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借用GRE版面诸葛斑竹的话,牛年有个好的开始,你就当之无愧的是个牛人。值此佳节,小楣无论如何也要沾点牛气,总结了些和牛有关的单词短语,博君一笑,祝大家新年愉快。
本文系寄托家园原创,转载请指明出处。
Vocabulary
牛的最常见形式是cow,词短易记,与单词牛仔,cowboy一起出现,但不是总称,特指母牛,奶牛,指大型动物时也特指母兽。指公牛的时候也可用,以male cow的组合。
公牛的常见形式是bull。
牛的总称是cattle,等于cow+bull,特指家畜。此义也常与livestock,stock交替使用,不过stock两词并不特指牛,也指其他家畜,例如马,羊,鸡鸭。学名化的总称为bovine,牛科动物。
小牛是calf,相当于小羊的单词是kid,柯南迷的小楣插播广告来了,脸红~
ox现在指被阉割的公牛,不过读一些年代久远的书籍时,ox也指家畜牛只,词义等同cattle。steer亦指阉割的公牛,同时特指肉用,食用牛。
牛肉常做beef,西方人喜欢以steak的形式烹饪。veal特指从小牛,calf,身上得来的牛肉。
斗牛没有特定单词,以fighting bull 的组合表达。
形容牛的外形时可分shorthorn & longhorn,短角牛与长角牛。
此外根据牛的不同种类,依次还有别名,比如buffalo,小楣申请入境visa的移民局办公室就在这个词命名的地区,印象深刻。其他不一一敷述。
Idioms
• a bull in a china shop
If you describe someone as a bull in a china shop, you mean that they say or do things which offend or upset people, or which cause trouble, in situations where they ought to act carefully and tactfully.
以牛粗野好斗的形象为比喻的短语,一头硕大的牛在瓷器店,就算甩甩尾巴也有可能碰坏商品,别说行走这样的基本动作了,果然是人人敬而远之的类型。
• a red rag to a bull/ a red flag before a bull
If something always makes a particular person very angry, you can say that it is like a red rag to a bull or a red flag before a bull. rag common in British English, flag common in America.
以斗牛风俗为来源的短语。如果某人看到特定事物会像斗牛看到红旗一样失控,还真是了不得的愤怒。小楣想插嘴的一个疑惑是,以前似乎看过文献说,牛眼是无法辨识红色的,那么究竟是什么刺激了牛儿呢?
• take the bull by the horns
If you take the bull by the horns, you act decisively and with determination in order to deal with a difficult situation or problem.
所谓打蛇打七寸,斗牛也有技巧。面对横冲而来的牛,如果能不惊不乱,在牛儿接近的一瞬间抓住牛角,致命的危机便能转化成优势。这样的冷静沉着与能抓稳时机的眼力,如果运用在现实生活中,此人必定战无不胜,平步青云。
• have a cow
If you have a cow, you become very upset or angry.
应当是近朱者赤的意思吧。都市人评断人讲究什么样的人养什么样的宠物,农夫原来也有这样的规矩。
• a sacred cow
If you describe a belief, opinion, or tradition as a sacred cow, you disapprove of the fact that people are not willing to criticize or question it or to do anything to change it.
印度传统信仰,牛是神圣的象征,是不可置疑的存在。
• kill the fatted calf
If you say that someone kills the fatted calf, you mean that they celebrate and do everything they can to welcome back a person who has been away or a period of time.
相当于中国的一句古曲,战争结束,木兰返乡,“小弟闻姊来,磨刀霍霍向猪羊”。人的真情实意,在各个国家,都是大抵相同的。
自测题
前三个抢答者将以答对题数给于GTB和声望奖励
1. I won’t be bullied into ______, understand? I’m going to put my foot down on this one.
2. He went off to make movies, and rumor has it that, when he returned, his record company didn’t exactly ______.
3. This is the time to _____ and tackle the complex issues of finance.
4. Many critics think reservation policies have become ______ and should be abolished.
In confrontational situations I am like ______.
A) a bull in a china shop
B) a red rag to a bull/ a red flag before a bull
C) take the bull by the horns
D) have a cow
E) a sacred cow
F) kill the fatted calf
Thesaurus
cow(as verb)
intimidate, daunt, browbeat, bully, tyrannize, scare, terrorize, frighten, dishearten, unnerve, subdue
beef
muscle, brawn, bulk; strength, power
和牛有关的单词大抵与强壮,力量的印象相关,这点从两组同义词汇编可以很清楚的看出。强大,甚至野蛮暴力的词汇色彩常常出现于有牛出现的短语中。虽然普通的日常谈话中很少出现,但在谈判运用,可是很能加强个人形象的哦。 |
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