Go to the dogs 破落

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狗是人類的朋友。英語中很多慣用語是和狗有關(guān)的,有好的,也有不好的,
    今天我們要講的這個go to the dogs的意思就是“變得很窮,徹底破落”。比如說,在十九世紀(jì)的時候,美國西部發(fā)現(xiàn)金礦的地區(qū)出現(xiàn)了一個又一個新的城鎮(zhèn)。許多人到那里去淘金,都想發(fā)家致富??墒呛髞碓趺礃恿四?
    As soon as the gold was all gone, these towns went to the dogs almost overnight. Everybody moved away, and these places are ghost towns now, with the wind whistling through the empty houses and shops.
    等到金子都淘光了,這些城鎮(zhèn)一下子就被人遺棄,徹底完蛋了。所有的人都走了,剩下的只有風(fēng)吹過空房子和商店時發(fā)出的沙沙聲。
    這是社會變遷造成的結(jié)局。但是,人為的結(jié)局更加悲慘:
    I always thought my friend Pete had a good future. But then he got hooked on heroin and lost his job and his wife--I never saw a man go to the dogs so fast!
    我總以為我的朋友皮特是很有前途的。但是后來他中了毒癮,失去了工作,妻子也走了。我從來沒有看到過任何人破落得這么快的!