汉译英难点详解500例（3）：脾气和性格

1. 偷懒耍滑头 goof-off

小王总是偷懒耍滑头。上班时不是去打电话就是跑到医务室去看病。
XiaoWang’s always goofing-off--either making phone calls or going to the clinic to see doctors during office hours.

2. 大动肝火 be up in arms

由于公司最近几个月销售业绩不佳，老板正在大动肝火。
The boss is up in arms about the company’s poor sales record in the past few months.

3. 保持冷静 keep cool

即使在十分气愤的情况下她也能保持冷静。
She can keep cool even under heavy pressure of anger.

4. 说话兜圈子 beat about the bush

5. 心怀叵测 have an ax to grind

她总是心怀叵测，对她说的话你得多留神。
She always has an ax to grind. You should take whatever she says with a pinch of salt.

6. 心数不正 not have one’s heart in the right place

他的心数不正，动不动就在别人的背后捅刀子。
He doesn’t have his heart in the right place. He would find every opportunity to stab in the back of others.

7. 背后捅刀子 stab in the back

我万万没想到张某会在背后捅我一刀。我过去太信任她了。
I was taken aback and didn’t think Zhang would stab me in the back. I placed too much trust in her.

8. 说某人的坏话 badmouth somebody

我从来没说过任何人的坏话。
I’ve never badmouthed anyone.

9. 傻笑 grin like a Cheshire cat

她真是个傻帽，时常无缘无故的就傻笑起来。
She’s a real nitwit. She would now and then burst out grinning like a Cheshire car for no reason at all. (Cheshire是英国的郡名：柴郡。据说此地有一种猫，常常会无缘无故地咧开嘴对主人笑。后来人们便以此来形容傻笑地的人)

10．厚着脸皮去干 have the gall to do

你怎么能厚着脸皮去抱怨说别人不勤快？
How can you have the gall to complaint about other people’s being lazy?

11. 大献殷勤 dance attendance

小李在老板面前可会献殷勤了。
Xiao li is so good at dancing attendance on her boss.

12. 血口喷人 smite with the tongue

千万别得罪她，她经常血口喷人。
Take care not to offend her. She always smites with the tongue.

13. 假惺惺的说 speak with one’s tongue in one’s cheek

我特别讨厌她。她说话总是假惺惺地。
I feel sick of her. She always speaks with her tongue in her cheek.

14. 这山望着那山高 The grass is always greener on the other hill.

人都是这山望着那山高，对自己的状况没有满意的时候。
Almost all people see that the grass is greener on the other hill. They never feel satisfied with what they’ve already got.

15. 上瘾 get into one’s blood

说来也怪，很多不好的事往往会使人上瘾。
It’s astoundingly funny that many harmful things usually get into our blood.

16. 特别爱生气 be quick to take offense

17. 发牢骚 beef

他坐在那里什么事也不干，总是发牢骚，真烦死人。
I’m really bored stiff with his sitting there doing nothing but beefing.

18. 等不及了 champ at the bit

咱们快点吧，孩子们都等不及了。
Let’s shake the leg. The kids are champing at the bit.

19. 点头哈腰 bow and scrape

从她在老板前点头哈腰地那个模样，你就知道她是个什么人了。
From the way she’s bowing and scraping in front of the boss, you’ll know what sort of person she is.

20.疯疯癫癫 go gaga

对他的话不要太在意了，他总是疯疯癫癫的。
Don’t take what he says so seriously. He’s always going gaga.

21.说话不算数 go back on one’s words

他那个人说话从不算数,我们可不能依靠他。
We cannot account on him. He always goes back on his words.

22. 废话连篇 beat one’s gums

谁喜欢坐在那里听你的废话连篇？
Who would enjoy sitting there listening to your beating your gums?

23. 恩将仇报 bite the hand that feeds one

你难道不知道她是个恩将仇报的人？
Don’t you know she’s the one that would bite the hand that feeds her?

24. 不忍心 not have the heart to do

如果我是你，我可不忍心把孩子们就在家里没人照看。
If I were you, I wouldn’t have the heart tot leave the kids at home uncared for.

25. 勤快 an eager beaver

他特别勤快，从来没有闲着的时候。
He’s an eager beaver, never staying idle.