英語口語練習小對話 第186期:提心吊膽
迷你對話：
A: I don’t dare to look after the children now.
我現在不敢照看小孩了。
B: Why?
爲什麼？
A: The children always make themselves in danger. I always have my heart in my mouth with them.
孩子們總是把自己處於危險之中，和他們在一起，我總是提心吊膽的。
B: It is because your children have grown up, and you haven’t lived with a child for a long time.
也許因爲你的孩子長大了，你很長時間沒有和小孩一起生活了吧。
地道表達：
have one’s heart in one’s mouth
解詞釋義：
從字面意思來看，該習語的意思是“把某人的心放到嘴巴里”，與漢語中的“心都提起來了”類似，由此轉義爲“提心吊膽”。
支持範例：
Eg. I would have my heart in my mouth for I don’t know what you might be going to recommend next.
我會時時刻刻提心吊膽，不知你還要提出一些什麼別的。
Eg. The possibility of losing her job made her have her heart in her mouth last year.
去年她一直提心吊膽生怕失去工作.
Eg. A wrongdoer has his heart in his mouth by fear of discovery.
作惡者常提心吊膽,怕被別人發覺。
Eg. We have our hearts in our mouths to be being under a momentary attack.
我們爲隨時可能遭到攻擊而提心吊膽。
詞海拾貝：
1. look after：照看，看管
Eg. Can you take and look after the children for a few days?
你能把小孩帶去照顧幾天嗎?
Eg. Idiots and other incompetents need someone to look after them.
白癡和其他弱智者需人照料他們。
2. in danger：出於危險
Eg. When the dyke was in danger, the whole village rushed out to repair it.
河堤出險，全村的人都趕去搶修。
Eg. You promise me that you will be the person who yells out when you see the marriage is in danger.
你要答應我，當你發現婚姻陷入危機時你要大聲說出來。
3. grow up：長大
Eg. Children must be educated to serve their country when they grow up.
必須教育孩子長大後爲國家服務。
Eg. I like to muse about what I will do when I grow up.
我喜歡仔細思考長大後做什麼。
