Goer

Under this topic, I would like to regularly ask the meaning and usage of some English (maybe French, too) phrases that I encountered in my reading and that are hard to find in dictionaries. I appreciate greatly your kind explanation.

"the girl next door"

"cut his teeth on something"

That's all for today. Thanks.

Hope we all enjoy language study.

Goer

You can post your questions too, hoping someone people out there are kind and knowledgeble enough to answer them.

gooddream

I asked my English Teacher at Tyark Training School. The following are the answers:

"the girl next door"
an ordinary nice girl from your own town and social group

"cut his teeth on something"
Learned to do it when you were very young (when you were a baby getting your first teeth)

coffee

great! keep going.
i've tried to find the answer on English learing website but did'nt get it.and happy to know it now.

can2000

Hello, gooddream , how do you think Tyark Training School? Is it good to study English? Thank you!

gooddream

I think Tyark Training School is not bad. If you try, you will know.

Look at those idioms posted by Goer, I think everyone knows those simple words! I don't learn English in a hard way like coffee  :p  . If I have questions, I just ask teacher.

Goer

我在网上找了一些CUT HIS TEETH例子 BY USING GOOGLE WITH THE KEYWORD “CUT HIS TEETH”

1. Having cut his teeth as a writer on five "Columbo" television movies in the early 1970s, Bochco learned the business from the inside out.

2. Jim McNeely cut his teeth with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in the late 1970s, and has been the pianist of choice for any number of big bands since then.

3. Amadou Bagayoko cut his teeth as a guitarist in the Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, a versatile group later joined by Salif Keita.

以下是金山词霸的解释 (under the entry of CUT)
To learn or do as a beginner or at the start of one's career.

看来这是一个比喻，原意是指孩子去掉乳齿。
我翻译的话，会翻成   初试啼声， 初露锋芒， 牛刀初试
另，THE GIRL NEXT DOOR 我感到是一个STEROTYPE，是褒义的，翻成 “小家碧玉”好象很恰当。
纯属抛砖引玉！ENJOY ENGLISH。

Goer

I think these are very idiomatic expressions, things that we need to know if you want to go deep in English or English culture.