学文网There are many expressions about foods. So today， let’s start with the food.
语言中有很多表达与食物有关。今天我们就从食物说起吧。
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.
我妈妈常常告诉我们“不要为已经打翻的牛奶哭泣”。意思是说糟糕的事情已经发生，而且无法挽回了，你没有必要动怒。
People said my mother was “a good egg”. She would always help anyone in need. We never had to “walk on eggshells” 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 （煎蛋卷）”. This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward.
人们常夸张我妈妈是“好人”，她经常帮助有困难的人。我们在她周围从来都不会感到“如履薄冰”――我们不用谨言慎行，因为她从不冲我们发火。妈妈也常教育我们要“打碎鸡蛋做煎蛋卷”。意思是说，人必须要向前看。
My mother believed “You are what you eat”―a good diet is important for good health. She would always give us nutritious （有营养的） 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.
妈妈相信“你吃什么就是什么”――饮食对身体健康很重要。她常给我们做营养丰富的食物，她晚餐时喜欢给我们煮肉和土豆。“肉和土豆”也可以代表事物最重要的那部分；也可以用来形容喜欢简简单单的人。
Here is another expression about meat： “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”. In other words， one person might like something very much while another person might hate the same thing.
另一个关于肉的表达是“吾之蜜糖，彼之砒霜”。换句话说，某人非常喜欢的事物，但是同样的东西可能是其他人所厌恶的东西。
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.
我爸爸也是个诚实善良的人。人们都说他是“社会中坚”。他从来不“往伤口上撒盐”。也就是说他从不在他人伤心的时候还让他更难过。但是，有时候他会说大话。我们不得不“就着盐吃下去”――也就是说，不能他说什么我们都信。
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.
我丈夫有份好工作，他赚了足够的钱来养家，所以，我们说他“把熏肉带回了家”。他可以“去切芥末”――在工作上，不负厚望。
It is easy to find my husband in a crowd. He stands almost two meters tall. He is “a tall drink of water”.
在人群中很容易找到我丈夫。他身高近两米。他就是个“大高个”。
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.
我坐火车上班，这可不是趟愉快的车程，因为火车上到处都是人。太过拥挤就好像我们是“沙丁鱼”――就像挤在罐头里的小鱼。
My supervisor at work is sometimes “out to lunch.” She 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.
我上司偶尔会“心不在焉”。她不清楚办公室发生了什么。但有件事她是对的：“天下没有免费的午餐”――有些事情表明上看是免费的，但可能存在隐性消费。
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”.
当我们没有意识到工作中出现了问题，上司就会叫我们“醒来闻到咖啡香”――我们得更加集中精神解决问题了。我曾经在工作上犯了个严重的错误，觉得自己真笨。我觉得很尴尬。
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”.
上周末，我朋友邀我一起看电视球赛。但是，我不喜欢足球，它“不是我的菜”。
I hope what I mention above can give you “food for thought”―that is， something to think about.
我希望上面我所说的能给你提供精神食粮，能给你一些值得思考的东西。
Now， it’s your turn to guess the meanings of the expressions about food！
下面，你来猜一猜文中与食物有关的表达方式的意思吧！
1. There is no use crying over spilled milk. 对无法挽回的事抱怨后悔是毫无用处的；悔之晚矣；覆水难收。
2. a good egg 好人
3. walk on eggshells 谨言慎行；如履薄冰
4. break some eggs to make an omelet 有得必有失
5. You are what you eat. 你吃什么就是什么；食如其人。
6. meat and potatoes 最基本的部分
8. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. 萝卜青菜，各有所爱；彼之砒霜，吾之蜜糖。
9. the salt of the earth社会中坚；优秀份子
10. pour salt on a wound 往伤口上撒盐
11. take sth. with a grain of salt有所保留；不可全信
12. bring home the bacon 养家糊口
13. cut the mustard 符合条件；能够胜任
14. a tall drink of water 身材非常高大的人
15. be packed like sardines 挤得像沙丁鱼罐头一样
16. out to lunch 心不在焉的；做白日梦的
17. There is no such thing as a free lunch. 世上没有免费的午餐；世上没有不要钱的好事。
18. wake up and smell the coffee 认清事实；清醒一点
19. egg on one’s face 丢脸；难堪
20. one’s cup of tea某人感兴趣或喜爱的东西
not my cup of tea不喜欢或不在意的东西
21. food for thought 精神食粮
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