Because slang is an informal language, it cannot be translated literally when translated into Chinese, otherwise the translated meaning of the sentence will be funny. Below is a collection of slang words that I have brought to you. You are welcome to read and refer to them. Let’s take a look.

A collection of commonly used slang among the people

For a song

Very cheap

Spencer, the great poet of the British Renaissance ( Edmund Spenser once dedicated the poem "The Faerie Queene" to Queen Elizabeth I. However, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time did not buy it. When he heard that the Queen wanted to pay Spencer 100 pounds, he was so surprised that he shouted: "What! All this for a song?"

This matter was spread among the people, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer The term has therefore become slang. However, it later came to mean not that it was too expensive, but that it was cheap, because people usually only gave street performers some change.

Let the cat out of the bag

Let the cat out of the bag

How did the cat out of the bag get related? This saying originated from the medieval market. The cunning merchant took advantage of the chaos and replaced the piglets in the bag with cats. The unscrupulous buyer took it back and opened the bag, and what came out was a cat...

Not hold a candle to

Not as good as

This disgusting phrase comes from: before the light bulb appeared, skilled workers would hire children to hold them for them when they worked at night. Candles illuminate. And "not suitable for holding candles" means that this person is not as good as others.

Example: The new movie doesn't hold a candle to the original version.

The new movie doesn't hold a candle to the original version.

The new movie doesn't hold a candle to the original version.

Full Monty

All

It is said that this idiom is related to a tailor named Montague Burton. Montague opened his shop in a small town in England in the early 18th century. opened his first store.

Here, men can buy a complete set of equipment such as dresses, shirts, ties, shoes and socks for special occasions. This whole set was called "Full Monty", which was later extended to mean "all" and "everything needed".

Fly by the seats of your pants

Refers to doing things based on feelings without a clear plan

In 1938, Douglas Corrigan flew 29 hours from Brooklyn to Dublin, whereupon the phrase became popular. Corrigan submitted an application to fly across the Atlantic, but was refused because his aircraft was deemed unsuitable for such a mission, and upon landing in Dublin he claimed that his compass was broken.

One mechanic said Corrigan "fly by the seats of your pants," an old flying term used to refer to flying without any instruments or radios. In 1938, the Edwardsville Dispatch ran a headline using the phrase to describe Corrigan's unplanned flight.

Kick the bucket

It means to die, to cry out, to kick one's legs.

This is an idiom with a joking tone and cannot be used in written language. This idiom is said to have originated in the 16th century. When a prisoner was executed at that time, one had to stand on a bucket, put a noose around his neck, and then kick off the bucket. The noose would tighten and the prisoner would be hanged. Later, it was Used in death from any cause.

Regarding the formation of this idiom, Bleuwer explained it this way in his "English Idiom Dictionary": "bucket" refers to "frame" or "yoke" . In the past, every time people killed a pig, they would tie its hind legs with ropes and hang them on a wooden frame called a "bucket" equipped with pulleys.

In preparation for transporting them upside down. Before the pigs die, they will struggle and kick the bucket. According to the pulley and lever principle, they will naturally hang upside down and slide forward in sequence.

Bite the bullet

Bite the bullet

This idiom comes from the fact that in the past, soldiers did not take anesthesia during surgery and could only bite the bullet to endure the pain.

There is controversy as to whether this source is authentic. This phrase has been used since 1796 and is always used to refer to having a stiff upper lip when doing something one does not want to do.

Researchers say this may come from a belief that people gain courage from biting bullets.

Skeleton in the cupboard

An unknown family scandal

Skeleton in the cupboard is an idiom that originated in England. There is also a story circulating about this idiom.

Legend has it that there was a young and beautiful woman who could not bear to be lonely because her husband was away from home for many years, so she took advantage of her husband's absence to have trysts with her lover at home every night.

One night, while she was having a tryst with her lover, her husband suddenly came back. The wife was shocked and hurriedly hid her lover in a large wooden cabinet at home. The husband came into the house and without saying a word, he built a wooden cabinet into a wall with bricks. Over time, the lover turned into a skeleton.

Therefore, the meaning of Skeleton in the cupboard is "family scandals and hidden secrets that cannot be made public".

Point Blank

Hitting the bullseye

A closed or central bullseye is a "point blank", which comes from the French point blanc. , refers to the center of a target used for shooting or archery practice.

Point blanc is literally translated as white point, which refers to the center of the target.

The original meaning of this phrase is "right on target", which evolved into some kind of closed circle. Such a circle can make it easier to hit the target.

A storm in a Teacup

Making a fuss out of a molehill

A storm in a Teacup literally means "storm in a teacup", but its true meaning is "making a fuss out of a molehill" ;;American English is "a tempest in a teapot/barrel", also called tea-pot tempest.

A storm in a Teacup is written by the famous French writer Honore de Balzac (1799-1850). This sentence comes from the famous saying of Montesquieu, the French philosopher and thinker in the 18th century.

Related articles:

1. About folk sayings and proverbs

2. Collection of production safety sayings

3. Collection of commonly used American slang in daily life

4. Classic folk proverbs about agricultural production

5. Collection of classic digital proverbs