goldenBrE /ˈgəʊldən/ NAmE /ˈgoʊldən/► SEE ALLthe golden age (of sth)a golden boy(kill) the golden goosea golden handshakethe golden rulethe happy/golden meansilence is golden ●the ˈgolden age (of sth)the period during which sth is very successful, especially in the past（尤指过去的）黄金时代，全盛时期◆This book looks back on the golden age of steam engines, and all railway fans will enjoy it immensely. 这本书回顾了蒸汽机的黄金时代，所有的铁路迷都会非常喜欢。●a ˈgolden boya young man who is very successful and popular金童；骄子；受赏识的青年人◆He had been the golden boy of Welsh rugby. 他曾是威尔士橄榄球界的骄子。●(kill) the golden ˈgoose ( (kill) the goose that lays the golden ˈegg/ˈeggs) (destroy) sth that makes you rich, successful, etc.杀鸡取卵；（毁掉）摇钱树；（自绝）财源；（自毁）前程◆The government is worried that a new tax might kill the golden goose by scaring away foreign investment. 政府担心新税收会吓跑外国投资者，从而断了财路。◆The banks made vast profits from an energy trader that had become the golden goose of Wall Street. 各大银行已从华尔街的摇钱树 － 一个能源交易商身上赚了不少钱。ORIGINThis comes from an ancient Greek story about a farmer who had a goose that laid golden eggs. The farmer thought that if he killed the goose he could get all the eggs inside. However, by killing the goose, he lost everything.这个谚语源于古希腊传说。一位农夫有一只会下金蛋的鹅，他认为把鹅杀了就能取出全部金蛋，结果落得一场空。●a golden ˈhandshakea large sum of money given to sb when they leave their job, or to persuade them to leave their job（大笔的）退职金，解雇费◆The directors will each get a large golden handshake and a pension. 所有的经理都会得到丰厚的退职金和养老费。●the golden ˈrulethe most important rule, principle, etc. to remember when you are doing sth黄金准则；金科玉律；行为准则◆When you’re playing a stroke in golf, the golden rule is to keep your eye on the ball. 打高尔夫球时，最重要的是眼睛要紧盯着球。●the happy/golden ˈmean (approving) a course of action that is not extreme中庸之道◆To be honest, I don’t like either of the proposals. What we really need is a golden mean between the two.说实话，这两个提案我都不喜欢，我们需要的是一个折中的方案。●ˌsilence is ˈgolden (saying) it is sometimes best not to say anything in a difficult or dangerous situation沉默是金NOTE The complete saying is ‘speech is silver, silence is golden’.这个谚语的完整形式是 speech is silver, silence is golden （言语是银，沉默是金）。