Question

英语翻译-请不要用翻译软件来敷衍！谢谢

Give sb's a run for his/her money 是什么意思？

Answer 1

仍然是horse racing的俗语：

Give sb. a run for his money
【意思】to be as good at something as someone who is known to be extremely good. 不让某人轻松取胜
【起源】这条俗语的意思相当于"make someone having to earn his pay"。比如，如果我要give Danny a run for his money, 就是说Danny得使劲run才能拿到他的钱，我不会让他轻轻松松地就胜利。竞争会很激烈，对手也未必会获胜，即使胜了也只是勉强胜出而已。The person who is being given "a run for the money" has to scrap to be sure of winning and can't take anything for granted.

这条俗语之所以会与赛马联系起来是因为有一种解释是“to try one’s best to win”，来源于“即使赢不了比赛，也要让观众获得观看激烈比赛的乐趣，值回他们付的门票钱”。但是这样解释的话，sb.指的就不是对手而是付钱的人，意思有点偏差。我认为还是第一种解释合理些。
【例句】He was a very good actor and could have given any professional a run for his money.
We may not win the game, but let's give them a run for their money.

Answer 2

当我们说某人能 give sb. a run for their money，意思就是说这个人 be as good at something as someone who is known to be extremely good。用中文的俗语说就是“跟某人有的一拼”，或者“不输于……”、“不亚于……”。

Answer 3

give sb. a run for their money
to make sb try very hard, using all their skill and effort, in order to beat you in a game or competition
不让……轻易取胜；与……进行激烈竞争
——————摘自牛津高阶（六）P1526