工商時報【湯名潔】
英文裡有不少習慣用語是藉由動物的特性來作發揮，由於老美與華人對同一種動物的看法不見得相同，錯誤便可能發生。以下5句請將畫線處改成正確的動物。
Debug
1. If someone steals and you let him go, you are nursing a tiger in your bosom. 如果有人偷東西而你放過他，你就是在養虎為患。
2. That old man would be as crazy as a monkey to set fire to the house. 那個老人瘋了，放火燒房子。
3. Lately I have been as busy as a bee in a tripe-shop getting my book published. 我最近為了出書忙翻了。
4. No matter how hard you tried, this project was a dead horse from the beginning. 不管你多麼努高雄電動床力，這個案子從一開始就注定失敗。
5. I don't think there was any mouse business between John and his secretary. 我認為約翰和他的祕書之間並沒有什麼見不得人的事。
Debugged
1. If someone steals and you let him go, you are nursing a viper in your 電動床工廠bosom.
成語的「養虎為患」，英文譯為nurse a viper in one's bosom、warm a snake in one's bosom，字面意思是「把毒蛇揣在懷裡」。
2. That old man would be as crazy as a loon to set fire to the house.
想到「瘋狂、瘋癲」，華人可能會聯想到蹦蹦跳跳的猴子，但老美卻認為棲息在加拿大和美國北部的一種潛鳥（loon）才夠格稱得上瘋狂，這可能與此鳥奇特的叫聲有關。
3. Lately I have been as busy as a cat in a tripe-shop getting my book published.
As busy as a bee是指「非常忙碌」，但注意這個片語後面接了in a tripe-shop，tripe shop是販賣牛肚等可食用內臟的商店，因此這裡就不能填bee，而是cat。
4. No matter how hard you tried, this project was a dead duck from the beginning.
中文裡有「死馬當活馬醫」的說法，但英文要表示一件事沒有指望、注定失敗，是用dead duck。
5. I don't think there was any monkey business between John and his secretary.
我們會用「鼠竊狗盜」指偷偷摸摸的人或行為，而英文裡指不道德、不合法，如貪汙、詐騙、偷情等情事會用monkey business來形容。
喔，原來這樣講才對！
「學英文也可以是一場震撼教育。」一個外商公司的總經理到世界公民上完第一次課以後這樣說。
這種震撼是因為以前講錯太多英文，自己完全不知道，己經錯了十幾年。除掉英文裡的錯，就像擦掉眼鏡上的霧水。邀請您體驗一次英文的震撼教育，請上網www.core-corner.com登記，（臺北）02-27215033、（新竹）03-5782199。
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