| 词源 |
on the ropes. The allusion here is to a weary, exhausted boxer who is pinned against the ropes in a prizefight and just a punch or two away from being knocked out. The expression dates back long before Muhammad Ali’s “rope-a-doping,” in which he used the ropes to his advantage, and figuratively means to be on the edge of ruin. It is first recorded in 1924 but may be much older, for boxing rings have officially been enclosed by ropes since about 1840. |