学典故记单词：和"money"有关的英语俚语
[align=left]Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.(MUSIC)
I think people everywhere dream about having lots of money. I know I do. I would give anything to [b]make money hand over fist. [/b]I would like to earn large amounts of money. You could win a large amount of money in the United States through [b]lotteries[/b]. People pay money for tickets with numbers. If your combination of numbers is chosen, you win a huge amount of money – often in the millions. Winning the lottery is [b]a windfall[/b].
A few years ago, my friend Al won the lottery. It changed his life. He did not have a rich family. He was not [b]born with a silver spoon in his mouth. [/b] Instead, my friend was always [b]hard up [/b]for cash. He did not have much money. And the money he did earn was [b]chicken feed [/b]– very little.
Sometimes Al even had to accept [b]hand-outs, [/b]gifts from his family and friends. But do not get me wrong. My friend was not a [b]deadbeat. [/b]He was not the kind of person who never paid the money he owed. He simply [b]pinched pennies. [/b]He was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact, he was often a [b]cheapskate. [/b] He did not like to spend money. The worst times were when he was [b]flat broke [/b]and had no money at all.
One day, Al [b]scraped together [/b]a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never [b]strike it rich [/b]or gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery. He [b]hit the jackpot. [/b] He won a great deal of money.
Al was so excited. The first thing he did was buy a costly new car. He [b]splurged [/b]on the one thingthat he normally would not buy. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. He started to waste it. It was like he had [b]money to burn. [/b] He had more money than he needed and it was [b]burning a hole in his pocket [/b]so he spent it quickly.
When we got together for a meal at a restaurant, Al paid every time. He would always [b]foot the bill, [/b]and [b]pick up the tab.[/b] He told me the money made him [b]feel like a million dollars. [/b]He was very happy.
But, Al spent too much money. Soon my friend was [b]down and out [/b]again. He had no money left. He was back to being [b]strapped for cash. [/b]He had spent his [b]bottom dollar, [/b]his very last amount. He did not even build up a [b]nest egg. [/b]He had not saved any of the money.
I admit I do feel sorry for my friend. He had enough money to live like a king. Instead, he is back to living [b]on a shoestring -- [/b]a very low budget. Some might say he is [b]penny wise and pound foolish[/b]. He was wise about small things, but not about important things.
(MUSIC)
WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, in VOA Special English, was written by Jill Moss. I'm Faith Lapidus.
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