儒琴英语词汇选自欧美报刊文章以及英语原文小说。坚持学习英语今日词汇，有助于阅读和理解当今欧美主流媒体的新闻时事报道和英语文学作品。
儒琴英语词汇（English Words and Phrases of the Day）
quicksand
noun （U)
You can refer to a situation as quicksand when you want to suggest that it is dangerous or difficult to escape from, or does not provide a strong basis for what you are doing.
流沙；难以摆脱的困境; 危险局面
Trump: Those who got US into Middle East quicksand are inept. US President responds to criticism of his withdrawal from Syria, allowing Turkish assault on the Kurds.
Gary Willig, 13/10/19
unsee
verb [ T ] /ʌnˈsiː/
informal with object, usually with negative:
Can’t unsee or can’t unsee it.
to return to a situation in which you have not seen something; erase the memory of or no longer register (something unpleasant or distasteful that one has seen or noticed).
抹去曾经看见过的不愉快的记忆；经常用于否定句： 无法忘却，无法抹去曾经见过的不愉快的事情。
Time’ morphs Trump and Putin’s faces in horrifying cover you’ll never unsee.
You Can’t Unsee This Giant Parade Float of President Trump as an Emperor ‘Master-Drone’
fall guy
noun [ C usually singular ]
a person who is falsely blamed for something that has gone wrong, or for a crime that they have not committed; the fall guy might end up going to jail while the real guilty party goes free； scapegoat
替罪羊；替死鬼
President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani told The Guardian that he had “insurance” should the president seek to set him up as a fall guy in House Democrats’ impeachment investigation.
Nov. 15, 2019 Businessinsider
have sb over a barrel
to put someone in a very difficult situation in which the person has no choice about what they do
使（某人）别无选择，使（某人）听从摆布
WASHINGTON — A senior Justice Department lawyer says a former British spy told him at a breakfast meeting two years ago that Russian intelligence believed it had Donald Trump “over a barrel,” according to multiple people familiar with the encounter.
—- August 31, 2018 2:59 pm
Global News
chip away
to gradually make something weaker, smaller, or less effective
逐步瓦解，逐步解决，慢慢清除，慢慢蚕食，逐渐破坏…
Democrats are trying to save Obamacare as Trump chips away at the landmark health care bill.
— US Today May 16, 2019
take the wind out of sb’s sails
(also knock the wind out of sb’s sails, knock the wind out of sb) to make someone feel less confident or less determined to do something, usually by saying or doing something that they are not expecting
使（某人）泄气；使（某人）不坚定
Under Davidson’s stewardship, the party turned their single Scottish seat in Westminster into 13, taking the wind out of the sails of the rival Scottish National Party.
a slap on the wrist
a gentle warning or punishment
轻微的警告（或惩罚）
The U.S. House of Representatives in a resolution Tuesday reaffirmed the importance of the alliance with South Korea and gave U.S. President Donald Trump a slap on the wrist for claiming that Seoul does not pay its fair share
sycophantic /ˌsɪk.əˈfæn.tɪk/
obsequious /əbˈsiː.kwi.əs/
(of a person or of behaviour) praising people in authority in a way that is not sincere, usually in order to get some advantage from them
阿谀奉承的，谄媚的
In the 21-page article, an unnamed former U.S. official described Pompeo as being “among the most sycophantic and obsequious people around Trump.” An unnamed former U.S. ambassador went further, calling Pompeo a “heat-seeking missile for Trump’s ass.”
if/when push comes to shove
If the situation deteriorates or becomes desperate; if drastic measures are needed.
一旦情况紧急，不得已时
If push comes to shove, we can always sell the car.
实在不行我们还可以把车卖了。
Apr. 9, 2018 · But if Trump’s push comes to shove, Beijing would probably not hesitate to call in its loan from US.
