昨天在网上看到了一则川普大叔的新闻，题目是《Trump's niece has an ax to grind, but she seems on target about his bullying behavior 特朗普的侄女居心叵测，但她似乎对特朗普恃强凌弱的行为毫不留情》，内容是这样的~【President Trump's niece Mary Trump's recently released tell-all book about her uncle has made big headlines with allegations that Trump paid somebody else to take his SAT and that he embraced “cheating as a way of life.” But what I found most interesting are her psychological insights into the leader of the free world. 特朗普总统的侄女玛丽·特朗普(Mary Trump)最近出版了一本全盘托出关于她叔叔的书登上了各大新闻头条，书中指控特朗普花钱请别人来参加SAT考试，他把“作弊当作一种生活方式”。但我发现最有趣的是她对这位自由世界领袖的心理洞察。】

其实川普大叔的这种“作弊哲学”理论并不让人吃惊，反倒是这条新闻里所用的一个短语吸引了我的注意， has an ax to grind，字面上看是“有把斧子要磨”，但大家可千万别这么耿直地翻译哟，其实这句短语的意思是形容某人别有用心、心怀叵测; 还有一层意思就是对某人怀恨在心，于是就“磨刀霍霍”地找其算账。怎么样，这下儿再结合上面这则新闻，这个短语是不是就很好理解啦！

Have an ax to grind

na. 居心叵测；别有私图 想说服别人；想争个对错 别有用心；心怀叵测；另有个人打算；找某人算账；另有企图；怀有私心

【En】If someone has an axe to grind, they have particular attitudes about something, often because they think they have been treated badly or because they want to get an advantage. 如果一个人有一把斧头要磨, 他们对某事有特定的态度，通常是因为他们认为自己受到了不公平的待遇，或者是因为他们想要占点便宜。To have a strong personal opinion about something that you want people to accept and that is the reason why you do something. 你想让别人接受的事情有一个强烈的个人观点，这就是你做某事的原因。If you believe you have been slighted or wronged by someone you would have an “Axe to grind” with them, meaning you are carrying a grudge or you have some harsh words for them. 如果你认为自己被别人看不起或冤枉了，你就会对他们“磨刀霍霍”，这意味着你怀恨在心，或者你对他们说了一些刻薄的话。To have a dispute or issue to take up with another person. 与另一个人有争论或问题。Use trickery to get a favor to gain something for yourself. 用诡计为自己谋取好处。

【活学活用 give an example】

【例】I've got an axe to grind with you.

我要跟你算账。

【例】He always has an ax to grind. You should take whatever he says with a pinch of salt.

他总是居心叵测。他说什么你都得半信半疑多留点儿神。

【例】Whenever he flatters your generosity, he will certainly have an ax to grind.

每当他赞扬你的慷慨大方时，他就一定要有什么目的了。

【例】Environmentalists have no political axe to grind - they just want to save the planet.

环境保护主义者并非想在政治上争个对错——他们仅仅想拯救这个星球而已。

【例】I think the boss has a bit of an axe to grind with you over the way the account was handled.

我想老板对这个账户的处理方式有点不满。

【例】Tom, I need to talk to you. I have an ax to grind.

汤姆，我得跟你谈谈。我要跟你算算账。

【例】Bill and Bob went into the other room to argue. They had an axe to grind.

比尔和鲍勃走进另一个房间争论起来。他俩别有用心。

【例】It was boy's-club attitudes like yours that made my time at school a living hell, so yeah, I have a bit of an ax to grind.

正是像你这样的男孩俱乐部的态度让我在学校的日子过得一团糟，所以，是的，我是有点不满。

【例】I don't have an ax to grind here—I just want to know the truth.

我并不是居心叵测，我只想知道真相。

【例】Lord Gifford believed cases should be referred by an independent agency which, as he put it, doesn't have an axe to grind.

吉福德勋爵认为，案件应该由一个独立机构提交，正如他所说，这个机构并没有居心叵为。

【例】He didn't have a critical ax to grind. He was very open-minded about other people's work.

他并没有恶意。他对别人的工作态度很开放。

【例】The unions insist they have no axe to grind, because they will represent operators wherever they work.

工会坚称他们没有私心，因为无论他们在哪里工作，他们都会代表经营者。

【例】Everyone would say you have an ax to grind.

每个人都会说您别有用心。

出处：见配图水印