嗨,大家好!今天我們一起來學習習語an elephant in the room,這句話直譯好像是「房間裡有隻大象」,但是實際上並不是這個意思哦!
an elephant in the room的意思是「 there is an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about」,即「(人們不願提及的)棘手問題」。
這句習語源於俄國的一位寓言作家伊凡安德烈維奇克雷洛夫所寫的寓言故事《好奇的人》。這個故事就是說,有個十分有好奇心的人參觀博物館,他在那裡仔仔細細觀察了很多小昆蟲,但是卻沒有注意到屋子裡的大象。後來,an elephant in the room這句習語就引申為「(人們不願提及的)棘手問題」。
下面再學兩個習語:
an early bath
an early bath的意思是「used to refer to a situation in which a football player is ordered to leave the pitch during a game because they have done something wrong」,即「(因為犯規,足球隊員被要求)提前下場」。
例句:
After consulting with his assistant, the referee ordered an early bath for both players.
在諮詢了助理裁判的意見以後,裁判命令兩名球員都下場。
an acquired taste
an acquired taste的意思是「something that you dislike at first, but that you start to like after you have tried it a few times」,即「後天養成的嗜好;假以時日並多次嘗試而喜歡上的東西」。
例句如下:
Apples are an acquired taste.
蘋果這種東西吃得多就愛吃了。
以上就是今天所學內容,你學會了嗎?