习语可以是一个词或短语,要理解习语的意思不能脱离其文化背景。习语一词的含义甚广,其蕴含的意义往往不能从词或词组的字面意思推测而得。习语在所有语言中都很常见。英语习语是日常英语的重要组成部分。在英语的书面语和口语中,存在海量的习语。
儒琴今日习语(Idiom of the Day)
smell blood in the water
英文解释
a sign that someone can be attacked, especially because they are already weak;The exposure of a competitive weakness in an opponent that arouses increased competitive aggression in others.
中文解释
to smell blood in water 字面意思:闻到水里的血腥味。这里暗指鲨鱼闻到水里的血腥味,会发出攻击。换句话说,如果游泳者受伤流血,鲨鱼可以嗅出,使受伤的游泳者处于危险境地。引申意思:所以,无论是在工作中还是在其他方面,如果一个人很弱,处在不利的地位,就容易被别人攻击,其他人就会利用这种情况;一个对手的竞争弱点的暴露会引起其他人的竞争攻击性。
原文举例
After their opponents’ star striker left the match with an injury, the home team smelled blood in the water and brought on their attack with everything they had.
在对手的明星前锋受伤离场后,主队感到了对手暴露出的弱点,使出浑身解数发动了进攻。
As this author noted earlier on Sunday, the liberal media is adamant they smell President Trump’s blood in the water and they’re eager to declare his presidency dead. But during the network Sunday talk shows on ABC and NBC, their conservative panelists pushed back hard on that narrative and even mocked how they make the same claim “every other week”.
正如笔者周日早些时候指出的那样,自由派媒体坚称,他们看到了特朗普总统表现出的致命弱点,急于宣布他的总统任职寿终就寝。但在美国广播公司(ABC)和美国全国广播公司(NBC)的周日脱口秀节目中,他们的保守派小组成员对这种说法进行了严厉反驳,甚至嘲笑他们“每隔一周”就会做出同样的断言。