英語和漢語一樣都有成語缤谎，都譯成idiom，每個單詞你都認(rèn)識褐着，但是合到一起的意思你不一定知道在講什么坷澡。
除了用法、寓意含蓉，有的短語和諺語適合書面說法频敛，有的只在口語中使用项郊，有的涉及比喻，有的源自故事姻政，有的是名人名言呆抑，有的英國人說，美國人不說汁展，還有的不同的國家有不同的說法……
所以學(xué)短語和諺語是一件很有趣的事鹊碍。希望你讀我的系列文章不僅能夠記住這些英文短語和諺語，而且能夠從相關(guān)的故事中體會到異國文化食绿，一些書本上沒有侈咕，生活里必知的知識。
Chicken是雞的統(tǒng)稱器紧，它有的時候指女性耀销，有的時候指男性，有的時候用雞本身的一些特征做比喻铲汪，還有的時候寓意或好或壞熊尉。
跟女性有關(guān)
1
spring chicken 指年輕人，尤其指年輕女性掌腰。
be no spring chicken 不再年輕
例子：He must be ten years older than Grace, and she's no spring chicken.
跟男人有關(guān)
2
choke the chicken
beat the dummy
beat （one’s） meat
beat the pup
pound one’s meat
pull one’s pud
pull one’s wire
whip one’s wire
whip the dummy
yank one’s strap
都是一個意思狰住，指手淫(經(jīng)常指反對這種行為)。
用雞的特征作比喻：
3
(one's) (hand)writing is like chicken scratch
have (hand)writing like chicken scratch
這個跟漢語形容人寫字不好齿梁，像雞爪子劃拉的一樣
例：I can't understand these notes at all, your handwriting is like chicken scratch!
4
chicken fillets 指的是Chicken Fillets Bra inserts
墊在女人的胸罩下部的小墊兒催植，讓人看起來有波濤洶涌的身材。
例子：Wearing the chicken fillets when I go out at night just help me feel confident.
5
chicken feed
本意是雞飼料勺择。比喻錢太少创南，尤其指酬勞少。類似的說法有peanuts省核。
For chicken feed=for peanuts
例子：
1）He pays his labourers chicken feed.
2）I'm not going to mow lawns for $5 an hour-that's chicken feed.
3）It may be chicken feed to you, but that’s a month’s rent to me.
6
chicken shit
1. 白菜價稿辙，很便宜，好像不要錢 Fifty bucks! That’s just chicken shit!
2. 膽小 You are such a chicken shit coward! Stand up and fight!
3. 沒有價值芳撒，不值付的錢 I don’t want this chicken shit pizza! Get me one with pepperoni on it.
7
like a chicken with its head cut off （美國說法）
比喻人的情緒十分激動邓深，控制不了，一種非潮噬玻混亂瘋狂的狀態(tài)。有的時候也說run around in circles冬耿。有點兒像漢語的急的團團轉(zhuǎn)舌菜。
例子：
1）She ran around the station looking for her lost bag like a chicken with its head cut off .
2）I spent all afternoon running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
3）If you run around in circles, you'll never get anything done.
8
like a headless chicken（英國說法）
做事情太快，考慮不周亦镶，沒有頭緒
I've got so much work to do - I've been running around like a headless chicken all week.
9
like a chicken with the pip
小雞破殼而出叫pip日月。當(dāng)小雞快破殼而出的時候袱瓮，雞蛋就會裂縫，變得很脆弱爱咬。后來比喻人沒有精神尺借，好像生病了一樣
Poor little Johnny's been feeling like a chicken with the pip lately. I think he must have picked up a bug at school.
有關(guān)雞的事實
10
a chicken and egg situation
雞生蛋還是蛋生雞？后來就形容兩件分不清楚因果和先后順序的事情
例子：It's a chicken and egg situation - I don't know whether I was bad at the sciences because I wasn't interested in them or not interested in them and therefore not good at them.
11
be up with the chickens
get up with the chickens
金雞報曉精拟，所以跟雞一起起床燎斩，就是起得早
例子：No, thank you, I won't have another drink. I have to be up with the chickens tomorrow. Ma is up with the chickens every day to prepare breakfast for the farmhands.
12
同理：go to bed with the chickens 指睡得早
例子：They say that farmers go to bed with the chickens. We always go to bed with the chickens and get up early too.
跟吃的有關(guān)
13
a chicken in every pot
每一家都有足夠的食物，形容經(jīng)濟很繁榮
1928年Herbert Hoover競選總統(tǒng)的廣告就是要保證a chicken in every pot蜂绎。而事實上栅表，胡佛總統(tǒng)并沒有讓美國經(jīng)濟好轉(zhuǎn)。
法國國王亨利四世在1589年宣誓他的加冕禮师枣，“if God grants me the usual length of life, I hope to make France so prosperous that every peasant will have a chicken in his pot on Sunday.”他在1610年被暗殺怪瓶，享年五十七歲。
14
rubber chicken dinner
一些大型活動提供的飯菜践美，比如說公司搞活動之類的洗贰，很多人需要同時就餐。東西往往不好吃陨倡。
rubber-chicken指得就是公眾活動就餐的食品敛滋，趕不上fresh, home-cooked meals新鮮的家常菜好吃。
chicken 膽小鬼／chicken-hearted
15
chicken out
chicken out of something
chicken out on somebody
因為害怕玫膀，決定不做什么事情, 或者不和別人干什么
例子：
1）To decide not to do or complete an activity due to fear: My friends dared me to jump into the pond, but I chickened out and climbed down from the tree.
2）Come on! Don't chicken out now!
3）Freddy chickened out of the plan at the last minute.
4） Come on, don't chicken out on me now!
跟壞事兒有關(guān)
16
chickens come home to roost
自作自受矛缨；多行不義必自斃；害人終害己
例子：
Curse, like chicken, come home to roost.
Her selfishness will come home to roost someday.
伊索寓言《宙斯和蜜蜂》
很久以前帖旨，蜜蜂不愿意把自己又香又甜的蜂蜜獻(xiàn)給人類箕昭。他便飛到宙斯面前，請求給他強大的力量解阅，可以用針刺死那些接近蜂窩的人落竹。
宙斯對他的惡意十分氣憤，便使蜜蜂只要刺一回人货抄，蜂針就斷了述召，自己也隨之死了。
17
Mother Carey is plucking her chickens
Mother Carey is plucking her geese
下雪了
Mother Carey是一個超自然的人物蟹地，18和19世紀(jì)說英語的水手們积暖，把她想象成殘忍地威脅海洋的人物。
John Masefield在1912年寫過一首詩怪与，題目就是"Mother Carey",描寫她對船只多么地殘忍夺刑。
"Mother Carey's chickens," 水手的俚語為暴風(fēng)雨的海燕和雪。后來就泛指天氣不好poor weather
例子：Bundle up, men—Mother Carey is plucking her chickens, so we're in for another rough day on the trail.
跟好事兒有關(guān)
18
If it ain't chickens, it's feathers
不是雞就是雞毛。生活就是一地雞毛遍愿，總有事兒存淫。這個跟漢語的比喻是一樣的。
例子：Now that I'm finally done with school, I've got to worry about getting a job. If it ain't chickens, it's feathers. He's got plenty of money now, but he's in such bad health he can't enjoy it. If it ain't chickens, it's feathers.
19
one day chicken and the next day feathers
指有的時候事情如你所愿沼填，有的時候不盡人意桅咆。
20
Don't count chickens
don't count your chickens before they're hatched
不要想得美；如意算盤打得太早坞笙，結(jié)果往往不好
例子：
1）You might not win the prize and you've already spent the money? Don't count your chickens before they hatch!
2）I know you have big plans for your consulting business, but don't count your chickens.
3）You may be disappointed if you count your chickens before they hatch.
伊索寓言有一個故事叫《擠牛奶的姑娘》：
一個農(nóng)家擠奶姑娘頭頂著一桶牛奶岩饼，從田野里走回農(nóng)莊。
她忽然想入非非：“這桶牛奶賣得的錢羞海，至少可以買回三百個雞蛋忌愚。除去意外損失，這些雞蛋可以孵得二百五十只小雞却邓。到雞價漲得最高時硕糊，便可以拿這些小雞到市場中去賣。那么這樣一年到頭腊徙，我便可分得很多賞錢简十，用這些錢足夠買一條漂亮的新裙子。圣誕節(jié)晚宴上撬腾，我穿上漂亮迷人的新裙子螟蝙，年青的小伙子們都會向我求婚，而我卻要搖搖頭拒絕他們民傻∫饶”
想到這里，她真的搖起頭來漓踢，頭頂?shù)呐Ｄ痰乖诘厣锨Ｊ稹Ｋ拿烂罨孟胍搽S之消失了。
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