slang (Slang) is a magical existence that even if you know what each word means, you still cannot understand it. Like the proverbs and idioms in Chinese, it makes non-first language learners confused.
Not only do we have different eating habits in China and the West, but we even use completely different tableware. There are proverbs about chopsticks in China, and there are naturally slang about knife and fork abroad.
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01
stick a fork in (me/it/sth.)
literal meaning: fork on me/something
Actually meaning: it has been completed; it has been done
When we are barbecuing or cooking meat, we will fork into the meat to confirm whether it is cooked. So if you can stick a fork in me! means "I'm done!", this phrase is applicable to many occasions and can be used to describe things being completed, or to mean things cannot continue.
Example sentence:
A: How much time do you need to complete the Power Point?
A: How much time does it take to complete the PPT?
B: You can stick a fork in me!
B: I've finished it!
A: Do you want one more chocolate cake?
A: Do you want another piece of chocolate cake ?
B: No thanks! You can stick a fork in me.
B: No thanks! I can't eat it anymore.
02
play a good knife and fork
literal meaning: good knife and fork
Actually meaning: wolf-eat troll
play a good knife and fork literally means "play well with knife and fork", that is, knife and fork are used very easily, so they are extended to "eat troll troll" and "eat troll very quickly".
Example sentence:
The kids were playing a good knife and fork because they spent the whole day running outside.
The children ate voraciously because they were out all day today.
03
go under the knife
literal meaning: the following of the knife is removed
Actually meaning: surgery; surgery
In Chinese, if we want to say surgery, we will say "operation" or "operation". There is also the saying in English, that is go under the knife, which is equivalent to have surgery, undergo surgery, and have an operation. If the surgery part is to be added, the preposition on should be connected.
Example:
Nowadays, more and more people decided to go under the knife to to change their appearance.
Nowadays, more and more people decided to go under the knife to change their appearance.
Now more and more people are now deciding to use swords to change their appearance.
04
like a (hot) knife through butter
literal meaning: cut into butter
actual meaning: easy to take
The knife is very sharp. If you use it to cut cream, you can cut it with one knife, which means "easy to take". Similar slangs are: child's play; duck soup
Example sentences:
Boston Red Sox cut through the Los Angeles Dodgers like a hot knife through butter.
The Boston Red Sox easily defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers.
05
on a knife edge
literal meaning: on the edge of the blade
Actually meaning: tense; critical situation
Example sentence:
The US politics will remain on a knife edge until the midterm election ends.
Until the end of the midterm election, American politics was still in a tense state.
If it is knife-edge, it will become an adjective, which can refer to "critical situation" or "sharp, sharp". For example:
Dabajian Mountain has many knife-edge mountain ridges for climbers to challenge themselves.
Dabajian Mountain has many steep and sharp ridges that allow climbers to challenge themselves.
06
twist the knife (in the wound)
literal meaning: rotating the knife
Actually meaning: putting the stone into the wound; poking the scar
twist The verb has the meaning of "wrap, twist", and the phrase twist the knife (in the wound) refers to "revealing the scars of others; sprinkling salt on other people's wounds".
Example sentence:
In order to further twist the knife , he kept mentioning her past that she was unwilling to face again.
In order to continue sprinkling salt on her wounds, he kept mentioning the past she did not want to recall.
