VOA慢速英语2020--有关友谊的习语

Today, we answer a question from a group of friends. They write:

Question:

"We are Yasemin, Kübra, Hicret, Rukiye, and Nazli and we are writing from Turkey. We would like to learn some idioms about friendship. Thank you." - from Yasemin in Turkey

Answer:

Dear Yasemin,

Thank you for writing to us. There are many idioms, or sayings, in English that we use when we want to describe relationships between and among friends. Here are a few to practice with your friends.

Through thick and thin

The idiom "through thick and thin" is used to define¹ a friend who is loyal² and supportive during bad times as well as good times. It most often describes a friendship that has been strong for a long time. Here are two examples:

John and Lisa have been friends through thick and thin.

My best friend and I stayed together through thick and thin.

Two peas⁴ in a pod

If two people are "like two peas in a pod," it means⁵ that they get along very well. They are two very good friends and they are very similar to each other.

I have never seen Lola and Camille argue; they are like two peas in a pod.

The saying "thick as thieves" means the same thing. Thieves have to be loyal to each other to avoid arrest. They share secret wrongdoing and the important goal of keeping it secret!

A shoulder to cry on

Some friends are especially sympathetic⁶ and easy to talk to. They are not judgmental or impatient⁷. They are good at sharing our pain, which helps ease⁸ our pain. A friend like this is often called "a shoulder to cry on." We can go to this person with a problem or sadness and they provide comfort.

Alyssa is such a great shoulder to cry on.

To hit it off

"To hit it off" with someone means to immediately like or get along with someone. This usually happens the first time two people are meeting. They often share interests, goals, and beliefs. This can happen between friends or love interests.

Carmen and Isabel hit it off at the party and are going to a movie together today.

Mike and I did not hit it off on our first date but we are going to try once more.

Thanks for the question from the friend group in Turkey. Hope it helps you all through thick and thin!

And that's Ask a Teacher.

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Words in This Story

pea³ pod – n. a part of a plant that holds small, round, green seeds called peas

comfort – n. a state or feeling of being less worried, upset, frightened, etc., during a time of trouble or emotional⁹ pain

shoulder – n. the part of your body where your arm is connected

1 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

2 loyal   

adj.忠诚的，忠心的

参考例句：

• He is a loyal friend.他是一位忠诚的朋友。
• I judge him to be loyal.我认为他很忠诚。

3 pea   

n.豌豆；adj.大小如豌豆的

参考例句：

• Sweet pea seed can be sown in may.香豌豆籽可在五月份种上。
• Every Saturday dad made a beautiful pea and ham soup.每个星期六爸爸都做美味的豌豆火腿汤。

4 peas   

豌豆

参考例句：

• My little sister picked up many green peas in the field. 小妹从田野里拾到许多豌豆。
• The twin brothers are as like as two peas. 那两个兄弟毫无二致。

5 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

6 sympathetic   

adj.有同情心的；表示好感或赞同的

参考例句：

• He is a sympathetic person.他是一个有同情心的人。
• They were quite sympathetic to our proposals.他们很赞同我们的建议。

7 impatient   

adj.不耐烦的，急躁的；热切的，急切的

参考例句：

• He was so impatient that I could hardly hold him back.他是那样急躁，我简直拉不住他。
• With an impatient gesture he thrust the food away from him.他不耐烦地把吃的东西猛地推开。

8 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

9 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。