名人教英文：和身体有关的惯用语 (4)
今周续谈和身体部位有关的惯用语，这次介绍的惯用语与嘴巴相关。
leave a bad/sour taste in someone's mouth，口中留下酸涩的味儿，意即留下不好的印象或记忆，例如：this year's budget left a bad taste in people's mouths despite concessions given by the government later on.
预算案未正视香港的贫穷问题，不少低收入市民过着「手停口停」的生活 ：a lot of people live from hand to mouth.
世上有人收入仅以餬口，也有人含着银匙出世，英文说法正是born with a silver spoon in one's mouth。
预算案风波的教训是：高官不但要制订合宜的政策，而且要懂得应对媒体。英文惯用语put one's foot in one's mouth解作失言：the politician put his foot in his mouth when he told a discriminatory joke about the minorities.
put words in one's mouth意谓曲解别人的话以表达自己的想法，如：i have never suggested that it was a bad decision. do not put words in my mouth.
put one's money where one's mouth is等于广东话所说的「讲多无谓，行动最实际」。譬如说：the government should put its money where its mouth is and tackle the housing problems.
look a gift horse in the mouth的意思是什么呢？gift horse即送来的马匹。要判断马的年龄，可看牙齿的长短。收了别人送的马，还要掰开马嘴，计较马的岁数，意即对礼物吹毛求疵。don't look at a gift horse in the month，换言之即don't be ungrateful。
另一和马嘴相关的惯用语是straight from the horse's mouth。这话据说源自赛马——许多人相信马圈中人所说的赛马「贴士」最准确，有人笑说，那不如直接问马吧。
straight from the horse's mouth意即消息来源可靠。下届特首选举的日子愈来愈近，舆论对这场「跑马仔」的人选有很多猜测，还有不少据说来自「可靠消息人士」的传言。some columnists claim that they have got the list of potential candidates for the next chief executive election straight from the horse's mouth.