活用英語諺語17例

■Beggars cannot be choosers.

【譯文】叫花子不能挑肥揀瘦;饑不擇食。

【活用】I would have preferred a bed， but beggars can't be choosers so I slept on the sofa.

我本想要張床，但是叫花子不能挑肥揀瘦，所以我就睡在沙發(fā)上了。

■Easy come， easy go.

【譯文】易得易失;來得容易，去得快。

【活用】I often win money at cards but never save a penny-\"easy come， easy go\" is my motto.

我玩紙牌經(jīng)常贏，可一分錢也存不住--我的俗話是\"來得容易，去得快\"。

■Once bitten， twice shy.

【譯文】一次被咬，下次膽小;一次上當(dāng)，下次小心。

【活用】She certainly won't marry again once bitten， twice shy.

她肯定不再結(jié)婚了--所謂一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井繩。

■You're only young once.

【譯文】青春只一度。

【活用】Enjoy the disco-you're only young once. 盡情跳起迪斯科--須知青春只一度。

■The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

【譯文】布丁好不好，吃了才知道(評價(jià)人或事物只能憑實(shí)際體驗(yàn)不能憑表象或理論)。

【活用】The new machine is supposed to be the solution to all our production problems， but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

新機(jī)器按說能夠解決我們生產(chǎn)上的一切問題，然而能否做到這一點(diǎn)還有待于實(shí)踐的檢驗(yàn)。

■It never rains but it pours.

【譯文】不雨則已，一雨傾盆。;災(zāi)禍等不發(fā)生則已，一發(fā)生便接踵而至。

【活用】First my car broke down， then I lost my key: it never rains but it pours!

先是我的汽車出了故障，接著又丟了鑰匙，真是禍不單行!

■There's safety in numbers.

【譯文】人多勢眾。

【活用】We decided to go to see the boss together; there's safety in numbers.

我們決定一起去找老板--人多膽壯。

■What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

【譯文】適用于一人也一定適用于另一人。

【活用】If you can arrive late then so can I:what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

你可以遲到 那我也可以晚來:一視同仁嘛。

■Never say die.

【譯文】不可氣餒;不要泄氣。

【活用】Never say die: we might still get there on time.

別泄氣，我們?nèi)杂锌赡馨磿r(shí)趕到那里。

■You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

【譯文】你給我搔背，我也給你搔背(你幫我 我也幫你 尤指不正當(dāng)?shù)氖?。

【活用】The contract went to a friend of the chief accountant: it's (a case of) you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

承包合同批給了總會(huì)計(jì)師的朋友，(可謂)各有好處、 串通一氣。

■Let sleeping dogs lie.

【譯文】別驚動(dòng)睡著的狗; 別惹事生非; 別自找麻煩。

【活用】We decided to let sleeping dogs lie and not take them to court.

我們決定不起訴他們 免得惹事生非。

■There's many a slip 'twixt (the) cup and (the) lip.

【譯文】事情往往會(huì)功敗垂成。

【活用】They think they'll win the election easily， but there's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip.

他們以為能在選舉中輕易取勝，但事情往往會(huì)功敗垂成。

■The sky's the limit.

【譯文】沒有限制。

【活用】You could win millions! The sky's the limit!

你有可能贏數(shù)百萬，無盡無休!

■(There is) no smoke without fire.

【譯文】無火不生煙;謠言也總是事出有因。

【活用】He's denied having an affair with his secretary， but of course there's no smoke without fire.

他不承認(rèn)和他秘書發(fā)生了關(guān)系，但不會(huì)是空穴來風(fēng)嘍。

■That's (just) sour grapes.

【譯文】吃不到葡萄反而說葡萄酸(用以指某人因得不到某事物而佯稱該事物不好)。

【活用】He says he didn't want to marry her anyway， but that's just sour grapes.

他說自己反正不想娶她，那不過是吃不到葡萄反而說葡萄酸罷了。

■Nothing succeeds like success.

【譯文】一事成，事事成。

【活用】I won the essay prize then was offered a scholarship:nothing succeeds like success!

我的作文得了獎(jiǎng)，接著就獲得了獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金:真是一順百順!

■Walls have ears.

【譯文】隔墻有耳。

【活用】Be careful what you say， even the walls have ears! 說話要小心，隔墻有耳啊!