知识加油站－词汇天地

lspjy

141forelock







tug your forelock
touch your forelock
In British English, if you think that someone is showing an excessive amount of respect to another person and making themselves seem very humble and inferior, you can say that they are tugging their forelock or touching their forelock in order to express your criticism of their behaviour.

Last night the Prime Minister accused Labour of being prepared to tug his forelock to Brussels over whether Britain should join a single European currency.

These are the same old fogeys who their lids tug the forelock to the British establishment.

A lot of people seem to think we're supposed to go round touching our forelock and scraping our heads against the floor. We're not.

You can refer to this kind of behaviour as forelock-tugging or forelock-touching.

The idea of forelock-tugging is totally alien to us, as is the idea that some people can be bred to rule.

lspjy

142midstream







change horses in midstream
switch horses in midstream
If someone who is involved in an activity changes horses in midstream or switches horses in midstream, they stop using one method or thing and start using another one, or they stop supporting one person and start supporting someone else. These expressions are often used to advise someone against doing one of these things.

Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady wrote a letter to Riegle in support of Clarke saying, in essence, this was no time to switch horses in midstream.

I think we were very wise not to change horses in mid-stream.

You can just say that someone changes horses or switches horses.

When Mr Poloskov failed to beat Mr Yeltsin, the Communist leadership plainly decided to switch horses again. Mr Poloskov withdrew and Mr Vlasov announced that he would, after all, stand against Mr Yeltsin.

Sometimes people replace `horses' with another noun.

It would be stupid for Zambians to change their oxen in midstream.

They haven't hesitated to change the rules in midstream in order to try to thwart .

lspjy

143least







least said, soonest mended   
If someone says `least said, soonest mended', they mean that it is a good idea to say very little, because you might upset someone or make a situation worse if you say too much. This is an old-fashioned expression, which is used in British English.

`Say nothing. It's the only thing they can't hold against you.' `Least said, soonest mended is what I always say,' nodded another. `Especially in court.'

lspjy

144skid







skid row   
You say that someone is on skid row when they have lost everything in their life, for example because they have become alcoholic or gone bankrupt.

The first pint of bitter at the village pub gives no indication that the drinker or may have taken his first steps on the way to Skid Row.

Business is very tough right now, so if it wasn't for all my Sutherlands and I would be on skid row.

lspjy

145wicket







on a sticky wicket
bat on a sticky wicket
If you say that someone is on a sticky wicket or is batting on a sticky wicket, you mean that they are in a difficult situation, and they will find it hard to deal with their problems. These expressions are used in British English.

It seemed to me that we were on rather a sticky wicket. We couldn't admit that we had got the figures without provoking a major explosion and the certain sacking of Mary Waller.

Mr is batting on a very sticky wicket indeed. Should he succeed in proving his outrageous claims, he got his leg over the Saintly he would lay himself open to a charge of treason.

You can refer to a difficult situation as a sticky wicket.

Well, that's a really sticky wicket. As you know, the United Nations will be meeting again on that question later today.

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146works







in the works
If something is in the works, it is being planned or is in progress. This expression is used mainly in American English. In the pipeline means the same.

The Office of Development for the city says that a shopping center is in the works.

He said there were dozens of economic plans in the works.

He had a documentary film in the works.

the works
the whole works
When you are describing something, you can mention a number of things and then say the works or the whole works to refer to many other things of the same kind or to refer to all the other things which would normally be included.

Our agents are watching all exits from New York City -- airports, train stations, bus stations, tunnels, bridges, the works.

Amazing he's got there -- squash courts, swimming pool, jacuzzi, the works.

There's a whole set of these dolls dressed like a wedding party: the bride, the groom, and the whole works!

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147action







a piece of the action
a slice of the action
If someone wants a piece of the action or a slice of the action, they want to get involved in an activity which seems exciting and likely to be very successful or profitable. `A slice of the action' is used mainly in British English.

Essentially, the information industry wants a piece of the action, the right to distribute parts of the Library's collection itself.

Within five years, every manufacturer was at it. The hatchback explosion had begun and everyone wanted a piece of the action.

Because the US airline industry is in such a poor way, it is falling over itself to get a slice of the action elsewhere.