和“脚”有关的习惯用语（上）

    我们在一般情况下都不太会注意我们的脚，除非你感到脚痛或有什么其他毛病。可是，脚这个字，也就是英文里的 foot 却不时出现在美国成语或俗语里。今天，让我们来看看和foot有关的12个习惯用语，是不是很过瘾！

    1 to put your best foot forward

    你正在找工作，和某个公司约好了去面谈，或者你第一次要去和一位异性会面，这个时候你就想要给他们一个好印象。这在英文里就是 to put your best foot forward。为了给人造成一个好印象，也就是说 to put your best foot forward，你在去面谈前肯定会尽量把衣服穿得体面一些，在和人面谈的过程中脸上还老是笑容可掬。

    下面这个例子就是某人在给别人出主意，如何设法给招工的单位留一个好印象：

    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.

    你明天去那个公司面谈前最好去理一下发。你得给他们一个好印象才行，因为有二十多个人都在争夺这个工作。

    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.

        我总算和那个女孩约好了明天一起出去玩，这是我长久以来所梦寐以求的。所以，我在明天去接她前先送她一打玫瑰花和一盒巧克力，这样好给她一个好印象。

    2 to get off on the wrong foot

    那么，有的人一开始就给人一个坏印象是怎么说的呢？To get off on the wrong foot，这是指某人一开始就没给人一个好印象，或一开始由于某种行为而把事情弄糟了。

    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.

    乔找到了一份新的工作，可是他刚开始到那家店里去上班时就给人一个坏印象。第一天上班他就晚到两个小时，让他的老板好不高兴。现在他又在找工作了。

    To get off on the wrong foot 这个俗语实际上可以适用于任何情况。下面一个例子是一个男学生在说他交女朋友的情况：

    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.

    那天我终于和班上新来的那个女同学约好了出去玩。可是，当天我的车出了问题，晚了两个小时才去接她，所以我一开头就把事弄糟了。”

    3 to land on your feet

    你难免有的时候会在生活中或工作中碰到一些麻烦和困难，可是，要是你很聪敏或者很幸运的话，这些麻烦和困难就都能得到解决。美国有一个俗语就是形容这种情况的，这就是 to land on your feet。To land on your feet 的字面意思是：你的脚站在地上。确切含义是：你在经历了一些困难后最后又回到一个稳定的状态，也可以说是逢凶化吉了。那么，这个俗语的出处是什么呢？有的语言专家认为，这个俗语可能来自对猫的观察。你也许注意到，当一只猫从树上掉下来的时候，它表现出一种特殊的技能：它能在空中还没有落地之前调整自己身体的姿势，从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.

    我的弟弟因老是不准时上班而被公司解雇了。可是，他倒是逢凶化吉又找到了一份工作，而且工资还加了一倍。

    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.

    格林先生就是那种不怕冒很大危险去投资的人。有时，他也确实会亏本，但是他总是会逢凶化吉，找到钱去投资生财的。

    4 to put your foot in your mouth

    有意无意做错事、说错话的情况是很经常的。下面我们要讲的一个俗语就是无意中说错了话而伤害了别人，或者叫自己很不好意思。这个俗语就是：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.

    沙莉吃晚饭时说了一个笑话，拿一个只有一条腿的水手开玩笑。她可不知道坐在饭桌对面那个人的哥哥就是个残废，行动都得靠轮椅。Sally如果事后了解情况的话，她肯定会说:"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.

    我昨晚在那个聚会上无意中说错了话。我让布朗先生替我向他的太太问好。不知怎么回事，我忘了他太太已经在半年前去世了。