英语口语练习小对话 第186期:提心吊胆

迷你对话：

A: I don’t dare to look after the children now.

我现在不敢照看小孩了。

B: Why?

为什么？

A: The children always make themselves in danger. I always have my heart in my mouth with them.

孩子们总是把自己处于危险之中，和他们在一起，我总是提心吊胆的。

B: It is because your children have grown up, and you haven’t lived with a child for a long time.

也许因为你的孩子长大了，你很长时间没有和小孩一起生活了吧。

地道表达：

have one’s heart in one’s mouth

解词释义：

从字面意思来看，该习语的意思是“把某人的心放到嘴巴里”，与汉语中的“心都提起来了”类似，由此转义为“提心吊胆”。

支持范例：

Eg. I would have my heart in my mouth for I don’t know what you might be going to recommend next.

我会时时刻刻提心吊胆，不知你还要提出一些什么别的。

Eg. The possibility of losing her job made her have her heart in her mouth last year.

去年她一直提心吊胆生怕失去工作.

Eg. A wrongdoer has his heart in his mouth by fear of discovery.

作恶者常提心吊胆,怕被别人发觉。

Eg. We have our hearts in our mouths to be being under a momentary attack.

我们为随时可能遭到攻击而提心吊胆。

词海拾贝：

1. look after：照看，看管

Eg. Can you take and look after the children for a few days?

你能把小孩带去照顾几天吗?

Eg. Idiots and other incompetents need someone to look after them.

白痴和其他弱智者需人照料他们。

2. in danger：出于危险

Eg. When the dyke was in danger, the whole village rushed out to repair it.

河堤出险，全村的人都赶去抢修。

Eg. You promise me that you will be the person who yells out when you see the marriage is in danger.

你要答应我，当你发现婚姻陷入危机时你要大声说出来。

3. grow up：长大

Eg. Children must be educated to serve their country when they grow up.

必须教育孩子长大后为国家服务。

Eg. I like to muse about what I will do when I grow up.

我喜欢仔细思考长大后做什么。