英语讲义【155】有动物的惯用语(上)

和中文一样，英语有不少惯用语与动物有关。下面便是些好例子：

　　（1） An eager beaver：做事特别卖力的人
　　Every year during the long holidays in June and December, many people go abroad for a tour except Jason, an eager beaver, who will at most take a few days off in Singapore.

　　（2） A busy bee：忙碌的人
　　There isn't much to do today, but Nancy has been rushing here and there like a busy bee.

　　（3） Have a bee in one's bonnet about…… : 对……苦思不已
　　As a low-income bread-earner, Ali has a bee in his bonnet about increasing his monthly income.

　　（4） Make a bee-line for ……：径直朝向……
　　After class, student rushed out of classroom, making a bee-line for the nearest canteen.

　　（5） An early bird：早起的人
　　Morning walk at six? No problem ! I'm an early bird, you know.

　　（6） A home bird：爱在家里的人
　　Jason's youngest son doesn't care for social life; he is a home bird through and through.

　　（7） A bird's-eye, view of……：鸟瞰；概观
　　（i） From the plane, we can have a bird's eye view of the Singapore buildlngs.
　　（ii） Jason's new book can give the reader a bird's eye view of elements of good English.

　　（8） A cat nap：瞌睡
　　Between lunch and the 2 p.m. class, there is at least half an hour for a cat nap.

　　（9） Lead a cat-and-dog life：过着吵吵闹闹的日子
　　Poor couples often lead a cat-and-dog life because of financial problems. Don't you think so?

　　（10） Let the cat out of the bag：泄露秘密
　　David was planning a surprise birthday party for Irene, but his new secretary let the cat out of the bag in a casual talk.

　　（11） There is not enough room to swing a cat：没有活动的余地
　　How can you live and do your design work in such a small room? There isn't enough room to swing a cat, is there?

　　（12） Rain cats and dogs：倾盆大雨
　　We can't go out yet. It is raining cats and dogs at the moment.

　　（13） No chicken：不再是小孩
　　Don't treat Lily like a kid! She is no chicken now.

　　（14） A cock-and-bull story：无稽之谈
　　Whenever Tom was late for work, he would tell a cock-and-bull story as an excuse.

　　（15） Wait till the cows come home:　无限期的等待
　　Don't lend him money. If you want him to pay back, you have to wait till the cows come home.

　　（16） Crocodile tears：鳄鱼泪
　　Jane seemed very sad at the old man's death. Actually, she was only shedding crocodile tears because she never really liked that old man.