Helen: 大家好，欢迎收听BBC 的地道英语， 我是Helen。

Neil: And I'm Neil. In Real English we look at words and expressions you might not find in your dictionary. Today's expression is house-husband.

Helen: 这两个词都不难，house 房子，还有 husband 丈夫，先生. 这两词联在一起是什么意思呢？

Neil: Well a house-husband is a man who stays at home and doesn't go to work, while his wife goes to work and earns money. It's based on the phrase² housewife³.

Helen: A housewife 家庭主妇， 那么 a house-husband 就是正好相反的，丈夫在家，妻子在外工作赚钱。那他在家干嘛呢?

Neil: Well, usually a man becomes a house-husband in order to look after children.

Helen: Ah, 在家看孩子。

Neil: That could be because his wife earns more than him.

Helen: 妻子的工资比丈夫要高。

Neil: Or it might just be that he'd rather be a house-husband and look after the children and she would rather go to work.

Helen: 这也是双方达成的协议- 男的喜欢带孩子，而太太喜欢上班打工。

Neil: Some men might feel embarrassed⁴ at being a house- husband, but it's getting more common.

Helen: 有些男人一开始可能还觉得当家庭主男不好意思， 不过现在这种情况越来越普遍了。

Example

A: Will you go back to work after you have the baby?

B: Oh yeah!

A: Who'll look after the baby when you're at work then?

B: My husband – he’s going to quit his job and become a house husband. I earn more than him, so it makes sense really. And he loves kids, so he’ll enjoy it.

Helen: 让我们复习一下，今天我们学到的新表达是，

Neil: House-husband.

Helen: 也就是家庭主男， 模范丈夫。

Neil: We’ve run out of time now.

Helen: 我们下次节目再见!

Neil: Bye!

Helen: Bye Bye.