in the doghouse
Feifei: Hi Rob. Nice to see you here in the park with this lovely dog.
(Dog barks)
Rob: Hi Feifei. Yes, this is Fido. As they say, dog is a man’s best friend and… he is my best friend. I’m taking him for a walk. But we have to get back home soon.
Feifei: Why Rob? I was going to ask if you wanted a coffee…
Rob: Thank you, Feifei, but I can’t. I love walking Fido and sometimes I forget to look at my watch. I keep coming home late for dinner and the family is annoyed because the food gets cold. I’m in the doghouse at the moment.
Feifei: You are in the doghouse?! That’s terrible, Rob! How can you say your dog is your best friend if you kick him out of his own home?
(Dog barks)
Rob: No, no, it’s not that…
Feifei: Now this poor dog will be left out in the cold, in the rain… Poor Fido! If you are in the doghouse, where does this lovely dog sleep?
Rob: Well, Fido sleeps where he always does: in the doghouse. But in English, we can say someone is ‘in the doghouse’ if they’ve annoyed another person.
Feifei: So your family is annoyed with you because you were inconsiderate to them.
Rob: That’s right. ‘In the doghouse’ is the expression you’ll learn in today’s The English We Speak. Let’s hear some examples.
•President Bill Clinton said he was “in the doghouse” after the revelations about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. His wife even considered leaving him.
•My mother is furious with me. I forgot to do my homework again so I’m in the doghouse.
Feifei: So if you go home on time for dinner, you won’t be in the doghouse anymore.
Rob: That’s what I hope.
(Cat meows) (Dog barks)
Feifei: Then maybe you’d better hold onto the lead and control Fido.
Rob: Come on Fido! Quiet. Calm down, boy. Ignore that cat.
(Dog growls)
Feifei: Oh, come on, Fido, quiet or you’ll be in the doghouse.
(Dog barks)
Rob: Come on, Fido! Come on, boy! Who is a good boy? Come on! Get out of here, you cheeky cat!
Rob: Bye.
Feifei: Bye.
(Cat Meow)
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in the doghouse = 受冷遇, 窘迫, 陷入困境, 失宠, 失体面
growl = 低沉的咆哮 bark= 大声叫嚷 cheeky = 不要脸的
口语练习:
I’m in the doghouse with my best friend for forgetting her birthday yesterday.
If I don’t find the book that she lent me, I’ll really be in the doghouse.
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