behind bars: 坐牢

阿布格莱布监狱的美军虐囚早已不再是什么稀罕的丑闻事件。近日，美军事法庭经过调查取证宣布驯犬师史密斯虐囚罪名成立，判其在监狱服刑6个月。军事法庭指出，史密斯的罪名包括虐待囚犯、与其他驯犬师一起恐吓囚犯、迫使囚犯自虐。

请看外电报道：An Army dog handler was sentenced Wednesday to six months behind bars for using his snarling canine to torment prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Smith was sentenced on five charges, including maltreatment of prisoners, conspiring with another dog handler in a contest to try to frighten detainees at the Iraqi prison.

报道中的behind bars意思是“be put into prison”（被关进牢房），这里还可以用另外一个短语，in prison （被关进监狱）。Bar原指“关押囚犯的铁门杆”，这里引申为“牢房”，如The windows of the prison have iron bars.（监狱的窗户装有铁栅栏。）

另外，由于bar可以指法庭上把律师或被告席位隔开来的围栏，所以the prisoner at the bar意思是“在法庭中的受审者”；而the Bar则统指“律师”，如She's training for the Bar.（她正在接受律师资格培训。）