(saying) you should not be surprised when boys or men behave in a noisy or rough way as this is part of typical male behaviour
老外经常用boys will be boys形容男人的典型行为不会改变,男人总归是男人,类似于中文里的“江山易改,本性难移”。
jobs for the boys
(British English, informal, disapproving) people use the expression jobs for the boys when they are criticizing the fact that somebody in power has given work to friends or relatives
这句话的引申义为:为有关系的人安排的职位;靠裙带关系的工作
man and boy
from when somebody was young to when they were old or older
“man and boy”可不是字面上的“男人和男孩”,它真正的意思是:(指男子)从小到大;从年轻到老。
He's been doing the same job for 50 years ─ man and boy.
他从小就干着同一份工作,有50年了。
除了boy,英语中跟girl相关的有趣表达也有很多:
You're a good-time girl
大家都知道,good-time是“好时机;正是时候”,girl是“女孩”,那么,当老外对你说“You're a good-time girl”,你知道是什么意思吗?是指抓住机遇的女孩?赶上好时代的女孩?还是守时的女孩?都不对,因为这句话不是夸人,而是在指责人。