A cat has nine lives
Cats seem to get away with dangerous things
猫有九条命,吉人自有天相
- A cat has nine lives, I think my cat used up one of her nine lives when she survived being hit by that car.
猫有九条命,我想我的猫被车撞倒时, 使用了它的九条命之一而存活下来了。
A cat nap
A short sleep during the day
打个盹儿;小睡一会
- I was up late last night so I had a cat nap at my desk today.
我昨夜很晚才睡,所以今天趴在桌子上偷偷打了个小盹儿。
Bell the cat
Take on a difficult or impossible task
自告奋勇去冒险,为众人的利益承担风险
- It is difficult to get a man to bell the cat.
在危险中勇于挺身而出的人是很难找到的。
Cat fight
A fight between two women
猫斗,指两个女人打架(在典型的刻板印象里,女性打架时经常用指甲划抓和喊叫,像猫一样)
- A cat fight has erupted over who will get top billing.
为了谁做主角的问题爆发了一场猫斗。
Cat got your tongue?
Don’t you have anything to say?
(用于生气地质问)舌头让猫给叼走了吗?为什么不吭声?
- What's the matter? Has the cat got your tongue?
你怎么了?为什么不吭声?
Cat on a hot tin roof
Be extremely nervous
如热锅上的蚂蚁,坐立不安
- Before the opening night of the play, the actress was so nervous that she was pacing around like a cat on a hot tin roof.
舞台剧首演的前晚,这名女演员紧张到像热锅上的蚂蚁般来回走动。
Cat and mouse
In a toying way; playful in unpleasant way
玩猫戏老鼠的游戏;耍弄
- The 32-year-old singer spent a large proportion of the week playing cat and mouse with the press.
那位32岁的歌手这周大部分的时间都花在了与媒体玩猫戏老鼠的游戏上。
Cat’s paw
A person being used by someone else, a tool
被人作为工具利用的人
- The stupid fellow never realized that he was a mere cat's paw in the hands of his enemy.
这个笨蛋根本不知道他只不过是敌人手中一个被利用的工具。
(Like) herding cats
Difficult to coordinate (said of members of a group)
众口难调
- The latest project that I’m managing at work involves so many different groups that it’s just like herding cats.
我现在掌管的最新项目涉及许多不同的小组,就像放牧猫一样众口难调。
(There’s) more than one way to skin a cat
There are multiple ways to accomplish this task
达到目的的方法不止一种
- The China market is so huge, but there is more than one way to skin a cat.
中国市场何其之大,开拓时不能只拘泥于一种成见。