
pony
词源
源自中古法语poulenet(小马),最终来自拉丁语pullus(幼兽),16世纪进入英语后词形变化为pony。酒类计量义的起源与马匹运输酒桶的传统有关。
noun
❶ 指体型较小的马,通常肩高不超过147厘米,性格温顺适合儿童骑乘或作为宠物饲养。
“My daughter loves riding her pony in the countryside.”
(我女儿喜欢在乡下骑她的小马。)
“The circus featured a talented pony that could count numbers.”
(马戏团有一只会数数的聪明小马。)
❶ 俚语中表示少量液体(尤指酒类)或小份物品,通常指25毫升烈酒的量。
“I'll just have a pony of whiskey to warm up.”
(我只要一小杯威士忌暖暖身子。)
“The bartender poured a pony of rum into the tropical cocktail.”
(调酒师往热带鸡尾酒里倒了25毫升朗姆酒。)
verb
❶ 非正式用法,指快速完成某事或草率应付,常与up连用。
“I had to pony up the report before the deadline.”
(我不得不在截止日期前仓促完成报告。)
“He ponied through his homework in just 20 minutes.”
(他仅用20分钟就草草完成了作业。)
常见短语
pony up — 非正式表达,指付款或交出某物,常带有不情愿或被迫的意味。
“You'd better pony up the money you owe by tomorrow.”
(你最好明天之前把欠的钱交出来。)
pony express — 特指19世纪美国用快马接力传递邮件的系统,现比喻快速传递信息的方式。
“In 1860s, the Pony Express could deliver mail across America in 10 days.”
(19世纪60年代,快马邮递能在10天内将邮件横跨美国送达。)