亡羊补牢:better late than never
成语解读:It’s not late to mend the barn even though the sheep are lost already. 出了问题以后想办法补救,可以防止继续受损失。
例句:You should have apologized earlier, but better late than never.
马上学:与亡羊补牢意思相近的短语有A stitch in time saves nine(一针及时省九针/小洞不补,大洞吃苦),指If you fix a small problem right away, it will not become a bigger problem later.如果能够适时处理一个小漏洞,就能防微杜渐,事半功倍。例:Let’s patch the roof before that hole gets bigger. A stitch in time saves nine.
顺手牵羊: five-finger discount
成语解读: pick up something on the sly or steal something under cover of an emergency. 顺手把人家的羊牵走,现比喻乘机拿走别人的东西。
例句:The man gets parts for his motorcycle from the factory using his five-finger discount.
马上学:关于偷东西还有一些其他表达: snatch, steal, grab, pick-pocketing。Snatch指迅速夺取,She snatched the gun from his hand. Steal表示悄悄地做,偷,例:The thief didn’t steal money, but a flute and a flute case. Grab表示抢夺,霸占,例:The dog grabbed away the meat from the man. Pickpocketing指扒窃,例:Surprisingly, pickpocketing is common in some European countries. Pickpocket是名词形式,表示扒手。
羊入虎口:be in deep water
成语解读:a sheep falls into a tiger’s mouth, which describes someone or something is in a perilous or dangerous position. 比喻弱者陷入险恶的境地,面临被残害的处境。
例句:We are going to be in deep water if the bank refuses to authorize a bigger loan.
马上学:其他类似表达还有skating on thin ice和walking on icy ground,指to be in a risky situation如履薄冰。例:I try to stay well informed so I don't end up skating on thin ice when the teacher asks me a question.
替罪羊: a scapegoat
成语解读:A person who is held responsible for something bad that has happened, although it is not his or her fault. 为他人的错误或罪行而背黑锅的人。
例句:She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss’s mistake.
马上学:替罪羊还可以用a fall guy表示,事实上这个词来源于运动。“替罪羊”最早指靠摔跤赚钱的人。十九世纪末,摔跤在美国是一项非常受欢迎的运动,但许多比赛结果都是内定的。摔跤比赛中的目标是要把对手的肩膀按倒在地板上。这叫一次击倒。有时,有人会付钱给其中一个摔跤手让他故意被击倒。他会同意成为输家,也就是“替罪羊”。其他相似的表达,如,背黑锅可以说take the rap, 例:John robbed the bank, but Tom took the rap for him. 陷害某人是frame someone, 例:He claimed that he had been framed by his boss.