English in the News–Dressed to the Nines 盛裝，穿戴整齊時髦
Dressed to the Nines 盛裝—dressed very stylishly with nothing overlooked, wearing very fashionable or expensive clothes Examples: She showed up at the picnic dressed to the nines. Clare is usually dressed to the nines in order to impress people. (CBS8, 2016/06/26) Demi Moore staged a family reunion at a friends’ wedding in Denver, Colorado, over...Continue reading
English in the News—Guinea Pig 白老鼠
If someone is used as a guinea pig, new ideas or products are tested on them. Often times it to discover the effect of drugs in human. Examples: 1) They’re looking for volunteers to act as guinea pigs for a new AIDS vaccine. 2) They’re looking for students to be guinea pigs in their research...Continue reading
English in the News–Lightning Rod 眾矢之的
Lightning rod—避雷針，眾矢之的 one that is a frequent target of criticism or focus of controversy Example: The senator has become a lightning rod for criticism. (Wall Street Journal, 2016/9/28) Hillary Clinton’s Key Aide Huma Abedin Is a Lightning Rod for Attacks 希拉蕊柯林頓的重要幕僚阿貝丁成了各方抨擊的目標 Huma Abedin, Clinton’s longest-serving...Continue reading
English in the News–Washed up 過氣的,淘汰的
washed-up: no longer successful, skillful, popular, or needed; obsolete 過氣的，被淘汰的 (Dozens of whales have mysteriously washed up on the western coast of Nova Scotia.) Examples: 1) Will self-cleaning glass leave window washers washed up? 2) Jack is washed-up. It’s time for him to retire. 15 Washed-up Celebrities and What They Are Doing Now (the Richest, 2016/10/11) These celebrities were...Continue reading
ICRT ECCT Roundtable on President’s First Year
Prominent experts are weighing in on President Tsai Ing-wen’s first year in office. ICRT News anchors Keith Menconi and Gavin Phipps hosted an hour-long discussion held at the Grand Hyatt Taipei featuring former Minister of the Interior Dr. Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源), former head of the American Institute in Taiwan Dr. William Stanton, and former Legislator...Continue reading
English in the News—Make No Bones About 坦率直言
Make no bones about – to say clearly what you think or feel although you may embarrass or offend someone 直接了當(毫不猶豫)的表達 (即使冒犯他人也講出來)，以一種不容置疑的態度表達 Examples: 1) He made no bones about how bad he thought the food was. 2) They make no bones about their dislike for each other. (The Independent, 2017/03/30) Brexit Secretary David Davis has...Continue reading
ICRT Set for 2017 Bike Day Taipei!
Come ride along Bali’s scenic route in Danshui with ICRT DJs and TV news anchor women biking beside you! ICRT’s Taipei Bike Day is coming up on May 13th and registrations on ICRT’s website have already begun. Bikers kick off from Guandu Wharf in New Taipei, cross over the Guandu Bridge and peddle along Left...Continue reading
English in the News—Kangaroo court 袋鼠法庭，不公正的審判
Kangaroo court 袋鼠法庭 an unofficial court that punishes people unfairly (BBC, 2016/07/31) BHS: Philip Green attacks ‘kangaroo court‘ inquiry Former BHS owner Sir Philip Green has accused the co-chair of a parliamentary inquiry into the collapse of the firm of overseeing a “kangaroo court“. In the war of words between Sir Philip and Frank Field,...Continue reading
English in the News–More Holes than Swiss Cheese 漏洞百出
Swiss cheese–瑞士起士，一種有許多洞的起士 If something has more holes than a Swiss cheese, it has a lot of problems; there are many things wrong with it. (It is incomplete, and lacks many parts.) Example: Her argument has more holes than Swiss cheese. 她的論點漏洞百出。 (Elite Sports, 2017/3/22) The New York Knicks have a plan. It...Continue reading
English in the News–In the Doghouse 打入冷宮
In the doghouse 打入冷宮,遭遇麻煩,受到貶謫— in trouble; in (someone’s) disfavor; in a situation in which someone is annoyed with you because of something you did Examples: 1) He’s having troubles with his wife; that’s why he’s in the doghouse. 2) The President’s aide is in the doghouse over remarks she made to the press. (Los Angeles Times, 7/16/2016) A South...Continue reading
English in the News–Wait for the other shoe to drop 等第二隻鞋子掉下來
Wait for the other shoe to drop—to wait for the inevitable next step or the final conclusion, to wait for something bad to happen 等第二隻鞋子掉下，等待無可避免的壞消息或是結論 Example: My company has already laid off half of the employees. Now the rest of us are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. (The Huffington Post, 2017/3/2) What...Continue reading
English in the News—Red meat 煽動且政治化的議題
Red meat 紅肉 — something substantial that can satisfy a basic need or appetite —> highly politicized issues or political speech that can give people instant satisfaction 煽動而政治化的話題或是說話方式(來討好群眾) (Washington Post, 7/27/2016) “He has no clue about what makes America great,” Biden said referring to Donald Trump’s slogan. “Actually, he has no clue.” And then: “No...Continue reading
Recent Comments