Subject：There is going to be the devil to play.

迷你對話

A: I have a question that I cannot understand. I want to ask the professor for an explanation.

我有一個問題弄不懂，我想去問問教授。

B: I think you had better not; there is going to be the devil to pay.

我想我還是最好不要去問，這將會給你帶來很大的麻煩。

地道表達

the devil to pay

1. 解詞釋義

Devil的意思是“魔鬼”，the devil to pay的字面意思是“魔鬼付賬”。發(fā)揮一下想想，讓魔鬼付賬給別人確實是個大麻煩，而且還有點恐怖。所以，這個短語的意思就是“很大的麻煩”。其英文解釋為：trouble to be faced as a result of an action。
“There is going to be the devil to pay.”是個習慣用語，字面意思是“如果你和魔鬼做交易，你最終會自討苦吃。”引申義為“你敢的事情將會給你帶來很大的麻煩。”

2. 拓展例句

e.g. There' ll be the devil to pay if you scratch my car !

你要是劃壞了我的汽車你就有麻煩了!

e.g. And when we start digging there’ll be the devil to pay.

咱們一開挖，那就要命了。

e.g. There’ll be the devil to pay if you allow him inside the house.

如果你讓他進入房子就會有很大的麻煩。

e.g. You'd better persuade him not to do so, otherwise, he'll have the devil to pay.

你最好勸他不要這么干，否則他會出漏子的。

Ps 1：ask sb for an explanation在對話中的具體意思是“向某人請教不懂的問題”“弄清楚不懂的或存在疑惑的問題”。

Ps 2：had better的意思是“最好”，表達“最好不要做某事”，在better后面加上not，即為：had better not do something。例如：

We had better inspect the premises first, and examine the servants afterwards.

我們還是先到現(xiàn)場踏勘，回頭再向傭人進行調查。

I'm not clear about this matter, so I had better keep quiet.

我對這個問題不清楚, 只能不置一詞。

You had better not count on an increase in your salary this year.

你今年最好別指望長工資。

The weather is such that we had better not plant out the flowers for some time.

這樣的天氣,我們還是暫緩把花移種出去。