迷你对话学地道口语第46期:一筹莫展

　　迷你对话：
A:Does he know that he has already at his wits' end?
他知不知道他已经山穷水尽了？
B:I think he has realized that. But he is still whistling in the dark by putting up an act.
我想他已经意识到了吧。但他仍装腔作势为他壮胆。
A:He might be driven up a wall. You should not handle your relation with him with kid gloves.
他快就被逼得走投无路了。你应该用温和的手段对付他。
B:But when I noticed that he was left in the cold, I could not help wanting to help him to get out of the situation.
但当我看到他孤家寡人的时候。我就不自由自主地想帮助他摆脱这种状况。
词海拾贝：
at one's wit's end：不知如何是好，山穷水尽
讲解：该习语出自《圣经》。Wit指“智力”或者“思考能力”。At one's wit's end常用来表示一个人“一筹莫展”“不知如何是好”“山穷水尽”“想不出解决问题的办法”。
Eg.I only had ten minutes to get to the station, but I could not find a taxi. I was at my wit's end.
我只有十分钟的时间赶到火车站，但是我找不到一辆出租车。我不知如何是好。
Eg.Even when he was out at elbows and at his wits, end for money he kept up a bold face.
即使到了一贫如洗，一筹莫展的地步，他也满不在乎。
Eg.I am at my wit's end, penniless, in a strange city.
我流落在一个陌生的城市里，身无分文，一筹莫展。
Eg.I tried to think up some way to get that money, but I were finally at my wit's end.
我试图想出一个法子来弄到这笔钱，谁知还是一筹莫展。
n the dark：在黑暗中，秘密地
Eg.He was feeling about in the dark for the electric-light switch.
他在黑暗中摸索，找电灯开关。
Eg.It's a wonder (that)you didn't lose your way in the dark.
令人惊奇的是你在黑暗中竟未迷路。
Eg.Hawthorne, by comparison, worked in the dark.
霍桑相形之下是默默无闻地工作的。
Eg.We were kept completely in the dark about his plan to sell the company.
对他计划将公司出售一事, 我们一直蒙在鼓里。
drive sb up a wall：使某人走投无路，使某人受不了，促使一个人非常紧张、难受或者是使他很烦燥
Eg. People like that just drive me up a wall!
那种人真是让人受不了。
Eg. That guy in the next apartment has been playing his trumpet¹ for four solid hours now and it's driving me up the wall! I' about ready to go next door and tell him to stop all the noise.
隔壁那套房间里的人吹喇叭已经吹了整整四个小时了。这简直快把我逼疯了。我真是要跑到他那里去，叫他不要再吹了。
Eg.Mary and I have been friends more than ten years. She's very nice and I like her a lot. But she likes to criticize me whenever I wear a new suit. It drives me up the wall every time she does it.
玛丽跟我交朋友已经有十多年了。她是一个很好的人；我也非常喜欢她。但是，我一穿新西装，她总是喜欢批评我。每次她挑剔我衣服的时候，我真是非常恼火。
with kid gloves：巧妙地, 温和地, 委婉地
handle with kid gloves：小心应付
Eg.He gets angry ever easily; you must handle him with kid gloves.
他动辄发脾气，你要小心地对付他。
Eg.We must treat the whole situation with kid gloves.
我们必须谨慎处理整个形势。
Eg.Such overly sensitive people must is handled with kid gloves.
对这种过分小心眼儿的人必须妥善应付。
Eg.Mary is easily distressed². You'll have to handle her with kid gloves.
玛丽动不动就伤心，你对待她得温和谨慎些。
leave sb in the cold：冷淡对待某人，对人冷酷无情，不理睬某人，冷落某人
Eg. Every time I see you, you leave me in the cold.
每次我见到你，你都不睬我。
cannot help doing something：禁不住做某事，忍不住做某事
Eg.He cannot help feeling considerable qualms³ about it.
他仍然不禁对它感到疑虑重重。
Eg.Whenever I hear the story, I cannot help crying.
每次我听这故事，就忍不住要哭。
Eg.I cannot help worrying to hear that there is no steamer this week.
我听到本周没有船的消息，禁不住担忧起来。
get out of：逃避, 戒除, 由 ... 出来
Eg.She'll need luck to get out of a tight corner like that.
她要靠运气才能摆脱那样的困境。
Eg.I can't get out of the habit of waking at six in the morning.
我早上一到六点就醒，这习惯改不掉了。
Eg.I wish I could get out of the habit of smoking.
我希望我能改掉吸烟的习惯。

1 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

2 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

3 qualms   

n.不安；内疚

参考例句：

• He felt no qualms about borrowing money from friends.他没有对于从朋友那里借钱感到不安。
• He has no qualms about lying.他撒谎毫不内疚。