speak /spiːk/► SEE ALLno sth/nothing/not anything to speak ofso to speakspeak for itself/themselvesspeak for myself, himself, etc.speak for yourselfspeak highly of sbspeak your mindspeak too soonspeak volumes (about/for sb/sth)actions speak louder than wordsspeak/talk of the devilthe facts speak for themselvesspeak/think ill of sbspeak/talk the same/a different language ●no sth/nothing/not anything to ˈspeak ofnothing very important or worth mentioning没什么大不了；不值一提◆We looked through his private papers, but we didn’t find anything to speak of. 我们仔细看过他的私人文件，可是没发现有什么重要的东西。◆He’s got no money to speak of. 他没有什么钱。●ˌso to ˈspeak ( ˌas it ˈwere) used to emphasize that you are expressing sth in an unusual or amusing way（用于强调表达方法非同寻常或滑稽可笑）可以说，可谓◆They were all very similar. All cut from the same cloth, so to speak. 他们都很相像，可以说是从一个模子里刻出来的。◆Night fell and the city became, as it were, a different place entirely. 夜幕降临，城市可谓变成了另一个世界。●speak for itˈself/themˈselvesbe so clear or obvious that no explanation or comment is needed不言而喻；显而易见◆The expressions on their faces spoke for themselves — they hated the song. 他们脸上的表情不用说也很清楚 － 他们讨厌这首歌。●speak for myˈself, himˈself, etc.express what you think or want yourself, rather than sb else doing it for you自己说（而非让别人替自己说）；自己表达自己的意思◆I’m quite capable of speaking for myself, thank you! 我自己会说，谢谢你了！●speak for yourˈself (spoken, informal) used to tell sb that a general statement they have just made is not true of you（表示某人的概括性意见不适用于他人）你只能代表你自己，那只是你◆‘We didn’t play very well.’ ‘Speak for yourself!’ (= I think that I played well.) “我们在场上表现得不太好。”“只能说你自己表现不佳！”●speak ˈhighly of sbpraise sb because you admire or respect their personal qualities or abilities高度评价某人；赞扬某人◆His teacher speaks very highly of him. 他的老师对他很赞赏。◆Professor Heynman was very highly spoken of by his students. 海恩曼教授的学生对他评价很高。OPPnot/never have a good word to say for/about sb/sth●speak your ˈmindsay exactly what you think, in a very direct way说心里话；实话实说；直言不讳◆I like a man who speaks his mind. 我喜欢直言不讳的人。OPPbite your tongue●speak too ˈsoonsay sth, and find afterwards that what you said is not true言之过早◆‘I’m glad Simon didn’t come.’ ‘You spoke too soon. Here he comes now.’ “我很高兴西蒙没有来。”“你这话说得太早了，瞧，他来了。”●speak ˈvolumes (about/for sb/sth)show or express a lot about the nature or quality of sb/sth充分说明；足以表明；有力证明◆Her face spoke volumes. You could see how much she had suffered. 她的脸就是明证，你可以看出她受了多大的苦。◆The progress he’s made since the operation speaks volumes for his courage. 他手术后身体的恢复情况充分说明了他的勇气。●ˌactions speak ˌlouder than ˈwords (saying) what you do is more important than what you say行动胜于言辞；事实胜于雄辩◆You said you’d help me, but you know what they say: actions speak louder than words!你说过会帮助我，但你应该知道有这样一句俗话：行动胜于言辞！●speak/talk of the ˈdevil (informal, saying) said when sb who has just been mentioned appears unexpectedly说到某人（某人就到）◆‘I haven’t seen Leo for a while.’ ‘Well, speak of the devil, here he is!’“我有一阵子没见到利奥了。”“真是说谁谁就到，他来了！”●the facts speak for themˈselvesit is not necessary to give any further explanation about sth because the information that is available already proves that it is true事实足以说明一切；自有事实作证（无需再作说明）◆The programme producers say they were careful not to present their own opinions, simply letting the facts speak for themselves.节目制作人声称他们特别留心不把自己的看法表现出来，而让节目本身说话。●speak/think ˈill of sb (formal) say or think bad things about sb说某人的坏话；把某人往坏里想◆You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.不揭已故者之短。●speak/talk the same/a different ˈlanguageshare/not share ideas, experiences, opinions, etc., that make real communication or understanding possible（因意见和经历等相似或不同而）能／不能沟通交流；有／无共同语言；说得来／不来◆Unions and managers are at last beginning to speak the same language.工会和管理层终于开始沟通了。◆Artists and scientists simply talk a different language.艺术家和科学家根本没有共同语言。