【a pat on the back】贊揚(yáng);鼓勵 　　例:Pats on the back werent enough; he wanted hard cash.光表揚(yáng)不夠,他要的是現(xiàn)錢. 　　【反義】a kick in the teeth/pants責(zé)備,非難 　　例:All she got for her trouble was a kick in the teeth. 　　【近義】a shot in the arm鼓勵 　　pull for為鼓勁 　　speak highly of贊揚(yáng) 　　A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, but is miles ahead in results. -- Ella Wheeler Wilcox 在后背上拍一下離在屁股上踢一腳只有幾節(jié)脊椎骨那么遠(yuǎn)，可是效果卻要好得多。