舌尖上的學(xué)問

英語中有不少跟食物有關(guān)的短語，可是大多數(shù)跟食物本身沒有太大的關(guān)系，本期我們就一起來看看“舌尖上”的學(xué)問吧。

My mother always told us there is no use crying over spilled milk. That means you should not get angry when something bad happens and cannot be changed. People said my mother was a good egg. She would always help anyone in need. We never had to walk on egg shells around her. We did not have to be careful about what we said or did because she never got angry at us. She also told us you have to break some eggs to make an omelet. This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward.

My mother believed you are what you eat. A good diet is important for good health. She would always give us nutritious food. She liked serving us meat and potatoes for dinner. Meat and potatoes can also mean the most important part of something. It describes someone who likes simple things. Here is another expression about meat： one mans meat is another mans poison. In other words， one person might like something very much while another person might hate the same thing.

My father was also a good and honest person. People said he was the salt of the earth. He would never pour salt on a wound， or make someone feel worse about something that was already a painful experience. However， sometimes he told us a story that seemed bigger than life. So we had to take it with a grain of salt. That is， we could not believe everything he told us.

My husband has a good job. He makes enough money to support our family. So we say he brings home the bacon. He can cut the mustard， or do what is expected of him at work. It is easy to find my husband in a crowd. He stands almost two meters tall. He is a tall drink of water.

I take the train to work. It is not a pleasant ride because the train can be full of people. It is so crowded that we are packed like sardines—just like small fish in a can.

My supervisor at work is sometimes out to lunch. She is out of touch and does not always know what is going on in our office. Yet she is right about one thing： there is no such thing as a free lunch. Something may appear to be free of charge， but there may be a hidden cost.

When we fail to see problems at work， my supervisor tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem.

I once made a big mistake at the office and felt foolish. I had egg on my face.

Over the weekend， my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea.

We hope this program has given you food for thought， that is， something to think about.

there is no use crying over spilled milk（something that you say which means you should not get upset about something bad that has happened that you cannot change）：覆水難收；悔恨無益。

a good egg（a person with good qualities such as kindness ）：好人。

walk on egg shells（to walk very carefully； to take steps gingerly）：如履薄冰、小心翼翼地。

you have to break some eggs to make an omelet/you cant make an omelet without breaking eggs（something that you say which means it is difficult to achieve something important without causing any unpleasant effects）：有得必有失。

you are what you eat（a saying that is used when someone who eats pussy acts like what he eats）：食如其人。

meat and potatoes（the fundamental parts or part； the basis）：事物基礎(chǔ)的部分。

one mans meat is another mans poison（something that one person likes may be distasteful to someone else）：甲之蜜糖，乙之砒霜。

the salt of the earth（the most worthy of people； a very good or worthy person）：好人，社會中堅、棟梁。

pour salt on a wound（to unnecesarily cause someone more sadness or trouble when he or she is already in a difficult situation， usually for ones personal amusement）：在別人的傷口上撒鹽，雪上加霜。

take with a grain of salt（to consider something to be not completely true or right）：加以分析，對某事持懷疑態(tài)度。

bring home the bacon（to earn a salary； to bring home money earned at a job）：掙錢養(yǎng)家。

cut the mustard（deal with problems or difficulties ）：做得很好，取得成功。

a tall drink of water（a very tall person）：高個子。

packed like sardines（to squeeze in as many people or things as possible）：擁擠不堪。

outtolunch（notalert；giddy ； uninformed）：魂不守舍，做白日夢，不專注。

there is no such thing as a free lunch（everything costs something； it can imply that you should be suspicious of anything that appears to be free）：世界上沒有免費的午餐。

wake up and smell the coffee（try to pay attention to whats going on）：清醒點，注意事態(tài)的發(fā)展。

have egg on my face（to be embarrassed by something one has done）：尷尬，狼狽。

not my cup of tea（not ones choice or preference）：非我所愛；不是我的菜。

food for thought（anything that provides mental stimulus for thinking）：精神食糧；讓人思考的東西。