sharpen one's knife [sword]; be busily sharpening one's weapons; rattle one's saber; saber rattling; sharpen one's sword on the sly; sharpen one's weapons to be ready for fighting; threatening with war
Like pagans sharpening their knives , economists debate the size of this “ sacrifice ratio ” : the number of people who must lose their jobs to appease the gods of price stability 磨刀霍霍向猪羊，经济学家们为“经济牺牲率”的合理尺度而争论不休，因为这是要以事业来换取物价稳定的。
2.
I have already recorded sentence of death , five or six times , against the movers of political conspiracies , and who can say how many daggers may be ready sharpened , and only waiting a favorable opportunity to be buried in my heart ? 算起来，我已经判处过五六个政治犯和其他罪犯的死刑了，而谁能断定此刻又有多少正磨刀霍霍？伺机来对付我呢？ ”
3.
The truth of the time of a working - class boy , born on the fourth of july , losing his legs in vietnam and being angry about it , or a young president , kennedy , being assassinated for a viable motive is just too sentimental or too controversial for our opinion - makers , our cutting - edg magazines , our secular newspapers 那些时代的真相，例如《生逢七月四日冲的那个出生于劳动阶级的男孩子在越南战争中失去了双腿，并为此感到愤怒不已；以及当年轻的肯尼迪总统仅为了一个冠冕堂皇的动机而被刺杀，在我们的舆论专家们、磨刀霍霍的杂志以及世俗的报纸看来，就显得过于多愁善感或是争议太多。
