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近日，美国田纳西州一只宠物狗被邻居投诉，称对其家人构成威胁，两位执法人员在登门处理该投诉时被这只狗咬伤。之后，这只狗被送到了当地动物收容所，它的主人则被开了罚单。请看外电的报道：A pair of Putnam County lawmen were warning a dog owner to control his pet when it raced over and bit them on the leg. Now, the pooch is in the pound and the owner is in the doghouse.普特南镇的两位执法人员在提醒一位主人管好其宠物狗的时候被这只冲上来的狗咬伤了腿部。目前，这只狗被关在动物收容所，而它的主人则备受冷遇。该报道中，pound 可不是我们平常所说的货币单位“英镑”或者重量单位“磅”，而是a public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs （走失或无证狗的公共收容所），也可以用 dog pound。那么后面一句中的doghouse 跟dog pound是不是一个意思呢？doghouse 原本的意思是“狗窝”，如果一个人被关在狗窝里(in the doghouse)，那他一定是做错了事而受到冷遇。因此，这个短语 in the doghouse 就是out of favor or in trouble for doing something wrong (因做错事而失宠、不受喜爱或者惹麻烦)等意思。例如：He has been in the doghouse with the administration for months.他在管理部门失宠已有数月了。The boy was in the doghouse with his teacher by often coming to school late.老师很不喜欢那个男孩，因为他上学经常迟到。 |
