意趣丰携的“羊”习语

2015-01-31山东省临沂市义堂镇临沂国际学校杨春吉供稿

中学生英语 2015年3期

山东省临沂市义堂镇临沂国际学校杨春吉供稿

意趣丰携的“羊”习语

山东省临沂市义堂镇临沂国际学校杨春吉供稿

与“羊”有关的习语主要来自三个方面：生产劳动实践、圣经以及古希腊罗马神话。sheep（绵羊）通常被认为是纯洁、温顺、天真无邪的象征，而goat（山羊）生性易怒，好色，凶暴，残忍，在传说中是魔鬼的化身，是邪恶和罪行的象征。lamb（羔羊）常用来指天真无邪、容易上当受骗的人。由于“羊”与人们的生活息息相关，随着生活、语言的发展，也就产生了许多与之相关的习语。下面我们来了解一下吧！

1.play the goat举止轻浮；干蠢事；胡闹。古希腊神话里的山林之神长着羊腿、羊蹄、羊鼻、长须以及羊尾巴，酷似山羊。他终日在山林里游荡，追逐仙女，非常好色。故goat除了表示“劣等的人/物”之外，还有“色鬼；淫荡之人”之意。old goat是“老色鬼”的意思。

如：Mary played the goat in her daily life,so her neighbors didn’t like her.生活中玛丽举止轻浮，因此邻居们都不喜欢她。

Don’t play the goat like that,or you will be punished some day.不要再干蠢事了，否则总有一天你会受到惩罚的。

2.follow like sheep盲从。如：You shouldn’t follow like sheep,and you should have your own opinions on it.你不该盲从，应该有自己的主见。

3.get one’s goat惹某人生气；使某人烦躁。如：Tom’s bad school results got his parents’goat.汤姆学习成绩不好令他的父母非常生气。

4.separate the sheep from the goats区分好人与坏人。如：As for kids,they should learn to separate the sheep from the goats,which is very important for them.作为孩子，他们应该学会区分好人与坏人，这一点对他们而言是非常重要的。

5.count sheep数羊（类似于汉语习惯中睡觉前在心里数数催眠）。如：He was upset greatly and couldn’t fall asleep,so he had to count sheep.他心绪烦乱，难以入睡，只得数羊催眠。

6.return to one’s sheep回到主题；言归正传。如：Let’s return to our sheep and get down to our own job.我们还是言归正传认真干活吧！

7.make sheep’s eye at sb.向某人送秋波/抛媚眼。如：Susan often makes sheep’s eye at you,maybe she really likes you.苏珊经常向你抛媚眼，也许她真的喜欢你。

8.lose one’s goat/wool失去控制；发怒，相当于lose one’s temper。如：You shouldn’t have lost your goat over it.You are always being kind.当时你不应该发火，你一向是很温和的嘛！

9.keep one’s goat/wool别发火；息怒。如：Keep one’s goat/wool!Let’s try to use another way.别发火，咱们再试试别的办法。

10.ride the goat加入秘密团体/组织。如：He shouldn’t have ridden the goat,and it made him in prison at last.他不该加入秘密组织，最终落到锒铛入狱的下场。

11.milk the ram缘木求鱼；钻冰求火。如：Doing it like this means milking the ram,in my opinion.我认为，这样做无异于缘木求鱼。

12.eat mutton cold遭冷遇；受人白眼；让人瞧不起。如：He used to eat mutton cold but now he is respected and loved by everyone.过去他常常遭人白眼，而现在他备受大家的爱戴。

13.a sheep not in the sheepfold尚未走上正道的人。如：The boy is like a sheep not in the sheepfold and we should lead him to the right way.这孩子年幼无知，我们应该好好引导他走上正道。

14.sheep without a shepherd乌合之众。如：They are sheep without a shepherd and I’m sure we are bound to defeat them in the end.他们是一群乌合之众，我们必定能打败他们！

15.a black sheep害群之马；败家子；不肖之子。如：Tom was a black sheep and his teammates dropped him out of their football team at last.汤姆是害群之马，他的队友最终将他赶出了足球队。

16.a lamb宝贝；小可爱；萝莉。如：What a lamb the girl is!这女孩真是个可爱的宝贝！

17.lost sheep本意为“迷途羔羊（指失去信仰的人），引申为“误入歧途的人”。如：The man was a lost sheep when he was young.After being educated,he grew into a famous writer.这个人年轻时误入歧途，经教育后成长为一名著名的作家。

18.sheep(mutton)head笨蛋。如：Tom has really a sheep head,and he shouldn’t have done it like that.汤姆真笨，他本不该那样做的。

19.goal wool不存在的东西。如：It is just goal wool,and you won’t believe it.这事根本不存在，不要相信它。

20.like sheep无独创精神的；依赖性强的。如：Children always act like sheep,and we should bring them up to be independent and creative ones.孩子们依赖性强，我们应该把他们培养成独立并具有创造力的人。

21.a giddy goat举止轻浮的人。如：Jack is a giddy goat and no wonder his colleges don’t like working with him.杰克是个举止轻浮的人，难怪他的同事们不喜欢和他一起工作。

23.one’s ewe lamb宝贝；掌上明珠,相当于an apple of one’s eye。如：John is her mother’s ewe lamb and she loves him very much.约翰是她妈妈的掌上明珠，她非常爱他。

24.The sheep who talks peace with a wolf will soon be mutton.羊向狼乞求和平，很快就会变成羊肉。引申为：切勿向敌人乞求和平。

25.Don’t trust a goat with the kitchen garden,or a wolf with sheepfold.不能请羊管菜园，不能请狼管羊圈。引申为：知人善用，以免误事。

26.The life of the wolf is the death of the lamb.有活的狼就不会有活的羔羊。引申为：万物皆相生相克。

27.As soon goes the young lamb’s skin to the market as the old ewe’s.老羊皮上市，小羊皮随之来。引申为：覆巢无完卵。

28.Crows cry the dead sheep and then eat them.乌鸦吃死羊，先要哭一场。引申为：猫哭耗子假慈悲。

29.Go to bed with the lamb and rise with the lark.随羔羊就寝，与云雀同起。引申为：早睡早起。

30.It is an evil sign to see a fox lick a lamb.狐狸舔羔羊是危险的信号。引申为：黄鼠狼给鸡拜年，不安好心。

31.One sheep follows another.羊一只跟一只。引申为：盲从。

32.As well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.偷羊偷羔都被绞（死）；偷大偷小都是贼。引申为：一不做，二不休。

33.The lone sheep is in great danger of the wolf.孤羊逢狼，必然遭殃。