(VOA英语材料)---猫儿不在,老鼠成精

Words and Their Stories:When the Cat's AwayNow, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.Cats are the m ost popular pets am ong Am ericans. So i t is not surprising that there are m any expressions about cats. Som e cats like to catch sm all birds, like canaries. If som eone looks very proud or satisfied with him self, we say he looks like the cat that ate the canary.Som etim es, a cat likes to play with a sm all anim al it catches.So if you play cat and mouse with someone,you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For exam ple, a child m ight offer som ething sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for i t.A cat will often catch a sm all anim al and present i t to i ts owner. The saying that looks like something the cat dragged in describes som ething in bad condition.Two old and funny expressions describe som ething that is the best or finest. Am ericans m ight say that something is the cat's meow and the cat's pajamas.Children m ight call a child who is easily frightened a fraidy cat or a scaredy cat. A copycat is som eone who acts just like som eone else or copies another person's work. A fat cat is a person with a lot of m oney.You m ay have known that cats spend m ost of their tim e sleeping. Som etim es people sleep for a short tim e during the day. This is called a cat nap.If you tell about som ething that was supposed to be a secret, we say you let the cat out of the bag. If you are not able to speak or answer a question som eone m ight ask if the cat has got your tongue.Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves f or a few m inutes? When the cat's away, the mice will play m eans people som etim es misbehave when there is no supervision.You m ay have heard this expression: curiosity killed the cat.This m eans being too concerned about things that are not your business m ight cause problem s.If your hom e is very sm all, you might say there is not enough room to swing a cat. But you probably should not try this at hom e!If you ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficul t to train them or to get them to do som ething. Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be m oved in a group. So we say a difficult or im possible job is like herding cats. We leave you wi th a song from the m usical play, "Cats."(MUSIC)This VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus.现在是VOA特别英语，词语典故时间。

在美国，猫是最受欢迎的宠物。

所以，有许多关于猫的短语就不足为奇了。

有些猫喜欢抓小鸟，比如金丝雀。

如果有人看上去非常自豪，或者说对自己非常满意，我们可以说，他非常得意洋洋，像抓住金丝雀的猫一样(looks like the cat that ate the canary)。

有时，猫喜欢跟它抓住的小动物玩耍。

所以，如果你对某人欲擒故纵(play cat and mouse with someone) ，也就是说你在和某人打交道时行为反复。

例如，一个小朋友可能给他的小兄弟一些糖果，但是小兄弟刚刚伸手够到的时候他就拿开了。

猫通常抓到小动物之后会拿给主人看。

looks like something the cat dragged in这个短语描述的就是一些状态不好的东西。

两个古老而且有趣的短语描述了一些最好的东西。

美国人可能会说某件东西不同凡响，非常时尚(cat's meow和the cat's pajamas)。

孩子们可能会把一个很容易受到惊讶的孩子叫做fraidy cat或者scaredy cat。

copycat指的是盲目的模仿他人的举动或工作的人。

fat cat是指很有钱的人。

你可能知道，猫的大部分时间都在睡觉。

有时，人们白天会小睡一会儿，这叫做cat nap。

如果你说出了原本应该保密的事情，我们说你let the cat out of the bag(泄漏秘密)。

如果你不能说话或者不能回答某个问题，人们会问你哑巴了？为什么不吭声？(if the cat has got your tongue?)你有没有见过老师离开教室几分钟的时候孩子们的状况呢？When the cat's away, the mice will play 意思是，当没有监管的时候，人们会做不恰当的事情，也就是通常所说的猫儿不在，老鼠成精。

你也可能听说过这个短语：curiosity killed the cat(好奇害死猫)。

这个短语的意思是说，过于关心与自己无关的事情会造成麻烦。

如果你的家非常小，你可能会说，there is not enough room to swing a cat(连摇摆猫的空间都不够，窄的难以转身)。

当然你可不能在家里尝试着摇摆猫哦！如果你曾经养猫作为宠物，你知道要训练它们或者让它们做某件事非常困难。

猫不像羊或者牛一样群体行动。

所以，我们通常会称一件困难或者不可能完成的工作为like herding cats。

最后，让我们以音乐剧《猫》中的一首歌曲结束今天的节目。

与猫相关的英语谚语和短语A cat has nine lives.猫有九条命。

(英国迷信, 指猫的生命力强)A cat in gloves catches no mice. (=Muffled cats catch no mice.)[谚]带手套的猫捉不到耗子; 四肢不勤, 一事无成; 怕沾污手指的人做不出什么事。

A cat may look at a king.[谚]猫也可以看国王(指小人物也应有些权利)agree like cats and dogs[口]像猫和狗一样合不来, 完全合不来All cats are grey in the dark. (=At night all cats are grey; when candles are out, all cats are grey.) [谚]猫在暗中都是灰色; 黑暗中难分丑妍as weak as a cat (=as weak as water)身体非常虚弱copy cat盲目的模仿者enough to make a cat [horse] laugh极其可笑; 让人笑掉大牙enough to make a cat speak[口]令人惊讶; 事情太出奇fat cat美国政治运动的出资人, 捐献大宗政治款项的富人; 安于现状的懒汉; 以权谋私的人, 享受特权的人 Has the cat got your tongue?[口]猫把你的舌头叼去了吗?为什么不吭声?It rains cats and dogs.下倾盆大雨, 大雨滂沱let the cat out of the bag说走了嘴, (无意中)泄露秘密like a cat on hot bricks局促不安, 如热锅上的蚂蚁live like cat and dog[口]整天吵架old cat脾气坏的老太婆see [watch] how [which way] the cat jumps (=wait for the cat to jump)观望形势然后行动; 看风使舵, 随机应变That's like putting the cat near the goldfish bowl.引狼入室; 等于把猫放在金鱼缸旁。