Welcome to English in a Minute, where we teach you all about idioms in American English.

欢迎来到《一分钟英语》栏目！

If you have ever heard American English, you may have heard this:

如果你听过美式英语 你可能听过这个：

a day late and a dollar short

干什么都不成

What does this mean?

这是什么意思呢？

Let's find out by listening to an American English conversation.

让我们来听听下面这段美式英语对话吧

Hey, did you hear Steve was late to the birthday party? And he forgot to bring a gift!

嘿 你听说了么 昨天的生日会上史蒂夫迟到了 他还忘了带礼物

Yes I did. He is always a day late and a dollar short to everything.

我知道，他干什么事都是不成功rW-T(lp%@1W。

I know! When people say "a day late and a dollar short" they mean you are too late, unprepared, or...disorganized.

就是啊 当某人说 a day late and a dollar short 时 意思是你总是迟到 欠准备……杂乱无章

You only want to say this with your friends because it's an informal phrase.

你只能对朋友说这个短语 因为它不正式

You don't want to use this in a formal or a business setting because it may be rude.

你可不会在一个正式场合或者商务环境下使用它 因为这样可能会显得不礼貌

Remember, a lot of American English is delivered by your facial expressions.

记住 很多美式英语是由你的面部表情体现的

And that’s English in a Minute.

以上就是今天的《一分钟英语》栏目