1. wear thin 打折扣;逐渐消失 意思是某一样东西在一段时间里,它的功能和价值在逐步降低,也就是中文里说的损耗。这可以指具体的东西,也可以用在其他方面。
My patience with him was wearing thin when he kept bothering me with trivial matters.
当他老是拿着琐碎之事来烦我的时候,我对他就越来越没耐心了。
2. through thick and thin 不畏艰险;在任何情况下
Through在这里是指从头到尾。Thick是厚薄的厚,和thin的意思刚好相反。Through thick and thin这个习惯用语是形容某样东西或某件事,不管是在一帆风顺的时候,还是在遇到困难的时候,都能持续很久。
True love is always time-tested. It can stand against anything. Take the relationship between my friend Li and Zhang for example; they have been lovers since their first day in the high school 20 years ago. Through thick and thin, they still love each other deeply.
真爱是可以经受的起时间考验的,它可以抵抗任何事物。就如同我的朋友李和张,他俩从高中开始谈的恋爱,经历了20年的风风雨雨,同甘共苦,到如今,他二人仍然深深地爱着彼此。
3. spread too thin 同时做太多事情
意思是过份的扩散,就像把一小块黄油抹在一块很大的面包上,黄油就很薄了。要是把spread too thin这个习惯用语用在人的身上,那就意味着一个人要做的事太多,给自己加了很多压力,甚至到无法应付的地步。
I'm afraid my friend Karen is spread too thin this year. She's taking five courses, works 20 hours a week in the bookstore, and is on the women's basketball team. She looks tired all the time and keeps falling asleep in her classes。
我担心我的朋友Karen今年给自己的压力太大。她要上五门课,每个星期要在书店里工作二十个小时,她还是女子篮球队的队员。她看起来老是很累,上课的时候经常打瞌睡。