“Eat your heart out” 这个表达是不是听起来既吓人又荒唐？人怎么能 “eat your heart out” 呢？这个表达和 “吃” 有关系吗？听菲菲和 Rob 的对话，学习使用这个夸张的表达。

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　　Feifei

大家好，欢迎来到 BBC英语教学的 “地道英语” 节目。我是冯菲菲。

　　Rob

And hello, I'm Rob. In this programme, as you know, we like to add a little humour while teaching our phrases.

　　Feifei

是的，在这档节目里，我们喜欢在讲解一个地道表达的过程中制造些误会，加点幽默。比如，我们当中的一个人经常假装不理解所教表达的实际意思，故意通过表达的字面意思来闹个笑话。

　　Rob

Yes, we take it too literally: we only understand its word-for-word meaning.

　　Feifei

But with this phrase, that would just be too horrible.

　　Rob

　　And disgusting.

　　Feifei

　　And not to mention… physically impossible.

　　Rob

So let’s not go there. Today’s phrase is: eat your heart out.

　　Feifei

“Eat your heart out”！听起来很恐怖，是不是？不过，请放心，“eat your heart out” 和要吃掉人体的一个重要器官没有关系。

　　Rob

It’s an unusual expression. When people say it, they often follow it with the name of a famous or successful person that they want to be compared to.

　　Feifei

　　听起来很奇怪，人们通常会在 “eat your heart out” 后面加上一个名人或成功人士的名字，把自己和这位名人来做比较。这是为什么呢？我们举个例子来帮助大家理解。假设你在画一幅画，当你画完了的时候，你说：“Eat your heart out, Picasso! 我比你强多了，毕加索！”

　　Rob

What you’re saying is that your painting is better than Picasso’s.

　　Feifei

但因为毕加索是一位真正的大师，而你画的画与大师的作品无法同台竞技，所以你是以开玩笑的口气来说这句话的——“Eat your heart out, Picasso!”。

　　Rob

And that’s how people often use it: as a joke. After doing something impressive, they say ‘eat your heart out’ followed by someone who is famous for doing that thing.

　　Feifei

我们大多在做了一件让自己感到自豪或给人留下深刻印象的事情后用这个表达。For example, after cooking a fantastic meal, you might say ‘eat your heart out’, and the name of a celebrity chef – even if you don’t really think your cooking is better than the chef’s.

　　Rob

It’s almost like a fun way of expressing pride in your work, without sounding too arrogant. I think it’s best if we hear a few more examples.

　　Examples

A: What a goal! How did you score that?!

　　B: Not bad, eh? Eat your heart out, Ronaldo!

　　I’ve been practising all month and I think I’m getting pretty good. Want to hear me sing? OK, here goes… Eat your heart out, Beyonce!

　　A: Would you mind helping me lift this table?

　　B: No problem, I’ll do it. Eat your heart out, Hulk!

　　A: Err, it’s just a table. You’re not an Avenger!

　　Feifei

这里是 BBC英语教学的 “地道英语” 节目。

　　Rob

So there we are – humorously comparing someone’s football skills to Ronaldo’s, their singing ability to Beyonce’s and their strength to Hulk from the movies. And we’ve resisted all temptation to create a situation where we ask Feifei to actually eat a heart.

　　Feifei

Thank goodness. I really don’t feel hungry in any case.

　　Rob

Neither do I. Bye!