英语习语拾

零姚瑶

摘 要 在浩瀚的英语词汇中，习语只是其中一小部分，他们所表达的意思形象生动，言简意赅，揭示哲理深刻。能恰当理解和使用英语习语非常重要。习语idioms 与日常所说的短语phrases 不同，它的意义用英语解释是：phrase or sentence whose meaning is not obvious through knowledge of the individual meanings of the constituent words but must be learned as a whole.他们其中的词汇有其特殊的含义，是一个不可分割的整体。因此翻译和使用必须得小心谨慎。为了记忆方便，我仅就在教学和学习生活中所积累的一些idioms归纳例释如下，以期对广大英语学习者有所帮助。

关键词 英语习语 积累与使用

中图分类号：H315文献标识码：A

1与颜色有关的

中西文化的差异使人们对不同的颜色赋予不同的内涵，如红色在汉语中一般是喜庆的象征，但在英语中随着搭配词的不同另有新义，如：red tape喻：繁文缛节，官僚习气;green在汉语里是富有生命力的象征，但在英语中可指缺乏经验的，green bird意指“生手” ，“菜鸟”。因此在理解和使用有关颜色的英语成语时随语境的不同力求准确得当。

（1）blue-eyed boy 宠儿，掌上明珠

eg. He's the manager's blue-eyed boy and has been promoted several times in the last two years.

（2）be in a brown study 在沉思冥想中

I called him several times but he was in a brown study and didn't hear me.

（3）be in the red 债台高筑

The young double are in the red because of the large house they have bought.

（4）out of blue 出乎预料

I'm afraid we shouldn't go on chatting like this. The new head-teacher could arrive out of blue.

（5）white elephant累赘，贵而无用之物

The new office block has become an expensive white elephant.

（6）green finger 园艺才能

No doubt that your uncle has green fingers. What a lovely garden it is ！

（7）white lie 善意的谎言

That was only a white lie. I didn't want to hurt her .I know if she knew the truth， she would do something silly.

（8）paint the town red 狂欢作乐

They are painting the town red on Christmas Day though they aren't Americans.

（9）see red  怒不可遏、火冒三仗

He saw red yesterday because of the unfair result.

（10）black sheep害群之马

No matter how successful he has become， my brother is still regarded as the black sheep of the family.

2有关动物的成语

翻译有关动物的成语时要最大限度的译出其原有内涵，并注意在西方文化背景下人们对动物的好恶褒贬等感情色彩。

（1）to kill two birds with one stone.  一箭双雕

（2）to ride the tiger   骑虎难下

（3）to carry coals to Newcastle   画蛇添足

（4）to help a lame dog over a stile  雪中送炭

（5）black sheep   害群之马

（6）a rat in a hole  瓮中之鳖

（7）love me love my dog   爱屋及乌

（8）threw pearls before swine  对牛弹琴

（9）birds of the same feather  一丘之貉

（10）chicken-hearted  胆小如鼠

（11）make a lion's meal of  狼吞虎咽

（12）scratch the surface  蜻蜓点水

（13）a fish in trouble  浑水摸鱼

（14）to rain cats and dogs  倾盆大雨

（15）to beard the lion in his den 太岁头上动土

（16）fight like cat and dog （争吵得）鸡犬不宁

（17）black dog on ones back 神情沮丧，心情抑郁

3其它

twos and threes      三三两两          at sixes and sevens    亂七八糟

twist somebody's arm 威逼利诱      shoot one's mouth off about瞎吹胡扯

castles in Spain     空中楼阁                talk French leave不辞而别

have a big mouth   夸夸其谈，喋喋不休           zip one's lips守口如瓶

英语中的成语举不胜举，本人仅期望通过此文能引起英语爱好者对idioms进行广泛积累和准确使用，加深跨文化交际的意识。

参考文献

[1] 顾曰国.跨文化交际[M].外语教学与研究出版社，2001.

[2] 宋蕾.简析与dog 相关的习语[J].中小学英语教学研究，2018（03）.