摘要：该短语是口语化表达，核心含义为“形容人外表极其邋遢、狼狈，或事物显得破旧杂乱、毫无条理”，强调“外观状态糟糕”，常带有轻微调侃意味（非恶意），多用于熟人或非正式场景中描述“因疲惫、忙碌、意外等导致的形象不佳”。 语义溯源：短语源于猫的捕猎习性——猫捕猎后会将老
look like something the cat brought/dragged in
人穿着邋遢；衣衫褴褛；不修边幅
该短语是口语化表达，核心含义为“形容人外表极其邋遢、狼狈，或事物显得破旧杂乱、毫无条理”，强调“外观状态糟糕”，常带有轻微调侃意味（非恶意），多用于熟人或非正式场景中描述“因疲惫、忙碌、意外等导致的形象不佳”。 语义溯源：短语源于猫的捕猎习性——猫捕猎后会将老鼠、鸟类等猎物拖回巢穴，猎物往往毛发凌乱、状态狼狈。1后来人们将这一画面延伸到“人或事物的糟糕外观”，逐渐形成固定表达。英义：to look dirty and untidy；如：
I must look like something the cat dragged in.
我当时看上去一定很邋遢。
You look like something the cat dragged in—did you pull an all-nighter for the exam?
你看起来狼狈极了，是不是为了考试又熬夜了？
The CEO arrived at the negotiation looking like something the cat brought in—he’d rushed from a 12-hour flight.
首席执行官来谈判时一副狼狈模样，他刚赶完12小时的航班。
My wife looked like something the cat dragged in when she got home—she’d been caught in a thunderstorm.
我妻子回家时样子狼狈不堪，她被雷暴雨淋透了。
My girlfriend showed up for our anniversary dinner looking like something the cat dragged in—she’d gotten stuck in a rainstorm on her way.
我女朋友来赴周年纪念晚餐时，一副狼狈不堪的样子——她路上被暴雨困住了。
My boyfriend drove 8 hours to see me and looked like something the cat brought in when he got to my door—his eyes were red from tiredness.
我男朋友开了8小时车来看我，到我家门口时一副狼狈样——他眼睛都熬红了。
I’d been arguing with my partner and then ran to meet them for coffee—I must have looked like something the cat dragged in, with my hair all over the place.
我之前和恋人吵了架，之后又跑着去和他们喝咖啡——我当时头发乱糟糟的，肯定一副狼狈相。
We’d planned a fancy picnic, but my partner got lost on the way and turned up looking like something the cat dragged in—their shoes were covered in mud.
我们本来计划了一场精致的野餐，但恋人路上迷路了，出现时一副狼狈样——鞋子上全是泥。
After the 20-kilometer march, the soldiers looked like something the cat brought in, their uniforms covered in mud.
20公里行军后，士兵们样子狼狈极了，制服上全是泥。
My friend showed up to our dinner looking like something the cat dragged in—her car had broken down on the highway.
我朋友来赴宴时一副狼狈相，她的车在高速上抛锚了。
People leaving the music festival looked like something the cat dragged in, with messy hair and smudged makeup.
离开音乐节的人们样子乱糟糟的，头发蓬乱，妆容也花了。
The senator arrived at the rally looking like something the cat dragged in—her suit was wrinkled from the train ride.
参议员抵达集会现场时模样狼狈，她的西装因火车行程皱巴巴的。
The kids came back from the playground looking like something the cat brought in, covered in dirt and leaves.
孩子们从操场回来时狼狈极了，身上满是泥土和树叶。
The startup founder looked like something the cat dragged in after three all-nighters to finish the business plan.
为完成商业计划书，初创公司创始人连熬三夜，看起来狼狈不堪。
Ross, you look like something the cat dragged in! Have you slept at all this week?
I’ve been finishing my thesis—sleep is for people who don’t have deadlines. 《老友记》
罗斯，你看起来狼狈死了！这星期你到底睡过觉没？
我在赶论文——有截止日期的人哪有时间睡觉。
The journalist looked like something the cat dragged in after covering the flood-stricken area for five consecutive days.（2024考研翻译题）
- 参考答案：“那位记者在洪灾地区连续报道了五天后，看起来狼狈不堪。”
- 解析：翻译关键在于“语境适配”——“covering the flood-stricken area”（洪灾报道）暗示“艰苦环境”，需将短语“look like something the cat dragged in”意译为“狼狈不堪”（而非直译“猫拖进来的东西”），既准确传达语义，又符合中文“描述人物状态”的表达习惯，避免生硬。
该短语主要形容“人”，偶尔可形容“事物”（如旧家具、杂乱的房间），例：
That old desk in the corner looks like something the cat dragged in.角落那张旧桌子看起来破旧不堪。
来源：翅膀英语一点号
