今天介绍的短语是“让他人背黑锅”——throw sb under the bus。我们先来看一下字典上的解释:
Collins:to expose someone to an unpleasant fate, esp in order to save oneself
Cambridge:to do something harmful to someone else in order to gain an advantage for yourself
毫无疑问,两种解释都有“损人利己”、“为己利而让他人背锅”的含义。我们再看两个例句:
1. Jerry always looks for someone to blame and throw under the bus for his failings. 杰瑞失败的时候为了自身利益总是找人承受责备。
2. Every time I get into trouble with my parents, I throw my brother under the bus. 每次我在爸妈面前犯错了,我就怪到我弟弟头上。
另外,在使用这个短语——throw sb under the bus——时,请不要忘记加“the”。
“抹黑“的英文是blacken(sb's name, image, reputation, etc)
Collins:If someone blackens your character, they make other people believe that you are a bad person.
例句:
1. They're trying to blacken our name. 他们在设法败坏我们的名声。
2. He accused the newspaper of trying to blacken his name. 他指责报纸企图败坏他的名声。
之前看过一种说法,“抹黑”一词来自古代的黥刑——一种在罪犯脸上刻字,用墨染黑,然后发配边境做苦力的刑罚。因为抹黑面孔意味着代罪之身,所以“抹黑”一词又引申出“丑化”之意。
您学会了吗?
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