英语词汇实用小百科 和苹果相关的词语

Xiaohua: Hello, and welcome to RoundTable's Word of the Week. This week we are talking about some fruit-related idioms.

John: That's right. Today we are going to be looking at， in particular apples. So I think everyone knows about apples. Apples they come in so many different varieties. And for some reason in English, there are so many different idioms and sayings around apples.

Xiaohua: 苹果好像在英美文化中有非常重要的文化属性，所以有很多的idiom短语是跟苹果有关的。

John: That's right, so we're going to take a look at a few here. So starting off, “as American as apple pie”, basically saying that apple pie is the epitome¹ of being American, and so if you’re as American is apple pie, then you’re just very American.

Xiaohua:苹果馅饼是非常具有美国特色的一种食品，as American as apple pie 就是说像苹果馅饼一样极具美国特色。

John: Yeah, so baseball, jeans, hamburgers, the American flag, fireworks on fourth of July, things like that.

Xiaohua: Disney, something like that.

John: Yes, as American as apple pie. And the second one, you can compare “apples and oranges”. This is actually one of my favorite because what happens a lot of times that people like to make comparisons between what seem like are similar things. Apple and orange are both fruits, but if you look at them, it's impossible to compare them because they are so different.

Xiaohua: 当你在指出别人逻辑上的错误时你可以用这个短语comparing apples and oranges, 就是把完全不一样的东西放在一起比较。

John: Right. There's “apple of someone’s eye”, so a favorite or a well-like person. So for example, my children are the apple of my eye.

Xiaohua: So for anyone who has heard the song "you're the apple of my eye", right?

John: I have no idea what that is.

Xiaohua: What? Are you an American?

John:I am, but not as American as apple pie.

Xiaohua: Yeah, that's what I'm going to say. 所以apple of one's eye 就是极为珍视的人，非常珍爱的人。

John: Then “the apple never falls far from the tree”, so a person’s personality traits are close to those of the person’s parents. This can be good and bad, in fact. And usually the way I remember to hearing it is in a negative context. You know his parents or her parents, they won't very nice people. The apple really falls far from the tree.

Xiaohua: I see. 这有点像中文里的有其父必有其子，“苹果落地离树不远”也是这个意思，这个短语有褒义也有贬义，但这里好像贬义的应用居多。

John: Then “as sure as God made little green apples” basically just means that you are very certain. So I'm sure this, as sure as God made little green apples.

Xiaohua:当你对一件事情确认无疑毫无疑问的时候你就可以说as sure as God made little green apples.

John: Then to be a “bad apple” or a “rotten apple” is to be a bad person. You can also say that “one bad (or rotten) apple can spoil the whole bunch (or barrel)” implies that one flawed person can basically undermine an effort or a group, and you can be “rotten to the core” to be thoroughly² bad or worthless.

Xiaohua: bad apple 就是坏家伙, rotten apple也是这个意思。而one bad apple spoils whole bunch有点像中文里的一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥的意思，或者说害群之马，而 rotten to the core就是说这个家伙坏透了。

John: Then there is “How do you like them apples?” It’s kind of a rhetorical question not actually looking for an answer. Usually it can be neutral or taunting³ just kind of you take a look at the situation and for example, you’ve created a situation where the other person’s going to like it and you're kind of poking⁴ at them and say "Well, how do you like them apples?"

Xiaohua: “How do you like them apples?”就好像是用一点揶揄的口气问或者反问，这儿事儿你怎么看？这回你怎么看？ John：Yeah, perhaps a good example might be you know, when you are kid, and you have some really good food you brought from home, and one of your friends wants that food, you say no because you want to eat it all. And then the next day, they bring food that you want to eat from their homes and they say no and also say how do you like them apples? Basically, just kind of throwing it in your face, that you did something bad and they did something bad.

Xiaohua: I see.

John: Then you can “polish (one’s) apple” is to flatter someone and then a flatterer is an “apple polisher.”

Xiaohua: "Polish one's apple"就是拍某人的马屁，而apple polisher 则是阿谀奉承的人。

John: Like for example, I can polish Xiaohua's apple. You know Xiaohua, that scarf is just so lovely today.

Xiaohua: It doesn't work on me, anyway.

John: Anyway, last but not least “upset the apple cart” is to ruin plans.

Xiaohua: 嗯，把苹果车给弄翻了，就是说把事情搞砸了的意思。And that's all we have for this week's Word of the Week.

1 epitome   

n.典型，梗概

参考例句：

• He is the epitome of goodness.他是善良的典范。
• This handbook is a neat epitome of everyday hygiene.这本手册概括了日常卫生的要点。

2 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

3 taunting   

嘲讽( taunt的现在分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落

参考例句：

• She wagged a finger under his nose in a taunting gesture. 她当着他的面嘲弄地摇晃着手指。
• His taunting inclination subdued for a moment by the old man's grief and wildness. 老人的悲伤和狂乱使他那嘲弄的意图暂时收敛起来。

4 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。