no spring chicken “spring chicken”一詞是指年輕人,或者某人在某方面還很年輕,缺乏經驗或資歷。這個短語源于一只仍然是小雞的鳥,因為它們通常在春季孵化,也就是“春天的小雞”,所以被用來形容年輕人。“老大不小”可以用“no spring chicken”來表示,這個表達指的是某人不再年輕(Not young)。
舉 例 You're not a spring chicken anymore. 你也老大不小了。
She may be a bit of a spring chicken, but she's one of the brightest minds I've ever worked with. 她可能比較年輕,但她是我曾經合作過的最聰明的人之一。
除此之外,“你也老大不小了”還可以說成: . You're not getting any younger, you know. . As you're not exactly in the first flush of youth... . "Let's face it, you're not exactly a young pup. 這里的“in the first flush”跟“spring chicken”有異曲同工之妙,都是代指年輕人。“flush”作為動詞有“綻出新芽”的意思,“in the first flush”表示某人仍然年輕或在某方面還很新鮮的短語。
舉 例 Even though he's in his 50s, he still has that first flush of enthusiasm when it comes to his work. 盡管他已經50多歲了,但是當談到工作時,他仍然有著那種初入職場時的熱情
這個短語同樣可以用來形容一個事物處于早期、新興階段。
舉 例 The company is still in the first flush of success, but there are already signs of trouble on the horizon. 公司還處于成功的早期階段,但是遠處已經出現了危機的征兆。
chicken out “chicken out”這個詞用于描述某人因害怕或缺乏勇氣而在某個時刻退縮或放棄。
舉 例 Don't chicken out now, we're almost at the top of the mountain! 別現在就不干了呀,我們快爬到山頂了! I had never ridden on a motorcycle before. But it was too late to chicken out. 那以前我從沒騎過摩托車。不過,想退縮已經來不及了。
play chicken “play chicken”是一個美式俚語,用于形容兩個或多個人或團體之間的風險賭博游戲,誰先“退縮”或“撤下”誰輸。
舉 例 The two drivers were playing chicken, heading straight for each other on a narrow road, until one finally swerved away to avoid a crash. 這兩個司機正在比試膽量,在一條狹窄的道路上直沖而來,直到其中一個終于避讓才避免了相撞。
好了,今天的內容到這里就結束啦,大家學會了嗎?最后留下一個問題:“run around like a chicken with its head cut off”是什么意思?