| 词汇 | pursing |
| 释义 | (redirected from pursing)loosen the purse stringsTo become more liberal with one's expenditures; to increase the availability of money for spending purposes. After having to count my pennies for so long, it's nice to be able to loosen the purse strings a bit! We'd have a much better and more stable product if the boss would loosen the purse strings a little. tighten the purse stringsTo become less liberal with or more controlling of one's expenditures; to decrease the availability of money for spending purposes. After losing my job, I've had to tighten the purse strings quite a bit. We've been behind schedule ever since the boss decided to tighten the purse strings on our project. purse stringsThe spending power of a given group, such as a family, company, country, etc. Their government is going to have to learn to tighten the purse strings if they want to continue receiving bailout money from the IMF. After my dad's gambling problem came to light, it was my mother who started holding the purse strings. make a silk purse (out) of a sow's earTo fashion something beautiful or valuable out of poor materials. Often used in the negative, such as "cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear." What do you want me to do with this tacky dress? I can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear! a heavy purse makes a light heartIf you are financially secure, you will not worry. Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure helps to solve a lot of life's little problems. A heavy purse makes a light heart. control the purse stringsTo dictate the spending of a given group, such as a family, company, country, etc. After my dad's gambling problem came to light, my mother started to control the purse strings. The finance department controls the purse strings around here. you can't make a silk purse (out) of a sow's earYou cannot fashion something beautiful or valuable out of poor materials. What do you want me to do with this tacky fabric? You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear! hold the purse stringsTo dictate the spending of a given group, such as a family, company, country, etc. After my dad's gambling problem came to light, my mother started holding the purse strings. The finance department holds the purse strings around here. can't make a silk purse (out) of a sow's earYou cannot fashion something beautiful or valuable out of poor materials. What do you want me to do with this tacky fabric? You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear! a light purse makes a heavy heart1. Proverb Not having enough money can cause one to suffer a lot of stress, worry, and unhappiness. I know you can't comprehend why there's so much depression, anxiety, and anger in this part of the country, but that's because you've never been forced to live in poverty. If you had, you'd understand that a light purse makes a heavy heart. 2. Proverb By extension, one should not spend their money frivolously or wastefully, lest it lead to one's unhappiness. I know you're excited to go to the casinos on your trip to Las Vegas, but be careful how you handle your money—a light purse makes for a heavy heart. little and often fills the purseEarning or save small amounts of money as frequently as possible will provide the income or savings that one needs. I never had a proper career, instead making my living by doing various jobs for people all around the city. I might not have had a fat paycheck at the end of each month, but little and often fills the purse. Try to get into the habit of dropping 10, 20, 30 dollars into a savings account whenever you can spare it—little and often fills the purse. purse up1. To pucker one's lips, as when tasting something sour or preparing for a kiss. I caught him pursing up and moving in for a kiss out the corner of my eye, so I pretended that I was getting a phone call from my friend. The kid purse up when he put the sour candy in his mouth. 2. To shrink in size and become wrinkled; to shrivel up. Her skin pursed up in goose pimples when she walked out into the cold night air. You have to stretch the material out so it doesn't purse up as it dries. 3. To cause something to contract or bunch up. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can used between "purse" and "up." Pull the two drawstrings to purse up the opening of the bag. Stop pursing your lips up like that—you look ridiculous! he that hath a full purse never wanted a friendWealthy people usually have no trouble finding and keeping friends. Of course Paul has a lot of hangers-on now that he's a famous actor—he that hath a full purse never wanted a friend. control the purse stringsand hold the purse stringsFig. to be in charge of the money in a business or a household. I control the purse strings at our house. Mr. Williams is the treasurer. He controls the purse strings. He that hath a full purse never wanted a friend.Prov. A rich person always has plenty of friends. Jill: Ever since Joe won the lottery, he's been getting congratulations from friends and relatives he hasn't heard from in years. Jane: You know how it is. He that hath a full purse never wanted a friend. A heavy purse makes a light heart. Prov. If you have plenty of money, you will feel happy and secure. Everyone in the office is especially cheerful on payday, since a heavy purse makes a light heart. light purse makes a heavy heartProv. If you do not have enough money, you will worry and be unhappy. Nathan is a cheerful person by nature, but since he lost his job, worry has made him glum. A light purse makes a heavy heart. Little and often fills the purse.Prov. If you get a little bit of money frequently, you will always have enough. Jill: I don't think I'll ever be able to save very much; I can only afford to save such a little bit of money from every paycheck. Jane: Ah, but little and often fills the purse. purse something upto bunch or pucker something up. (Usually the lips.) When he tasted the lemon juice, he pursed his lips up and spat it out. Don pursed up his lips as if to spit it out. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.Prov. You cannot make someone more refined than he or she is by nature. I've given up trying to get my cousin to appreciate classical music. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. can't make a silk purse out of a sow's earBe unable to turn something ugly or inferior into something attractive or of value, as in No matter how expensive his clothes, he still looks sloppy-you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear . This expression was already a proverb in the mid-1500s. purse stringsFinancial resources or control of them, as in His mother doesn't want to let go of the purse strings because he may make some foolish investments . This expression is often extended to hold or tighten or loosen the purse strings , as in As long as Dad holds the purse strings, we have to consider his wishes, or The company is tightening the purse strings and will not be hiring many new people this year . The purse strings in this idiom are the means of opening and closing a drawstring purse. [Early 1400s] hold the purse stringsCOMMON If you hold the purse strings, you control the way that money is spent in a particular family, organization, or country. Six out of ten women think that financial institutions treat them like idiots, even though they usually hold the domestic purse strings. Note: People sometimes use control instead of hold. His department controls the purse strings, and he will make sure that other departments spend money to meet targets he has set. Note: This expression is often varied. For instance, you can talk about someone's hold on the purse strings or control of the purse strings. His manager was in sole control of the purse strings. loosen the purse stringsorloosen your purse stringsIf you loosen the purse strings or loosen your purse strings, you allow more money to be spent. If the Treasury loosens the purse strings, many authorities will be delighted to spend. Companies are loosening their purse strings and making investments in network improvements. tighten the purse stringsortighten your purse stringsIf you tighten the purse strings or tighten your purse strings, you reduce the amount of money that can be spent. Election promises must be delayed while the government tightens its purse strings. you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's earIf you say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you mean that it is impossible to make something very successful or of high quality out of something which is unsuccessful or of poor quality. He did his best to coach the team but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Note: People often vary this expression. It takes more than a good swimming pool and an indoor tennis court or two to make a sow's ear of a resort into a silk purse. Afterwards, Kendall made no attempt to describe this sow's ear as a silk purse. Note: A sow is a female pig, and the ears of a pig are regarded as the least useful body parts when the animal is slaughtered. hold the purse stringshave control of expenditure.make a silk purse out of a sow's earturn something inferior into something of top quality.The observation that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear has been proverbial since the late 16th century; there was an earlier version which featured a goat's fleece instead of a sow's ear . control/hold the ˈpurse strings(informal) be the person who controls the amount of money spent and the way in which it is spent: I’m the one who controls the purse strings in this office, and you must come to me if you want any more money.make a silk ˌpurse out of a sow’s ˈearsucceed in making something good out of material that does not seem very good at all: If you’re serious about taking up painting, invest in good quality brushes and canvas. After all, it’s no good trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.can't make a silk purse out of a sow's earOne cannot turn something inherently inferior into something of value. This proverbial metaphor dates from about 1500, and with some slight variation (“silk” is sometimes “velvet”) makes its way from proverb collections (by Howell, Ray, Dykes, et al.) into literature (Samuel Richardson, Laurence Sterne, Jonathan Swift, Charles Lamb, Robert Browning, George Bernard Shaw, and Clifford Odets, among others). you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's earYou cannot turn something inferior or bad into something of value. This proverbial warning was issued in various forms from the sixteenth century on. It clearly had no literal basis; indeed, the absurdity of trying to turn pig’s ears into silk (or velvet or satin, as some variants have it) no doubt helped the saying survive. |
| 随便看 |
|
青年旅行网英语在线翻译词典收录了440382条英语词汇在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用英语词汇的中英文双语翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。