Picture
Meaning 意义

The most common meaning for this slang is something or a name which sounds familiar and causes someone to remember something or someone.  El modismo significa que hay algo o un nombre que provoca una memoria o conocimiento. 这一俚语最常用于某些事物或名听起来熟悉。

Example 例子

  • Hi, this is Brandon. Does it ring a bell to you? I am the person who always asks you to visit his blogs. 
  • Hola, soy Brandon. ¿Te acuerdas de mi? Yo soy la persona que siempre te pide que visites sus Blogs.  
  • 你好,我是布兰登,你记得我吗?我市一天到晚叫你上他的网站的那位。


 
Picture
This Chinese metaphor 虎头蛇尾 (hŭ tóu shé wĕi) literally means "tiger head, snake tail". In Chinese tradition, tiger symbolizes, among other things, invincibility, might, power and snake sneakiness. Another explanation is that a tiger head is big and a snake tail is small and skinny.  虎头蛇尾 refers to events which start out big and end up small. Its has similar meaning to the English expressions: 
  • Starts with a bangs ends with a whimper 虎头蛇尾 
  • Much ado about nothing 雷声大雨点小

Por la traducción al español de este proverbio, nos dice que es algo que empieza con un estallido, y termina en un leve sonido, o algo que al parecer empieza con mucha fuerza y termina mal, por eso lo de "Cabeza de tigre y cola de serpiente". Por tanto, podríamos relacionarlo con varios del refranero español, como por ejemplo:.
  • Partida de caballo inglés y llegada de burro  虎头蛇尾
  • Mucho ruido, y pocas nueces 雷声大雨点小

Examples

  • The Copenhagen Climate Change Summit started with a bang and ended with a whimper or it was much ado about nothing.
  • La Conferencia Cumbre de Cambio Climático en Copenhague finalizó con mucho ruido y poca nueces. 
  • 哥本哈根气候峰会虎头蛇尾 ,雷声大雨点小。

  • The Houston Rockets started the 2009 season with a bang, but ened with a whimper at they won the first 20 games but could not make into the playoff. (not true)
  • Los Rockets de Houston comenzó la temporada 2009 con un golpe al ganar los 20 primeros partidos, pero no pudo hacerlo en el desempate. Fue "partida de caballo inglés y llegada de burro.  (no es cierto).
  • 休斯顿火箭队2009季初连赢二十场但是进不到季后賽,真是虎头蛇尾。(不确)

 
Picture
Background
he origin of the phrase "go Dutch" or "Dutch treat" can be traced back to a time when England and the Netherlands fought constantly over trade routes and political boundaries during the 17th century. The British used the term "Dutch" in a number or derogatory or demeaning ways. The Dutch were said to be very stingy with their wealth, almost miserly, so the British used the word "Dutch" informally to imply all sorts of negative behaviors.MeaningTo "go Dutch"  implies an informal agreement for each person to pay for his or her own expenses during a planned date or outing. The decision to "go Dutch" is usually made in advance in order to avoid any confusion when the bill arrives. During a romantic dating situation, however, the suggestion to "go Dutch" may not be as well received. When a girl tells a boy that they would "go dutch" on the first dinner, she is implying "Don't consider it to be a date".

Examples 
  • My friend at italki, Mary said "Brandon, you are welcome to come to Beijing. I will take you to the nicest restaurant in town, but we go Dutch".
  • I went out for a dinner with Susan last night. I did not have enough money. It saved my life when Susan said "Let's go Dutch". 

背景

这一俚语“go Dutch”或“Dutch treat"的起源可以追溯到17世纪英格兰和荷兰争夺贸易路线和政治界线因此有许多贬低意味的英语习语都和荷兰有关。荷兰人出外吃饭,都喜欢各付各的,这种做法被英国人借题发挥就有了Go dutch这一俚语

意义“Go Dutch”等同中文俗语"AA制"通常用于男女约会每人支付自己的费用。“go Dutch ”通常在约会前作安排避免於付款時産生混淆。但是在一个浪漫的约会,这建议“go Dutch”可能不会受欢迎,当一个女孩在第一次约会说 , “go Dutch”,她是暗示“我们不是拍拖”。

例子
  • 我在italki的朋友玛丽说:“布兰登,欢迎您来到北京,我会带你到最好的餐馆,但我们"go Dutch”。
  • 我昨晚与苏珊外出吃饭,我没有足够的钱,她救了我一命,她说“Let's go Dutch”。

 
Picture
Background and meaning
The phrase “not my cup of tea” means that something is “not to my liking.” According to the Translation Dictionary the expression got its start in the late 1800s when Brits, when referring to the popular drink, began saying that something they liked was their “cup of tea.” But time changes things. Later, probably sometime in the 1920s, the expression took a twist to indicate the opposite.

Examples
  • Mary said she liked shopping and YIng replied "That is not my cup of tea".
  • Some people love football, but it's not my cup of tea.
背景和意义
这句话:“not my cup of tea”是指“我不喜欢"某些事物  。相信这是源于英国,因为红茶是英国人最喜欢的饮料 ,茶有不同品种,如果说 “not my cup of tea” 指我不喜欢哪一款茶。


例子
  • Mary said she liked shopping and YIng replied "That is not my cup of tea".玛丽说她喜欢购物, 英回答.....
  • Some people love football, but it's not my cup of tea有些人喜欢足球,但是....。
 
Picture
I think the most often used slang by my friends on the language social nets is "It's cool". There is nothing wrong to use the word cool in an internet conversation but please do not overdo it. Most important of all do not use it in your examinations or at a job interview. Let me explain why below.

Background
This slang or the word cool was considered chic among black people in the United States back in the 1970s but was considered a lower class expression in the mainstream society. I have read an article of a US magazine which said "cool" was among the slangs which was banned in schools back in those days. However, as the attitude of the American society changed towards black cultures the said slang became acceptable in everyday speech. 

Meaning, examples and remarks 
  • very good: excellent, all right Examples  1. Your blog is cool 2. Brandon, you are a cool guy. Remarks Cool is sometimes used when you have nothing to say or when you don't have an opinion but do not want to hurt the listener's feelings. If you want to show that you are sincere you should instead say "Your blog is awesome!!" and "Brandon you are an awesome guy!!" 
  • fashionable, chic Examples1. Your hair style is cool  2. iPhone is cool.
我相信我的网友最常用之俚语是 "It's cool" ,在互联网交谈这没有什么不妥,但不要过度使用。最重要的是不要在考试或面试使用。让我解释。

背景

"这很酷"这俚语在20世纪70年代美国黑人社会很流行,但在主流社会却认为是低下阶级用语,我看过美国一本杂志写当时一般学校不准学生用酷这字,随着美国社会对黑人态度改变,这俚语也为人接受。

解析、例子和备注
  • 非常好,很好,可以 例子 1. 您的博客真酷 2。布兰登,你是一个很酷的家伙。备注  酷在可以用于你想不到话说,没有意见但并不想伤害对方时作出敷衍回答。如果你想认真的话,你应说 “您的博客真棒!” 和“布兰登。你是一个真棒家伙!“
  • 款式新颖,别致  例子 1。你的发型很酷  2 iPhone很酷。
 
Picture
The slang I want to discuss today is "Double Whammy", which has the exact meaning of 賠了夫人又折兵. I have put the below post up at my Wordpress blog intended for foreigners. My friends if I got the background of the Chinese proverb wrong, please let me know.

This proverb was originated from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms  三国演义 written by Luo Guanzhong 罗贯中 in the 14th century, which is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of China, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280.

It is acclaimed as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, with a grand total of 800,000 words, nearly a thousand characters, most of them historical, in 120 chapters.

Background

The background of this proverb is rather complicated which involves one chapter of the novel. In a nutshell, the person at the centre stage was Liu Bei  刘备, a governor of one of the provinces of China at the late Eastern Han Dynasty. On the other side was Sun Quan 孙权, who had an uneasy alliance with Liu. Sun enticed Liu to marry his sister intending to kill Liu at his territory. However, that did not work. Liu married Sun’s sister and decided to flee without letting Sun know. Sun sent an army to chase the couples, who were saved by boats waiting for them at the shore. Just as the boats were sailing away, the general of the army overhead from the boat these words “賠了夫人又折兵” which literally means losing the wife (although it was Sun’s sister) and the army returned empty handed. However, it is commonly accepted as meaning “losing your wife and the army”

Meaning

A double whammy. Making double losses in a deal or losing on both sides of it.

Examples

  • The alleged extra-marital affair of world's number one golfer, Tiger Woods, is likely to cause him to lose his wife and on top of that millions of dollars of commercial endorsements.
  • A woman gave her first love to a man and loaned him money and got dumped by him, or vice versa
 
Picture
n a classic example of a case in which someone might throw good money after bad, a company might invest in a major software upgrade, and learn that the software didn't meet its needs. To resolve the situation, the company would continue spending money on the software in an attempt to upgrade it and make it functional. Critics might argue that this money is wasted, and it would be better to start all over again with a fresh software system. The temptation to throw good money after bad can be considerable, especially when someone has invested a lot of time and money in something. It can be disheartening to be told that your money has been wasted, and it would be better to simply forget about it and move on. When people have invested the bulk of their money in a useless venture, throwing good money after bad can be catastrophic, as one will lose the typically borrowed funding used to prop the scheme up as well as the initial outlay. This can mean that someone ends up worse-off than he or she started. This term references the closely related idea of throwing money at something to fix a problem. While substantial applications of funds can indeed resolve some situations, money is not a panacea. Attempting to use money to fix a bad outcome sometimes ends up with a situation in which people throw good money after bad, not realizing that they are taking the wrong approach. 

 这是生意人常遇到的问题,己经放了一笔资本但生意不好,是否再放资金继续下去。去年美国大财务机构出现财政问题时国家是否出钱拯救,当时有人提出反对,并引用这谚语。你有没有遇到相似问题呢?

 
Picture
The phrase "with flying colours" is said be originated from military. It was the practice of a victorious fleet sailing into port with flags flying from the mastheads. To come through with flying colours is to successfully achieve a difficult objective, such as passing an exam with distinction.  I wish all my friends, who are soon taking their examinations, "to pass the exam with flying colours".

以上短语 "pass with flying colours"  源于军事惯例,一支胜利海军舰队驶进港口在桅杆悬挂飘扬色彩缤纷旗帜。这短语用以赞美一个人经过艰辛取得优秀成绩,让我在此祝福我的读书朋友考试 "to pass the exam with flying colours" 。
 
Picture
As you all know Hong Kong is known to the world as a shopping paradise. There is a street in HK known as Canton Street, which got world renowned high fashion shops lining up both sides of the street. I took the above picture, which is part of that street. I think my friends, particularly the ladies, would recognise the three famous brands, namely, Hermes, Salvatore Ferragamo and Gucci. This reminds me of the subject slang "Shop (un)till you drop". Generally, it refers to a person going on a shopping spree (from shops to shops in a short period of time) until he or she collapses due to fatigue. Another version is that it means a person going on shopping until he or she drops dead.

众所周知香港是一个购物天堂,外国游客很多时到来都说出这俚语"Shop (un)till you drop", 意思是指购物到腿软跌低或购物到至死为止。