例句-1: The truth is that Pete never liked his rich Uncle John. But you should have seen his crocodile tears when the old man died and left him a million dollars!
这句话是说：皮特从来都不喜欢他那个有钱的叔叔约翰，这是事实。可是那老人去世的时候给他留了一百万美元，你可真该看看皮特当时那假伤心的样子。
下面这个例子说的是一位政客：
例句-2: In his speeches the mayor always puts on a big show of crocodile tears for poor and homeless people. But I don"t see him doing anything to help them.
这是说：这位市长在讲话的时候总是装得好像他对穷人和无家可归的人非常同情。但是，我并没有见到他做些什么来帮助他们。
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我们要讲的另一个和“哭”有关的俗语是：sob story。Sob是哭泣的意思，story就是故事。Sob story的意思就是某人编造一个令人伤心的故事来赢得别人的同情，甚至于让别人给钱来帮助他。下面是一位女士在描述她怎么听了一个sob story以后受骗的：
例句-3: Usually I don"t give money to beggars. But this nice young man told me a sob story about needing money for a bus ticket to see his dying mother, so I gave him two dollars.
这位女士说：一般我是不给乞丐钱的。但是，这个看上去挺不错的年轻人告诉我他需要钱坐公共汽车去看他那快要死的妈妈。他说得这么悲惨，我就给了他两块钱。
世界上好心人是不少的，下面这个例子又是一个人上了sob story的当：
例句-4: On my way to work this man stopped me and said that he hadn"t eaten in three days so I gave him a dollar. On my way home I saw him get into a new car and drive off and now I know he had given me a sob story.
这个好心人说：在我去上班的路上那个人挡住了我，对我说，他已经三天没有吃东西了。所以我给了他一块钱。可是，我在回家的路上看见他跨进了一辆新的汽车后就开走了。我这才知道他说的事全是假的。
我们今天讲的两个习惯用语都是和眼泪有关的。它们是：crocodile tears和sob story。Crocodile tears从字面上来解释就是：鳄鱼的眼泪，实际上也就是“猫哭老鼠假慈悲”。Sob story是编造悲惨的故事来赢得人们的同情。
流行美语第92课
今天Larry和Li Hua在一个朋友家的花园里参加party。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：dude和chick。
LH: Hey Larry! 参加party的人都挺高兴的，可是Jack刚才在那边儿好像和人吵架，什么事呀？
LL: Oh, Jack and some other dude were having a really intense argument. We were afraid they might get into a fight, so we had to separate them.
LH: 就是啊，他们吵得挺凶的，好象要动手打起来似的！可是，Larry, 你管另外那个人叫什么？ Dude? 那是什么意思啊？
LL: Dude is another word for guy, or man. I just said Jack and "some other dude" were arguing.
LH: Oh, dude 是指男人，我还以为是那个人的名字呢！你刚才是说“Jack和那个人争论得非常激烈”。哎，Larry，那你叫别人dude有没有什么不好的意思吗？
LL: What? No, of course not. Dude just means guy. However, it is very informal, so you"d sound silly if you called someone important a "dude", or used it in a formal situation.
LH: 噢，dude这个称呼没有贬意，只是一般用在很随便的场合。哎哟，幸亏你告诉我，要是在正式的场合我把某位大人物称为dude, 那可不就出洋相了吗！
LL: And usually, only younger people use the word "dude", and it usually refers to fairly young men.
LH: 噢，dude 一般是年轻人用的词，而且dude也是指年轻人。 对了，我想起来了，有一次我在商店里就听到两个年轻人用dude这个词。我那时还不懂dude是什么意思。 哎，dude不就相当于中文里说的“那个家伙”吗？
LL: That"s right! See that dude over there? That"s my pal Frank. I"ll ask him for a beer. Dude, toss me one of those beers. Thanks!
LH: 哎哟，你真好意思，自己不去拿啤酒，让你那个dude扔过来，幸亏你接得准！
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LH: Oh no, Larry我看见我的同屋朝这边走过来了。要是她看见我，她又要缠着我没完没了了。
LL: What? That tall girl with glasses? Is that the chick you"re always telling me about?
LH: 对，就是那个戴眼镜的高个儿女孩。你叫她什么？ Chick? Larry, 我虽然不喜欢那个女孩，可是我也不想用难听的词来骂她噢！
LL: Huh!? I didn"t say any bad words. I said "that chick". Chick means "young woman". It"s not a bad word, although some people find it a little offensive.
LH: 噢，原来chick这个词是指“年轻女孩儿”呀！哎哟，这要是直接翻译成中文，可不是什么好词儿。你说在英文里，chick不是骂人的话，可是你又说有的人听了会不大高兴，这是怎么回事啊？
LL: Well, some women find it demeaning - I guess they think that baby chickens are cute but sort of brainless. You can use this word around your friends, but not in formal situations or with strangers.
LH: 噢，我懂了 - chick这个词本意是“小鸡”，小鸡虽然可爱，可是好象没有脑子，傻傻的，所以有的女孩就不愿意别人叫她chick。这么说，可以在熟朋友之间用chick这个词，不过，不要在正式场合，或者叫一个陌生人chick。哎，Larry, 我们还是赶快走吧，我可不想让我的同屋缠着我不放。
LL: Hey, there she goes. You"re in luck, Li Hua. Your roommate"s gone... she just left with two other chicks and that dude who was arguing with Jack.
LH: 她和另外两个女孩儿一起走啦，还有那个跟Jack吵架的dude！哇，真是谢天谢地。这下我们可以痛痛快快地玩了！
今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。一个是dude, 是口语里男孩之间的称呼，就相当于中文里所说的“家伙”。另外一个是chick, 在口语里指年轻女孩儿。
「美国习惯用语」第九十三讲
to cry in one"s beer
cry baby
有不少美国人经常到酒吧间去，一面喝酒，一面聊天。还有的人在心情不好的时候喜欢到酒吧间去喝酒解闷。我们今天要讲的第一个俗语就是和这种习惯有关的。
To cry in one"s beer，的意思是坐在酒吧间里对着啤酒哭，自己可怜自己。比如说，一个人在劝他的朋友：
例句-1: Come on, Joe! Instead of sitting around in a bar all day crying in your beer about not having any money, why not get off your bottom and go out and look for a job!
这个人说：行了，乔伊！与其成天坐在酒吧间里，为了没有钱而可怜自己，你为什么不振作起来到外面去找个工作呢！”
看来自我可怜的人是没有人同情的。下面这个例子是一个学生在发表他对同房间一个学生的看法：
例句-2: I"m tired of hearing my roommate crying in his beer about how hard it is to get good grades. If he"d stay home and study instead of going out every night, I"m sure he"d do a lot better in his classes.
这个学生说：我那同宿舍的同学老是自我可怜，说要得到好分数是多么的难。我听得都烦死了。要是他每天晚上呆在家里念书，而不是老出去玩，我肯定他的成绩会好得多。
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大家有没有碰到过一种老是哭哭啼啼、抱怨日常生活中一些琐事的人？美国人把这种人叫作：cry baby。大家都知道cry就是“哭”，baby就是“小娃娃”。顾名思义，你们肯定知道cry baby的意思了。下面的例子又是一个人在劝他的朋友：
例句-3: Come on, Jack, you"re twenty years old--don"t be such a cry baby about everything. We all have our problems, but you ought to do something about them instead of just complaining.
这个人说：行啦，杰克，你已经二十岁了，别有点儿事就哭。我们大家都会碰到一些问题的。但是，你得想办法来解决问题，而不能老是抱怨。
许多人都怕去看牙大夫。但是，美国牙大夫一般都用麻药。为了保护牙齿，大夫经常安排病人每年清洗牙齿两次。下面是一个爸爸在说他的儿子：
例句-4: Bill, don"t be such a cry baby about going to the dentist: all he"s going to do is clean your teeth. Look at your little sister--she"s not making a fuss about it.
这位爸爸说：比尔，别为了去看牙就哭哭啼啼的。他只是替你洗洗牙而已。看看你的妹妹，她就没有这样大惊小怪的。
流行美语第93课
今天Larry和Li Hua在商店里给朋友买生日礼物。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：to horse around和jump the gun。
LH: 哎哟，Larry, 你看那边那两个小男孩在打架呢。他们家大人怎么也不管呐？
LL: Oh, don"t worry, they"re just horsing around. They won"t hurt each other.
LH: 你要我别担心，说他们只是在horsing around，HORSE这个词在英文里不是“马”吗？
LL: Yes, in "horse around", "horse" is used as a verb, "to horse around" means "to play or joke with someone". Those two kids were just playing, they were horsing around.