VOA朗讀: Words and Their Stories: The Answer Is as Clear as the No

 

A person’s nose is important for breathing and smelling. The nose is also used in many popular expressions.

Some people are able to lead other people by the nose. For example, if a wife leads her husband by the nose, she makes him do whatever she wants him to do.

Some people are said to be hard-nosed. They will not change their opinions or positions on anything. If someone is hard-nosed, chances are he will never pay through the nose, or pay too much money, for an object or service.

It is always helpful when people keep their nose out of other people’s business. They do not interfere. The opposite of this is someone who noses around all the time. This kind of person is interested in other people’s private matters. He is considered nosey.

Someone who keeps his nose to the grindstone works very hard. This can help a worker keep his nose clean or stay out of trouble.

One unusual expression is that is no skin off my nose. This means that a situation does not affect or concern me. We also say that sometimes a person cuts off his nose to spite his face. That is, he makes a situation worse for himself by doing something foolish because he is angry.

More problems can develop if a person looks down his nose at someone or something. The person acts like something is unimportant or worthless. This person might also turn up his nose at something that he considers not good enough. This person thinks he is better than everyone else. He has his nose in the air.

In school, some students thumb their nose at their teacher.  They refuse to obey orders or do any work. Maybe these students do not know the correct answers. My mother always told me, if you study hard, the answers should be right under your nose or easily seen.

I think we have explained the nose expressions. What about ears? Well, I hope you are all ears or very interested in hearing more expressions. We might even put a bug in your ear or give you an idea about something. We also advise you to keep your ear to the ground. This means to be interested in what is happening around you and what people are thinking.

If you are a good person, you will lend an ear to your friends. You will listen to them when they have a problem they need to talk about. Our last expression is to play it by ear. This has two meanings. One is to play a song on a musical instrument by remembering the tune and not by reading the music. Play it by ear also means to decide what to do at the last minute instead of making detailed plans.

詞語解釋:
1. lead by the nose 牽著鼻子走

eg: Don’t let anyone lead you by the nose, use your own judgment and do the right thing. 不要讓人牽著鼻子走,自己有點主見,做該做的事情。

2. hard-nosed adj.頑強的,不屈不撓的,不講情麵的

3. pay through the nose

按字麵解釋,pay through the nose就是通過鼻子來付錢,這聽起來似乎很痛苦,而實際上,pay through the nose的確切意思是付出比真正的價值高得多的錢,也可以說是付出的錢實在太多而讓人感到心痛。eg: My brother Bob borrowed the money to open his restaurant five years ago when the interest rate was very high, so he’s been paying through the nose ever since.我哥哥鮑伯五年前借錢開飯館的時候正好利率非常高,所以,他從那時起就一直在大筆大筆地還債。

4. keep one’s nose out of sth 避免插手(他人的事),盡量不卷入

eg: When Billy asked his sister where she was going, she told him to keep his nose out of her business. 當比利問他姐姐要去哪裏時,她讓他別管她的事。

5. nose around / about  找尋,打聽(別人的事)

eg: We found a man nosing around in our backyard.我們發現有個人在我們後院裏找什麽東西。

6. nosy adj.好管閑事的,愛打聽的

eg: Don’t be so nosy —it’s none of your business.別管那麽多閑事——這與你無關。

7. keep one’s nose to the grindstone連續辛勤地工作

grindstone是"磨刀石"的意思。這個表達很形象,按字麵意思來看,是說鼻子對著磨刀石。想象一下一個人低著頭磨刀的樣子,的確給人一種埋頭苦幹的直觀印象啊。而且這個短語用動詞keep表達一種持續的狀態,把"埋頭"的意思更生動地表達了出來。eg: These years those who’re keeping their nose to the grindstone can’t make bundles. 這年頭,隻會埋頭苦幹的人是掙不了什麽大錢的。

8. keep one’s nose clean 循規蹈矩,不做違法的事

eg: Since leaving prison, he’s man-aged to keep his nose clean. 自從出獄以來,他盡量做到規規矩矩。

9. no skin of my nose不關我的事

   字麵意思是:沒有我鼻子上的皮。乍聽起來讓人有些摸不著頭腦,這一俗語的實際意思是:……與我無關,我不在乎。eg: Hey, it’s no skin of my nose if Susie’s going out now with that guy! I don’t  care what she does —I broke up with her a month ago, when I met Helen.

10. cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face (惱怒之下)傷人害己,損人不利己

eg: If you resign to inconvenience your boss, you are cutting off your nose to spite your face. 如果你辭職就是為了給你的老板找麻煩的話,那就是吃砒霜藥老虎,傷人害己了。

據說,明代才子解縉幼年家住曹尚書府第竹園對麵,在家門上貼了一副對聯:"門對千竿竹,家藏萬卷書。"曹尚書不忿自己的園景給他借用,於是叫人把竹砍短,最後索性全部砍去。解縉見了,隨即把對聯改為"門對千竿竹短無,家藏萬卷書長有"。曹尚書不但沒有難倒解縉,而且空自毀了自家的竹林,用英文來形容就是cut off one’s ，nose to spite one’s face。

11. look down one’s nose at 對……不屑一顧,蔑視

eg: Harry has never had to work, and he looks down his nose at people in business. 哈裏從不需要上班,他也看不起上班的人。

12. turn up one’s nose at看不上,覺得不屑於(要、吃、做等)

eg: When I gave her the present, she turned up her nose at it.當我把禮物給她時,她很不屑。

13. have one’s nose in the air 非常傲慢,自高自大

14. play it by ear。這個短語有兩個意思。一個是用樂器演奏音樂時通過記憶，而不是通過讀譜。play it by ear還有一個意思是，隨機應變，而不是做出詳細的計劃。

15. right under your nose 答案非常明顯