"All the tea in China" nghĩa là gì?

Trải nghiệm là vô giá. Photo by Manuel Meurisse on Unsplash 

"All the tea in China" có nghĩa là đồ vô giá/ có giá trị vô cùng lớn. Theo nghiên cứu vài năm trở lại đây, Trung Quốc vẫn là quốc gia sản xuất và tiêu thụ trà lớn nhất thế giới. 

Ví dụ 

What a companion (bạn đồng hành) the dictionary is – there are stories in that book that’ll knock your boots off (làm bạn ngạc nhiên). To this day it remains my prized possession (tài sản quý giá) and I wouldn’t trade it for all the tea in China. 

“People [within the league (đội)] knew they were going to do something pretty profound (sâu sắc),” one GM told NBA.com earlier this week. “What they got for George was more than a king’s ransom (tiền chuộc). And if they end up trading Russell for all the tea in China, it will be the same deal again, right?” 

Since North Dakota became a state, residents have been barred (ngăn, cấm) from most shopping until noon on Sundays. As of August 4th this year, that restriction (hạn chế) ends, but not everyone is fond (yêu thích) of the change. I hit the streets of Minot to see what local business owners think. “Not for all the tea in China.” 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "Top banana" nghĩa là gì? 

"Finders keepers losers weepers" nghĩa là gì?

Ngang nhiên chưa kìa! Photo courtesy: Malingering 

"Finders keepers (losers weepers)" là cách chơi chữ của trẻ con, có nghĩa ai tìm thấy thì được giữ, ai làm mất thì ráng chịu (kể cả là đồ của người khác). 

Ví dụ 

The police department then stated that they were going to need the cash back, pronto (ngay lập tức). Which is hilarious, because of course, these people aren’t going to give the money back! Who are we kidding here? Finders keepers, losers weepers. 

"Finders keepers" might be a thing when you're a kid and when the item you've found is of inconsequential value (giá trị nhỏ). When the item is as pricey as a new Chevrolet Corvette convertible (mui trần), and when the finder is a 36-year-old adult, well, let's just say that "losers weepers" takes on a slightly different meaning. 

What you can see on the video in this case is that our suspects (nghi ngờ), they don’t waste anytime and quickly bends down (cúi xuống) and grabs the wallet, but not to give it back to her, like you and I would probably do, they react really quickly in an attempt so they could steal it, so this is one of those times where the saying, ‘finders keepers (losers weepers),’ does not apply. 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "Spill the tea" nghĩa là gì?

"A blue funk" nghĩa là gì?

"Tôi thích đi dưới mưa để không ai thấy tôi đang khóc." Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash

"Funk" = trạng thái buồn chán, tuyệt vọng -> "A blue funk" ý chỉ là trạng thái chán nản, buồn bã hoặc trạng thái cực kỳ lo lắng, hoảng sợ.

Ví dụ

John is in a blue funk after the death of his father.

Kabir sinks into a blue funk, has a combination (kết hợp) of alcohol and morphine and passes out for two days.

My songs on this record are about letting go. Whether it be the attachment (sự quyến luyến) of love lost, the past, or the particular (riêng) blue funk you’re coming out of.

“I’ve been having some pretty dark thoughts / Yeah, I like them a lot,” wails (hát một cách rên rỉ, đau khổ) Stefan Babcock, lead vocalist (người hát dẫn) and guitarist of Toronto punk group PUP on “Scorpion Hill,” singing about those times when you’re so submerged (chìm) in the blue funk you start to accept it, to make it your world.

Bảo Ngọc

Bài trước: "The tipping point" nghĩa là gì?

"After the fashion of" nghĩa là gì?

Elegant woman by storefront, Olsztyn, Poland. Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash.

"After the fashion of" = theo sau thời trang của ai đó -> cụm từ này nghĩa là bắt chước/theo/giống gu/phong cách của ai...

Ví dụ

But few vice presidents, at least since Aaron Burr, have accumulated and exercised power (thực thi quyền lực) after the fashion of Cheney. He’s now the subject of a splendid film (chủ đề của một bộ phim hay ngoạn mục), Vice, that is part satire (châm biếm) and part drama but always engaging.

They put up (trang bị) homes for themselves in Nairobi after the fashion of India. Daca House along Grogan Road is one of them. In the fullness of time, their fortunes (vận may) improve. They move to suburbia, leaving the Grogan Roads to Africans. 

Faced with rising prices, they seem to have set to work very much after the fashion of the Rochdale pioneers, though on a much larger scale and with greater advantages. They organised a distributive society (xã hội phân hóa). A scheme (kế hoạch) was laid before a mass meeting of railway employees in January of last year.

The cars are set to be quite a bit larger than the outgoing CLA, built on the same chassis (khung gầm) as the latest A-Class with a longer wheelbase (chiều dài cơ sở) for more passenger space and various options (đa dạng về lựa chọn) for front- and four-wheel drive with a drift (rê đuôi xe kiểu Nhật) mode like the E63’s, after the fashion of the Ford Focus RS.

Ngọc Lân

Bài trước: "On the face of the earth" nghĩa là gì?

"Spill the tea" nghĩa là gì?

"Tao nghe thấy thằng khỉ bên kia bảo trưa nay không được ăn chuối đâu." Photo by Mihai Surdu on Unsplash

"Spill the tea" = rót trà -> bàn tán chuyện phiếm, ngồi lê đôi mách. 

Ví dụ 

While Turner and Jonas could very well be in Italy (they got married in France, after all), it seems unlikely that McPhee would so carelessly spill the tea on where the couple is trying to enjoy a private romantic getaway (trốn). 

BAZAAR.com is the leading authority on all things royals—and we're ready to spill the tea. Our host, comedian and social media sensation (nổi tiếng trên mạng xã hội) Rickey Thompson, is breaking down the latest and greatest happenings inside and out of Buckingham Palace in our new series, Royal Tea.

Never missing an opportunity to get the real dirt, Andy went straight to Dale, asking her thoughts about Billy. Dale did not hesitate (ngần ngại) to spill the tea, and shared with Andy, “I don’t know Billy but I know that she did have two dates with him.” While Andy’s face shined with pure happiness, Tinsley immediately went on the defense (phản biện), saying, “That’s not even true! I did not have two dates with him, what are you talking about?” 

Thu Phương

Bài trước: "There is many a slip twixt cup and lip" nghĩa là gì?

"The tipping point" nghĩa là gì?

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

"The tipping point" = điểm ngoặt -> ý chỉ thời điểm quan trọng khi một loạt các sự kiện nhỏ đã tích tụ đủ mức để gây ra ảnh hưởng lớn. Ngoài ra "the tipping point" còn được dùng để chỉ thời điểm mà một thay đổi mang tính bước ngoặt diễn ra và không thể ngăn lại được.

Ví dụ

A huge Antarctic glacier (tảng băng) is reaching a “tipping point” which could see it succumb (không chống nổi) to uncontrollable (không kiểm soát được) melting, dangerously raising sea levels.

BMW believes that the new Mini Electric could be ‘a tipping point’ for those who have been thinking about choosing an Electric Vehicle, but are yet to do so.

South Africa is burning. It’s not yet a conflagration (hiểm họa lớn) but to ignore its potential to become one, would be a terrible mistake. Unless our government summons (tập trung) the political courage (can đảm) to deal with public violence (bạo lực), South Africa is edging (đến bờ vực) towards a tipping point.

Study Warns Carbon-Saturated (bão hòa carbon) Oceans Headed Toward Tipping Point That Could Unleash (mở ra) Mass (hàng loạt) Extinction (diệt chủng) Event. The continuous accumulation (tích tụ) of carbon dioxide in the planet's oceans—which shows no sign of stopping due to humanity's relentless (không ngừng) consumption (tiêu thụ) of fossil fuels—is likely to trigger (kích hoạt) a chemical reaction in Earth's carbon cycle similar to those which happened just before mass extinction events.

Bảo Ngọc

Bài trước: "The smoking gun" nghĩa là gì?

"There is many a slip twixt cup and lip" nghĩa là gì?

Bạn cố gắng, nhưng người khác cũng cố gắng không kém gì bạn, đừng tự mãn. Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash 

"There is many a slip twixt cup and lip" = có rất nhiều cú trượt giữa cốc và môi -> nhiều khó khăn/ những điều không ngờ đến có thể xảy ra để ngăn bạn thực hiện những gì bạn định làm, bởi vậy đừng quá chủ quan. Tương tự câu "miếng ăn đến mồm còn rơi". "Twixt" là từ cổ, có nghĩa là "ở giữa".

Ví dụ 

As I say, the forecasts are mostly positive but there's many a slip twixt cup and lip. The Pound, which has been gently declining for a few weeks, may well recover a little of its mojo (bùa chú) today. GBP buyers beware (cẩn thận).

Winning a numbers’ game on the floor of the Senate (Thượng nghị viện)— even with the clear numerical superiority (ưu thế) that the combined opposition (phe đối lập) possesses (sở hữu) — may not be easy because a secret ballot (lá thăm bí mật) brings with it considerable uncertainty. 

Wilder also plans an autumn pit-stop (trạm dừng) in the Big Apple, for another rematch, this one against Luis Ortiz who pushed him to the limit in their first fight. As Joshua was brutally reminded by Ruiz, there is many a slip between the cup of riches and a split lip. Of course, there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "Slip on a banana skin" nghĩa là gì?

"Above the law" nghĩa là gì?

"We are bound by the law so that we may be free." Image by succo from Pixabay.

"Above the law" = bên trên luật pháp -> ý nói việc không cần phải tuân thủ luật pháp.

Ví dụ

Nobody is above the law, even the lawmakers (người làm luật) have to adhere to all of them.

An important principle (nguyên tắc) of our legal system is that no one in this country – including members of Congress  (Quốc hội) – is above the law.

We are here to make sure there is equality (bình đẳng) before the law. You are not above the law, whether your last name is Kriel or Malema. Malema thinks he’s untouchable (không thể đụng đến).

Though he seems to think otherwise, Donald Trump is not above the law, and we won't allow him to endanger (làm nguy hại) wildlife, clean water, and the climate to allow a Canadian company to move more tar (nhựa đường) sands through the United States.

Bảo Ngọc

Bài trước: "Across the pond" nghĩa là gì?

"Man does not live by bread alone" nghĩa là gì?

Sách mở ra trước mắt ta những chân trời mới Photo by Brijesh Nirmal on Unsplash

'Man does not live by bread alone' = con người không chỉ sống bằng mỗi bánh mì -> một cuộc sống đầy đủ và trọn vẹn không chỉ có nhu cầu cơ bản là chỗ ở và ăn uống mà còn nhiều yếu tố/nhu cầu khác nữa.

Ví dụ

Man does not live by bread alone: Escort services (dịch vụ tìm bạn hẹn hò) ad (quảng cáo) angers Italian Catholics

Even as man does not live by bread alone, neither can this nation forget the environmental damage (mối nguy hại) coal will cause and why we have the Executive President as the Minister of Environment to safeguard (bảo vệ) the island’s environmental health.

Man does not live by bread alone and nations too must look beyond the mere mechanics (máy móc) of administration (quản trị) and economics. Irrespective (bất luận, bất kể) of who runs the government, the Indian economy will surely grow as issues related to labour (nhân lực), land and capital markets are sorted out and technology is used to enhance efficiency of governance.

Bích Nhàn

Bài trước: "Half a loaf is better than no bread" nghĩa là gì?

"Top banana" nghĩa là gì?

Sếp đẹp trai ơi bao giờ có lương ạ? Photo by Icons8 team on Unsplash 

"Top banana" người có quyền lực, thẩm quyền, giữ vị trí cao nhất trong nhóm/ tổ chức. 

Ví dụ

Guillermo Rodriguez always fancied (tưởng tượng) himself as the top banana. Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick (cộng tác) got to be just that in a fun segment (phân đoạn) with Gwen Stefani. 

The totalitarian ethos (đặc tính chuyên chế) was present from the beginning, and given that the top banana did not care for the citizenry making fun of him, in due course it was made illegal (bất hợp pháp) to make jokes about the presidential surname. 

The expression top banana was coined (tạo ra) in vaudeville (kịch vui Vô-đơ-vin) in the 1920s to mean the top comedian featured in a show. Phil Silvers, a comedian whose career spanned (sự nghiệp lâu dài) the entertainment venues of vaudeville, movies, radio and television, gives credit to Harry Steppe as the man who coined the term. Steppe was a comedian and writer. 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "A banana hammock" nghĩa là gì?

"Across the pond" nghĩa là gì?

Photo by Guillaume Bassem on Unsplash

"Across the pond" = qua cái hồ -> ý nói qua bên kia Đại Tây Dương. Cụm này thường được dùng để ám chỉ nước Anh hoặc nước Mỹ, tùy thuộc vào nơi người nói câu này đang ở là tại Anh hay tại Mỹ.

Ví dụ

I have learned a lot of new things after travelling across the pond.

Spider-Man is swinging (đung đưa, đánh đu) across the pond on a new adventure in Spider-Man: Far from home.

I look forward to the next trip across the pond to Wembley with great anticipation (sự mong đợi, hy vọng), hopefully I don't have to wait too long.

Teaching students to be tolerant (khoan dung, rộng lượng, chịu chấp nhận), inclusive (bao trọn), and accepting (chấp nhận) of LGBT is a trend sweeping (quét) across the pond, and it isn't going away any time soon.

Bảo Ngọc

Bài trước: "Act the goat" nghĩa là gì?

"A banana hammock" nghĩa là gì?

Hình ảnh thực tế. Photo courtesy: supersultrywahine 

"Banana hammock" = võng chuối -> mô tả bộ bikini siêu hở hang, thiếu vải của nam. 

Ví dụ: 

I’m betting those aren’t bible scriptures (kinh thánh) you’re shoving into that gay dancer’s banana hammock. 

At first I was like, “What is the banana-hammock sling concoction (treo dựng lên)?" But then I quickly realized the button goes at the nape (gáy) of your neck. 

So, flaccid (ẻo lả) in a banana hammock is still jake (ổn). Camel toes (móng lạc đà -> vùng "tam giác" bị lộ khi mặc đồ bó) and man-nips (núm vú) likewise get a pass. 

She demonstrated (giải thích) that recently when she posted a photo of herself with her new boyfriend, Eric Nichols. She’s got him in a post wearing what the online world is calling a “banana hammock”. It leaves very little to the imagination, as does the bikini Larissa is wearing in the pic as well. 

 Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "Second banana" nghĩa là gì?

"Act the goat" nghĩa là gì?

Trông tui hề hước lắm hả? Photo by sergio souza on Unsplash

"Act the goat" = đóng vai con dê -> ý chỉ việc cư xử, hành động một cách khôi hài hay ngớ ngẩn.

Ví dụ

John Key would act the goat. He'd sashay (đi khệnh khạng) down runaways, he'd pose with students pulling silly faces, and people actually related to that."

Dating back to Pagan (thuộc tà giáo) Ireland, Puck Fair s is believed to be the oldest fair in the country and is the only place where ‘humans act the goat and the goat acts the King!’

She would encourage (động viên) us "to act the goat" and taught me that having a laugh with people is a lovely way to go through life.

We are being paid to act the goat and pretend to be other people, but we are also making television that we think has got some value (giá trị). 

Bảo Ngọc

Bài trước: "A wind of change" nghĩa là gì?

"Half a loaf is better than no bread" nghĩa là gì?

Được ăn cả, ngã về không Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

"Half a loaf is better than no bread" = một nửa ổ bánh mì còn hơn không có cái nào -> thà nhận/được ít còn hơn là không có gì. Câu này chúng ta hay nói bằng câu "méo mó có còn hơn không" nè :)

Ví dụ

Or, as the City cynics say, bad numbers take longer to add up. But half a loaf is better than no bread and the AIC stats provide plenty for investors to get our teeth into (tham gia vào).

Well, other than anyone capable of observing (quan sát) the facts of Brexit life, who could have predicted (dự đoán) this? Who could have recognised that, from the perspective (quan điểm) of the Brexiteers themselves, half a loaf is better than no bread at all?

'Half a loaf is better than no bread' – the hardline (dứt khoát), Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg said this week, after months of saying he would not agree to the PM's 'dreadful' withdrawal (rút lui) agreement. Speaking on BBC Radio he said that 'legally leaving is better than not leaving at all'. On Wednesday, MPs voted against all eight options put forward during the indicative votes (phiếu bầu chọn ra các vấn đề được Quốc hội thảo luận).

Bích Nhàn

Bài trước: "At the bottom of the food chain" nghĩa là gì?

"At the bottom of the food chain" nghĩa là gì?

Con người quá bé nhỏ trước những bí ẩn của nhân loại Photo by Les Anderson on Unsplash

"At the bottom of the food chain" = ở cuối cùng của chuỗi thức ăn -> ở/chiếm vị trí ít quan trọng nhất hoặc ít ảnh hưởng nhất trong một tổ chức, đảng phái hay thể chể chế chính trị.

Ví dụ

There are [ancient] crocodiles (cá sấu) that would have taken down (thay thế) Tyrannosaurus without a problem. What you've got here is crocodyliforms that are actually at the bottom of the food chain.

Today, the retail (bán lẻ) investors are looking at a bleak (ảm đạm, không có hi vọng) future because they are at the bottom of the food chain, as they hold 68 percent of the stock. If the company goes into liquidation (thanh toán) (as per Financial Institutions’ Act, 1993), it is estimated that general shareholders and institutional investors stand to lose nearly Tk 220 crore (mười triệu).

Chris Stout, manager of the coastal (bờ biển) zone consistency section, noted that the agency gave conditional approval to seismic (địa chấn) testing in 2015. But in this week’s decision he said new studies have raised concerns about the impact on marine life (đời sống đại dương) from the microscopic (siêu nhỏ) zooplankton (động vật phù du) at the bottom of the food chain to threatened and endangered species such as sea turtles and the Atlantic right whale.

Bích Nhàn

Bài trước: "Everything in the garden is rosy" nghĩa là gì?

"On the face of the earth" nghĩa là gì ?

Photo by: Beth Scupham on flickr

"On the face of the earth" = có ở trên bề mặt trái đất -> ý nói về sự tồn tại của con người, vật chất hoặc nơi chốn.

Ví dụ

One of the nicest guys on the face of the Earth left it way too soon (đã qua đời quá sớm) last week. Chances are most of you didn't know 77-year-old Duane Anderson of Santiago Township so I'll tell you a little about him.

It was baseball legend (huyền thoại bóng chày) Lou Gehrig who said, “today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” My family and I agreed, being part of that baseball game made us feel like the luckiest family on the face of the Earth.

We will be the biggest company on the face of the earth when people really see what we’re doing and realize what we’re doing. It’s a matter of allowing people and giving them the opportunity and the chance to hear about it.

The year is 2020, one year after ‘the virus,’ and average guy Phil Miller crosses the country in his RV searching for fellow survivors (đồng loại còn sống sót). After finding no one, he returns to his hometown of Tucson, Arizona where he makes the realisation that he is almost certainly the last living person on the face of the earth.

Ngọc Lân

Bài trước: "The meat in the sandwich" nghĩa là gì?

"The meat in the sandwich" nghĩa là gì?

Nhìn mà thèm quá !!! Photo by: Usodesita on flickr

"The meat in the sandwich" = miếng thịt trong bánh sandwich -> một đảng trung lập phải tương tác với hai người hoặc nhóm người đang trong xung đột. Câu này thường được dùng ở Anh Quốc và Úc.

Ví dụ

Despite Clyne’s lame attempt (sự cố gắng tẻ nhạt) to look like the meat in the sandwich, caught between the convictions (sự kết án) of Folau and Qantas, RA has proven to be a dunderhead (thằng ngu). The possibility of this new legal bonanza (vận may) for Folau is another example of how RA bosses have stuffed up (làm hỏng) this saga and caught the attention of the country in the process.

A parish council chairman (chủ tịch hội đồng giáo xứ) feels that his parish is the ‘meat in the sandwich’ between two proposed (đề xuất) developments.

Tom Brown from the Bus Union tells Mark the drivers are the meat in the sandwich because many children play the “no child left behind” card to get a free ride.

Winx was also the meat in the sandwich of an all Group One running treble for Waller, with Unforgotten (ATC Oaks) and Who Shot Thebarman (Sydney Cup) during The Championships in 2018.

Ngọc Lân

Bài trước: "Come a long way nghĩa là gì?"

"Get on with her" nghĩa là gì?

Hãy cứ mãi như thế này nhá. Photo by  Elizabeth Tsung

"Get on with someone" -> nghĩa là sống hòa hợp và có mối quan hệ tốt với ai.

Ví dụ

“There is a large embassy (đại sứ quán) to run and he is getting on with business," the source said.

I will protect soldiers (người lính) from prosecution (sự truy tố), appeal (sự kêu gọi) to young voters and get on with Brexit.

Fans have found an interview she did with ITV for the Love Island app before going in the villa which said she thought she would "get on well with Amber" and that she had "got her eye on Anton and Tom". A fan tweeted a screenshot (chụp màn hình) of her profile on the app and then wrote: "The girl wasn’t even interested in Michael #LoveIsland".

Hearts attacker (người tấn công) Jamie Walker has refuted (bác bỏ) claims (sự khiếu nại) that he didn’t get on with Tynecastle boss Craig Levein. However, he does accept that his original departure from the club didn’t end well. Walker recently returned to Hearts on a permanent deal (sự thương lượng, giải quyết vĩnh viễn) after leaving the club for Wigan last year. He admits that his form was affected after Rangers’ bids to sign him were turned down (từ chối, bác bỏ).

Bin Kuan

Bài trước: "Laugh out of" nghĩa là gì?

"Laugh out of" nghĩa là gì?

Hahaha. Photo by Ben White

"Laugh out of" nghĩa là tự để mất cơ hội hay công việc gì đó vì cười vào mặt ai đó một cách chế giễu và nhạo báng họ. Còn nghĩa thứ hai là gây ra áp lực hay trở ngại để ép ai đó từ bỏ vị trí hoặc quyền lợi bằng cách phỉ báng và cười nhạo họ.

Ví dụ

Lewan and Compton got a good laugh out of the bit, though they’ve probably also got a little more respect for their coach, too.

"Do you know what I was laughing at?" Fiseem said in a YouTube video. "I was trying to start a video because I was about (sắp) to start talking about something and I just started laughing out of nowhere."

Of course, her group was concerned if she was okay. To be honest, the smack (tiếng bộp) looks quite severe (dữ tợn, gay gắt) in the video. Fortunately, the girl is fine and as she says, she still loves elephants. “It took me a couple of minutes to fully process the fact that I just got smacked by a real living elephant,” she said. “One of the best parts is that it was all captured (quay chụp) on video so everyone, knowing I was okay, could get a good laugh out of it.” I’m glad that she’s fine, and now that I know it, this does look pretty funny, doesn’t it?

Bin Kuan

Bài trước: "Get into stride" nghĩa là gì?