Lesson 221 - As Light As a Feather / A Feather in One's Cap
我们已经讲过两个以feather这个字为主的习惯用语。我们今天再来给大家讲两个以feather这个字为主的习惯用语。第一个是: As light as a feather. Light 这个字有好几个解释,在这里是用做形容词。意思是:轻,也就是份量很轻的轻。Feather就是羽毛。羽毛的份量确实是很轻的。As light as a feather那末顾名思义就是:像羽毛那样轻。我们来举一个例子。这是一个人在说他当天所碰到的事。
例句1: While I was on my way to the law office at noon, the girl who was walking in front of me suddenly fainted because of the heat. Since she is as light as a feather, I had no problem in carrying her all the way to the hospital.
As light as a feather可以形容各式各样的东西。拿食品来说吧,有的很油腻,有的很清淡。下面是一个人在说他妈妈做的蛋糕。
例句2: My mother is a very good baker, she is well known among our relatives and friends. Oh, you should have tasted the white chocolate cake she made last week. It's not that sweet and is as light as a feather.
我们再来讲一个以feather这个字为主的习惯用语。几百年以前,英国的贵族以及其他身价很高的人喜欢在帽子上插上羽毛,以显示自己的重要性。我们今天要讲的第二个习惯用语就是来自这种习惯。 A feather in one's cap. A feather in one's cap作为习惯用语,它的意思就是某人取得的成就,值得嘉奖的象征。当然,现在已经很少有人再在帽子上插上羽毛了。实际上,带帽子的人也已经很少了。可是,这个说法依然是经常用的。我们来举一个例子吧。这是一个爸爸在电话上祝贺他女儿取得的荣誉。
例句3: Sally, that's wonderful news, you getting elected to Phi Beta Kappa! We are so proud of you, honey. Not many students get this honor - it's certainly a feather in you cap!
例句4: I like my work as a teacher and I enjoy working with the kids. True, I worked very hard for the past year, but I certainly didn't expect to be elected best teacher of the year. It's really a feather in my cap!