1. wolf 即狼。狼是一種兇猛的動物，靠捕殺別的動物生存。wolf 用作隱喻，談論貪婪或具威脅性的行為。
2. to wolf one's food 或 to wolf one's food down 指吃東西狼吞虎嚥，沒有時間細嚼慢嚥或好好品嚐。
As I gratefully wolfed down the food I realised that I had not eaten anything hot and substantial since my last dinner in Lhasa.
當我充滿感激之情狼吞虎嚥地吃完了那些食物後，我意識到，自從在拉薩吃了晚餐後，我還沒有吃過任何實實在在的熱東西呢。
The salad appeared in a bowl with some dressing and I wolfed it down.
色拉拌了些調料盛在碗裏，我一口氣就把它們了下去。
They had eaten standing up, wolfing the cold food from dirty tin plates.
他們站著吃完了飯，把那些骯髒錫盆裏的冷東西狼吞虎嚥地全吃光了。
3. a lone wolf 用來指那些雖然是某個群體的一分子，但不參與群體所有其他成員所做的事，喜歡獨處或獨自工作的人。這一用法的 lone wolf 經常暗示，某人是個危險人物或對群體是個威脅，因為人們很難知道此人在特定形勢下會有怎樣的行為舉止。
Chervin, among his peers, is something of a lone wolf.
徹文在他的同伴中是個獨來獨往的怪人。
→ wolfish 狼一般的
4. 將某人或其行為描述成 wolfish 指此人的行為顯得陰險或嚇人。這一用法見文學作品。
He began his speech with a wolfish grin.
他陰險地例嘴一笑開始發言。
He was handsome enough, in a wolfish kind of way.
他長得夠帥的，不過樣子顯得有些陰險嚇人。
【相關慣用語、片語】：
→ wolf in sheep's clothing 偽善者
5. wolf in sheep's clothing 或 wolf in lamb's skin 實屬隱喻性的名詞片語 (n.phr.)。從結構來說：介詞片語 in sheep's clothing 或
in lamb's skin 功能作為形容詞片語，用以修飾關鍵名詞 wolf。其字面意義為“披羊皮或著羊裝的一匹狼”，轉而隱喻為“居心不良者，偽君子”(a person who pretends to be good but really is bad)；此語出自聖經「馬太福音」一章。
Don't trust that man: he may seem friendly and harmless, but he's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
別相信那個人：表面上看來他似乎友善和無害，但實地裏卻是一位包藏禍心者。
Mr. Black was fooled by the saleman's manners until he showed that he was really a wolf in lamb's clothing, by selling Mr. Black a car that was falling apart.
布雷克先生為推銷員的禮貌所愚弄，直到他要把那部壞車子賣給他時，才知道那個傢伙居心不良。
發表於 2010-1-25 14:09
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