借動物來表達的習語

（澳洲生活網）

1. Have kittens 極度的緊張或不安

Sweet, cuddly, cute: what』s not to love about kittens, the most watched animals on the Internet? But giving birth to them might be a different experience altogether. Apparently, back in medieval times, a woman who suffered pains during pregnancy would often be advised by the local witch that she was, to her misfortune, carrying kittens, and that the only remedy was a magic potion to destroy the unhappy litter.

作為在互聯網上最受關注的動物，小貓甜美而惹人喜愛。但生下它們的過程可能是一個完全不同的體驗。顯然，中世紀時期，一個在懷孕期間遭受痛苦的女人常常被當地的女巫建議，她很不幸地懷著小貓，唯一的補救方法是喝下魔法藥水摧毀，來摧毀腹中的胎兒。

例句：

『Have you got that report ready yet? The boss is having kittens!』

你的報告準備好了么？老闆非常緊張。

『We』re so late – my mum will be having kittens.』

我們遲到了，我媽媽一定心煩意亂。

2. All dressed up like a dog』s dinner 穿著特別或招搖的衣服

The Brits love their dogs – they』re the most popular pet in the UK. Dogs』 dinners, however, are not usually very appealing at all – in fact, the expression a dog』s dinner on its own also means a mess.

英國人愛狗，狗是英國最受歡迎的動物。但事實上，狗的晚餐卻並不吸引人，a dog』s dinner （狗的晚餐）這樣的表達，本身的含義確實是負面的。

例如：

『Where are you off to then, all dressed up like a dog』s dinner?』

你之後要去哪裡，穿得這麼招搖？

3. A cold fish 冷漠的人

Dictionary definition: a + adjective + fish: a person who is strange in a specified way. Although in theory any adjective can be put before fish, cold is by far the most common one.

字典定義：a+形容詞+fish：某人在某方面較為特別。儘管在理論上其他形容詞同樣可以放在fish前，但cold是目前最為常用的詞。

If you』re a cold fish, you』re unemotional, and perhaps even unfriendly. To sound even more British, add a bit of:

如果你被叫做「cold fish」，你是有較少感情波動的、甚至是不友好的。為了聽起來更英式化，也會在之前添加「a bit of」

例如：

『I tried talking to Rachel at the party, but she』s a bit of a cold fish.』

在派對上我試圖和瑞秋說話，但她有些冷漠。

『What did you think of him?』 – 『Bit of a cold fish, wasn』t he?』

「你認為他怎麼樣？」 「有一些冷漠，不是嗎？」

4. Like a bear with a sore head 形容人易怒

Brown bears have been extinct in Britain for over a thousand years, but, like wolves, they have left their mark in our fairy tales: it seems wise to stay well away from one of the most dangerous animals in the world.

棕熊在英國已經滅絕了一千多年，但是，像狼一樣，它們在傳說故事中已經留下了印記：遠離這種世界上最危險的動物才是明智的舉動。

If you』re a like a bear with a sore head, you』re in a very bad mood. Interestingly, this phrase is more often used to describe men than women.

如果你是「like a bear with a sore head」，代表你心情很糟糕。有趣的是，這個短語更多地用來形容男性，而不是女性。

例如：

『I don』t know what』s up with Mike – he』s like a bear with a sore head today!』

「我不知道邁克發生了什麼？他今天看起來心情很糟！」

『He』s like a bear with a sore head if he doesn』t get his cup of tea in the morning.』

「如果他在早上沒有喝一杯茶的話，就會心情煩躁。」

5. Not give a monkey』s 冷漠或不關心

Monkeys are often associated with mischief and defiance in English: maybe your little brother is monkey around, or your friend』s a bit of a cheeky monkey. This euphemism – there』s some debate over what the original missing word was (a monkey』s what?) – captures both those characteristics.

Monkey（猴子）在英語中經常和惡作劇以及蔑視相關：也許你的小弟弟正在胡鬧，也許你的朋友有點厚顏無恥。這種委婉語都是抓住了這些特徵。對於原始辭彙a monkey』s 後面究竟是什麼辭彙，也存在一些爭論。

例如：

『I don』t give a monkey』s what he thinks – I』m not doing it.』

「對於他怎麼想我並不在意，我並沒有那樣做。」

6. Like a rat up a drainpipe 形容快速且急切

If you move like a rat up a drainpipe, you move extremely fast.

如果你的行動like a rat up a drainpipe，表示你移動速度很快。

Pity the poor rat – a shrewd but shunned animal in Britain, where it』s often said that 『you』re never more than six foot away from』 one. Rats are known to be able to squeeze through the tiniest of openings and are often found in sewers, so this expression is, as the Brits would say, spot on.

可憐的老鼠值得同情——老鼠是一種精明但人類極力躲開的動物，但在英國人們常說，「你距離一個老鼠的距離不會超過六英尺」。老鼠因為能夠擠過狹小開口，並經常在下水道中被發現，而被人類熟知。所以，這個表達在英國較為流行，英國人常會使用。

例如：

『Where did Steve go?』 – 『I don』t know – he just took off like a rat up a drainpipe.』

史蒂夫要去哪裡？- 我不知道，他只是離開得很匆忙。

7. Be up with the lark 很早起床

The lark has a special place in British wildlife – its silvery song inspired the piece that, according one recent poll, has become the country』s favourite piece of classical music. We have long associated the lark with daybreak, even before Shakespeare wrote the lark, the herald of the morn: a person who gets up early is known as a lark, as opposed to an owl who prefers to stay up late.

百靈鳥在英國野生動物有特別的位置——它銀鈴般的歌聲啟發了一支樂章的譜曲，並且這首樂章在最近的投票中，當選英國民眾最受歡迎的古典音樂。在莎士比亞寫雲雀之前，我們便一直將百靈鳥與黎明聯繫在一起，百靈鳥代表著早晨起床很早的人，相反，貓頭鷹更常用來代表熬夜的人。

例如：

『We were up with the lark this morning because we had a plane to catch.』

「我們今天很早起床，因為要趕一趟航班。」

『On Christmas Day, my sister and I would always be up with the lark.』

「在聖誕節，我和姐姐總是起得很早。」

8. The lion』s share 事物中最大的一部分

The lion has been a symbol of England for more than nine hundred years, and traditionally represents bravery and strength. We see the shadow side of these qualities, however, in Aesop』s fable of this name, which tells the story of a lion, a fox, a jackal, and a wolf who go out hunting together. After dividing their prey into four equal parts, the lion claims all the spoils for himself.

九百多年來，獅子一直是英國的象徵，傳統意義上代表勇氣和力量。然而，我們總是看到這些品質的陰暗面，伊索寓言中，講述了一隻獅子、一隻狐狸、豺和狼一起打獵的故事。它們之後將獵物分成四個相等的部分，但獅子佔有了所有的戰利品。

The British expression used today has a slightly different meaning: if you get the lion』s share of something, you get most of it (rather than all of it).

但今天使用的英式表達中，含義有輕微的不同：如果你「get the lion』s share of something」，表示你獲得了某事物的絕大部分（而不是所有）。

例如：

『Well, I think you got the lion』s share of the cake there, Pete!』

「好吧，我認為你得到了蛋糕的絕大部分，彼得！」

『She』ll get the lion』s share of the payout – the rest of the money will go to charity.』

「她將獲取支出中的絕大部分，剩下的將捐給慈善機構。」

來源：網路