nails是钉子,不难想象躺在一床尖锐的钉子上面是什么滋味,那真是苦不堪言。
这个习惯用语还比较新,出现在三十来年前。我们仍然看个例子来确切领会它的意思吧。这一回说话的人要说的是他兄弟Mike在办公室的境遇,看来Mike也日子很难熬:
例句:Mike's looking for another job. His boss is rude and very bad-tempered. And the five people who work for Mike are lazy and untrained so Mike has to explain everything to them. Therefore, his job is a real bed of nails for him.
他说: Mike正在另找工作,他的上级粗暴无礼、脾气又非常坏,而在他手下工作的那五个人既懒惰有没受过什么训练,所以Mike凡事都得向他们解释。这样看来Mike在那儿工作真是如坐针毡,处境极其艰难。
这里的习惯用语bed of nails意思就是处境极其艰难。