手,可以算是我们身体最勤劳的部位了,因此与它有关的说法与表达也特别多。中文里关于手的成语不胜枚举,除了强调它的作用之余,也在它的美感上大做文章,如“妙手回春”、“纤纤玉手”之类,英文则更多地强调它延伸出来的意思。
发音：美式发音 语速：110词/分钟 使用方法：精听+听写
The hand has been a symbol through the ages and in many cultures.
There are hundreds of expressions and combinations of words using hand in the English language. Let us examine some of the expressions that use hand.
We will get a hand in this way. To get a hand in is to begin a job, to begin to know something about it. When we learn the job completely, it will be easy for us. We will be able to do it hands down.
If we do the job well, we may end up with the upper hand. And that means to be in control, or to have gained complete understanding of a situation.
On the other hand, if the situation gets out of hand, then it is out of control. We must act quickly to regain the upper hand over these expressions.
But, wait. We still do not have the upper hand in this business.
We must consider another way of expressing praise, to hand it to someone. For example: I must hand it to you for understanding what we have discussed this far.
You can also lend a hand to someone, but without really giving up your hand. You lend a hand when you help someone. You offer them a helping hand.
If someone is kind enough to lend us a hand, then we surely do not want to bite the hand that feeds us. We do not want to repay his kindness by treating him badly.
Now, with that out of the way, we have a free hand to continue examining other hand expressions. To have a free hand in a situation is good. It means you are free to act without getting permission from someone else.
If we continue moving along, we will make progress hand over fist, or very rapidly. This expression began in the early 1700s. It reportedly comes from a sailing expression hand over hand, the way of quickly raising or lowering a sail.
Maybe you can find a friend who wants to take a hand in our project. It would have to be someone who is interested in these expressions.
Your friend may want to work hand in glove with us. That is good, because that means he wants to work as closely with us as a glove covers the hand. Of course there is a danger that he may look at our project and decide to take it in hand. That means he wants to take it over.
If that happens, we may throw up our hands because the situation seems hopeless. In fact, we may decide that it is time for us to end this project, to wash our hands of hand expressions.
► 动词短语“to get a/one’s hand in”表示着手干某事,或开始入门、了解一些事情。例如:Lisa starts to get a hand in running the company. (丽莎着手学习公司运营方面的事情。)
► 不费吹灰之力,对应的英语可以用“hands down”来表示。“hands down”这一表达起源于赛马比赛。在比赛中遥遥领先的赛马师看到胜利在望,通常都不再勒紧缰绳,而是轻松地把手垂下来跑完比赛。因此,“hands down”延伸出“不花费功夫、轻而易举”的意思。另外,“in a breeze”、“in a walk”也表达同样意思,可以交替使用。
►“upper hand”很好理解,即“处于上风、占有优势”的意思。亦作“a whip hand”。
► 写过英文作文的人对“on one hand”/“on the other hand”肯定相当熟悉。它们表示“从一方面讲”/“从另一方面讲”,通常用来引导一个论点的两个方面。
► 从字面上看,“out of hand”即 “在自己的手掌之外”,那还不是“失去控制”的意思?除了“out of control”之外,大家也不要忘了这个简单明了的表达哦。
► 俚语“to hand it to someone”可不是把什么东西交给某人的意思,而有称赞、佩服、肯定某人的长处之意。有时为了加强语气,人们会在前面加上“must/have to”等词。例如:He really makes it. I’ll have to hand it to him.(他真的做到了,我不得不佩服他。)
► “lend a hand”和“a helping hand”的“hand”不再指具体的手,而意译为“对他人的帮助”。因此,“lend a hand”即是“向他人伸出援手”之意,你也可以说“lend a helping hand to someone else”。
► “bite the hand that feeds us”,顾名思义,就是忘恩负义、恩将仇报,对来帮助自己的人反咬一口。其实,更地道的表达方式应该是“bite the hand that feeds you”。大家可千万不要做那个“bite the hand that feeds you”的人啊!
► “a free hand”,空出来的手,这里表示有自行决定、处理事情的权力,不需得到别人允许。
► “hand over fist”如今表示快速而平稳地做某件事情。但它却是由“hand over hand”发展而来。这两组短语的典故出自帆船航运的年代,当时水手们必须攀援绳索去摆弄高高挂起的船帆,以此来控制船航行的方向和速度。他们两手交替,一只手放在另一只手(后来发展成一只手放在另一只攒成拳头的手)上方,快速利落地爬上去。现在,“hand over fist”更常用于与资金流动、商业等发展有关的地方。
► 插手、介入或参与某事,可用“take a hand”这个短语来表示,它后面通常搭配介词in。这个短语容易与下文提及的“take it in hand”混淆。“take it in hand”=“take it over”,相当于“接管、占为己有”的意思。大家要区分开哦。
► “hand(手)”与“glove(手套)”的关系可谓亲密无间,因此,“hand in glove”也就用来形容配合得天衣无缝、关系十分密切这个意思。例如:The teacher and the principal work hand in glove.(老师和校长工作配合得很好。)
► “throw up one’s hands”这个短语形象地描绘出举起双手投降时的无奈。它也自然表示因为绝望而彻底投降、认输。
► 中文的“金盆洗手”可以说是完美地诠释了“wash one’s hands”的精髓。“wash one’s hands”就是停止干某事、从某事或某状态中抽离出来。