PETS－2语法讲解(191)

My mother put her foot down.
　　对话
　　David: Let's go and have a coffee together.
　　Susan: I'm sorry I can't, I've got to go home now.
　　David: Why? It's only half past nine. The night is young!
　　Susan: Well, I've stayed out late so often that my mother put her
　　foot down yesterday and told me I've got to be in by ten in future.
　　David: I'm sorry to hear that. She must be really strict.
　　戴维：我们去喝杯咖啡吧。
　　苏珊：对不起，我不能去，现在得回家了。
　　戴维：为什么？现在不过九点半，还早哩。
　　苏珊：嗯，我常常晚回家，昨天家母断然禁止，叫我以后十点钟之前回到家里。
　　戴维：真可惜。她一定是个很严格的人。
　　苏珊说母亲断然禁止她晚回家：My mother put her foot down。从前，to put/set one's foot down这成语习惯和on (something)连用，即‘用脚踩着/压着某事物’，引申解作‘断然禁止该事物’；现在，一般只说to put/set one's foot down，指‘拿定主意’，仍多用于‘阻止某事发生’或‘要人家服从’的情况，例如：(1) My daughter wanted to get a job, but I put my foot down and insisted on her going to college（我女儿想找工作，但我坚决反对，要她上大学）。(2) You must put your foot down and stop your staff playing computer games during office hours（你必须坚决禁止职员在办公时间玩计算机游戏）。
　　戴维说：The night is young。young可以解作‘（夜晚、季节等）尚早’，例如The winter/afternoon was still young即‘那时才是初冬’、‘那时午后不久’。要说‘（夜晚、季节等）已深’，则怎么说？你可以用advanced一字。Advanced和young一样，常用来指人的年龄，例如：People (who are) advanced in years (=People of advanced years) are more liable to heart attacks（年纪大的人，心脏病突发的比率较高）。用advanced来说季节等，自然有比喻含义，例如：(1) He did not leave till the night was well advanced（他到夜深才离去）。(2) With spring fairly advanced, the trees are mostly in full leaf（现在已是深春，树木多已长满绿叶）。留意in leaf是成语，指‘长出叶子’，单数形式的leaf不可改为复数的leaves。