Eat dirt - 王淑仪 张梓恒

Conversation A:November is coming! B:And Single Dog’s Day is coming,too! A:Oh,you mean November 11th? B:You’re smart,girl!Yeah,as a single dog,I have no boyfriend,so I’d better make a huge purchase. A:Well,I think November 11 online shopping carnival in Taobao is a great choice for you... B:Bingo!And that’s what I talked about! A:I guest I would just buy a few basic necessities on that day,because I’m gonna eat dirt next month! B:Oh,I get it!You mean you’re a little short of money.But “eating dirt” is so Chinglish.I think “I’m really skint” is better. A:Well,and the similar expression is “I’m a little strapped”and “I ‘ve run out of dough”.And “I don’t have a bean” is also a quite native expression. B:And “on one’s uppers”and “I’m as poor as a church mouse” are also expressions of having a tight budget. A:除了前面的例子:I’m really skint;I’m a little strapped;I’ve run out of dough;I don’t have a bean;on one’s suppers和I’m as poor as a church mouse之外，我们还可以说“I need to tighten my belt”,就是“我该勒紧裤腰带，我要省钱的意思”，这个短语同样可以来表达“吃土”这个意思，“eat dirt”其实是一个非常中式英语的说法。 B:与“eat dirt”字面意思相近的一个英文短语是“eat one’s dust”.这个短语并不是”吃土”的意思，而是”望尘莫及”或”在比赛中获胜”的意思。其实很好理解，比如： If we race you’ll eat my dust!如果我们赛跑的话，你就等着输吧！因为我会跑在你的前面，扬起沙土，而你在我后面，就相当于在吃我的土。和中文中”望尘莫及“的意思差不多。