在英语中,颜色不仅是视觉的呈现,更是文化的载体,许多与颜色相关的俚语在日常交流中频繁出现,为语言增添了丰富的表达方式,掌握这些俚语不仅能提升英语水平,还能更深入地理解英语国家的文化思维。
红色(Red)
红色在英语中常与强烈的情感或状态相关,比如愤怒、激情或危险。
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"Paint the town red"
意为“狂欢庆祝”,通常指外出尽情玩乐,享受夜生活。
例句:After the final exam, we decided to paint the town red. -
"Red tape"
指繁琐的官僚程序或官方手续。
例句:Starting a business involves cutting through a lot of red tape. -
"Caught red-handed"
表示“当场被抓”,通常用于犯罪或犯错时被发现。
例句:The thief was caught red-handed stealing from the store.
蓝色(Blue)
蓝色在俚语中常与忧郁、意外或特殊含义相关。
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"Feeling blue"
形容情绪低落或感到忧郁。
例句:She’s been feeling blue since her best friend moved away. -
"Out of the blue"
意为“突然地、出乎意料地”。
例句:He called me out of the blue after years of no contact. -
"Blue-collar"
指从事体力劳动的工作或工人,区别于“白领”(white-collar)。
例句:Blue-collar workers often face physically demanding jobs.
绿色(Green)
绿色通常象征自然、金钱或缺乏经验。
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"Green with envy"
形容极度嫉妒。
例句:When she saw her friend’s new car, she was green with envy. -
"Green thumb"
指擅长园艺的人。
例句:My grandmother has a green thumb—her garden is always thriving. -
"Give the green light"
表示批准或允许某事进行。
例句:The manager gave the green light to the new project.
黄色(Yellow)
黄色在俚语中常与胆怯或警示相关。
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"Yellow-bellied"
形容胆小或懦弱的人。
例句:He’s too yellow-bellied to stand up for himself. -
"Yellow journalism"
指夸大或煽动性的新闻报道。
例句:Some news outlets rely on yellow journalism to attract readers.
黑色(Black)
黑色在英语俚语中常与负面、非法或严肃的事情相关。
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"Black sheep"
指家庭或群体中不受欢迎或行为异常的人。
例句:He’s always been the black sheep of the family. -
"Black market"
指非法交易市场。
例句:During the war, many goods were sold on the black market. -
"In the black"
表示盈利或财务状况良好(与“in the red”亏损相反)。
例句:After a tough year, the company is finally in the black.
白色(White)
白色通常象征纯洁、诚实或正式。
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"White lie"
指善意的谎言。
例句:I told a white lie to avoid hurting her feelings. -
"White-collar"
指从事办公室或专业工作的人。
例句:White-collar jobs often require higher education. -
"White elephant"
形容昂贵但无用的物品或项目。
例句:The new office building turned out to be a white elephant.
灰色(Gray)
灰色常代表模糊、不确定或中间地带。
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"Gray area"
指规则或道德上不明确的领域。
例句:The law has a gray area when it comes to online privacy. -
"Gray matter"
指大脑或智力。
例句:This puzzle really tests your gray matter.
粉色(Pink)
粉色在俚语中常与健康、浪漫或特定含义相关。
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"In the pink"
形容身体健康、状态良好。
例句:After recovering from the flu, she’s finally in the pink again. -
"Tickled pink"
表示非常高兴或满意。
例句:She was tickled pink by the surprise birthday party.
紫色(Purple)
紫色在英语俚语中较少见,但仍有特定表达。
- "Purple prose"
指过于华丽或夸张的文风。
例句:The novel was criticized for its purple prose.
金色(Gold)
金色象征财富、珍贵或卓越。
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"Golden opportunity"
指难得的好机会。
例句:This job offer is a golden opportunity for her career. -
"Heart of gold"
形容人非常善良。
例句:Despite his tough appearance, he has a heart of gold.
颜色俚语是英语文化的重要组成部分,掌握它们能让表达更地道,无论是日常对话还是阅读英文材料,这些俚语都能帮助理解更深层的含义,多积累、多运用,语言能力自然会更上一层楼。