在商务世界里有不少含有动物的习语,比如fat cats(有钱有势的人)和loan sharks(高利贷债主)。在和英语母语的人作商务交流的时候,正确地在使用这些商务习语能使你的口语听起来更加自然。我们收集了十个与猫和狗有关的商务习语,一起来看看吧。
1.Let sleeping dogs lie – do not make trouble if you don’t have to.不要自找麻烦
例句:There’s absolutely no point pursuing this issue. We should just let sleeping dogs lie.
在这个问题上深究完全没有意义。我们不要自找麻烦了。
2.Not enough room to swing a cat – not enough space.没有足够的空间
例句:You should see my new office, it’s tiny. There’s not enough room to swing a cat!(In old English, a cat was a whip not a real cat!)
你真应该看看我的新办公室。太小了。连转身的空间都没有。(在旧式英语里,cat是指鞭子而不是真的猫。)
3.To be dog tired–to be exhausted.累趴下,累成狗
例句:I have worked 70 hours this week. I am dog tired.
我这周工作了70个小时。我都累趴下了。
4.Let the cat out of the bag – to reveal a secret.透露秘密
例句:Great! George in Finance knows about our new product. Who let the cat out of the bag?
太棒了。财政部的乔治知道了我们的新产品。谁说出去的?
5.Go to the dogs–not as successful as in the past(usually used in the continuous tense).不如过去成功(通常使用进行时)
例句:That company will go bankrupt if it’s not careful. It’s going to the dogs.
那家公司要是不小心的话就会破产的。它可能会完蛋的。
6.To put the cat among the pigeons – to cause trouble.惹出乱子
例句:Sending the most unpopular manager to talk to the team was like putting the cat among the pigeons.
把最不受欢迎的经理派去和团队谈话一定会惹出乱子的。
7.A dog"s dinner or dog"s breakfast – to make a mess.搞砸了
例句:They made a real dog"s dinner of the website. It"s terrible.
他们把网站搞砸了。这可太糟了。
8. To fight like cats and dogs - to argue and fight with someone.和某人争吵
例句:It"s a miracle how Sally and John manage this company. They"re always fighting like cats and dogs.
萨利和约翰能共同管理公司真是个奇迹。他们总是吵得不可开交。
9.Top dog – the most important person in an organization.公司里最重要的人物
例句:If you want a decision on that, you"re going to have to get it approved by the top dog.
如果你想要决定这件事,你需要让它得到老板的同意。
10.More than one way to skin a cat - more than one way to do something.(做某事)不只一种方法
例句:No problem. If we cannot get our proposal through this way, we"ll try something else. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
没问题。如果这样我们的提议没法通过的话。我们试试别的方法。还有很多方法的。