职员们对一连串不讲信誉的领导深恶痛绝。
fly-by-night 直译过来就是:“趁着黑夜逃走”,19世纪早期,fly by night 被用来形容“赖账的房客”。因为没钱付房租,他们只好半夜偷偷逃走,fly 在这里表示“逃离,逃跑”。这个短语的正确意思是:“不可靠的,失去信誉的”。因此,当美国人说"The staff are sick of a succession of fly-by-night leaders."时,他/她要表达的意思就是:"The staff hate those leaders who have lost reputation."、"The staff are fed upwith leaders who have lost their credibility."。
情景对白:
Shirley: I can't bear it any more! The boss has promised to give me a raise but he never fulfills it!
雪莉:我真是受够了,老板承诺给我加薪,但是一直没兑现。
Jane: This really sucks. The staff are sick of a succession of fly-by-night leaders.
简:真可恶!职员们对一连串不讲信誉的领导深恶痛绝。
搭配句积累:
①They will pay for this!
他们会为此付出代价的!
②Complaints in the office are piling up.
办公室里的抱怨声日益增多。
③The company's prospect also looks pretty bleak.
公司的前景也异常暗淡。
④Their passion for work is waning.
他们的工作热情开始下降。
单词:
1. credibility n. 信誉
The police have lost their credibility.
警方已经失去了公众的信任。
The president will have to work hard to restore his credibility.
总统将不得不努力使公众恢复对他的信任。
2. prospect n. 前景,前途
I chose to work abroad to improve my career prospects.
我选择出国工作以求在事业上有更好的发展。
A formidable prospect lies ahead of him.
他的前景令人忧惧。
3. bleak adj. 无希望的,暗淡的
The outlook for survival is bleak.
存活希望极微。
Many predicted a bleak future.
很多人都预测前景暗淡。