今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语都是从音乐界流传到日常生活中的。第一个是: pull out all the stops。这里的stops指管风琴上的圆纽,用来控制琴上的那些笛管是否奏乐。按下 stops,笛管就停止奏乐,而演奏者得拔起他要用的笛管上的stops,让气流进入,才能奏出他需要的乐声。所以如果演奏者pull out all the stops,那么这架管风琴上所有的笛管就是在齐声共鸣了。Pull out all the stops大约在一百五十多年前被转用到日常生活中。
例句-1:Harry, let's pull out all the stops. We'll use our whole advertising budget this year to sell this. Tell everyone it's cheaper and better than anything our competitors can offer.
例句-2:Okay, men, we're playing the champions, but we can beat them if you pull out all the stops. You all have to play the best you've ever played - don't hold anything back. Let's go!
我们再学个也是来自音乐的习惯用语: beat the drum for。Drum是鼓。鼓是古来就有的乐器,而且虽然不同的国家有各种不同的乐器,然而鼓却几乎是各国共有的最为普遍应用的乐器。
人们在战场上击鼓助阵,在喜庆中打鼓助兴,在游行时也擂鼓吸引大家的注意。难怪beat the drum for会成为日常通用的习惯用语。那么作为习惯用语它是什么意思呢?
我们通过一个例子来琢磨。这是个学生在说自己和伙伴们怎么为大学戏剧俱乐部演出的一台戏作宣传。
例句-3:A few of us club members took a bunch of tickets out and beat the drum for the play with our friends. And we sold enough to fill all the seats, the first time in history.
这里的beat the drum for the play意思显然是为这场戏作宣传,beat the drum for类似于中国成语: 为什么摇旗呐喊。
有时beat the drum for里面的drum也可以是复数形式。这样,这个习惯用语就成了beat the drums for,但是它的意思不变。
我们再听个例子,里面有beat the drums for。这是几名记者正谈论一个州长在竞选连任的过程中获胜的阻力很大,所以州长不得不竭尽全力地开展竞选。好,我们来听听这名记者的话。
例句-4:He's in real trouble; people don't like him much. So he's out early beating the drums for himself, trying to raise campaign money and find groups to support him.