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1. look someone up and down
动词look典型用法是不及物,所以看到下面这样句子就不免有点打鼓,
【例句1】 The students looked me up and down as though I were a Martian. (学生们上下打量我,好像我是火星人。) [柯林斯高级学者辞典; look词条]
【例句2】Maisie looked her rival up and down with a critical eye. (梅齐用挑剔的眼光打量着她的对手)[朗文当代英语词典;up and down词条]
look someone up and down的含义是将soneone从头看到脚,而且是以挑衅、粗鲁地、不礼貌地或不怀好意地方式上下打量。
当代词典将上述用法归入习惯用语。若不想琢磨,那就死记硬背吧!
KFC还是想挑战一下。
笔者怀疑此习惯用语来自look up and down someone,因up and down比someone长而被后置了。对这样理解,up and down是短语介词。
在中世纪的欧洲,骑士在决斗前经常上下打量对手-look up and down,目的是恐吓对手和炫耀自己实力。
look daggers at someone的含义是“怒视某人”,如
【例句3】I noticed the bride looking daggers at the best man as he started making vulgar jokes during his speech. (我注意到新娘在伴郎开始讲粗俗的笑话,她怒视着伴郎。)
【例句4】He looked daggers at her across the room when she mentioned his divorce. (当她提到他的离婚时,他隔着房间狠狠地瞪了她一眼。)
此习惯用语多被词典标为informal。其原因可能有二。
一是“怒视”这样的不友好的表达可能被词典不待见。
二是look daggers看起来daggers是look的宾语,但look通常是不及物动词。
dagger的词义是“匕首”。
笔者认为daggers的词尾s不是复数,而是像always,forwards,nights等副词词尾s的标志,即副词属性格标志。
也就是daggers是副词,含义是“以匕首方式地”,是对“以凶恶方式地”的形象比喻。
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