昨儿个中午吃饭时听见外教 Lawrence 他老妈给他打电话，他们老外可不像咱们中国人似的怕家人担心只报喜不报忧的，他们是有啥说啥直抒胸臆......

Mom, it's very hard time ... I'm really on the ropes these days.

唉，这哥们儿也真是够背的，离了婚，最近还把脚给崴了~

今天要跟大家说一个非常实用的俚语——be on the ropes，猛一看是“在绳子上”，但大家可别以为是真的站在绳子上啊，它只是形象地引申为“某人正处于困境中”的意思，所以刚才 Lawrence 是在说“老妈，这段时间太难了，我最近的日子真是不太好过呢......” 怎么样，你记住了吗？希望大家都不会身陷“在绳子上”的处境。

其实，这个俚语出自于拳击比赛，你想啊，当一名拳击手被对手逼到十分窘迫的地位、濒临失败之时，不就是得靠在围绕着拳击台的绳子上先喘口气儿嘛，是不是很形象！

be on the ropes

[俚] 濒于失败; 岌岌可危; 摇摇欲坠；处于困境；处于极不顺利的境地；濒临崩溃; 即将失败，即将完蛋；使...窘困[毫无办法]； 日子不好过

【En】

in a defenceless or hopeless position.

处于无助或绝望的境地。

near collapse or ruin.

濒临崩溃或毁灭。

very close to failing or being defeated.

非常接近失败或被打败。

to be in a very bad situation, in which you are likely to be defeated.

处于一个非常糟糕的境地，你很可能会被打败。

If you say that someone is on the ropes, you mean that they are very near to giving up or being defeated.

如果你说某人在绳子上，你的意思是他们很接近放弃或被打败了。

● When this big market opened, it cut prices and offered more variety of foods. Most of the small shops were on the ropes in a short time and some have already closed.

当这个大市场开张时，它降低了价格并提供了更多种类的食品。大多数小商店在短时间内都濒临倒闭，有些已经关门了。

● We ought to do something to cheer Bob up. He's really on the ropes these days. He didn't get a promotion, and a few days later his wife fell ill and is still in the hospital.

我们应该做点什么让鲍勃高兴起来。他这几天可真不好过。他没有得到提升，几天后他的妻子又病倒了，目前仍在医院。

● The army says the rebels are on the ropes.

军方称叛军已经岌岌可危。

● The army claims the rebels are on the ropes.

军队声称叛军已经濒临崩溃。

【Scenario Example 场景示例】

● I think the business is finally on the ropes.

我觉得这家企业最终要垮掉了。

● Primary election results show the governor is on the ropes.

初选结果显示州长处境不妙。

● But behind the apparent success, the company was on the ropes.

但在表面上的成功背后，这家公司正濒临倒闭。

● The shop is on the ropes and must surely have to close soon.

这家商店已到破产的边缘，肯定得关闭。

● That team is definitely on the ropes—they're losing 10-1!

那支球队绝对是岌岌可危，他们以10比1输了！

● Now that everyone knows he embezzled money from the company, his career is on the ropes.

既然大家都知道他贪污了公司的钱，他的事业就岌岌可危了。

● Even in the worst hours she never gave any public impression that she was on the ropes.

即使在最糟糕的时候，她也从来没有给公众留下任何她处于困境的印象。

出处：见配图水印