Feather这个词作动词的时候可以解释为铺垫羽毛。那么feather your own nest就是在自己的窝里铺羽毛了。想象一下垫上松软羽毛的小窝该是多么舒服啊。当然我们不能只看这个习惯用语的字面意义，它的实际意思就是，中饱私囊，谋求个人利益。

　　例句：I thought security at CIA was good and tight. How come this guy could spy for Russia for so long and feather his own nest with millions of dollars for Moscow? It's really hard to believe.

　　我本以为中央情报局的安全防卫措施一定既完善又严密。可那个中央情报局官员怎么有机会长年累月地为莫斯科提供机密情报，并得到几百万美元的报酬中饱私囊呢? 这简直令人难以置信。

　　又如：In his will Mr. Green told this lawyer to use his money after he died to build a hospital for the poor. But the lawyer feathered his own nest by using the money to buy two apartment buildings for himself.

　　Green先生在遗嘱中要这个律师在他身后用他的钱为贫民造一所医院，但是律师却拿这笔资金营私，为自己买了两栋公寓大楼。

3 foul your own nest

　　Foul这个词可以解释为“玷污，弄脏”。所以foul your own nest从字面上来看就是指把自己的安乐窝弄得乌七八糟。想象一下，如果你把自己的安乐窝搞得脏乱不堪、臭气冲天，那你是在跟自己过不去，让自己不得安宁了。所以，foul your own nest这个比喻说法的实际含义就是：毁坏自己的名誉，拆自己人的台。

　　例句：The mayor could have been elected forever. But he's finished now and may end up in jail. It was discovered that he'd been fouling his own nest by taking bribes and giving city contracts in return.

　　那个市长原来可能一直会当选，但是他现在可完蛋了，甚至还可能坐牢。人们发现他一向收受贿赂，拿承包市内工程的合同来作交易。这一下他真把自己搞得声名狼籍。

　　又如：Senator White is lucky to have a wife like Sally, a lovely and smart woman with a good job. When she learned that he had affairs with cheap women, she didn't foul their own nest but still supported her husband to run for senator.

　　White参议员有Sally这样一位好太太真是运气。Sally才貌双全又有一份好工作。当Sally听说丈夫和不三不四的女人纠缠不清的时候，她不但没把家丑外扬，而且仍然支持她丈夫竞选参议员。

4 stir up a hornet's nest

　　Hornet是黄蜂、胡蜂或者马蜂。如果一个人不明智地捅马蜂窝，必然遭到大群马蜂的叮刺围攻。所以，Stir up a hornet's nest的含义就是：捅了马蜂窝，惹人说辞或者招来批评的意思to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics。

　　例句：Why are you trying to stir up a hornet's nest? Our office has been managed this way for the last twenty years. Don't waste time complaining about it; you'll just get in a lot of trouble.

　　你为什么要去捅马蜂窝呢？我们的办公室这二十年来一向按照这个方式管理。你别浪费时间去提意见了；你会给自己招惹麻烦的。

　　又如：The case has stirred up a hornet's nest among the press and the congress. Everyone wants to know how this senior officer got away with stealing all those secrets for eight years before he got caught.

　　这件案子遭到新闻界和国会的强烈责难，使大家震惊的是这个高级官员怎么会窃取秘密情报长达八年之久才被发现。

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