English 中文网 漫画网 爱新闻iNews 翻译论坛
中国网站品牌栏目(频道)
当前位置: Language Tips > Special Speed News VOA慢速

Words and their stories: when the cat's away

[ 2011-05-06 15:40]     字号 [] [] []  
免费订阅30天China Daily双语新闻手机报:移动用户编辑短信CD至106580009009

Words and their stories: when the cat's away

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising that there are many expressions about cats. Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself, we say he looks like the cat that ate the canary.

Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches.

So if you play cat and mouse with someone, you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.

A cat will often catch a small animal and present it to its owner. The saying that looks like something the cat dragged in describes something in bad condition.

Two old and funny expressions describe something that is the best or finest. Americans might say that something is the cat's meow and the cat's pajamas.

Children might call a child who is easily frightened a fraidy cat or a scaredy cat. A copycat is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person's work. A fat cat is a person with a lot of money.

You may have known that cats spend most of their time sleeping. Sometimes people sleep for a short time during the day. This is called a cat nap.

If you tell about something that was supposed to be a secret, we say you let the cat out of the bag. If you are not able to speak or answer a question someone might ask if the cat has got your tongue.

Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? When the cat's away, the mice will play means people sometimes misbehave when there is no supervision.

You may have heard this expression: curiosity killed the cat. This means being too concerned about things that are not your business might cause problems.

If your home is very small, you might say there is not enough room to swing a cat. But you probably should not try this at home!

If you ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job is like herding cats.

We leave you with a song from the musical play, "Cats."

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus.

looks like the cat that ate the canary: 看起来一副心满意足的样子

play cat and mouse with someone: 戏弄某人;蒙骗某人

that looks like something the cat dragged in: 人或物状态不好的;脏兮兮的

the cat's meow: 最好的,最棒的

the cat's pajamas: 卓越的(或出色的、极好的)人(或事,物)

fraidy cat: 胆小鬼

scaredy cat: 胆小鬼

copycat: 无主见的人;盲目的模仿者

fat cat: 有钱人

cat nap: 打瞌睡;小睡一会

let the cat out of the bag: 泄露秘密

the cat has got your tongue: 哑巴了?为什么不说话?

When the cat's away, the mice will play: 阎王不在,小鬼做怪

curiosity killed the cat: 好奇伤身

there is not enough room to swing a cat: 没有足够的空间;非常狭小

like herding cats: 不可能完成的任务

Related stories:

你是哪种“猫”?

The Loudest Cat? 这只英国猫可能是世界上嗓门最大的

英国首相府迎来新任“第一猫”

享受轻松好心情,就在猫咪咖啡馆

(来源:VOA 编辑:崔旭燕)

 
中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
 

关注和订阅

人气排行

翻译服务

中国日报网翻译工作室

我们提供:媒体、文化、财经法律等专业领域的中英互译服务
电话:010-84883468
邮件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn