我們?cè)谝话闱闆r下都不太會(huì)注意我們的腳，除非你感到腳痛或有什么其他毛病。可“腳”這個(gè)字，也就是英文里的 foot 卻不時(shí)出現(xiàn)在美國成語或俗語里。今天，讓我們來看看和foot有關(guān)的12個(gè)習(xí)慣用語，是不是很過癮!

　　1. to put your best foot forward

　　你正在找工作，和某個(gè)公司約好了去面談，或者你第一次要去和一位異性會(huì)面，這個(gè)時(shí)候你就想要給他們一個(gè)好印象。這在英文里就是 to put your best foot forward。為了給人造成一個(gè)好印象，也就是說 to put your best foot forward，你在去面談前肯定會(huì)盡量把衣服穿得體面一些，在和人面談的過程中臉上還老是笑容可掬。

　　下面這個(gè)例子就是某人在給別人出主意，如何設(shè)法給招工的單位留一個(gè)好印象：

　　Better get a haircut before you go to that job interview tomorrow. You want to put your best foot forward because there are twenty other people after the same job.

　　你明天去那個(gè)公司面談前最好去理一下發(fā)。你得給他們一個(gè)好印象才行，因?yàn)橛卸鄠€(gè)人都在爭奪這個(gè)工作。

　　又如：I finally got a date with that girl I've been trying to go out with so long. So I'm putting my best foot forward and sending her a dozen roses and a box of chocolates before I pick her up tomorrow.

　　我總算和那個(gè)女孩約好了明天一起出去玩，這是我長久以來所夢(mèng)寐以求的。所以，我在明天去接她前先送她一打玫瑰花和一盒巧克力，這樣好給她一個(gè)好印象。

　　2. to get off on the wrong foot

　　那么，有的人一開始就給人一個(gè)壞印象是怎么說的呢?To get off on the wrong foot，這是指某人一開始就沒給人一個(gè)好印象，或一開始由于某種行為而把事情弄糟了。

　　例如：When Joe went to his new job, he got off on the wrong foot--on the first morning he upset his new boss by arriving at the store two hours late. And right now he's out looking for a job again.

　　喬找到了一份新的工作，可是他剛開始到那家店里去上班時(shí)就給人一個(gè)壞印象。第一天上班他就晚到兩個(gè)小時(shí)，讓他的老板好不高興?，F(xiàn)在他又在找工作了。

　　To get off on the wrong foot 這個(gè)俗語實(shí)際上可以適用于任何情況。下面一個(gè)例子是一個(gè)男學(xué)生在說他交女朋友的情況：

　　I finally got a date with that new girl in class but I sure got off on the wrong foot with her: I had car trouble and got to her place almost two hours late.

　　那天我終于和班上新來的那個(gè)女同學(xué)約好了出去玩?？墒?，當(dāng)天我的車出了問題，晚了兩個(gè)小時(shí)才去接她，所以我一開頭就把事弄糟了。”

　　3. to land on your feet

　　你難免有的時(shí)候會(huì)在生活中或工作中碰到一些麻煩和困難，可是，要是你很聰敏或者很幸運(yùn)的話，這些麻煩和困難就都能得到解決。美國有一個(gè)俗語就是形容這種情況的，這就是 to land on your feet。To land on your feet 的字面意思是：你的腳站在地上。確切含義是：你在經(jīng)歷了一些困難后最后又回到一個(gè)穩(wěn)定的狀態(tài)，也可以說是逢兇化吉了。那么，這個(gè)俗語的出處是什么呢?有的語言專家認(rèn)為，這個(gè)俗語可能來自對(duì)貓的觀察。你也許注意到，當(dāng)一只貓從樹上掉下來的時(shí)候，它表現(xiàn)出一種特殊的技能：它能在空中還沒有落地之前調(diào)整自己身體的姿勢(shì)，從而使自己平安地落地。

　　例如：My brother Joe got fired for never coming to work on time, but he landed on his feet and found another job that paid twice as much money.

　　我的弟弟因老是不準(zhǔn)時(shí)上班而被公司解雇了?？墒?，他倒是逢兇化吉又找到了一份工作，而且工資還加了一倍。

　　又如：Mr. Green is one of these people who's not afraid to put his money into some very risky investments. Sometimes he'll lose out, but somehow he usually manages to land on his feet and find money to put into something else that makes a profit.

　　格林先生就是那種不怕冒很大危險(xiǎn)去投資的人。有時(shí)，他也確實(shí)會(huì)虧本，但是他總是會(huì)逢兇化吉，找到錢去投資生財(cái)?shù)摹?/p>

　　4. to put your foot in your mouth

　　有意無意做錯(cuò)事、說錯(cuò)話的情況是很經(jīng)常的。下面我們要講的一個(gè)俗語就是無意中說錯(cuò)了話而傷害了別人，或者叫自己很不好意思。這個(gè)俗語就是：to put your foot in your mouth。

　　例如：When Sally told that silly joke about the sailor with one leg she really put her foot in her mouth. She didn't know the man across the dinner table had a brother at home in a wheelchair.

　　沙莉吃晚飯時(shí)說了一個(gè)笑話，拿一個(gè)只有一條腿的水手開玩笑。她可不知道坐在飯桌對(duì)面那個(gè)人的哥哥就是個(gè)殘廢，行動(dòng)都得靠輪椅。Sally如果事后了解情況的話，她肯定會(huì)說:"Well, I certainly have put my foot in my mouth."

　　又如：I certainly put my foot in my mouth at the party last night when I asked Mister Brown to say hello to his wife for me. Somehow I'd forgotten that his wife died six months ago.

　　我昨晚在那個(gè)聚會(huì)上無意中說錯(cuò)了話。我讓布朗先生替我向他的太太問好。不知怎么回事，我忘了他太太已經(jīng)在半年前去世了。

　　5. cold feet

　　一個(gè)人在充滿信心的時(shí)候往往就會(huì)無所畏懼，勇往直前。但是，當(dāng)一個(gè)人對(duì)某件事感到膽怯的時(shí)候，他就會(huì)畏縮不前。我們經(jīng)?？梢钥吹揭环N情況：有的人對(duì)一件事開始的時(shí)候很有信心，很有把握?？墒?，事到臨頭就變得沒有勇氣了。在英文里有一個(gè)俗語是用來形容類似情況的，那就是 cold feet。Cold 是冷的意思，feet 就是兩只腳。Cold feet 并不是在雪地里走而使你的腳很冷。Cold feet 是指臨時(shí)上場感到膽怯。

　　例如：Peter told his wife that this time he was really going to walk in and demand a pay raise from the boss. But when he arrived at the office, he got cold feet.

　　皮特對(duì)自己的妻子說，這次他可一定要到他老板的辦公室去要求增加工資了?？墒?，他一到了辦公室就感到膽怯，不敢去見他的老板。

　　這種臨陣脫逃的現(xiàn)象是很常見的。下面我們要舉的例子恐怕會(huì)引起許多聽眾的共鳴：

　　I really need to get my teeth fixed, but every time I start to phone the dentist, I think about the sound of that drill and right away I get cold feet.

　　我實(shí)在應(yīng)該去牙大夫那兒看牙了。但是，每當(dāng)我拿起電話想和大夫預(yù)約的時(shí)候，我就好像聽到那鉆牙的聲音，一下子，我就害怕起來了。

　　6. Jump in and get your feet wet

　　事到臨頭打退堂鼓，出現(xiàn)cold feet 的現(xiàn)象也許是一個(gè)弱點(diǎn)，但是在美國成語里，把腳弄濕倒是一件好事。比如說，好些聽眾都在學(xué)英語(Q吧)。許多初學(xué)的人都怕難為情而不敢用英語來對(duì)話?？墒牵蠋熀芸赡芫蜁?huì)勸這些學(xué)生: Jump in and get your feet wet。Jump in and get your feet wet 這個(gè)俗語的意思是：到實(shí)踐中去學(xué)，也可以說是跳到游泳池里學(xué)游泳。

　　例如：I know most of you are afraid to embarrass yourselves by trying to speak English after these first few lessons. But that's the best way to learn: when you meet an American, try a few words--jump in and get your feet wet.

　　我知道你們大多數(shù)人感到剛上了幾課英語，就用英語來說話很不好意思。不過，當(dāng)你見到美國人時(shí)，你不妨試著說一點(diǎn)。到實(shí)踐中去學(xué)是最好的辦法。

　　又如：I want to get into politics so I'm volunteering to put up signs for one of the people running for mayor. I don't get paid for it but it's a chance to jump in and get my feet wet.

　　我希望將來能夠到政界去工作，所以我現(xiàn)在在幫一個(gè)競選市長的候選人張貼宣傳標(biāo)語。我?guī)退鲞@些事是完全義務(wù)的，沒有工資的。但是，這是到實(shí)踐中去得到一些經(jīng)驗(yàn)的好機(jī)會(huì)。

　　7. to get a foot in the door

　　美國的商品推銷員在不很久以前還是挨家挨戶地去推銷商品，例如吸塵機(jī)、廚房用品、百科全書和圣經(jīng)等。當(dāng)一位家庭主婦聽到敲門聲，把門打開的時(shí)候，精明能干的推銷員就會(huì)把一只腳先伸到門里邊，這樣可以避免在他還沒有機(jī)會(huì)介紹他的商品之前女主人就把門關(guān)上了。這種挨家挨戶訪問的推銷員現(xiàn)在幾乎已經(jīng)消聲匿跡了，大多數(shù)推銷員現(xiàn)在都靠電話來招攬生意。可是，把一只腳先伸到門里邊這個(gè)說法卻成了一個(gè)人們經(jīng)常用的俗語了，在英文里就是：to get a foot in the door。To get a foot in the door 的意思就是：為了達(dá)到一個(gè)目的邁出了第一步，盡管你可能離達(dá)到目的的距離還很遠(yuǎn)。

　　例如：You know that beautiful girl who sits ahead of me in English class? She keeps turning me down for dates, but I finally got a foot in the door today: she met me for coffee after class.

　　你知道英語課坐在我前面那個(gè)很漂亮的女孩子嗎?我請(qǐng)她出去玩，她老是拒絕我?？墒牵裉煳宜闶沁~出了第一步。她答應(yīng)下了課和我一起去喝咖啡。

　　又如：Getting into politics is tough. But Martin got his foot in the door when he volunteered to go around town putting up posters for the Republican candidate for Congress.

　　要進(jìn)入政界是很難的。可是，馬丁曾經(jīng)在當(dāng)?shù)亓x務(wù)地幫助那些共和黨競選國會(huì)議員的候選人張貼標(biāo)語，這樣他為能夠進(jìn)入政界邁出了第一步。

　　8. to be dead on one's feet

　　一整天在電線桿上貼標(biāo)語或招貼畫確實(shí)是很累的。馬丁回到家的時(shí)候可能會(huì)感到兩只腳累得連站都站不動(dòng)