LH: 要这么说，living in the big city can burn a hole in your pocket. 除了电视，还有房租、电费和食物，光是日常花销就能在“我的口袋里烧个大洞”。

LL: Well said, Li Hua! If you have the same salary but move to a more expensive city, the daily cost of living can burn a much bigger hole in your pocket than before.

LH: 这就是为什么花钱要有计划，不能想买什么买什么，否则肯定入不敷出。

LL: Gas prices have climbed to new highs. I only drive to work twice a week to save money, because it was really beginning to burn a serious hole in my pocket.

LH: 最近油价确实贵得吓人，还好我坐地铁上班，既省钱又环保。

LL: There are so many things that can potentially burn a hole in your pocket. Expensive habits can really hurt you, which is why I’m glad that I quit smoking.

LH: 是啊，你戒烟一年省的钱够加好几箱油的！

LL: Soaring gas prices and cigarette taxes were burning such a big hole in my pocket that I basically gave up driving and smoking!

LH: 你知道还有什么花销最多吗？

LL: Let’ me guess. Going out to eat!

LH: 没错！跟朋友、同事、家人出去吃饭也是一笔不小的开销。

******

LH: 说起现在的开销。我前两天出去看房子，才发现这里的房价原来这么贵！

LL: It really is! Didn’t you want to continue renting?

LH: 我本来也是要继续租公寓住的，可是，说来话长。

LL: What happened? Did you get burned?

LH: Get burned? 被烧伤？

LL: ’Getting burned’ is when you commit to something or personally invest in something with your emotions or money and you basically get nothing in return.

LH: 噢，getting burned是吃亏的意思啊。那真让你说着了。我跟另外两个人一起签了约，结果她们最后一刻反悔了。

LL: Did you put down a deposit?

LH: 我交了两个月的租金，其中一半是押金，结果因为违约，押金没要回来？ I definitely got burned!

LL: That’s terrible! Did the two other roommates have another option, or did they end up getting burned, too?

LH: 那两个人的押金也没要回来。但是她们决定一起到另外一个地方去租房子，起码她们还有个伴儿。

LL: So, they kind of burned themselves on violating the terms of the contract, but you were burned worse because what happened was a result of their actions and not yours.

LH: 没错。她们自己反悔，押金被扣还说得过去，我可是被她们连累的。

LL: It sounds like you know what ’getting burned’ means. Now the next step is ensuring that it doesn’t happen again! Did you learn any lessons from getting burned?

LH: 要说教训，那就是，下次一定不能轻信别人。这就是为什么我在四处看房子，我准备咬咬牙，自己买个公寓。

LL: Well, it looks like you’ve got it figured out. Hopefully you won’t burn a hole in your pocket for a price.

LH: (Laughing) 听上来真滑稽。我为了下次不再吃亏上当，宁可准备倾囊而出，自己花钱去买个公寓。

LL: I know. You will probably end up burning a hole in your pocket so that you don’t get burned again. How ironic!

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是burn a hole in one’s pocket, 指价格昂贵。另一个是 burned, 指吃亏上当。

日期：2008-6-15 10:23:23

美国习惯用语第376讲

我们今天要讲的习惯用语有一个共同的词: top。大家一定早知道这个词。它解释顶端。一般说来高高在上的总比压在底层的来得优越。这正反映在我们先学的两个习惯用语里: top gun. Gun是枪。Top gun来自美国西部刚开拓的年代。当年枪手你死我活地血战拚杀，就为了争个top gun的称号，意思是头号枪手。

Top gun这个短语沿用至今，但是如今它所表示的人物可比杀气腾腾的枪手显得温和，而且可以用来指和刀枪根本沾不上边的各界人物。我们来听个例子，说的是一个体育明星被控杀妻案件的审判。

例句-1：The football star hired several of the top guns among defense lawyers all over America. They managed to convince the jury that he was not guilty.

他说：那位足球明星网罗了美国辩护律师中几名高手。这些人设法使陪审团相信被告无罪。

被控谋杀妻子是有可能被判死刑的重案。而那些辩护律师却能说服陪审团作出被告无罪的裁决，可见他们手段高超，辩才出众。

所以这里的top gun指的是某领域内的高手。

******

刚才说的那些高明的律师也可以这样称呼: top drawer。 Drawer是抽屉，top drawer从字面意思来看是顶上抽屉。人们通常把最宝贵的物件，像首饰之类，放在五斗橱的顶格抽屉里。这也许就是用top drawer来指“高手”的出典，但是top drawer和top gun不同；top drawer不仅指人也可以用来说珍贵的东西。例如在下面的这段话里。这是一个时装首饰推销员在向顾客推荐商品。

例句-2：Sure, our main competitor is cheaper, but their goods look cheap: I wouldn"t want my daughter to wear them. But we make only top drawer merchandise that any woman is proud to wear.

他说：我们的主要对手开价确实比我们低，但是他们的货看来质量差。我可不要我女儿去戴这种货色。然而我们制作的全是第一流的高档商品，谁戴上都觉得自豪。

这里的top drawer意思是“高档。”

******

我们接著要学的习惯用语意义完全不同。第一个是: off the top of one"s head。 Off the top of one"s head从字面意思看来就是在头脑外。换句话说是没经过大脑。我们听个例子来揣摩它的含义吧。这是个参议员在答复另一名参议员。后者要求他对一项提案投赞成票。

例句-3：Senator, off the top of my head, I think I can vote for your bill. But before I decide, I want to talk to my staff and some voters back home to see how they feel about it.

他说：参议员，在未经思考的情况下我觉得我可以投票赞成你的提案。但是我在决定前还必须跟手下人和选民商谈，看看他们对该提案的反应。

思考问题得通过头脑里的大脑，所以off the top of my head意思是“尚未经过思考的。”

******

最后再学个习惯用语: blow one"s top。 Blow解释吹气。这个习惯用语出典是这样：当年以煤炭作燃料的轮船不时得把烟灰通过船顶的烟囱排放出去。烟灰冲上烟囱时响声震耳欲聋。于是人们就把这比作气得七窍生烟、大发雷霆的人了。我们来听个例子。这是哥哥在跟成绩报告单很糟的弟弟说话。

例句-4：Dad is certainly going to blow his top when he sees this! You"re failing in both English and Math and barely passing most of your other courses.

他说：爸爸看到这张成绩单一定会大发脾气。你英文、数学都不及格，其它科目也多半勉强及格。

所以blow one"s top意思是大大发火。

日期：2008-6-15 10:29:48

流行美语第273课

Larry昨天完晚上跟同事聚会，喝多了。李华今天要学两个常用语，hangover和tipsy.

LL: Ugh. I feel terrible today, Li Hua. I have such a bad hangover from the drinking I did last night.

LH: Larry, 什么是hangover？你昨天不是跟同事聚会吗？

LL: A hangover is the way you feel after you have had too much alcohol to drink at a party. Right now I have a head ache, my stomach hurts, and I"m very tired.

LH: 哦，hangover就是中文里说的“宿醉”。头痛、恶心、还有四肢乏力都是宿醉的症状，是前一天晚上喝酒的后遗症。

LL: Except that a hangover isn"t as fun as the drinking I did the night before. Oooh. My head really hurts.

LH: Larry，你经常会有hangover吗？

LL: No, I don"t, Li Hua. I really don"t drink alcohol that much.

LH: 那昨天是什么重要的日子吗？

LL: My office was holding a party to celebrate the completion of a project. I lost track of how much I was drinking, and now I"m hung over.

LH: Larry，有没有什么办法能让你舒服一些吗？

LL: Well, to help myself feel better, the first things I did when I got up this morning were to take some aspirin and eat a simple breakfast.

LH: 啊，你这么不舒服，居然还能吃得下东西？

LL: Well, it is true that since I am hung over, I don"t have much of an appetite - but I did eat a plain piece of toast.

LH: 我觉得你今天应该好好在家里休息。

LL: Yeah, I plan to get lots of rest today. Fortunately, it is the weekend, and I have two days to recover from my hangover.

LH: 我听朋友说，一边喝酒，一边吃东西喝水，就能避免宿醉。

LL: Really, Li Hua? I"ll have to try that the next time I"m drinking a lot at a party. I"d do anything to avoid getting another hangover.

LH: 其实啊，要想避免宿醉，最好的办法就是不喝酒。