重发声明，以免说是我抄别人: Previously posted at different forums (e.g. 4ewriting, Diandian, Rainlane...) under the name of Yeti or other pennames. Originally posted at雨巷英语园地的“学习交流板” (The Yeti. April 28,2006.
网上流传甚广的“<B>精选40句”在</B>网上传来传去，一传得多，自然有些笔误。大部份的转贴者都一时太过兴奋，没有全部看清楚，便贴了出来。别人再转贴，便把笔误一并转了去。得此把笔误改正，以便才学者对有些句子不明所以。
这四十句不是全部可用。有些(如 #21) 不是所有母语人士都会懂的。这四十句有些是英，美，俚语，但也有些是中式英语。不知是何人的收集。
１．李明是个败家子。
Li ming is the black sheep of his family.
２．她是个天生爱哭的人。
She's a natural crier.
３．他真是个不知羞耻的家伙。
He's really a law-down dirty shame.--> 笔误 <B><I>low-down dirty shame.,</I></B>
４．他可是个乐天派，整天无忧无虑的。
He's good-time Charlie, feeling no worries and anxieties.
<B>注</B><B>: </B>“Good time Charlie” is an American Colloquialism, it means an<B> </B><FONT face="Times New Roman">affable, convivialfellow</FONT> 友善的,好交际的人。Some other English speaking countries may or may not recognize this colloquialism.<BR ><BR >
５．论开车技术，不李和小王那真是不分上下。
In the skills of driving, Xiao li and Xiao Wang are neck and neck.
-->When it comes to the skills of driving,…
６．他已绞尽了脑汁。
He had racked his brain.
７．他可是个有头脑的人。
He's a brain.
８．李明很能干。
Li ming has a lot on the ball.
９．你刚才提到的那个作家只不过是个有名无实的人。
The man you've just mentioned is but a poor apology for a writer.
１０．他真的太没骨气了。
He really has no guts.
１１．昙花一现
A flash in the pan.
Although often equated with 昙花一现, “A flash in the pan” actually means something that creates a lot of sensation but leads to no effective conclusion. See Quiz #34
１２．他对保险业务一窍不通。
He doesn‘t know beans about insurance business at all.
１３．她很勇敢，但终因寡不敌众，被那帮人打晕过去。
The girl was brave enough, but as being outnumbered, she was finally knocked into the middle of next week by the gang.
１４．他喜欢单枪匹马地去干。
He always likes to play a lone hand.
１５．他一开始就出师不利。
He got off on the wrong foot when he started doing it.<BR ><BR >
<B> </B>
１６．你还嫩点儿。
You‘re still wet behind the ears.
１７．她的饭量特别小。
She eats like a bird.
<B>注</B>: As a rule, birds are small and eat very little. The<B> opposite</B> is “She eats like a horse.”
１８．那个孩子的嘴特别硬。
That boy never says uncle.
<B>注</B><B>:</B>The Chinese translation is not entirely correct. To say (or cry) “uncle” is to yield or surrender. So it may or may not be just 嘴特别硬. See “Cry Uncle”Comics Quiz#9<B> </B>
１９．我们队占上风。
Our team gained the upper hand.
２０．你中圈套了。
You rose to the bait.
２１．你骗不了我。
I‘m from Missouri.
注: 这纯粹是美俚, 就算是在美国，都未必人人都懂. Missouri 州的口号是 “Show me”. I.e. I won’t believe it until you show me. Missouri is called the “Show-me State”.
２２．见机行事
Play to the score.
２３．肯定有人唆使他去干那件事。
There must be someone who had put him up to that.(正式：唆使＝instigate)
-->修改 <B><I>Someone must have put him up to that.</I></B>
２４．他不是不愿意帮助你，而是他心有余而力不足。
It's not that he doesn‘t like to help, but that the spirit is willing,
but the flesh is <U>week</U>。==> 笔误 <B>week-->weak</B>. <B><I>“It’s not that he is not willing to help,…” </I>注,</B> “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” is a famous quotation from Goethe's Faust (浮士德与魔鬼)<B> “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”</B>
２５．事到如今，我们也只好听其自然了。
With things as such, we‘ll have to let things slide.(…have to let it slide. The word “things” is already mentioned once.)
２６．这几天不知是什么事把我搞得心烦意乱的。
I don‘t know what has set my nerves on edge these days.
２７．让过去的事过去吧，我们还是好朋友。
Lit bygones be bygones. we are still friends. 笔误 Lit-><B>Let</B>
２８．昨天晚上好险哪。 老板同一个女职员在办公室动手动脚的，差一点儿让他的妻子给撞上。
The boss hasd 笔误->(had a )narrow squeak last night in his office(，)=>(;)(run-on sentence) his spooning with a (girl)->femaleclerk was almost found out by his wife.
２９．这场旱灾是百年不遇的。
This draught occurs once in a blue moon.
３０．算了吧。
i's call it quits.--> 笔误 Let’s call it quits.
３１．她的嘴很紧。
She's tight-mouthed. (Chinese English); Proper English: <B><I>tight lipped.</I></B>
３２．别跟我瞎吹了，我又不是不了解你底细。
No big talk with me. I have your number.
３３．玲玲是她爷爷的掌上明珠。
Ling Ling is the apple of her grandpa's eye.
３４．杰克体形匀称，个头儿适中，一双大眼睛炯炯有神 ，成了许多女孩子追求的目标。
Jack, with a body well-proportioned, about the middling, a pair of
intense big eyes, has become the traget of many pretty girls.-> 笔误Traget==>target
３５．从人口数量方面讲，印度仅次于中国。
Talking about the size of population, India is next only to China.
３６．我可不愿意白吃白喝别人。
I wouldn‘t freeload.==> 修改 I am not a freeloader.
３７．对牛弹琴
Casting pearls before swine.
<STRONG>注</STRONG><STRONG>: </STRONG>Quotation from the Bible: Sermon on the Mount. For an interesting anecdote of "Pearl before Swine" and "Age before beauty" read: Verbal Dual between two quick-witted ladies.
３８．我不知道。那只是我瞎猜的。
I didn‘t know. (i was only a shot in the dark.)=> It was only a shot in the dark. Note: You (*”I”) are not the “shot in the dark”; what you did was. “It was”=what you did was)
精选40句订正,注, 及参考资料.By Yeti 原创出自贴在雨巷英语园地的“学习交流板。
３９．他们开车到外面兜风去了。
They drove the car and went out for a spin.==> 修改： They took the car out for a spin.
４０．你为什么总拿别人开心？
Why should you always like to rib others? =>修改 Why <B>do </B>you …
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