[ti:What Does It Mean to 'Hit the Nail on the Head'?] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:08.44]And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English! [00:19.96]On this program we explore the meaning [00:23.24]of words and expressions in the English language. [00:27.36]Today we talk about a saying [00:30.44]that comes from the world of carpentry. [00:35.32]Two of the most basic tools for building things [00:38.92]are a hammer and nail. [00:43.04]With them, you can build many wooden structures [00:46.88]from a house to a piece of furniture to a picture frame. [00:53.56]For the nail to go into the wood, you must [00:56.92]hit the nail on the flat part at the very top. [01:01.08]This is called the head. [01:04.24]If you miss, you might damage the wood or injure yourself. [01:11.12]So, our expression for today is "to hit the nail on the head." [01:17.80]We use it several ways. [01:20.48]When you hit the nail on the head, [01:23.16]you got something exactly right. [01:26.20]In other words, you were correct. [01:29.52]Here is an example: [01:32.20]Hey, remember when you told me that Bob [01:35.60]would not last long at his new job? [01:38.28]Yeah, that was last week. I got the feeling from him [01:42.16]that he was not enjoying the work. [01:44.68]Well, you hit the nail on the head. [01:48.16]He just texted me that he quit his job. [01:53.12]Hitting the nail on the head can also mean [01:56.24]you have understood or expressed something perfectly. [02:02.00]For example, you could say that "the reporter hit the nail on the head [02:07.76]in her explanation of current budget debates in the city." [02:14.16]If you have hit the nail on the head, [02:16.72]you have also described a situation accurately. [02:21.96]That situation can be either good or bad. [02:26.88]Here is another example: [02:29.40]How was your camping trip? [02:32.72]It was amazing! I haven't had that much fun outdoors in ... forever! [02:39.04]Wonderful! Didn't Stacy suggest the campground you visited? [02:45.08]Yes! She said it was heaven with lots of outdoor activities. [02:50.52]And she really hit the nail on the head! [02:53.52]We stayed for four days and loved every minute! [02:59.12]So, if you are totally right about something; [03:02.68]if you describe something perfectly; [03:05.64]if you find the exact answer; [03:08.72]or if you do or say the right thing [03:12.24]– you have hit the nail on the head! [03:16.04]Word experts claim that by the time Henry David Thoreau [03:20.52]used the expression in 1849, [03:24.12]it was already a commonly used one. [03:29.12]In A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, he wrote this: [03:35.40]"The poet will prevail to be popular in spite of his faults, [03:39.00]and in spite of his beauties too. [03:41.84]He will hit the nail on the head, [03:43.84]and we shall not know the shape of his hammer. [03:46.48]He makes us free of his hearth and heart, [03:49.28]which is greater than to offer one the freedom of a city." [03:54.12]And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. [03:58.24]Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. [04:01.12]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM