| 释义 |
●spoil the ˌship for a ha’porth/ha’penny-worth of ˈtar (saying) spoil sth good because you did not spend any or enough money on a small but essential part of it 省了半便士的柏油，毁了一条大船；贪小便宜吃大亏◆Always buy good quality floppy disks. Don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar.永远不要买劣质软盘，以免因小失大。 ORIGIN Ship in this idiom was originally sheep and ha’porth or ha’penny-worth referred to a very small amount of money. The basic meaning of the idiom was originally ‘allow a sheep to die because you won’t buy a very small amount of tar’, tar being used to treat cuts on a sheep’s body. 在这个习语，ship 原为 sheep （“绵羊”），ha'porth 或 ha'penny-worth 指很少量的钱。这个习语原先的基本意思是“因为不愿买少量用来治疗绵羊伤口的焦油而致其死去”。 |