"Show her hand" nghĩa là gì?

để lộ bàn tay... Photo courtesy Beryl_snw.

'Show one's hand' nghĩa là tiết lộ ý định/kế hoạch của mình, nhất là từ trước đến nay vẫn đang giữ bí mật (to make one's plans, intentions, ideas, or resources known to others, especially those that were previously hidden or kept secret).

Ví dụ

New York's Attorney General Shows His Hand Against Exxon Mobil.

Sky's the limit as Murdoch shows his hand but Comcast is not out of this bidding war yet.

Viewers will either crack a satisfied smile or feel utterly taken for a ride when Shani finally shows his hand as a crafty (lắm mánh khóe, láu cá, xảo quyệt) manipulator (người lôi kéo, vận động (bằng mánh khóe)) of a narrative that’s less linear than we expect.

After the "chaotic" first day of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination hearing, Wednesday saw the 53-year-old appellate judge bombarded with questions from senators. The AP describes him as "treading carefully," and highlights some of the biggest issues raised during the second day of the hearing. Kavanaugh "didn't show his hand" when questioned about abortion rights (quyền phá thai), for example, though he did call Roe v. Wade "important precedent" that has "been reaffirmed many times over the past 45 years."

Phạm Hạnh

Bài trước: "Put her hand into her pocket" nghĩa là gì?

"Put her hand into her pocket" nghĩa là gì?

Goldfinger, Sean Connery, 1964. Photo courtesy Raoul Luoar.

'Put your hand into your pocket" nghĩa là sẵn sàng chi tiền, cho ai đó hoặc làm từ thiện (to give money to someone or to charity).

Ví dụ

People are more inclined to put their hands in their pockets to help children.

We have schools that are desperately short of money and having to ask parents to put their hands in their pockets to stay afloat.

Optometrist (người chuyên đo thị lực để bán mắt kính) Michael Connor had been "waiting for someone to put their hands in their pockets" and he said Primark's donation was a welcome one.

There's a wealth – if you'll pardon the pun (sự chơi chữ) – of personal finance tools out there, but many of them involve having to put your hand into your pocket, dig deep and part with some hard-earned cash.

Popular resorts with lots of all-inclusive hotels are much more comprehensive now than they used to be too. “You really don’t need to put your hand into your pocket,” says Porter, “and let’s face it, after the whole build-up of a wedding, sometimes just flaking and being pampered has the desired effect.”

Phạm Hạnh

Bài trước: "Play into the hands of" nghĩa là gì?

"Play into the hands of" nghĩa là gì?

...chỉ làm lợi cho các nước phương Tây muốn xâm lược Syria*. Photo courtesy William Proby.

'Play into the hands of someone' nghĩa là làm lợi cho đối thủ của mình (to do something that one does not realize will hurt oneself and help someone else playing into the hands of the enemy).

Ví dụ

Manchester United warned any squabbling (cãi nhau ầm ĩ, cãi vặt) could play into the hands of rivals City.

Any attempt to disrupt (phá vỡ, gây cản trở) this vital (quan trọng, sống còn, trọng yếu, nguy hiểm đến tính mạng; sinh động, đầy sức sống) project (dự án quan trọng này) will only play into the hands of those who do not want peace (hòa bình) and progress for the Afghan people.

Many analysts (nhà phân tích) here predict (dự đoán) such a backlash (phản ứng mạnh) will play into the hands of politicians eager to weaken, if not dismantle (tháo dỡ, hủy bỏ, bãi bỏ), the European Union.

The Russian delegation spokesperson said that the claims are only playing "into the hands of the Western countries that plan to carry out another aggression (gây hấn, xâm lược) against Syria, using a staged (dàn dựng) chemical weapons (vũ khí hóa học) incident as an excuse (là cái cớ)".

Phạm Hạnh

Bài trước: "Many hands make light work" nghĩa là gì?

* A Free Syrian Army fighter throws a hand grenade inside a Syrian Army base during heavy fighting in the Arabeen neighbourhood of Damascus February 3, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic