave.

萨拉:嗯,我想我两者都是。目前我在休产假,我正在休为期6个月的产假。

John: What does that mean?

约翰:这是什么意思?

Sarah: So maternity leave is when you have a job but then you become pregnant or you're going to have a baby, maybe adopt, too. So you're going to have a baby, and so you take time off of work to stay home with the new baby.

萨拉:产假是指你有工作,不过因为你怀孕了或者即将生产,或是领养,在你要生产的时候,你可以休假,留在家里照顾孩子。

 

04  mother's knee

At your mother's knee直译过来是“在你妈妈的膝上”,而实际要表达的是:幼年时或是儿时学到的技能,比如画画,钢琴,舞蹈这些启蒙技能。

举个例子,小白很小的时候就学会了画画,他就可以这样说:

I learnt to paint at my mother's knee.

我在幼年时学会了涂色。

 

(来源:英语四六级备考  编辑:yaning)

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