He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.
这个写法很讽刺啊 脖子形成鲜明的对比啊
beefy adj.像牛肉的, 结实的, 强壮的 He' s big and beefy. 他身材魁梧,肌肉发达.
blonde adj.亚麻色的, 金黄色的; 白肤金发碧眼的; 白皙的; 浅色的
craning over v.伸颈, 以起重机搬移; 伸着脖子看; 踌躇
From every window heads were craning for a view of it. 每一个窗口都有人探出头来看
because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be
good-for-nothing adj. 无用的,无益的
He who knows nothing but pretends to know everything, is indeed a good-for-nothing. 不懂装懂永远是饭桶.
The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street
shudder v.发抖, 战栗; 震动, 颤动
As we stood there staring at each other, a shudder passed through me.我们站在那里对望着彼此,突如其来地,我感到一阵战栗。
Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. “Little tyke,” chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.
tantrum n.发脾气, 发怒
Come now, don't get into a tantrum. You must get your beauty sleep for the photographer tomorrow.
好了,别发脾气了。你该早点好好地睡一觉,明天照相时才会神采奕奕的
cereal n.谷类植物; 玉蜀黍薄片; 谷类加工食品; 麦片
tyke n.劣犬, 乡下佬, 野狗
tyke Look what she's done, the little tyke ! 瞧她这小淘气干下了什么!
chortle v.咯咯笑
She chortled to herself with delight. 她高兴得暗自咯咯地笑。
Mr.Dursley blinked and stared at the cat.
blinked v.眨眼睛; 闪亮, 闪烁; 眯着眼看; 视若无睹; 眨眼, 使闪亮
1,Don't blink, please! 请不要眨眼。
2,Blink your headlights on and off. 使车前灯闪烁 (打信号) 吧。
3,You cannot blink the fact that there is a war. 你不能无视于战争存在的事实。
4,The boy disappeared around the corner in a blink of an eye. 一眨眼, 这男孩就在拐角处不见了。
drills were driven out of his mind by something else.
drills n. 训练;钻孔机;钻子;播种机
Jack used a drill to bore a hole in the wall above the fireplace. 杰克用钻子在壁炉上方的墙上钻孔。
Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him.
这2个动词很形象啊
And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off
一个腰间的拥抱
“I know that,” said Professor McGonagall irritably
irritably adv. 性急地;暴躁地;过敏地
"Of course I should hate it--so would you, "she rejoined, a trifle irritably.
“我当然会讨厌了——你也会的,”她有点生气地回答说。
A lemon drop.They'reakind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of.一杯冻柠檬汁。这是我非常喜欢的一种麻瓜的甜品。
Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore
“It’s — it’strue?” faltered Professor McGonagall
falter vt. 结巴地说话,支吾;(声音)颤抖:
The boy faltered when the policeman demanded his name.在警察要求男孩说出他的姓名时,他支支吾吾。
I would trust Hagrid with my life
I would trust you with my life
“I’m not saying his heart isn’t in the right place,” said Professor McGonagall grudgingly
grudgingly adv. 勉强地;不情愿地
turn one's head 使人头脑发热
She looked distinctly ruffled
ruffled adj. 有褶饰边的;气恼的
A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen
ruffle 弄皱;使起涟漪;使波动;弄乱(头发等):
1,The wind ruffled my hair.风吹乱了我的头发。
2,The glassy surface of the lake was ruffled by the breeze. 微风吹皱了平静如镜的湖水
hedge n. 树篱