thing /θɪŋ/► SEE ALLamount/come to the same thingbe just the thingbe no bad thing (that)…be onto a good thingcan/could teach/tell sb a thing or two (about sb/sth)a close/near thinga close-run thingdo your own thingfor one thing, …(, and for another, …)have a thing about sb/sthit isn’t my, his, etc. thingit’s one thing to do A, it’s (quite) another (thing) to do BA is one thing, B is (quite) anotherit’s a… thingmake a (big) thing of/out of sthone (damned/damn) thing after another(what with) one thing and anotherone thing leads to anotherthere’s no such thing as a free lunchthere’s only one thing for itthe (whole)… thingthe (only) thing is…the thing (about/with sth) isa thing of the pastthe best thing since sliced breadchance would be a fine thingthe done thingfirst thing (tomorrow, in the morning, etc.)(it’s) a good job/thing (that)…(and) a good job/thing tooknow a thing or two (about sb/sth)not know the first thing about sb/sthlast thing (at night)the next best thingthe next thing (I knew)…not quite the thingthe real thingsure thinghave another think coming ●aˌmount/ˌcome to the same ˈthingit does not matter how something happens or is done, the result in the end is the same结果都一样◆Whether it was your fault or his fault, it still amounts to the same thing. My car’s wrecked. 不管是你的错还是他的错，结果都一样：我的车给毁了。●be just the ˈthing ( be the very ˈthingless frequent) be exactly what you need or want正是所需要的东西◆Hot lemon juice and honey is just the thing for a cold. 热柠檬汁加蜂蜜是治感冒的良药。◆A week by the sea, with plenty of swimming and walking, would be the very thing. 在海边度个假，多游游泳散散步，是再好不过的。●be no bad ˈthing (that)…used to say that although sth seems to be bad, it could have good results不见得是坏事；或许是好事◆We didn’t want the press to get hold of the story, but it might be no bad thing. 我们本不想让媒体知道这件事，但也许知道了也不是什么坏事。●be onto a good ˈthingbe in a position or situation which brings you a lot of benefits处于有利的形势；境遇不错◆They’ve offered her a company car and a huge salary. She’s onto a good thing there. 他们答应由公司给她配辆车，还提供丰厚的薪水，她真赶上好事了。●can/could teach/tell sb a ˈthing or two (about sb/sth) (informal) be able to help sb, or teach sb how to do sth, because you have more experience（因为有更多经验而）能帮点忙，能教某人一些东西◆He thinks he knows a lot about farming, but old Bert could teach him a thing or two. 他以为自己对种田所知甚多，但是老伯特会给他上点课的。●a close/near ˈthing●a close-run ˈthing (informal) 1.a competition, an election, a race, etc. which you only just succeed in winning（在比赛、选举等中）险胜，侥幸获胜◆I know we won, but believe me, it was a near thing. They could easily have beaten us. 我知道我们赢了，可是我要说我们只是侥幸获胜。他们本来可以轻而易举地打败我们。2.a punishment, an accident, etc. which you only just avoided侥幸逃脱；死里逃生◆The police searched the house but they didn’t find him. It was a close-run thing. 警方搜查了屋子但是没有找到他，他侥幸躲过了。●do your own ˈthing (informal) live, act or behave as you want, not as others tell you to do; be independent做自己喜欢的事；独立自主；自行其是◆Mark’s father wanted him to be a doctor, but Mark wanted to do his own thing and run an art gallery. 马克的父亲想让他当医生，可是马克想要按自己的愿望开一家画廊。●for ˈone thing, …(, and for aˈnother, …)one reason is…, and another reason is…一来…（二来…）；一方面…（另一方面…）◆You ought to stop smoking, you know. For one thing, you’re damaging your health, and for another, you can’t afford it! 你知道吗？你应该戒烟。一来，你在损害自己的健康；二来，你也抽不起！◆‘Why don’t you get a car?’ ‘Well for one thing, I can’t drive!’ “你为什么不买辆车呢？”“呃，首先，我不会开车！”●have a ˈthing about sb/sth (informal) have very strong feelings, either positive or negative, about sb/sth对…有强烈的好感（或恶感）◆I think she’s got a thing about David. She keeps looking at him. 我觉得她对戴维很有好感，她一直盯着他看。◆I’ve got a thing about smoking, and I don’t allow anybody to smoke in my house. 我很反感抽烟，我不许任何人在我屋里吸烟。●it isn’t my, his, etc. ˈthingit is not sth that you really enjoy or are interested in这不是我（或他等）喜欢（或感兴趣）的◆I’m afraid pubs and clubs aren’t really my thing. I’d prefer to go to a restaurant with a few friends. 恐怕酒吧和俱乐部都不太合我的口味，我更愿意和几个朋友下馆子。●it’s ˌone thing to do ˈA, it’s (quite) aˌnother (thing) to do ˈB●A is ˈone thing, B is (quite) aˈnotherused for saying that you find the first thing acceptable or possible but the second thing definitely unacceptable or impossible…是一回事，…则是另一回事◆It’s one thing to write a short article; it’s quite another to write a whole book on the subject. 写篇短文是一回事，就这个题目写一整本书则是另外一回事了。◆Romance is one thing, marriage is quite another. 恋爱是一回事，结婚却是另一回事。●it’s a… thing (informal) it is sth that only a particular group understands这是…才懂的事◆You wouldn’t understand the attraction of fast cars — it’s a man thing. 你不会明白开快车有多刺激，这是男人才懂的事。●make a (big) ˈthing of/out of sth (informal) make sth seem much more serious or important than it really is小题大做；大惊小怪◆It was only a small mistake, but he made a really big thing out of it. 这只是个小错误，可他偏偏小题大做。●ˌone (damned/damn) thing after aˈnother (spoken) used to complain that a lot of unpleasant things keep happening to you坏事一桩接着一桩；祸不单行◆It’s just one thing after another, isn’t it? First the car wouldn’t start, and then the bus was late. 真是祸不单行啊，对吧？先是车发动不起来，接着公交车又晚点了。●(what with) ˌone thing and aˈnother(because of) several different events, tasks, duties, etc.（因为）这样那样的事；忙这忙那地◆What with one thing and another I haven’t had time to sit down all day. 因为杂七杂八的事儿，我一整天都没时间能坐下来。●ˌone thing leads to aˈnother (informal) used to suggest that the way one event or action leads to others is so obvious that it does not need to be stated（用于暗示事情发展过程显而易见）顺理成章，自然而然◆He offered me a ride home one night, and, well, one thing led to another and now we’re engaged! 一天晚上他让我搭车回家，然后，呃，一来二去地，我们现在订婚了！●there’s no such ˌthing as a free ˈlunch (spoken) used to say that it is not possible to get sth for nothing世上没有免费的午餐◆I think you should be very careful about accepting his help. Remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. 我认为你接受他的帮助得十分谨慎。记住，天下没有免费的午餐。ORIGINIn the past, some pubs/bars offered their customers a ‘free’ lunch, but they had to buy drinks first.旧时小酒店常常提供所谓的“免费”午餐，但前提是顾客必须先购买酒水。●there’s only ˌone thing ˈfor itthere is only one possible course of action这只有一个办法；只有一条路可走◆Well, there’s only one thing for it, I’m afraid. You’re going to have to tell him what you’ve done and hope he forgives you. 那么，恐怕只有一条路可走了。你只能去告诉他你干了什么，但愿他能原谅你。●the (whole)… thing (informal) a situation or an activity of the type mentioned这种…事；这种…活动◆She really didn’t want to be involved in the whole family thing. 她真的不想被卷进这种家事中。●the (only) thing ˈis… (spoken) used before mentioning a worry or problem you have with sth问题是；麻烦的是；只是◆I’d love to come — the only thing is I might be late. 我很想来，只是，我有可能晚一点来。●the ˌthing (about/with sth) ˈis (spoken) used to introduce an important fact, reason or explanation事实是；主要原因是；问题是◆I know you want to expand the business. The thing is, we haven’t got the money to do that. 我明白你想把生意做大些。问题是，我们没有所需的钱。◆I’m sorry I didn’t call you. The thing is, I’ve been really busy lately. 对不起，我没有给你打电话，我最近真是忙得很。●a thing of the ˈpaststh that no longer happens or exists往事；过时的东西◆Everybody sends emails these days. Letter-writing has become a thing of the past. 如今大家都发电子邮件，写信早已过时了。●the best thing since sliced ˈbread (informal, spoken) if you say that sth is the best thing since sliced bread, you think it is extremely good, interesting, etc.非常好的事情；十分有趣的东西◆My father doesn’t like him very much, but my mother thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread!我父亲不太喜欢他，可是我母亲觉得他很可爱。●ˈchance would be a fine thing (BrE, spoken) used to say that you would like to do sth but will probably not have the opportunity苦于没有机会◆‘Are you going on holiday this year?’ ‘Chance would be a fine thing — I can’t even afford a day trip to London!’“你今年去度假吗？”“没戏，我甚至去伦敦一日游的时间都没有！”●the done ˈthing (BrE) the socially correct way to behave合乎礼仪的行为；得体的举止◆Smoking while somebody else is eating is not the done thing.在别人吃饭的时候吸烟是不礼貌的。◆It’s the done thing to dress for dinner in this hotel.在这家宾馆用餐着正装才是合乎礼仪的。●first ˈthing (tomorrow, in the morning, etc.)at the beginning of the period of time mentioned, before doing anything else（明天、早上等）头等大事，第一件事◆I always like a cup of tea first thing in the morning.我早上总是喜欢先喝杯茶。◆Can you lend me some money? I’ll pay you back first thing tomorrow.你能借我些钱吗？我明天一早就还你。OPPlast thing (at night)●(it’s) a good job/thing (that)… (spoken) (it’s) lucky走运；好在；幸好◆It’s a good job he was here. We couldn’t have moved the piano without him.幸好他在，没有他，我们可搬不动这架钢琴。◆It’s a good job my luggage was insured.幸好，我的行李上了保险。●(and) a ˌgood job/thing ˈtoo (spoken) used to show that you are pleased to hear some news, especially if you have been waiting for it for a long time（尤用于听到期待已久的好消息时）太好了◆‘They’ve cut the price of petrol.’ ‘And a good thing too.’“他们降低了油价。”“这真是太好了。”◆He’s given up smoking, and a good job too in my opinion.他已经戒烟了，在我看来这真是太好了。●know a thing or two (about sb/sth) (informal) know a lot about sb/sth from your own experience对…很了解；见多识广◆After ten years as a teacher, I know a thing or two about how children learn.执教 10 年后，我很清楚孩子们如何学习。◆‘How much do you know about computers?’ ‘Oh, I know a thing or two.’“你对计算机有多少了解？”“非常精通。”●not know the first thing aˈbout sb/sthknow nothing at all about sb/sth对…一无所知；对…一窍不通◆I don’t know the first thing about Chinese history.我对中国历史一窍不通。●last ˈthing (at night)immediately before going to bed or to sleep（睡觉之前）最后一件事◆They always had a cup of cocoa last thing at night.他们总是在临睡前喝杯可可饮料。OPPfirst thing (tomorrow, in the morning, etc.)●the next best ˈthingthe best alternative for a thing that you cannot have仅次于…的事物；排第二的事物◆I couldn’t find any more of that Italian ice cream but this is the next best thing in my opinion.我再也未能找到那种意大利冰激凌，不过我认为这种仅次于那种。●the ˈnext thing (I knew)… (informal) used when sb tells a story and wants to say that sth happened suddenly or unexpectedly突然之间；出乎意外◆I was just walking down the road and the next thing I knew someone was pointing a gun at my face.我正走在路上，突然有人用枪指着我。●not ˌquite the ˈthing1.not considered socially acceptable不合常规；不太适当；不得体◆It wouldn’t be quite the thing to turn up in jeans and trainers.穿着牛仔裤和跑鞋出席不合适。2. (old-fashioned) not healthy or normal身体不舒服；感到不适●the real ˈthing (informal) the genuine thing真品；真货色；真正的事物◆Are you sure it’s the real thing (= love), not just infatuation?你确信这是真爱而不是一时的迷恋吗？◆Synthetic diamonds don’t have the quality of the real thing.合成钻石不具备真钻的品质。●ˌsure ˈthing (spoken, especially NAmE) yes; of course是的；当然；没问题◆‘Will you come tonight?’ ‘Sure thing!’“今晚你来吗？”“当然来。”◆‘Can you help me with this table?’ ‘Sure thing.’“你能帮我摆一下桌子吗？”“当然可以。”●have another think ˈcoming ( have another thing ˈcoming) (informal) used to tell sb that they are wrong about sth and must change their plans or opinions（表示某人的想法错误）需要重新考虑◆If she thinks that married life is going to be easy, she’s got another think coming.如果她以为婚姻生活很轻松的话，那她就想错了。