1. a tongue-lashing 斥責、訓斥
When I was ten years old, mother caught me smoking a cigarette in the backyard. She gave me such a tongue-lashing that I've never touched another cigarette all my life.
我十歲的時候躲在后院抽香煙時給媽媽抓到了。她狠狠地訓了我一頓,我一輩子再也沒碰過香煙。
2. on the tip of your tongue ……就在嘴邊
Her name is right on the tip of my tongue - Helen something or other, what is her last name!
她的名字就在我嘴邊,海倫什么的,她姓什么來著?
3. bite one's tongue 忍住不說
I really wanted to tell her what I thought of him but I had to bite my tongue.
我很想跟她說我對他的看法,但是我還是忍住沒說。
4. find one's tongue 開口說話
She wanted to say something but couldn't find her tongue.
她想說話,但一時卻說不出來。
5. cause tongues to wag 使(人們)議論紛紛、說閑話
The way Mary was so scantily dressed will also cause tongues to wag.
瑪麗穿得那么暴露,肯定會讓人說閑話的。
6. loosen one's tongue 酒后不自覺地說很多話(主語一般是酒)
The vodka really loosened her tongue and I found out exactly what happened that night.
喝了伏特加酒之后,她就開始話多了起來,我終于發(fā)現(xiàn)了那天晚上到底發(fā)生了什么。
7. sharp tongue 說話尖利、刻薄
He has quite a sharp tongue. Don't be totally unnerved by what he says or the way he says it.
他就是說話刻薄,別因為他說的話或是他說話的方式生氣。
8. silver-tongued 雄辯的,很會說話的
He was a silver-tongued orator.
他是位口才很好的演說家。
9. forked tongue 騙人的假話;謊言
Don't trust the guy. He usually speaks with a forked tongue. He'll promise you to do one thing but more often than not he'll turn around and do exactly the opposite.
可別信任那家伙,他老是說假話。他會答應你去做一件事情,但是通常卻陽奉陰違,干出適得其反的事兒來。