Reader's question: 1.He is a rascal with bells on. 2.Mary went to the ball with bells on. Could you explain “with bells on”? My comments: "With bells on" means "eager; ready to participate." If you describe something as a thing with bells on, you mean that it has similar qualities to that thing but they are more extreme. Example: This latest series is melodrama with bells on. If you go somewhere or do something with bells on, you do it with a lot of interest and energy. This phrase is frequently used in reply to a party invitation. Example: I'll be at the party with bells on. The phrase originated in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, and most of the early citations suggest a US origin. It is also used as an aggressive response to a challenge.
Related stories: Truth lies somewhere in the middle 本文僅代表作者本人觀點,與本網(wǎng)立場無關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問題,尊重他人,禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。 About the author: Nelly Min?is a journalist at the China Daily website. | |
|