【原】bite the dust 千万别翻译成咬沙土

当你看到很奇怪的或不合逻辑的英语表达方式时，多半都是英语习语，比如 a trip to sun，kick the bucket 等，还有 bite the dust，直译是“咬沙土”，但是我们知道这是不会用到具体的上下文中，它可以意为“一败涂地，倒下了，阵亡，献身”等，寓意：

to fall to the ground

倒在地上

to die (possibly in battle)

死亡（可能在战斗中）

to suffer a defeat

受挫

to disintegrate

瓦解

例如：

The soldier bit the dust after a very long fight and even at that he managed to take many enemy soldiers with him.

这个士兵经过很长时间的战斗后，终于倒下了，即便如此，他还是设法带走了许多敌军士兵。

I am not going to bite the dust so easily because throughout my life I have been a fighter.

我不会那么容易倒下去的，因为我的一生都是个斗士。

Rose understands that taking this challenge could lead to her biting the dust and hence refrained from even the conversation.

罗斯明白，接受这个挑战可能会使她一败涂地，因此甚至连谈话都克制不住。

The sheriff is not going to bite the dust so easily. He has seen many such goons in his career.

治安官不会那么轻易输的。他在职业生涯中见过许多这样的暴徒。

One of the gladiators would bite the dust at the end of the competition and that is how a winner would be decided.

一个角斗士会在比赛结束时倒下死掉了，这就是决定胜利者的方式。

You will only understand the importance of having your family close by when you have to bite the dust. Until then they will remain worthless to you.

只有当你面临失败的时候，你才会明白让家人在你身边的重要性。在那之前，他们对你来说还是毫无价值的。

One of the main reasons that he bit the dust so early in his career was because of his inflated ego.

他在事业上这么早就夭折的一个主要原因是他过于自负。

在以后的英语学习中，如遇到一些不合逻辑的奇怪表达，就要优先考虑是一种习惯的表达方式，特别是在具体的上下文环境中，句子的意思怪怪的或是前言不搭后语。