| 查看: 1365 | 回复: 13 | |||
| 当前只显示满足指定条件的回帖，点击这里查看本话题的所有回帖 | |||
[交流]
【ZZ】Words and Their Stories: Water Expressions
|
|||
|
Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings. The expression ”to be in hot water” is one of them. It is a very old expression. “Hot water” was used five-hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle. That no longer happens. But we still get in “hot water.” When we are in “hot water,” we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble -- serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he walks in the house with dirty shoes. Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown in water over his head. You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. The problem is too deep. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market. “To keep your head above water” is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job. “Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again. When a friend is troubled by a mistake she has made, you might tell her to forget about it. You say it is water over the dam. Another common expression, “to hold water,” is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and not worth debating. “Throwing cold water” also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means to not like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife “throws cold water” on the idea because she says a new car costs too much. adress：https://voa.52en.com/voa-se-html/20115/voa-201152104004.html |
回复此楼» 猜你喜欢
有多少人是今天查系统知道结果的？
已经有17人回复
-
国自然面上复盘~欢迎讨论
已经有6人回复
-
售SCI一区文章，我:8.O.551.O.5.4,科目全,可伽急
已经有4人回复
-
售SCI一区T0P文章，我:8.O.55.1.O.54,科目齐全,可+急
已经有4人回复
-
基金不中，共勉
已经有5人回复
-
看板上这么多中的，有点像50人群里49个人都是骗子的那种感觉……
已经有3人回复
-
我不理解！
已经有23人回复
-
2026年的国家社科基金项目通讯评审的新规则与新动向、新挑战
已经有10人回复
-
系统查不到
已经有10人回复
-
怎么查啊
已经有5人回复
12楼2011-09-03 16:03:36
fanliang1389
荣誉版主 (文坛精英)
有爱的二哥
- ESEPI: 13
- 应助: 18 (小学生)
- 贵宾: 1.989
- 金币: 13044.6
- 散金: 18540
- 红花: 123
- 沙发: 243
- 帖子: 18237
- 在线: 2429.4小时
- 虫号: 620773
- 注册: 2008-10-09
- 性别: GG
- 专业: 食品加工学基础
- 管辖: 博后之家
3楼2011-09-03 14:28:56
fanliang1389
荣誉版主 (文坛精英)
有爱的二哥
- ESEPI: 13
- 应助: 18 (小学生)
- 贵宾: 1.989
- 金币: 13044.6
- 散金: 18540
- 红花: 123
- 沙发: 243
- 帖子: 18237
- 在线: 2429.4小时
- 虫号: 620773
- 注册: 2008-10-09
- 性别: GG
- 专业: 食品加工学基础
- 管辖: 博后之家
4楼2011-09-03 14:29:14
floor is also yours··
5楼2011-09-03 14:31:22
投票:
