Blue in the face 徒勞無功 - Chinadaily.com.cn

Southern cassowaries mainly feed on fruit, but also eat fungi, insects, frogs, snakes and fish. Photo: Christian Ziegler/Reuters

今日小常識

This photo of a Southern cassowary won the first prize in the Nature Single category at this year's World Press Photo Contest. The colourful birds, which are closely related to ostriches, can live for over 60 years and stand about 2m tall.

「南方鶴鴕」這張照片獲得了2013年世界新聞攝影大賽自然類單幅一等獎。圖中的鶴鴕與鴕鳥屬於同類別鳥。鶴鴕的體高兩米左右，壽命可長達60多年。

今日短語

如果你堅持做某事直到 you are blue in the face, 意思就是你花很長時間做一件事情，做到臉都發青了也沒用，不會成功。

例句

Martin argued with his mother until he was blue in the face, but she still made him wash the dishes.

You can walk up and down the high street until you are blue in the face, but you won't find a shop selling leather shoes as cool or as cheap as these!

請注意

短語 『once in a blue moon』 的意思是千載難逢的，罕見的，難得的。

I only eat red meat once in a blue moon these days. You never know what's in your burgers, especially after the horsemeat scandal.