前段時間有報導說美國的醫療補助方案Medicaid出現詐欺現象,一些人謊報低收入,以獲取這項補助。對此《紐約時報》有一篇文章,指出:很多人靠“裝窮”,讓政府出錢給他們醫療服務。這裡使用了成語 “pick up the tab”。
They expect “Medicaid, which gets funding both from your state and the federal government, to pick up the tab.”
Pick up the tab: 付賬單,替人付賬。這是一個非常常用的俚語。Tab 有帳單的意思。
例句:
- People like to go out to dinner with Sogo, because he always picks up the tab. 大家都喜歡和Sogo一起出去吃飯,因爲每次他都出錢請大家。
- Once a year, the employees can travel to different places and the company will pick up the tab. 每年的員工旅遊,都是公司出錢。
- We shouldn’t pick up the tab when the city decides to build a homeless center. 城市要建流民收容所別向我們要錢。
- You can’t ask the taxpayers to pick up the tab for this program. 納稅人不應該為這個項目出錢。