Session V: Clothes Make the Man(and Women)(人靠衣装）

1. Dress to Kill = wear one's finest clothing

衣服漂亮得电死人。

范例短文:

The reception for the new Swedish ambassador at the Jennison's was quite lavish¹. Naturally, everybody was dressed to kill. Since it was a formal occasion, everyone was dressed in their finiest, most elegant clothes.

2. Knock Someone's Socks Off = enthuse and excite

让人兴奋得连袜子都掉了。

范例对话:

A:Hi, John. What's new?

B: Oh, nothing too much with me, but you ought to see Alfredo's new car. It'll knock your socks off!

A: So, he finally got that Italian sports car he's been dreaming about.

B: He sure did! When you see all the custom features that it has, you'll get so enthused and excited you won't know what to do!

A: Boy, I can hardly wait to go for a ride in it!

3. Lose One's Shirt = lose a great deal of money

连衬衫都输掉了，表示输了很多钱。

范例对话:

A: I happened to bump into Doug at lunch yesterday afternoon.

B: What's new with Doug these days?

A: He wasn't doing so well. For one thing, he told me he lost his shirt at the races.

B: Doug has always liked to bet on the horses. I'm not surprised that he lost a great deal of money.

A: Yeah. At this rate he'll never have a penny to his name!

4. Wet Blanket = dull or boring person who spoils the happiness of others

盖湿毯子当然不舒服，象湿毯子一样的人，一定是令人厌烦、倒人胃口的人。

范例短文:

James was not invited to go on the outing with the rest of the group because he's such a web blanket. On many previous occasions he has kept others from enjoying themselves by his pessimism² and lack of enthusiasm. It's understandable that no one wants him around.

5. Dress to the Teeth = dressed elegantly

跟中国成语武装到牙齿有异曲同工之妙，表示某人费尽心机着装打扮。

范例对话:

A: Did you see Hilda at the party last night?

B: Yes, I did. She was really dressed to the teeth!

A: Well, she had on her finest, most elegant clothing because she was out to make a good impression on Bill.