It would be embarrassing to make a mistake in English
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1. Common expressions: lover – a sweetheart (not “spouse”); busboy – a worker who does miscellaneous tasks in a restaurant (not “bus ticket seller”); busybody – a person who likes to meddle in other people’s affairs (not “a very busy person”); dry goods – textiles (in the US)； (English) Cereals (not “dry goods”) Heartman: a person who performs heart transplants (not “a person with a kind heart”) Mad doctor: a psychiatrist (not “a crazy doctor”) Eleventh hour: the last moment (not “11 o’clock”) Blind date: a first meeting between a man and a woman arranged by a third party (not “a blind arrangement” or “a random meeting”) Dead president: U.S. currency with a president’s portrait on it (not “a dead president”) Personal remark: an attack on someone’s character (not “a personal comment”) Sweet water: fresh water (not “sugar water”) Confidence man: a scammer (not “a trustworthy person”) Criminal lawyer: a lawyer specializing in criminal cases (not “a lawyer who deals with crimes”) Service station: a gas station Rest room: a toilet (not “a lounge”) Dressing room: a place for getting dressed (not “a fitting room” or “a room for changing clothes”) Sporting house: a brothel (not “a sports room”) Horse sense: common sense (not “the senses of a horse”) Capital idea: a good idea (not “capitalist ideas”) Familiar talk: trivial or silly conversations (not “conversations that are familiar”) Black tea: red tea (not “black tea”) Black art: witchcraft (not “black art”) Black stranger: a complete stranger (not “a black stranger”) White coal: coal used as a source of energy White man: a loyal and reliable person (not “a person with fair skin”) Yellow book: a report in France, bound in yellow paper (not “a yellow book”) Red tape: bureaucratic procedures (not “red straps”) Green hand: a beginner (not “green hands”) Blue stocking: an intelligent woman or scholar (not “blue stockings”) China policy: policies related to China (not “Chinese policies”) Chinese dragon: a mythical creature (not “the Chinese dragon”) American beauty: a red rose (not “an American beauty”) English disease: tracheitis (not “British diseases”) Indian summer: a pleasant and peaceful old age (not “summer in India”) Greek gift: a gift that causes harm (not “Greek gifts”) Spanish athlete: a person who likes to brag (not “a Spanish athlete”) French chalk: talcum powder (not “French chalk”)
I was wrong all this time about the Chinese Dragon?
I’m really embarrassed about “white coal” – I thought it referred to actual white coal all this time: lol. I’ve learned something new, thanks to the original poster!
American Beauty – I think it’s about beautiful Americans, right?
Do as the Romans do; adapt to local customs
If you’re not familiar with China policy, you might indeed get deceived by foreigners
You don’t know until you look; it’s truly amazing. If you don’t understand it, you’ll surely be laughed at, especially in those departments that deal with external clients. Thankfully I took a look – very good
A busboy is a restaurant worker who handles various tasks; that’s what it means. But foreigners generally refer to such restaurant workers as “boys” – it’s simple and clear
These really can’t be translated superficially. Prone to making mistakes.
Haha, I learned something new:P Sri Lankan black tea is the most famous; I keep seeing it referred to as black tea, haha