汉译英难点详解之评价、疑虑和问询

 　　1.崭新的 brand new

　　他买了一台崭新的轿车

　　He bought a brand new car.

　　2.太便宜了 be dirt cheap

　　这块手表才花了30美元，真是太便宜了。

　　You bought this watch only for 30 dollars? It’s dirt cheap.

　　3.费事儿 take a lot of doing

　　做鱼特别费事儿，我可不愿意洗阿，淹阿，钝阿什么的。

　　It takes a lot of doing to cook a fish. I wouldn’t like to spend a lot of time washing, salting, stewing¹ and whatnots for the cooking of it.

　　4.知道底细 have someone’s number

　　别跟我瞎吹了，我又不是不了解你的底细。

　　No big talk with me, I have your number.

　　5.精品 the choicest goods

　　这家商店卖的手表都是精品，而且种类还特别多。

　　This shop sells a wide range of watches, all of which are the choicest.

　　6. 了解一下情况 get the lay of the land

　　经理说他想让我们先去海南了解一下那里的情况，然后再决定投资的事。

　　The manager said that he would like us to go to Hai Nan and get the lay of the land there before deciding on the investment².

　　7.掌上明珠 the apple of someone’s eye

　　玲玲是她爷爷的掌上明珠

　　Ling Ling is the apple of her grandpa’s eye.

　　8.让人恶心turn one’s stomach / make one sick听她讲话，看她和男人讲话的那股劲头儿真让我恶心。

　　Listening to her and seeing the way of her talking with men really turns my stomach.

　　9. 惹麻烦了 be in a jam

　　小张这次可惹麻烦了，昨天他又让警察给逮着了。

　　Xiao Zhang’s in a jam now. He was copped³ out again by the police yesterday.

　　10.关系很好 be on good terms with

　　据说老张和那个部长的关系特别好

　　It’s said that Lao Zhang is on very good terms with the minister.

　　11.甜头儿 sugar plum

　　如果不尝到点甜头儿，她是不会干那种事的

　　She wouldn’t do that if she hadn’t got sort of sugar plum.

　　12.什么都敢赌 can bet⁴ one’s bottom dollar她绝对不会和他结婚的，这个我什么都敢赌。

　　I can bet my bottom dollar that she won’t marry him for anything.

　　13.美中不足a fly in the ointment⁵

　　我喜欢那套房子，但美中不足的是离上班的地方太远。

　　I like the house, but there’s a fly in the ointment: I have to commute⁶ so far to work.

　　14.蹩脚货/次品 a lemon

　　几天以后他才发现他买的车是个蹩脚货。

　　Not until several days later did he find the car he bought was a lemon.

　　15.小道消息 through the grapevine

　　不要听任何小道消息，现在传闲话的人越来越多了。

　　Don’t believe anything through the grapevine. There are more and more gossipers.

　　16.其丑无比 have a face that would stop a clock我真不敢想象像李同这样英俊的小伙子竟然和奇丑无比的孙丽结了婚。

　　You can hardly imagine that a handsome man like Li Tong would get married with a girl like Sun Li who has a face that would stop the clock.

　　17.体型匀称 be well-proportioned

　　杰克体型匀称，个头适中，一双大眼睛炯炯有神，成了许多女孩追求的目标。

　　Lack, with a body well-proportioned, about the middling, a pair of intense⁷ big eyes, has become the target of many pretty girls.

　　18. 做得太过火了 overplay one’s hand

　　你一定时做得太过火了， 否则她不会对你如此不依不饶的。

　　You must have overplayed your hand or she wouldn’t have taken off her gloves to you like that!

　　19.正中下怀 play into someone’s hands

　　你同意到外地出差正中老板下怀，至于原因，还是留给你自己去思考吧Your agreeing to take the business trip in another city well played into the hands of the boss. As for the reason, you put it in the pipe and smoke it.

　　20.轻松的工作 a cushy job

　　他想干个轻松的工作，可又怕挣钱太少了。

　　He hope to take a cushy job but at the same time, worries about pay he gets from such a job.

 

1 stewing   

炖

参考例句：

• The meat was stewing in the pan. 肉正炖在锅里。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The cashier was stewing herself over the sum of 1, 000 which was missing. 钱短了一千美元，出纳员着急得要命。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。

3 copped   

adj.圆锥形的v.遭受，忍受( cop的过去式 )

参考例句：

• The politician copped out on the issue of free trade. 那政客对自由贸易的问题只是一味逃避。 来自辞典例句
• Mother copped me stealing cakes from the kitchen and beat me severely. 我在偷厨房的蛋糕，被母亲抓到了。她狠狠地打了我一顿。 来自辞典例句

4 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

5 ointment   

n.药膏，油膏，软膏

参考例句：

• Your foot will feel better after the application of this ointment.敷用这药膏后，你的脚会感到舒服些。
• This herbal ointment will help to close up your wound quickly.这种中草药膏会帮助你的伤口很快愈合。

6 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

7 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。