Far就是很远的意,因此far cry有的时候就是指在很遥远的地方。比如说,你可以讲:Washington is a far cry from Beijing。这是说,华盛顿离北京很远。但是,人们用far cry的时候往往是指某一样东西和以往有很大的不同。你听了下面这个例子就会明白它的意思。这是一个人在说当他突然变得很有钱以后,人们对他的态度是如何的不同:
例句-1: You'd be surprised how nice people treat me now when they hear my rich uncle died and left me twenty million dollars. It's a far cry from the days when I was just a clerk in a supermarket and nobody paid me any attention.
例句-2: Mike is only 24, but he's already president of our company. He looks very capable and full of confidence. It's a far cry from when he first joined the firm as a mail clerk. In those days he was very timid and shy.
例句-3: Pete, one of these days we'll have to get you a crying towel! You complain about everything twice as much as anybody else who works in our office. Don't be such a crybaby!
例句-4: My sister Joan's boyfriend is a real crybaby. He whines and complains about everything -- his boss, his friends, even his cat. I told Joan to drop him unless she wants to supply him with crying towels the rest of her life. Who needs a husband like that!