REFIND ENGLISH利芳英语教研博客欢迎你—— 激情疯狂而不妄自菲薄,超越自我而不盲目自大, 天行健,君子与共不息,相信自己,永不言弃…… 激荡思想,洗涤心灵,居家乐园,延伸生活……
马年将至，告诉一位加拿大朋友，中国现在流行说“马上......”的祝福，并解释汉语中on the horse就是at once的意思。他告诉我英语也说get on
干脆，把horse的短语整理一下，既有a dark horse等中国人耳熟能详的英语短语，也有from the horse's mouth等中国人不熟悉的英语短语，还有很俏皮的from the horse's mouth，充满哲理的You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.等等。
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Horse相关短语
这些短语来自
Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed. Copyright ? Cambridge University Press 2006.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. ? 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
选自http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
a dark horse
1. (British & Australian humorous) a person who does not tell other people about their ideas or skills and who surprises people by doing something that they do not expect I didn't know Linda had written a novel. She's a bit of a dark horse, isn't she?
2. a person who wins a race or competition although no one expected them to (sometimes + for ) 17-year-old Karen Pickering could also be a dark horse for (= she could win) a medal in the European Championships.(American)
a horse of another/a different color
a situation or a subject that is different from what you had first thought it was You said you didn't like going to the movies, but if you don't want to go because you're broke, that's a horse of another color.
a one-horse race
a competition which one particular person or team is very likely to win because they seem much better than the other people competing This election has been a one-horse race right from the start.
a Trojan horse
someone or something that attacks the group or organization it belongs to
Usage notes: In Greek stories, the Trojan horse was a large wooden horse that the Greeks used to take soldiers secretly into the city of Troy in order to destroy it.
Traditional Labour supporters have accused the new leadership of being a Trojan horse trying to destroy the party from within.
beat a dead horse
to waste time doing something that has already been attempted Do you think it's worth sending my manuscript to other publishers or I am just beating a dead horse?
(I'd) better get on my horse.
Inf. an expression indicating that it is time that one departed. John: It's getting late. Better get on my horse. Rachel: Have a safe trip. See you tomorrow. "I'd better get on my horse. The sun'll be down in an hour," said Sue, sounding like a cowboy.
change horses in midstream
Fig. to make major changes in an activity that has already begun; to choose someone or something else after it is too late. (Alludes to someone trying to move from one horse to another while crossing a stream.) I'm already baking a cherry pie. I can't bake an apple pie. It's too late to change horses in the middle of the stream. The house is half-built. It's too late to hire a different architect. You can't change horses in midstream. Jane: I've written a rough draft of my research paper, but the topic doesn't interest me as much as I thought. Maybe I ought to pick a different one. Jill: Don't change horses in midstream.
climb/get on your high horse
if someone gets on their high horse about a subject, they become angry about it and start criticizing other people as if they are better or more clever than them (often + about ) It's no good getting on your high horse about single parents. You can't force people to get married.
Don't put the cart before the horse.
Prov. Do not do things in the wrong order. (This can imply that the person you are addressing is impatient.)Tune the guitar first, then play it. Don't put the cart before the horse.
put the cart before the horse
to do things in the wrong order Deciding what to wear before you've even been invited to the party is rather putting the cart before the horse, isn't it?
eat like a horse
Fig. to eat large amounts of food. No wonder he's so fat. He eats like a horse. John works like a horse and eats like a horse, so he never gets fat.
Every horse thinks its own pack heaviest.
Prov. Everyone thinks he or she has the hardest work to do or the most difficult problems to overcome. When we were growing up, my sister and I each thought our own chores were harder than the other's. Every horse thinks its own pack heaviest.
For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost.
Prov. Overlooking small details can have disastrous consequences. (You can quote any of the sentences in this proverb by themselves.) Jill: I don't think we need to check our bicycle tires before we go for our ride. Jane: I disagree. For want of a nail the shoe was lost. Before we began the hike into the mountains, we checked our equipment painstakingly, remembering that for want of a horse the man was lost.
(straight) from the horse's mouth
Fig. from an authoritative or dependable source. (See also .) I know it's true! I heard it straight from the horse's mouth! This comes straight from the horse's mouth, so it has to be believed.
get (down) off one's high horse
Fig. to become humble; to be less haughty. It's about time that you got down off your high horse. Would you get off your high horse and talk to me?
get off your high horse
to stop acting as if you are better or more intelligent than other people He never got off his high horse long enough to consider how insulting his words were to many immigrants.
Usage notes: also used in the forms knock someone off their high horse and fall off your high horse
get on one's horse
Sl. to prepare to leave. (Usually fig., with no horse present.) It's time to get on my horse and get out of here.I've got to get on my horse and go.
Hold your horses!
something that you say in order to tell someone to stop doing or saying something because they are going too fast Just hold your horses, Bill. Let's think about this for a moment.
Hold your horses!
Fig. Inf. Wait! Tom: Let's go! Let's go! Mary: Hold your horses. Hold your tater, now. Where did you say you are going?
horse sense
Fig. common sense; practical thinking. Bob is no scholar but he has a lot of horse sense. Horse sense tells me I should not be involved in that project.
If two ride on a horse, one must ride behind.
Prov. When two people do something together, one of them will be the leader and the other will have to be subordinate. Jane: How come every time we get together, we always do what you want to do, and never do what I want to do? Ellen: Well, dear, if two ride on a horse, one must ride behind.
look a gift horse in the mouth
Fig. to be ungrateful to someone who gives you something; to treat someone who gives you a gift badly. (Usually with a negative.) Never look a gift horse in the mouth. I advise you not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
not look a gift horse in the mouth
if someone tells you not to look a gift horse in the mouth, they mean that you should not criticize or feel doubt about something good that has been offered to you Okay, it's not the job of your dreams but it pays good money. I'd be inclined not to look a gift horse in the mouth if I were you.
look a gift horse in the mouth
to criticize or refuse to take something that has been offered to you I know the car's not in great condition, but you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Usage notes: usually follows never or not, as in the example
Etymology: based on the idea that you can discover a lot about a horse's condition by looking at its teeth
on one's high horse
Fig. in a haughty manner or mood. Larry is on his high horse again, bossing people around. The boss is on her high horse about the cost of office supplies.
*strong as a horse
Cliché [of a living creature] very strong. (*Also: as ~.) Jill: My car broke down; it's sitting out on the street. Jane: Get Linda to help you push it; she's as strong as a horse. The athlete was strong as an ox; he could lift his own weight with just one hand. The football player was strong as a lion.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Prov. You can present someone with an opportunity, but you cannot force him or her to take advantage of it.Jill: I told Katy about all the jobs that are available at our company, but she hasn't applied for any of them. Jane: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
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