BBC地道英语:To know your onions 精通某事

Rob: Hello. Now come on Li, concentrate, I need you to help me finish this quiz in the newspaper. If I get all the questions right, I might win a holiday.

Li: Oh right. 我最喜欢测验了，特别是可以获奖的竞猜! OK Rob, no problem, what's the next question?

Rob: Ok, right. Well is says here: what is the capital city of Chile?

Li: Easy. Santiago.

Rob: Good. Next, what is the name of the world's largest ocean?

Li: The Pacific – of course!

Rob: Wow, you're good Li. You really know your onions.

Li: 什么我知道我的洋葱？ Was there a question about onions?!

Rob: No Li!

Do you know your onions?

Li: Good, because that is one thing I don't know anything about –洋葱 onions – except that they make me cry.

Rob: Don't cry Li. It's a compliment. If someone says you know your onions, it means you are experienced in something or you know a lot about a particular subject. So it means you're clever!

Li: Oh really?! 这么说 '知道自己的洋葱'是个食品成语，意思是对什么事情或专业很精通、很懂行. But why 'onions'?

Rob: Well, it is a strange term, isn't it, and some people say it comes from a man called S.G. Onions, who made fake coins to help teach children about money. So if they learnt about money they would know their onions.

Li: I see. 这个成语的出处大概是一个人的名字。一个叫洋葱的人利用假洋葱来教授孩子们如何理财。 But now we just use it as a silly expression.

Rob: Yes we do, a bit like this…

Li: 现在非常清楚了 to know your onions 这个短语的意思就是精通某事。Well, that describes me very well then!

Rob: Hmm. Now another way of saying it is that you really know your stuff.

Li: Stuff 东西。你也可以用 'You really know your stuff' 来代替，意思就是你的确对这件事很精通. Like this…

Rob: Well, knowing your onions, or knowing your stuff, is very useful when you're doing a quiz like this. Here's another question Li. Complete the name of this flavour of crisp… 'Cheese and something'?

Li: Oh, that's tricky… cheese and ham? Cheese and apple? 正确的答案是什么来着？土豆片的味道是五花八门的 cheese 和…和…? I've got it! It's cheese and onion crisps. 没错就是奶酪和洋葱味的土豆片!

Rob: Brilliant Li. You really do know your onions. And now I might win a holiday.

Li: That's great but who are you going to take with you?

Rob: Probably my girlfriend.

Li: Oh right. I didn't want to go with you anyway – you have got onion breath!

Rob: Oh dear. Join us again soon for another Authentic Real English.

Li: Bye!