初中時(shí)學(xué)到的英文lots of是"許多"的意思，所以初看到路旁插了個(gè) lots for sale的牌子時(shí)，我直覺就是有很多東西要賣，于是興沖沖地跟著指示開去，以為可以撿到一些便宜貨，不想開到后一看卻只是荒地一片。后來才知道，原來lots for sale的lots指的是空地的意思，和"許多"是八竿子搭不上關(guān)系。(俄亥俄？普子)
buttering up 和老板討論修改過的程序設(shè)計(jì)，修改正確，老板看了很滿意，就夸獎(jiǎng)我?guī)拙洌覄t認(rèn)為不是什么大問題,改對(duì)是應(yīng)該的。他見我不以為然的樣子，就強(qiáng)調(diào)說他真的認(rèn)為我改得不錯(cuò)"i'm not buttering you up"。我不懂這句話的意思，就試著半猜半開玩笑地說："你是說并不是嘲笑我的意思，是嗎?"
這下老板著急了連說當(dāng)然不是。經(jīng)他解釋才知buttering up是討好、奉承之意(和brown nosing有異曲同工之處，不過用法稍有不同罷了)。老板意在讓我相信他真的認(rèn)為我的程序?qū)懙貌诲e(cuò)，并沒有只是說好話奉承之意。
后來重看電影《pretty woman》，就又發(fā)現(xiàn)了這個(gè)成語，julia roberts(朱利亞？羅伯茨)被店員拒絕，richard gere領(lǐng)她再登店門，對(duì)著勢(shì)利的店員說了一句話"我要在這里花很多錢，但是你們得討好她(you need to butter her up)"。幾年前看的電影沒注意的地方，這下也聽得一清二楚了。(北卡？邦妮)
i don't know i do not know if my son understand english or not when i was in holland. so i asked him in chinese 我不知道用英語怎么說？he answered "i do not know". because i used to hear him saying this sentence when i asked him other things. i could not judge if he means "i do not know how to say it" or he gives me the right answer "i do not know". recently i said to him in chinese, "如果你再掏氣， 我就把你屁股打兩半". he answered "我的屁股已經(jīng)兩半了". 弄得我哭笑不得。(zhao tienan)
