eat是什么意思（"）

很多人在听到“eat one's words”的意思时候都会想当然的认为：“吃了某人的话”那就是“食言”了!?看上去没啥毛病，但是意思其实eat one's words ≠食言！

理解错了没关系，意思因为在20世纪40年代的意思《英汉四用词典》中，就把“eat one's words”翻译成了“食言”。意思这是意思个易错的词组，所以一定要特别记住了，意思它的意思真正意思是：“收回说过的话，承认前言有失，意思说错了”

eat one's words 收回说过的意思话，承认前言有失，意思说错了

而且它还带有一定的意思感情色彩，是意思羞惭地，不光彩地认错。意思相当于“take back one's words”。意思

英语解释是这样的：To take a statement back and say in a humble way that one was wrong.

也可表达成swallow one's words。

The naughty boy boasted that he would throw me downstairs, but I made him eat/swallow his words. 这个顽童扬言要把我扔下楼，但我让他收回前言，俯首认错。

You cannot take back your words once they are out of your mouth. 话一旦说出口就没法收回去了。

那么，“食言”怎么来表达呢？

break one's word/promise，注意word必须用单数。食言go back on one's word/promise 食言I will do my best not to break my word. 我会尽量遵守我的承诺的。

Tom said he'd help us move, but he went back on his word and failed to show.汤姆说他会帮我们搬家，但他食言了，他根本没露面。

顺便来学习下与eat有关的但不是吃的短语：

eat one's hat≠吃掉自己的帽子

当一个人说to eat his hat，那就是某人坚信某事一定不会发生，如果说得不对，TA愿意吃掉自己的帽子。中文的意思就是：要是他错了，他就不姓张，或不姓李等。后面一般跟if从句。

Declare one's certainty that something will not happen or is untrue. This hyperbolic expression almost always follows an if-clause

Kevin is always late, so if he actually shows up on time, I'll eat my hat. 凯文经常迟到，如果他能按时出现，我就不姓李。”

eat somebody alive ≠ 把某人活生生的吃掉

"alive"是形容词，表示活生生的，eat somebody alive字面意思是把某人活生生的吃掉，引申为气得要吃人了，被某人气到抓狂之意。类似的说法还有：eat somebody for breakfast。

Watch your mouth. He may eat you alive.说话当心点。你可能会把他惹到抓狂。

eat one's heart out 愁肠寸断; 忧心如焚; 忧伤过度

Ever since grandmother died, grandfather has been eating his heart out--he's lost all interest in life and won't even get out of bed to eat. 自从祖母去世后，祖父非常伤心，他对生活失去了一切兴趣，都不愿意起床吃饭。

eat one's heart out还可以用在另一种场合，也就是半开玩笑地让别人对你产生妒忌。看下面这个例子就会明白它的意思了。这是一个大学生在对他的要好朋友说话：

"Hey, Pete, you know that girl in the physics class you like so much, the one who won't pay any attention to you? Well, eat your heart out, buddy--I'm taking her out for dinner and a movie Saturday night." 他说："喂，彼得，你知道那个和我们一起上物理课的女孩吗？那个你非常喜欢，但是她从来也没注意过你的女孩？这下好了，你去伤心去吧，我星期六请她出去吃晚饭、看电影！"

eat someone out of house and home （尤指客人）把…吃穷eat out of one's hand 完全听命于，完全受…支配