VOA慢速英语:Don't Get Caught With Your Pants Down

Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s see if I can name a few off the cuff, or without any preparation.
你是否有对与衣服相关的所有英语词汇进行过深思熟虑呢？让我们看看我是否能够即兴(off the cuff),即是没有准备的情况下的说出一些来。

People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are restless or nervous have ants in their pants. They might also fly by the seat of their pants. They use their natural sense to do something instead of their learned knowledge. Sometimes, people may get caught with their pants down.  They are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say she wears the pants in the family.
人们穿裤子是为了遮盖下身。我们有时会说不安或紧张的人是ants in their pants。他们也可能是fly by the seat of their pants。就是说他们做事情靠的是直觉而不是所学的知识。有时，人们可能会caught with their pants down，就是他们正在做一些他们本不应该做的事情。而且，在每个家庭里，都有会一个人当家作主。有时妻子会告诉丈夫该做什么。那么我们就会说，她是当家的（wears the pants in the family）。

Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants.  If you have less money than usual, you may have to tighten your belt. You may have to live on less money and spend your money carefully. But once you have succeeded in budgeting your money, you will have that skill under your belt.
裤子通常有口袋来装东西。花钱快的人就是袋里留不住钱（burn a hole in your pocket）。有时你需要一条皮带绑住裤子。如果你手头的钱比平时少，你可能不得不勒紧裤腰带（tighten your belt），你可能不得不用较少的钱来生活，并且花钱也要慎重。但是一旦你成功地对钱做好预算，你就牢固的（under your belt)掌握了这种技能。

I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat – immediately, without waiting. And sadly, you cannot pull money out of a hat. You cannot get money by inventing or imagining it.
我总是赞美那些节俭、不铺张浪费的人。我非常佩服(take my hat off)他们。然而，当谈到自己的钱，我总是马上（at the drop of a hat—立即，不等待）花光。而可悲的是，你不能从帽子里拿出钱来（pull money out of a hat），就是说你像变戏法一样变出钱来。

Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people. I really do. You can bet your boots on that. Yet, truly important people are hard to replace. Rarely can you fill their shoes or replace them with someone equally effective.
靴子是一种沉重坚固的鞋。自命不凡（too big for their boots）的人把自己想得比实际更重要。我不喜欢这样的人，真的。对此你可以深信不疑（赌上你的靴子，即深信不疑）。然而，真正重要的人是难以替代的。你很少能替代他们(fill their shoes) 或者说用同样有用的人来取代他们。

My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too firm and severe. They think he is a real stuffed shirt. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve. He shows his feelings openly. And, he knows how to keep his shirt on. He stays calm and never gets angry or too excited.
我的父亲是一个重要的人。他经营一家大公司。他总穿西装打领带，袖子及臂。有些不太了解他的人认为他太固执和严厉。他们认为他爱摆架子（a real stuffed shirt）。但我知道我的父亲十分直爽坦率（wears his heart on his sleeve），他公开表明他的感受。而且，他知道如何他保持冷静（keep his shirt on），他总是保持冷静并且永远不会生气或太激动。

Also, my father has never lost his shirt in a business deal. He is too smart to lose all or most of his money. This is because my father rolls up his sleeves and prepares to work hard. He often has a special plan or answer to a problem that he can use if he needs it. He is like a person who does magic tricks. We say he has a card up his sleeve.
另外，我的父亲在生意上从未亏个精光（lost his shirt）。他很聪明，不会失去他全部或大部分资金。这是因为我父亲总是卷起袖子准备工作。他常常会有特殊的计划或解决某个问题所需的方案，以备不时只需。他就像一个魔术师。我们说他有锦囊妙计（a card up his sleeve） 。

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