Subject：The boss laid down the law today.

迷你对话

A: The boss laid down the law today. Anyone who is late at work will be fired! So you had better be careful.

老板立下了规定，谁要是上班迟到就会被解雇。

B: Thank you for your advice.

谢谢您的建议。

地道表达

lay down the law

1. 解词释义

此语的含义比较多，按照字面意思是“制定法律，立下法规”的意思，它还有“发号司令，严词命令”，“严厉责备”的意思。

2. 拓展例句

e.g The boss laid down the law that all the staff can have dinner at the restaurant.

老板丁下法规，所有职工都可以在食堂吃晚餐。

3. 视野拓展

（1）释义：严厉斥责

e.g You shouldn't lay down the law to me about that.

你不应该就那件事来申斥我。

e.g The mother laid down the law to her daughter coming home late.

女儿回家晚了，母亲狠狠地训了她一顿。

（2）发号司令

e.g You don’t have the right to lay the law to me and mind your own business.

你没有权利对我发号司令，管好你自己吧。

Ps 1：be late at work的意思是“上班迟到”。例如：

Henry got off on the wrong foot by being late at work on his first day.

亨利第一天上班就迟到，一开始就给人留下了不好的印象。

Ps 2：:at work的意思是“在工作中”。例如：

He did very little on his first day at work. 他头一天上班工作做得很少。

Ps 3：had better的意思是“最好”。例如：

I'm not clear about this matter, so I had better keep quiet. 我对这个问题不清楚, 只能不置一词。