Subject:All my roommates came like a dose of salts.

迷你對話

A: When you went to the dormitory this morning, had your roommates came like a dose of salts?

你今早去宿舍的時候，你的室友已經來了嗎？

B: Not yet. All my roommates came like a dose of salts.

還沒有，但是我的室友們沒過多久就會來的。

地道表達

like a dose of salts

1. 解詞釋義

Like a dose of salts表示“很迅速有效地”，但是從字面上來看“像鹽一樣”。“鹽”跟“迅速有效”有什么關系呢？原來這一用語中涉及到的鹽不是普通鹽，而是瀉鹽或硫酸錳鹽。這種瀉鹽18世紀以來被作為用藥，用于治療便秘。人服了瀉鹽，便秘就自然迅速有效地解決了，由此便引申出“處理事務的迅速有效”“一下子，很快地”。對話中“ All my roommates came loke a dose of salts. ”意思是“我的室友們沒過多久就都到齊了。”

2 典型范例

e.g. He gets through his pay like a dose of salts, and by Monday he's broken.

一發工資, 他就很快花個精光, 到了星期一便身無分文了。

e.g. Good Lord! The children have gone through that packet of biscuits like a dose of salts.

老天爺！孩子們很快地吃完了那包餅干。