To bill and coo 意為「(情侶、戀人或情人) 接吻及談情說愛;卿卿我我」,其中 bill 和 coo 都是動詞,原指互看中意的公鳥和母鳥在交配之前互相用鳥喙 (bill 或 beak) 輕觸對方的鳥喙並發出輕柔的咕咕聲 (coo)。
這個慣用語早在 1760 年代就已出現在寫作中。第三人稱單數為 bills and coos、過去式和過去分詞為 billed and cooed,而現在分詞或動名詞為 billing and cooing。
例句:
- All my brother and his girlfriend do is bill and coo—it’s so nauseating. (我哥哥和他女友除了接吻、放閃及談情說愛外什麼事也不做 - 真是噁心)
- As I departed, one billing and cooing pair had propped a smartphone against a potted plant to take a romantic selfie in the vast plaza. (The Houston Chronicle) (我離開時,在那個廣大的廣場上有一對卿卿我我的情侶已拿著智慧型手機對著一株盆栽植物浪漫地自拍) (休士頓紀事報)
- Keep an eye on those kids. They aren’t going to be satisfied with billing and cooing forever. (留意那些小孩。他們不會一直滿足於接吻及談情說愛而已)