作为2008年奥运会一座独特的历史性的标志性建筑，这里真正成为了一个用树枝般的钢网把10万人的体育场编织而成的温馨“鸟巢”！“鸟巢”的英文名字是Bird's Nest stadium，今天我们就来讲讲和孕育与呵护生命、并且寄托人类对未来希望的“巢”nest相关的几个习惯用语。

　　Nest这个词有许多不同的解释，最常用的意思是鸟窝。虫子、鱼儿、乌龟、兔子之类的动物生殖繁衍、哺育儿女或者歇息安身、遮风避雨的地方，也都可以称为nest。Nest这个词甚至也可以指窃贼等犯罪分子的巢穴。

        1 empty nest

　　照字面意思来看empty nest就是空巢。鸟儿筑巢下蛋孵出一窝吱吱喳喳的小鸟。在鸟爸鸟妈的精心哺育下小鸟羽翼丰满就离开父母纷纷飞去独立生活，留下老爸老妈独守空巢，因而就有了empty nest的说法。这个习惯用语常常用来比喻人的生活，用来形容子女长大成人离开老家后父母的落寞感受。

　　例如下面这段话，是一个人在跟他的邻居谈孩子离开家去上大学后自己孤独冷清的感受：

　　Your only boy is leaving home pretty soon for college, isn't he? It's going to be tough for the first couple of months once you're left alone in an empty nest, I tell you. It was certainly hard for me!

　　你的独生儿子不久要离开家去上大学了是吗？告诉你吧，在你孤零零守在空荡荡家里的时侯头几个月你可不会好受。我亲身体会到那段日子确实很难熬。

　　习惯用语empty nest加上后缀-er，成了empty-nester。这是什么意思呢? 让我们边学习下面的例子边仔细推敲。

　　这是一个房屋经纪人在推销他分套出售的新公寓大楼：

　　We get a lot of empty-nesters moving into this area. They sell their big houses they don't need after their children leave and come here. Warm weather, clean air, nice people, no crime, everything! The perfect place for you!

　　我们这个地区来了好多儿女不在身边的老人。孩子离家后，他们卖了已经多余的大房子，来到这里。这儿气候温和、空气新鲜、民风纯朴、罪行绝迹，俱备一切令人向往的东西，是你最理想的居住地点。

        2 feather your own nest

　　Feather这个词作动词的时候可以解释为铺垫羽毛。那么feather your own nest就是在自己的窝里铺羽毛了。想象一下垫上松软羽毛的小窝该是多么舒服啊。当然我们不能只看这个习惯用语的字面意义，它的实际意思就是，中饱私囊，谋求个人利益。

　　例句：I thought security at CIA was good and tight. How come this guy could spy for Russia for so long and feather his own nest with millions of dollars for Moscow? It's really hard to believe.

　　我本以为中央情报局的安全防卫措施一定既完善又严密。可那个中央情报局官员怎么有机会长年累月地为莫斯科提供机密情报，并得到几百万美元的报酬中饱私囊呢? 这简直令人难以置信。

　　又如：In his will Mr. Green told this lawyer to use his money after he died to build a hospital for the poor. But the lawyer feathered his own nest by using the money to buy two apartment buildings for himself.

　　Green先生在遗嘱中要这个律师在他身后用他的钱为贫民造一所医院，但是律师却拿这笔资金营私，为自己买了两栋公寓大楼。

        3 foul¹ your own nest

　　Foul这个词可以解释为“玷污，弄脏”。所以foul your own nest从字面上来看就是指把自己的安乐窝弄得乌七八糟。想象一下，如果你把自己的安乐窝搞得脏乱不堪、臭气冲天，那你是在跟自己过不去，让自己不得安宁了。所以，foul your own nest这个比喻说法的实际含义就是：毁坏自己的名誉，拆自己人的台。

　　例句：The mayor could have been elected forever. But he's finished now and may end up in jail. It was discovered that he'd been fouling² his own nest by taking bribes³ and giving city contracts in return.

　　那个市长原来可能一直会当选，但是他现在可完蛋了，甚至还可能坐牢。人们发现他一向收受贿赂，拿承包市内工程的合同来作交易。这一下他真把自己搞得声名狼籍。

　　又如：Senator White is lucky to have a wife like Sally, a lovely and smart woman with a good job. When she learned that he had affairs with cheap women, she didn't foul their own nest but still supported her husband to run for senator.

　　White参议员有Sally这样一位好太太真是运气。Sally才貌双全又有一份好工作。当Sally听说丈夫和不三不四的女人纠缠不清的时候，她不但没把家丑外扬，而且仍然支持她丈夫竞选参议员。

        4 stir up a hornet's nest

　　Hornet是黄蜂、胡蜂或者马蜂。如果一个人不明智地捅马蜂窝，必然遭到大群马蜂的叮刺围攻。所以，Stir up a hornet's nest的含义就是：捅了马蜂窝，惹人说辞或者招来批评的意思to provoke the attack of a swarm⁴ of spiteful enemies or spirited critics。

　　例句：Why are you trying to stir up a hornet's nest? Our office has been managed this way for the last twenty years. Don't waste time complaining about it; you'll just get in a lot of trouble.

　　你为什么要去捅马蜂窝呢？我们的办公室这二十年来一向按照这个方式管理。你别浪费时间去提意见了；你会给自己招惹麻烦的。

　　又如：The case has stirred up a hornet's nest among the press and the congress. Everyone wants to know how this senior officer got away with stealing all those secrets for eight years before he got caught.

　　这件案子遭到新闻界和国会的强烈责难，使大家震惊的是这个高级官员怎么会窃取秘密情报长达八年之久才被发现。