Simon Cowell's Greatest 'American Idol' Critiques: Before his final season kicks off, we've compiled the judge's wittiest put-downs. Over the past eight seasons of "American Idol," Simon Cowell has been an endless fount(来源) of witticisms(妙语,俏皮话), put-downs(A critical, disparaging轻蔑毁谤的, or slighting轻视藐视的 remark. ) and downright bizarre metaphors (to ginger-haired troubadour(行吟诗人,民谣歌手) John Stevens, in season three: "You and Latin music go together like站在一起像 chocolate ice cream and an onion"). He's crushed dreams, broken egos击碎自尊 and — in at least one instance that we can remember — suggested a contestant get a job hooking down on the docks. Needless to say, we've enjoyed every minute of it. Charming, delightfully cheeky厚颜无耻的, alarmingly spiteful居心不良的, 恶意的 but always honest in his assessments, Cowell was the gift that just kept on giving. Now, as he embarks on his ninth — and, sadly, last — season behind the judges' table, we decided it was time to say, "Thanks for the memories." So we've compiled a list of his finest "Idol" moments: his meanest critiques, his most nonsensical荒谬愚蠢的 assessments and his most hilarious滑稽有趣的 put-downs. And, to be honest, we're sure there are a few amazing moments we've forgotten, so let us know any we've missed in the comments below. On with the acrimony((言语、态度等的)尖刻, 讥讽, 毒辣, 激烈 speak with acrimony说刻薄的话)! 1. To season-three semifinalist Ashley Thomas: "What that reminded me of when I was sitting here was, like, instead of being on the stage of 'American Idol,' you're at a local rodeo(骑术表演, 放牧人竞技会), you've just been crowned the prom queen, and it was like the song before you lasso(套索) a bull. I'm being serious." 2. To season-six semifinalist Haley Scarnato: "Can I tell you the problem? Do you know what I said to Paula halfway through the song? I don't know your name." 3. To season-five semifinalist Bobby Bennett: "If you hear a scream from a hotel room in Las Vegas, that's where Barry Manilow's watching this show. ... Horror films entertain me. You know, it's a different kind of entertainment." 4. To season-four contestant Constantine Maroulis: "It would be rather like ordering a guard dog看门狗 for your home and getting delivered a poodle卷毛小狗 in a leather jacket. It's not the real thing(上等货, 地道原装货)."
Short Sentences: 1. dip below (of a level or amount) become lower or smaller, typically temporarily(水平, 数量)降低, 减少(多指暂时地) the president's popularity has dipped总统的声望下降了 audiences dipped below 600,000 for the match观看比赛的观众人数减少到了600,000以下 dip into sth动用, 花费 to use a small amount of something The local government voted to dip into the emergency fund to pay for repairing the old town hall. I had to dip into my savings in order to pay for my vacation. I went to the bank and dipped into savings. There wasn't much left. The mercury(水银, 代指温度) never dipped below 30 this week. The mercury stood at nearly 90℃温度将近九十度 The mercury indicated 37℃ in the shade温度计的水银柱表明在阴处温度为摄氏37度 The mercury in thermometer mounted up [rose] to 35℃温度计的水银柱升到摄氏35度 2. Is there any tangible(确实可信的, 确凿的, 可触知的, 可触摸的) proof(切实证据) that there were Irish monks in Iceland before the time of the Viking(北欧海盗) settlements? 2. Rupert Murdoch, the head of News Limited's parent company News Corporation, has repeatedly flagged表明 the looming introduction of charges for his company's online news content. Mr Murdoch wants to introduce charges引入收费 across most of his publications and there are still formidable barriers难以克服的障碍 standing in the way of a large-scale implementation. The Australian is a more suitable platform for online content charges than its tabloid stablemates(1. 同一马厩的马 2. a person or product from the same organization or background as another同伴, 来自同一组织(或具有相同背景)的人(或产品), 同类产品 the Daily Mirror and its Scottish stablemate the Daily Record《每日镜报》及其苏格兰同类报纸《每日记报》), because a feature it shares in common with(和...一样) two publications that already charge online fees: The Wall Street Journal and The Australian Financial Review. 3. The Victorian Government says there is no overnight fix(no quick fix) for Melbourne's trouble-plagued train network. 4. wellies长筒雨靴 don n. 牛津剑桥的大学老师, 黑手党头目 vt. =put on 穿上, 披上 don the cloak of[喻]披上...的外衣 He don ned his overcoat他穿上大衣. I recently bumped into(偶然碰见) two senior ex-bank employees of my acquaintance(我认识的). One was off to inspect a sewage works and the other was donning wellies(穿胶靴, 指卖苦力) in a meat factory. 5. We are also far more aware of the personal costs of downturns: social networking sites are full of tales of retrenchments(节省, 削减费用开支, 裁员), sudden job losses and personal accounts of the economic downturn. However if you have never personally experienced having to compete hard or compromised(妥协, 让步) to get a job, then you may simply feel that it will never happen to you. 6. She said she made a conscious decision(神志清醒的决定 conscious 有...意识的, 意识到...的 cost conscious成本意识, 对成本高低的注意 He was conscious that he must do all this他知道必须干这些事 conscientious 1. 认真勤奋的 2. 凭良心的, 与良心有关的 conscience良心) to relapse(vi. 故态复萌 旧病复发) to smoke after experiencing a horrendous day. 7. For a start首先 there is the role of project manager(for a IT worker with his or her transferable skills) --- the person who can understand both the geek speak(the technical jargon of dedicated computer users ) and the clients needs to manage the expectations of both. 8. cautious: attentive to potential problems or dangers小心谨慎到了过分的程度, 所以不算一个好词, 可以用careful或者更为仔细到一丝不苟的"meticulous"(一丝不苟的) articulate means "can speak coherently and fluently" methodical有条不紊的, 办事有条理的 means "orderly or systematic in thought or behaviour" tenacious坚强坚持的, 不懈的, persistent means "not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action"
this is my floor(我到了) a phrase said by someone at the back of an elevator suggesting that people make way for that person to exit at a particular floor. Mary said, "This is my floor," and everyone made room for her to get out of the elevator. "Out, please," said Tom loudly. "This is my floor!"
walk the floor(在房里走来走去) Fig. to pace nervously while waiting. While Bill waited for news of the operation, he walked the floor for hours on end. Walking the floor won't help. You might as well sit down and relax. floor Fig. the exclusive right to address the audience. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; hold ~; take ~; grant someone~.) When I get the floor, I'll make a short speech. The last time you had the floor, you talked for an hour. When I take the floor, I'll make a short speech.
MP's toyboy headhunted by gay magazine: Britain's top gay magazine wants the man whose fling(noun 1. a short period of enjoyment or wild behaviour一时的纵情欢乐(或放纵) one final fling before a tranquil retirement平静引退前最后一次的纵情玩乐 2. a short, spontaneous sexual relationship一时冲动的性关系 I had a fling with someone when I was at college我读大学时曾一时冲动发生过性关系 vt. 投掷, 扔丢 he flung himself into his athletics他全身心投入体育运动 she flung herself down on his bed她一下子扑倒在他床上 I was flung into jail我被抓进监狱) sparked the political scandal engulfing Northern Ireland to be its cover boy. "There's something very satisfying when somebody is being very pious(1. 虔诚的 2. 虚伪伪善的) and religious(笃信宗教的) ... the fact that he's young and attractive brings it down to earth(bring someone down to earth Fig. to help someone face reality; to help someone who is euphoric[极度兴奋的, 情绪高涨的] become more realistic. The events helped bring us all down to earth. I hate to be the one to bring you down to earth, but things aren't as good as you think.)."
Brisbane groaning under weight of mango glut: An Australian council has been forced to create a special "flying squad"(紧急行动队, 快速特警队 a division of a police force or other organization which is capable of reaching an incident quickly) of waste collectors to deal with the glut(vt 1. 吃得过多, 过饱 glut oneself with food吃得过饱 glut one's eyes看够, 大饱眼福 glut the market使存货过剩 2. 塞满充满 3. 使市场过分饱和, 供过于求 scarce[供不应求的, 供应不足的] The glut of coffee led to a sharp drop in prices咖啡供过于求道致价格急剧下跌) glutton n. 贪食者, 贪图...的人, 酷爱…的人 She’s a glutton for work. You’re going to drive all the way to London and back in a day? You’re a glutton for punishment[a glutton for punishment someone who does a lot of something that most people find unpleasant such a burden or some sort of difficulty I told my brother he could ask his best friend to come along to the movies with us - I really must be a glutton for punishment.], aren’t you? ) of mangoes that is crippling(cripple 1. 使残废, 使跛 a young student was crippled for life 2. 使瘫痪 严重损坏 The general strike of the railway workers crippled the country's economy. ) the city of Brisbane in Queensland. Residents whose mango trees are groaning under(groan under something 1. Lit. to groan while bearing a heavy burden. He groaned under the weight of the trunk. The rafters groaned under the heavy weight of the pianos. 2. Fig. to suffer under a burden. For years, the people had groaned under the cruel ruler. England groaned under the rule of Cromwell just as he had groaned under King Charles.) the weight of a bumper(n. 保险杠 adj. 长势良好的, 丰收的) crop(收获收成) have been throwing the excess, rotten fruits into wheelie bins带轮子的垃圾桶, making them too heavy for garbage men to lift. Rubbish collectors recently refused to empty at least 16 household bins because they were overloaded with decomposing(=rotten 腐烂, 变质的 decompose vt. 腐烂) mangoes. In an attempt to get rid of the piles of tropical fruit, the Brisbane city council has also posted a "tried and tested" mango chutney recipe on its website, in an effort to reduce wastage. The glut has been caused by unseasonably(unseasable 不和季节的, 不合时宜的) mild weather in southern Queensland in recent weeks. It has also advised residents to hire a skip(装卸车(Brit.)a large transportable open-topped container for building and other refuse[废物垃圾](英)(装运建材或其他废料用的)倒卸车, 料车) if necessary to dispose of their pickings. Backyard mango trees shedding their fruit are causing woes for Brisbane residents struggling to dispose of them.
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