give the thumbs up：表示赞成、认可、同意或批准，强调对人、事、提议等的正面态度，可用于口头表态或肢体动作示意。
give the thumbs down：表示反对、否决、不认可或拒绝，对应负面态度，语义明确且带有一定的决断性。
“give the thumbs up/down”后接介词的用法。
“give the thumbs up/down to sb/ sth”,“to”用于指向“表态的对象”, 连接的是“被赞成/反对的人或事物”;
“give the thumbs up/down for sth”,for连接的是“表态的目的、原因，或所支持/反对的具体对象（如项目、候选人等，强调“为了……而表态”）”，（为某事表示赞成/反对）。也就是句子如果带了目的或原因，则后接介词for。
该表达可追溯至古罗马角斗场。据记载，当角斗结束时，裁判与观众会通过拇指姿势决定战败角斗士的命运：拇指朝上（thumbs up）表示赦免其性命，拇指朝下（thumbs down）则示意将其处死。随着语言演变，这两个动作的象征意义逐渐脱离原始场景，成为全球通用的“赞成/反对”符号，最终固化为英语固定短语。
如：
The interviewer gave the thumbs up to her communication skills.
面试官认可了她的沟通能力。
The city council gave the thumbs down to the shopping mall construction.
市议会否决了购物中心的建设计划。
The two countries gave the thumbs up to the cooperation agreement on environmental protection.
两国对这份环境保护合作协议表示同意。
She gave the thumbs up to his marriage proposal after three years of dating.
恋爱三年后，她对他的求婚表示同意。
The couple finally gave the thumbs up to moving in together after discussing it for months.
这对情侣讨论了几个月后，终于同意同居。
Both families gave the thumbs up to the wedding date, which is set for next spring.
双方家庭都认可了定在明年春天的婚礼日期。
The professor gave the thumbs up to our research proposal, saying it was well-designed.
教授认可了我们的研究方案，称其设计得很完善。
Most senators gave the thumbs down to the new tax bill, citing unfairness to low-income groups.
多数参议员否决了新税法草案，称其对低收入群体不公。
The board of directors gave the thumbs up to the merger plan, expecting higher profits next year.
董事会批准了合并计划，预计明年利润将增长。
The commander gave the thumbs down to the raid plan, as it risked exposing the troops.
指挥官否决了突袭计划，因为该计划可能导致部队暴露。
The committee gave the thumbs down to my infrastructure bill, but I’ll fix that. 《纸牌屋》
委员会否决了我的基建法案，但我会解决这个问题。
The manager gave the thumbs up to our new marketing strategy, which boosted our confidence.
经理对我们的新营销策略表示赞许，这增强了我们的信心。（2022年考研英语一）
特别注意：后接to与for的用法规则(99%的考察知识点)
“give the thumbs up/down”后接介词的核心区别在于搭配对象的性质：
1. 后接to：指向“表态的对象”
“to”连接的是“被赞成/反对的人或事物”，即态度的直接指向目标，常见搭配为“give the thumbs up/down to sb/sth”（对某人/某事表示赞成/反对）。
例：
- He gave the thumbs up to the new policy.（他对新政策表示赞成。）
- She gave the thumbs down to the candidate.（她反对那位候选人。）
2. 后接for：指向“目的或支持的对象”
“for”连接的是“表态的目的、原因，或所支持/反对的具体对象（如项目、候选人等，强调“为了……而表态”）”，常见搭配为“give the thumbs up/down for sth”（为某事表示赞成/反对）。
也就是句子如果带了目的或原因，则后接介词for。
例：
Teacher gave thumbs-down for my essay because of typos
师因错别字，否决了我的作文。
She gave thumbs-up for the restaurant due to good reviews.
她因好评多，认可了这家餐厅。
Voters gave the thumbs-down for the policy because it favored corporations.
选民因该政策偏袒企业而投了反对票。
The city gave the thumbs-down for the new stadium because of public opposition.
市政府因公众反对，否决了新体育场计划。
The committee gave the thumbs-down for the proposal to cut funding.
委员会因提议削减资金而予以否决。
They gave the thumbs-down for the merger to protect market competition.
他们为了保护市场竞争，否决了此次合并。
The judge gave the thumbs-down for the appeal due to insufficient evidence.
法官因证据不足驳回了上诉。
The board gave the thumbs-down for the expansion plan after reviewing risks.
董事会在评估风险后，否决了扩张计划。
The school gave the thumbs-down for the field trip to reduce costs.
学校为了削减成本，否决了实地考察计划。
The committee gave the thumbs-down for the candidate’s proposal to avoid conflict.
委员会为了避免冲突，否决了候选人的提案。
The manager gave the thumbs-down for the overtime request to maintain work-life balance.
经理为了维护员工的工作与生活平衡，驳回了加班申请。
She gave the thumbs-down for his plan to protect her interests.
她为了保护自身利益，反对他的计划。
The teacher gave the thumbs-down for the student’s project to encourage improvement.
老师为了鼓励改进，对学生的项目表示反对。
