知识加油站－词汇天地

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197practise







practise what you preach

If someone practises what they preach, they behave in the way that they encourage other people to behave.

Michael Blundell practised what he preached;

having declared himself to be a Kenyan, he was one of the first British-born residents to apply for Kenyan citizenship.

Grown-ups don't know all the answers, don't practise what they preach, and must be held re­sponsible for the poor state of society.

□People sometimes vary this expression, for example by saying that someone preaches what they practise.

   He is happy to preach what be practises.

The Bishop said the government had let the people down badly: it had preached love but practised hate.

□The verb 'practise' is spelled 'practice' in American English.

lspjy

198flat-footed







catch someone flat-footed
If someone is caught or left flat-footed, they are put at a disadvantage when something happens which they do not expect, with the result that they do not know what to do next and often look clumsy or foolish.

`The people around were caught flat-footed,' said Mr. Enko. `Nobody expected floods of such magnitude.'

which made a fortune when it bought had agreed to buy Adidas but pulled out of the deal suddenly last week leaving the French millionaire flat-footed.

flat-footed
catch someone flat-footed
If someone is caught or left flat-footed, they are put at a disadvantage when something happens which they do not expect, with the result that they do not know what to do next and often look clumsy or foolish.

`The people around were caught flat-footed,' said Mr. Enko. `Nobody expected floods of such magnitude.'

which made a fortune when it bought had agreed to buy Adidas but pulled out of the deal suddenly last week leaving the French millionaire flat-footed.

lspjy

199boys







boys will be boys

People say 'boys will be boys' when they want to excuse the noisy or rough way a boy is behaving by saying that it is normal for boys to be noisy and rough. This expression is also used to comment on similar behaviour in adult men.

'Your troubles are just beginning,' they would say, shaking their heads. 'Boys will be boys.'

The idea that 'boys wilt be boys' - so it's okay to smoke and drink too much and do dan­gerous things with little regard for personal safety - has to change if we are to see any im­provement in the death and disease statistics for men.

◇ You can talk about a boys will be boys at­titude or situation.

He is not some showbiz celebrity or soccer star whose private misdemeanours can be shrugged off with a 'boys will be boys' attitude.

one of the boys

If you describe a man as one of the boys, you mean that he is accepted as belonging to a group of men who behave in ways which are considered typically masculine. People sometimes describe a woman as being one of the boys when she behaves in a way which allows her to be accepted as part of a group of men. Compare one of the lads; see lads.

His overly enthusiastic efforts to seem just one of the boys were sometimes embarrassing.

If she played at being one of the boys she was condemned for being unwomanly. If she didn 't join in she was seen as aloof.

lspjy

200traces







kick over the traces   
If someone kicks over the traces, they pay no attention to rules and conventions and behave exactly as they want to.

had kicked over the traces when his father died, and quit going to church.

could detect the same scent of rebellion, common to students the world over, smouldering beneath the surface: the desire to kick over the traces, the refusal to accept old values without question.

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201spot







a blind spot
If you describe something as a blind spot of yours, you mean that you do not understand it or know anything about it, although you feel that perhaps you should.

Computers are a blind spot with me.

My problem is that I don't really notice advertising pages. It's always been a blind spot of mine, so I can't comment on that.

His is a world of moral peaks and troughs; he is highly moral in some areas and has complete blind spots in others.

have a soft spot for someone
If you say that you have a soft spot for someone or something, you mean that you like them or care about them a lot.

It looked to me as if he had a soft spot for Mrs Frazer and didn't like what was happening to her.

I've always had a very soft spot for hardy geraniums and although I have several dozen different varieties already, I am always delighted to try something new.

hit the spot
If you say that something hits the spot, you mean that it is very good and succeeds in pleasing people.

Les Blair's improvised drama hits the spot, with an intelligent eye for detail which provides a refreshing and relaxed portrait of the chaos of real life.

She has worked for the company for 38 years and, despite the generation gap, when she was asked what she thought, she reckoned hit the right spot perfectly.

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202spot







on the spot1
If an action is taken on the spot, it is carried out immediately.

Watch out for sales staff who say you'll get a special discount or prize if you sign on the spot.

Cissie's problem was that she had been sacked on the spot without a reference.

I was afraid they would kill me on the or very soon, but instead, to my painful relief, I realized that my imprisonment was to be a prolonged

You can also use on-the-spot before a noun.

Lady Porter, the leader of Westminster City Council, said the time had come for on-the-spot fines for litter louts.

on the spot2
Someone who is on the spot is in the place where something that you are talking about is actually happening.

Park agents are on the spot to supervise cleaning and servicing between lettings and look after the people using the caravan.

The Guard has firefighters on the spot the minute a fire is sighted.

The first that reporters on the spot knew about the release of Mr. Mann was when they heard a news flash on a local radio station.

You can use on-the-spot before a noun to say that something actually happens in the place that you are talking about.

The Austrian government has dispatched a group of experts to Thailand to begin on-the-spot investigation.

There is little point in providing on-the-spot help while the fighting continues.

on the spot3
If you say that someone puts you on the spot, you mean that they put you in a difficult situation which you cannot avoid, for example by making you answer difficult questions.

You shouldn't ask a player about how his manager is coping. You put Gary on the spot and that's very unfair.

If I was put on the spot in a witness box during a terrorist trial, I should certainly try to persuade the judge not to compel me to reveal my source.

It may be unexpected or come from people you feel self-conscious saying no to, and you may feel on the spot.