时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

   今天我们要讲的美国习惯用语是:back to the drawing board。A drawing board是制图板。Back to the drawing board的字面意思是回到制图板去,实际上它的意思是从头开始。


  我们都知道,盖房子或制造机器的第一步就是要制图。所以,back to the drawing board常常用来表示从头开始。比如说一个公司为了要提高利润,叫雇员们提出各种建议。但是老板认为这些都行不通, 要大家从头来。The boss sent them back to the drawing board。
  我们再来举一个例子。大家都知道, 美国的可口可乐公司1985年推出一种新的可乐,可是销路并不好。谈起这件事, 有个人是这样说的:
  例句-1:In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company introduced New Coke after giving their most popular product a new taste. But drinkers across the country felt betrayed and rejected it. So the company went back to the drawing board. Their next idea, however, was a success - the return of their original formula, called Coca-Cola Classic.
  这个人说:美国可口可乐公司1985年改变了该公司最畅销的饮料可口可乐的味道,推出了新可乐。可是全国各地喝可乐的人都不喜欢,觉得可乐公司背叛了他们。可口可乐公司只好从头来。他们重新用原来的配方,推出了称为传统可乐的饮料。这一次非常成功。
  新可乐就这样很快消失了。这可以说是商业史上的一次重大失败。幸亏可乐公司及时放弃、从头再来,back to the drawing  board, 否则损失会更大。
  ******
  有时候,失败是成功之母, back to the drawing board,反而会带来更大的成功。有个美式足球运动员说,他们球队就是在失败后再从头开始,反败为胜的。
  例句-2:The beginning of the season was a disaster as our opponents kept outmaneuvering us. It was back to the drawing board! After coming up with some brilliant new plays, we started scoring touchdowns again. Soon we were on a winning streak 1.
  这位球员说:赛季一开始,我们对手以计谋取胜,使我们输得一塌糊涂。我们只好从头开始。后来我们想出了一些高明的新战术,我们又开始触地得分,很快就接接取胜。

1 streak
n.条理,斑纹,倾向,少许,痕迹;v.加条纹,变成条纹,奔驰,快速移动
  • The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
  • Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹?
标签: 美国习惯用语
学英语单词
A Int
achromasie
amidships
approach-avoidance behavior
archicte
Astragalus mollissimus
automated reagin test
Bacillus chauvaei
badussy
basari
Ceuti
Chau Thành
coat closet
column address strobe
computer resource performance management
computereasies
crispatura tendinum
crossingover map
damasker
defective product record
differential cutireaction
disposal of human excreta
duchessy
dvdrw
electromagnetic wave spectrum
emicate
end-brain
fat-extenders
flare slope
flocculus (pl. flocculi)
forward slope
fraiponite
fyodor mikhailovich dostoyevskies
gas turbine powered generator
green sign
gweipo
gypsum block
hair conditioner
hard copper wire
horse-shoe electromagnet
humblebees
hurlock
i tell you what
Ilex sikkimensis
interfeminium
intergrin
khyber passes
knee-slappers
Kondh
leadbetter
Lithol Red
lms algorithm
lower house
mamel
mange
maternity protection
maximum distance
mesosphere
mingdong
miscible solvents
misdirectedness
mobile radio system
Mongar Dzong
mud lump
Möng Kung
NHCS
night cry
nonswitched point-to-point line
optical mark page reader
outside glazing
overgate capacity
overgive
perfeccin
periers operation
phenolic cement
photoelectric transistor
pivettas
Prindol
raccoon dogs
reactinogen
remota
ribbonfish
rudder main piece
Salamandra salamandra
secondary materials
send in one's name
ship model cutting machine
solvent ratio
stimuli
stress-relieving furnace
subpolar lake
supporting sentence
sweaters
tandrea
tataupa
there is no call for
tuned filter
uniformly finite subspace
unique termination property
unitary restriction
wedge label
zigadenus venenosuss