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like a shot

adv.飞快地,立刻

难易程度:

like a shot为短语/超纲词汇

近义词, 同义词

like a shot


上次我们学了几个由shot这个关键词发展而来的习惯用语,今天接着学几个。第一个是:like a shot。上次提到shot这个词最普通的意思是开枪射击,而名词shot可以指子弹。人人知道出膛的子弹速度有多快,所以like a shot一定有“象子弹一样飞快”的意思。 好,我们听个例子。 

例句-1:You ought to see Pete when he hears me open the door of the fridge. He's there like a shot, almost before the light goes on inside the fridge. And he gives me this sad look like he hasn't had anything to eat for a week and is starving.

他说:你真该看看Pete听到我开冰箱时的样子,它马上飞快地窜到我跟前,冰箱里的灯简直还来不及亮它就已经到了。然后它会苦苦哀求地望着我,好像它已经一星期没吃过东西、饿得发慌似的。

显然这里的习惯用语like a shot用来描绘象子弹出膛一样飞快地行动。这个习惯用语沿用至今有两百来年 了。它最初用于火器枪支开始被广泛使用的年代。

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今天要学的第二个习惯用语是:call the shots。 Call,个词最普通的意思是呼唤。这个习惯用语起源于五十多年前,根据专家的推测call the shots最早出现在二次世界大战期间部队的打靶场,成千上万的新兵在那里接受射击训练。他们对着五十米外或者更远处的靶子开火,当新兵练习射击的时候。

另外有一名士兵负责用望远镜观察靶子,然后告诉打枪的新兵他击中了目标的什么部位,以便指导新兵改进技能。这就是call the shots当年的出典。

好,我们通过下面的例子来试着琢磨call the shot这个习惯用语如今在实际应用中是什么意思吧。说话的人要告诉我们:当他公司的经理得病必须住院几星期的时候,公司在人事方面作出了什么安排。

例句-2:When our boss, Ms. Philips, had to go to the hospital she asked Joe Greene to take over and call the shots. So he's making all of the business decisions, running the company and supervising all the rest of us in our daily work.

他们的领导Philips女士在去住院时要求Joe Greene接管业务,也就是说Joe要作出一切业务决策,经营公司并且指导所有其他人员的日常工作。

可见这里call the shots作为习惯用语就是掌管、作主并发号施令的意思。有时我们也说call the shot, shot不带 s,作单数。这时它的意思是作出一个决定,或者在某一件事情上作主。

例如有对夫妇曾经为了去哪儿度假发生争执,后来妻子还是顺从了丈夫的意思,于是那位先生这样说:

例句-3:For once I called the shot and we went to New York instead of Florida, where she thought we ought to go.

他说:这一次是我说了算,我们去了纽约。而没去她向往的佛罗里达。

Called the shot这个习惯用语意思是在某一件事上作了主。

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今天要学的第三个习惯用语是: parting shot。 Parting在这里的意思是离别,parting shot这个习惯用语带有负面意义。其实它刚开始被应用的时候由另一个词组成: Parthian shot。 Parthian指两千多年前居住在伊朗的帕提亚人,他们精于作战,帕提亚骑兵惯用的战术是佯作退却,然而却突然返身向麻痹大意的追兵射出雨点般的回马箭。这伤人的厉害招数被人们转用来指临走时说的尖刻话或者表示的敌意姿态。

实中文里也有类似的说法:杀回马枪。约莫从十九世纪晚期开始,人们把Parthian shot说成了parting shot, 随后以讹传讹,parting shot被普遍应用。

我们来听个例子。这个人要告诉我们他被解雇后跟老板大吵一场,出出胸中的怨气,请特别注意他话里的习惯用语parting shot:

例句-4:If I was losing my job anyhow, at least I had the pleasure of telling my boss what I really thought of him. My parting shot was 'Never again will I work for a guy as stupid and lazy as you are - I'm glad to be getting out of this place!'

他说:既然我怎么着都丢饭碗了,那么我至少还要把自己对老板的真实看法痛痛快快地当面直说了。我临走杀的回马枪是:“绝不再为像你这种既笨又懒的人工作了。我真高兴自己脱离这地方!”

显然这里的习惯用语parting shot意思是临走说的伤人的尖刻话。

1. When my HIV test results returned positive, I was shocked and confused. Was I dying? Was my shot at the '88 Olympics vaporized?
    当我知道自己的艾滋病检验结果是阳性时,我感到震惊和困惑。我会死去吗?我想在88年奥运会上再铸辉煌的心愿会化为泡影吗?

2. The shot was fatal.
    这是致命的一枪。

3. The wings of the bird still fluttered after it had been shot down.
    那鸟击落後翅膀仍在抖动.

4. The pipe burst and jets of water shot across the kitchen.
    管子破了, 水从厨房的这边喷到那边.

5. The film is being shot on location.
    那部电影正在拍摄外景。

6. The expedition carried a little flour and sugar, but mostly they relied on the fish that Pinero caught with his harpoon and the game that was shot with bow and arrow, using the campfire to grill meat or cassava cakes.
    探险队在旅途中只带少量的面粉和糖,通常是德派因罗用渔叉叉鱼,用弓箭猎取野味,他们在篝火上烤肉吃,也做木薯饼。

7. The plane blasted into the air like a bullet shot out of a rifle, and soon we were at 2,000 feet and climbing.
    飞机像离膛的子弹射入空中,很快我们升到了2,000英尺的高空,并在继续爬升。

8. He must know how to ride and at shot and cast a fly.
    他们必须学会骑马, 射击和垂钓.

9. He must know how to ride and at shot and cast a fly.
    他们必须学会骑马, 射击和垂钓.

10. He pulled the trigger and the bottle was shot to pieces.
    他扣动扳机, 瓶子当即被打得粉碎。

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