英语俚语天天说 第54期:孤立无援,无依无靠 high and dry

 　　释义：

　　High 高的，dry 干的 z干燥的；

　　To be left behind; abandoned. Being in a helpless¹ situation without a way to recover. 被遗忘，被抛弃，处于一个没有援助的处境中；

　　Imagine driving to a friend's wedding, only for your car to break down along the way.想象一下开车去朋友婚礼的路上，车坏掉了。 You could try calling for help, but if no one is willing to offer their support, 你本来可以打电话求助，但是并没有人愿意来帮忙。the saying 'high and dry' would be an appropriate phrase to describe the helpless predicament.这个时候high and dry这个俚语就可以很好滴形容你所在的困境。

　　来源：

　　It is believed that this phrase has something to do with boats that sometimes get stranded² on beaches due to shifting³ sea levels.这个俚语的来源于船有关，有时候船会因为海面的波动而被搁浅在海岸上。 For instance⁴, if a boat is left near the shore during high tides, then it is at risk of be grounded later on.比如，如果一条船在涨潮时停在了海岸附近，那么就有可能被搁浅 Why? Because water levels can decrease throughout the day. 这是为什么呢？因为水平面会降低。So while a boat may have been left on the coast in high waters, in just a few hours, the sea level can fluctuate⁵ in that area, leaving the boat stranded on land. 船在涨潮时被推到了岸边，不一会，海平面开始波动，潮水退去的时候船就被搁浅了。Indeed, the boat was abandoned by the water, it was left 'high and dry. 这个时候，船就被潮水遗弃，就会被“高高地并且干燥地”留在岸边；

　　举例：

　　1.The cruel man took all the money and left his own grandmother high and dry.

　　那个残忍的家伙带走了所有的钱，留下了他的祖母无依无靠；

　　2.When the factory closed down, the workers were left high and dry.

　　工厂倒闭后，工人们的生活没有着落。

1 helpless   

adj.无助的，无依无靠的；不能自力的

参考例句：

• The other team was helpless and we had a real field day.对方队很弱，我们轻易取胜。
• They felt helpless to do anything about it.他们对这事感到无能为力。

2 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

3 shifting   

n.移位；转移，偏移；狡猾v.改变(shift的现在分词)adj.移动的；多变的；狡诈的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to prove him wrong because he keeps shifting his ground. 要证明他错是不可能的，因为他不断地改变立场。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These tree belts effectively protect the farmland against shifting sand. 这些防护林带有效地保护了农田，使之免受流沙侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 instance   

n.例，例证，实例

参考例句：

• Can you quote me a recent instance?你能给我举一个最近的例子吗？
• He's a greedy boy,yesterday,for instance,he ate all our biscuits!他是个贪吃的孩子――比如，他昨天把我们的饼干都吃了！

5 fluctuate   

vi.波动，起伏，动摇；vt.使波动，使起伏

参考例句：

• Prices fluctuate from year to year.物价年年波动。
• Body temperature can fluctuate if you are ill.人患病后体温可能会上下波动。