“衣”言“裳”语

Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes？ Lets see if I can name a few off the cuff—or without any preparation.

People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are restless or nervous have ants in their pants. They might also fly by the seat of their pants—they use their natural sense to do something instead of their learned knowledge. Sometimes， people may get caught with their pants down—they are found doing something they should not be doing. And， in every family， one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say “she wears the pants in the family.”

Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual， you may have to tighten your belt—you may have to live on less money and spend your money carefully. But once you have succeeded in budgeting your money， you will have that skill under your belt.

I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really take my hat off to them. Yet， when it comes to my own money， I spend it at the drop of a hat—immediately， without waiting. And sadly， you cannot pull money out of a hat—you cannot get money by inventing or imagining it.

Boots are a heavy or strong shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people. I really do. You can bet your boots on that！ Yet， truly important people are hard to replace. Rarely can you fill their shoes—or replace them with someone equally effective.

My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too firm and severe. They think he is a real stuffed shirt. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve—he shows his feelings openly. And， he knows how to keep his shirt on—he stays calm and never gets angry or too excited.

Also， my father has never lost his shirt in a business deal—he is too smart to lose all or most of his money. This is because my father rolls up his sleeves—and prepares to work hard. He often has a special plan or answer to a problem that he can use if he needs it. He is like a person who does magic tricks. We say “he has a card up his sleeve.”

cuff是衬衫的袖口，“off the cuff”意思是“即兴的，随意的，自发的，临时想起的”。当你回答一个问题，而对答案又不太肯定时，也可以用这个短语。

“ants in ones pants”从字面上翻译过来是“裤子里有蚂蚁”，实际上是“热锅上的蚂蚁，坐立不安”的意思。关于出处，有一种说法是，以前到荒山野岭探险的人们，为了防备猛兽的袭击会作好各种准备，比如带上防身的武器等。但他们没有料到，猛兽对他们的威胁并不大，因为对于这些不速之客，猛兽心怀畏惧，早就不见踪影，倒是草丛里的小昆虫、蚂蚁毫无顾忌地钻进他们的裤脚，在他们的身上乱爬，使他们坐立不安、无所适从。

在使用无线电电波、雷达和空中交通管制系统以前，飞行员只能根据地面的铁路、河流和诸如水塔之类的标记来决定他们的航向。要是一个飞行员不得不在云层里飞，或是在天气不好的情况下飞行的话，那他只能靠自己的猜测来决定方向了，因此就有了“fly by the seat of ones pants”，最初就是指的这种情况，飞行员“跟着自己感觉走”，现在引申为“在做某件事的时候，没有明确的指导，缺乏足够的知识”。

“get caught with ones pants down”从字面上解释就是一个人在裤子掉下来的时候被人抓到的尴尬场景。这个短语很常见，是“一个人正在做坏事或做可耻的事情时正好被人逮个正着”。

“wear the pants”可不是字面上“穿裤子”的意思那么简单。这个短语非常古老，起源于大概400多年前，按当时的民俗，穿裤子的都是男人，妇女得穿裙子，而养家糊口、当家作主的多是男性。当然有的家庭里，女人必须担当起男人的责任，这时人们就会说她“wear the pants”，因为她承担了男人的权利和义务，逐渐人们就用这个短语来指当家人。如今，“wear the pants”不光指替代丈夫当家作主的女性了，也可以用来表示主管事务的男性。

“burn a hole in ones pocket”正如字面上所能理解到的那样，口袋烧出一个洞，口袋里的钱自然掉光了，形容“花钱如流水，存不住钱”。

“tighten ones belt”是“勒紧裤腰带”的意思，引申为“节省开支，勤俭过日”。

“under ones belt”的来源与吃有关，吃饱喝足，在腰带下的腰腹会鼓鼓的，如今引申为“达成某些事项；掌握某些特长”的意思。

“take ones hat off to”指的是向某人脱帽致敬。

“at the drop of a hat”从字面上看是“帽子一落地”的意思，这其实是一个信号，来源于以前的决斗，裁判员举着帽子，然后突然将它往地上一扔，作为决斗双方可以开枪的信号。如今，“at the drop of a hat”指的是“必要的时候立即行动”，也可以指“脾气暴躁的人”。

“put sth. out of a hat”字面解释是“从个帽子里拿出某些东西来”。魔术师们会变这样一个戏法，从一个看似什么都没有的空帽子里面变出让人意想不到的东西来，而“put sth. out of a hat”由此引申为“找到一个意想不到的方法来解决面临的困境”。

“too big for ones boots”指的是“自恃过高，把自己当成很重要的人”。

“bet ones boots”指的是“敢拿一切来打赌”，以前人们好不容易才能得到一双靴子，这对他们来说是很宝贵的东西，因此打赌的人必定是有把握才会这么做。

“fill ones shoes”指的是“代替某人的地位”。

“a stuffed shirt”的意思是“爱摆架子，表现得神气十足的人”。他们既傲慢，又顽固，自以为了不起，参加任何社交活动都属于不受欢迎的一类人。

“wear ones heart on ones sleeve”起源于中世纪，骑士们将爱慕的女士送给他们的缎带系在袖子上，这是“十分坦率，勇敢流露自己的情感”的意思。

“keep ones shirt on”的意思是劝告别人要有耐心，别太过于紧张。在更多的场合中，这个短语指的是“保持冷静，在对情况有足够了解以前不要发火”。

“lose ones shirt”并不是指某人丢失了衬衣，而是指“某人失去了他所有的一切”。

“roll up ones sleeves”指的是“卷起袖子，作好准备开始努力工作”。

“have a card up sleeve”比喻“手中握有王牌、解救危机的好办法”。这个短语起源于16世纪，那时候人们的衣服没有口袋，就把东西放在袖子里，而赌徒会把王牌藏在袖子里作弊。后来这个短语的贬义色彩逐渐消退，有了“锦囊妙计” 的意思。