再不學點與馬相關的口語 馬年都走了
Apart from dogs, the British love horses so it’s no surprise that there are so many idioms associated to this majestic animAl.
除了狗，英國人還喜歡馬。所以英語裏有很多和馬相關的習語。
I’ve decided to concentrate on those idioms that are also used in a business context.
這些習語在商業背景下同樣適用。
1. A Dark Horse (British) – someone who doesn’t reveal their hidden talents and surprises people when they discover them
1. A Dark Horse（英式英語）——黑馬，隱藏的才能被發現後讓人們大吃一驚的人
Jean is a dark horse, isn’t she? All these Months we thought she was quietly working in the back office when in actual fact she was writing a bestselling novel.
瓊真是匹黑馬，不是嗎？這幾個月我們以爲她在辦公室裏安靜地工作，事實上她在寫一部暢銷小說。
2. Closing the Stable Door After the Horse Has Bolted (Escaped) - Trying to stop something bad from happening when it has already happened and cannot be changed
2. Closing the Stable Door After the Horse Has Bolted (Escaped)——想要阻止壞事發生，但已經太遲了
Introducing tighter security measures after the break in seems to me like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
在被破門而入之後再引進更牢固的安全措施，在我看來爲時已晚。
3. To Drive a Coach and Horses Through Something – to expose the weak points or gaps in an argument
3. To Drive a Coach and Horses Through Something——在爭議中暴露弱點或漏洞
The CFO drove a coach and horses through the company’s plans for expansion.
首席財務官暴露了公司擴張計劃中的弱點。
4. To Beat (also to flog) a Dead Horse – to waste time doing something that has already been done
4. To Beat (also to flog) a Dead Horse——在已經發生的事上浪費時間
Do you think It’s worth me writing to a few more recruitment agencies, or am I just beating a dead horse?
你覺得我再給一些招聘公司寫信值不值？還是我只是在浪費時間？
5. To Get off Your High Horse - to stop acting as if you are better or more intelligent than other people
5. To Get off Your High Horse——不再表現得像是你比別人更好、更聰明
“If you would get off your high horse for one minute and listen to your colleagues, you would find that they have some great ideas for this project”.
“如果你能有一會放下架子，聽聽同事的意見，你會發現他們對於這個項目有這非常出色的想法。”
6. Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse (Proverb) – Do not do things in the wrong order. It implies that someone is impatient.
6. Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse —不要本末倒置，做事順序不要顛倒。暗指某人不耐煩。There’s no point trying to write the report when you haven’t got a clear idea of what to write. You don’t want to put the cart before the horse.
在你還沒有清晰的想法之前就去寫報告是沒有意義的。你不會想要本末倒置的。
7. To Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth (Usually with a negative) – to be ungrateful to someone who gives you something
7. To Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth（通常用否定形式）——對別人給你的東西挑三揀四
“I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I would accept that promotion”.
“我不會吹毛求疵的。我會接受升職。”
8. Horses for Courses – something you say to mean that it is important to choose the right people with the suitable skills to do a chosen activity
8. Horses for Courses——意思是挑選有匹配才幹的合適人選做特定的活動十分重要
“Ah well, it’s horses for courses. Just because he is an IT expert doesn’t mean that he is an expert in everything to do with computers”.
“好吧，術業有專攻。他是IT專家不能說明他在和電腦有關的所有領域裏都是專家。”
9. To Get It Straight From the Horse’s Mouth – to get information directly from the original source
9. To Get It Straight From the Horse’s Mouth——從信息源直接得到信息,一手信息
Keith: “Where did you hear about the takeover?” Peter: “I got it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
基斯：“你從哪裏聽說收購這件事的？”彼得：“我親耳聽見的。”
10. To Back the Wrong Horse - to support someone or something that cannot win or succeed
10. To Back the Wrong Horse——站錯隊，支持了不可能成功的人或事
Oh well, I guess we should have known that this marketing campaign wouldn’t work. We just backed the wrong horse this time.
哦，我們本來應該明白這次市場活動不會成功的。我們只是失策了。
