第一, 迷你对话
A: You must promise not to breathe a word about it to her. Then I will tell you.
你必须答应我不能把此事告诉她,否则,我就不告诉你。
B: Why should we keep it secret from her. She is your cousin.
我们为什么要对她保密?她是你的表妹呀。
A: If she knows she will give mouth to it.
如果她知道了,她会说出去的。
B: I see now. I promise. Tell me.
我现在明白了,我答应你,那你告诉我吧。
第二, 地道表达
give mouth to
1. 解词释义
Give mouth to的意思是“把……说出去,泄露出去”。
2. 拓展范例
e.g. The police urged the criminal to give mouth to everything.
警察督促犯人坦白说出一切。
e.g. Don't fear to give mouth to the truth.
不要害怕说出真情。
e.g. I am going to give mouth to what I think of him openly and publicly.
我要公开、坦然地说出我对他的看法。
e.g. John wanted to give mouth to it, but Mary told him to keep his lip buttoned.
约翰有意说出, 但玛丽要他守口如瓶。
第三, 咬文嚼字
breath a word:说出,泄露
e.g. I'm telling you this in confidence so don' t breathe a word of it.
我现在告诉你这件事是个秘密,千万不可外传.
e.g. Think about what I have told you; but above all, don't breathe a word of it to Henry.
考虑一下我对你说的话,但总之,对亨利一句也不透露。
e.g. Don't breathe a word about this for the time being.
这事暂时不要嚷嚷出去。
e.g. I should like to hear a man breathe a word against her.
看谁敢说她一句坏话。
keep something secret :对……保密
e.g. You can speak quite freely in front of me. I promise you to keep secret what you say to me.
你有话可以坦率地对我说,我保证帮你保密。
e.g. She has blurted out everything they wanted to keep secret.
她把他们要保密的事情全讲出去了。