每日英語 #024: Expressions About Dogs 關於狗的表達方式
Expressions About Dogs 關於狗的表達方式
There are many expressions that mention dogs that may or may not have anything to do with dogs.
有許多提到狗的表達方式，可能與狗沒有任何關係，也可能有關聯。
For example, if someone is working very, very hard, you may say that he or she is “working like a dog.” Are dogs known for working hard? It’s unclear, but this is a common expression.
例如，如果有人非常努力工作，你可能會說他或她“工作像一隻狗”。狗以勤奮工作而聞名嗎？不清楚，但這是一個常見的表達方式。
Other expressions that mention dogs make a little more sense. If you want to leave things alone, to not bother someone or something because you are afraid of a bad result, you can say that you want to “let sleeping dogs lie.” If a dog is sleeping, you may not want to bother it because if it wakes up, it may “bark” (for a dog to speak) or “bite” (use its teeth). Here’s an example of how this expression is used:
其他提到狗的表達方式有些更有意義。如果你想讓事情自己解決，不想打擾某人或某事，因為你害怕會有不好的結果，你可以說你想“讓睡狗躺著”。如果一隻狗在睡覺，你可能不想打擾它，因為如果它醒來，它可能會“叫”（狗發出聲音）或“咬”（使用牙齒）。這是這個表達方式如何使用的例子：
A: “When will the boss give us a ‘raise’ (more money for working)? I’m going to ask her.”
B: “If I were you, I would let sleeping dogs lie. With this bad economy, we are just as likely to get a ‘pay cut’ (reduction) as a pay raise!”
A：“老闆什麼時候給我們漲工資？我要去問她。”
B：“如果我是你，我會讓睡狗躺著。在這個經濟不好的情況下，我們很可能會被削減工資，而不是加薪！”
Here’s another expression that makes some sense. If you want people to stop attacking or criticizing you, you can say, “Call off the dogs!” “To call off” means to stop or to cancel something. If one “presidential candidate” (someone who is officially trying to become the next president) criticizes the other for his/her past decisions, he/she might say, “Call off the dogs or we will start talking to the media about your family and your personal life.”
這裡還有另一個有些意義的表達方式。如果你想讓人們停止攻擊或批評你，你可以說，“取消行動！”“取消行動”意味著停止或取消某事。如果一個“總統候選人”（正式試圖成為下一任總統的人）批評另一個人的過去決定，他/她可能會說：“取消行動，否則我們將開始向媒體講述你的家庭和個人生活。”
重點單字
- expressions 表達方式 /ɪkˈsprɛʃənz/
- bother 打擾 /ˈbɒðər/
- let sleeping dogs lie 讓睡狗躺著 /lɛt ˈsliːpɪŋ dɔɡz laɪ/
- raise 加薪 /reɪz/
- pay cut 削減工資 /peɪ kʌt/
- presidential candidate 總統候選人 /ˌprɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl ˈkændɪˌdeɪt/
- call off 取消行動 /kɔːl ɔf/
