发信人: ry()
整理人: roy_young(2002-03-15 17:41:22), 站内信件
|
俚語不作怪 (下)/ 懷中
16. smoke like a chimney：意思是抽菸抽得很厲害，像「菸鬼」似的。 (heavy smoker) (chimney的本意是煙囪) 例如：
He has been smoking like a chimney for many years.（多年來，他菸抽得很兇。)
Smoking like a chimney can lead to lung cancer. (菸抽得很厲害的人會導致肺癌)
He used to smoke like a chimney before he quit. (他戒菸前是個菸鬼)
(quit 的動詞時態是：quit, quit, quit 或 quit, quitted, quitted )
(上句的 quit 是過去式)
17. What is this world coming to? 意思是：這個世界究竟怎麼了？也就是說，現在的日子，似乎不如過去好。(What happened in the past seems better than what is happening now.) 多半指一般性的世界（the world in general）或指範圍較廣的事物。例如：
Concerning the current state of morality, what is this world coming to ? (關於目前的道德情況，怎麼會變成這樣呢？)
Talking about educational system, what is this world coming to? (談到教育制度，怎麼變成這樣呢？)
Nowadays, so many students disrespect their teachers; what is this world coming to? (現在許多學生不尊重老師，這世界究竟怎麼了？)
18. Don't take it out on me！意思是不要因為你自己心情不好或不高興而拿我出氣（don't bring your bad mood to me；don't express your anger by abusing me！）例如：
She told her husband,“Don't take it out on me！" (她告訴老公，「別拿我出氣」！)
I know you have had（或are having）a bad day, but don't take it out on me. (我知道你一天都不高興，但不要在我身上出氣！)
(雖然 it 指 bad mood，但不說：Don't take bad mood out on me！)
19. You said a mouthful 意思是你說了許多有意義的話 (you have a lot of meaningful things to say，或是你所說的，我都同意 (I agree what you said)，也是一種贊成或同意的表示 (a sign of approval)，通常是別人先說完，你接著說：“what you said is good.”也就是說：“You said what I would have said”或“I wish I had said.”這些也有恭維的味道。（主詞通常只用單數，you,he,she）例如：
John talked at the meeting and he said a mouthful. (開會時，John要說的都說了。) (我也很同意)
有時也指一篇文章使用許多難字 (big words) 說得很吃力。 例如：
The actor said,“The speech of Act 4 is a mouthful.”(演員說：「第四幕的台詞不好說。」)
The speech I will give is a mouthful. (我的講演頗不容易)
但是“You talked too much.”意思又是「你話太多」也就是“You are running off at the mouth.”而且不是恭維語。這與上句不同，必須小心。
20. It's no skin off my nose：意思是與我無關；對我來說無所謂；不會影響到我。(No problem for me；it does not affect me.) 如果有人問你：
Do you care who get elected？(你在乎誰當選嗎？)
你可回答說：No, it's no skin off my nose. （不，我才不在乎呢！）
或，
Did you care if he came home？
No, that's no skin off my nose. (主詞可用 It，this，that；動詞可用 is 或 will be)
即：It（this，that）is（will be）no skin off my nose.
21. Better late than never：意思是「晚一些總比不做好。」(It is better to complete the job even though it takes longer time.）也就是說：晚一點不要緊，最怕沒有做。(don't worry about being late；worry about never do it.) 例如：
When she said that he was late in sending her birthday card, he responded,“Better late than never.”(當她說他晚寄生日卡給她，他說晚些總比沒有好。)
也有人說：
It's better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. (嘗試而失敗，總比沒有嘗試好。) 或
Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still. (不怕走得慢，只怕停著不走。)
22. last hired, first fired. 這是指一些機關公司對新進的員工，因為資歷淺，必要時，先行解雇。也叫做「last in, first out」。（簡稱為 LIFO) (這裡的 last 是指 recent) 例如：
The company's policy is “last hired, first fired.”(公司的政策是新進的員工，先解雇。)
Is “last hired, first fired" an appropriate philosophy for an organization？(「新雇的人，要先被解聘」，這是一個機關合理的哲理嗎？)
23. put up a good front：意思是表面做得很好，或表面虛裝一番，令人有好印象。（act very nicely； behave courteously on the surface）例如：
Sometimes we need to put up a good front with our boss.（有時我們在老闆面前也要裝得好一些）
During her divorce she tried to put up a good front. (在她離婚期間，她表面上裝得十分鎮定，似乎安然無事。) (美國女人講求獨立、堅強)
24. So be it！意思是「就照那樣去做吧！」 (Let's be done that way) 或「就是這樣啊！」(That's the way it will be) 或「順其自然吧！」(Whatever will be will be!) 例如：
When his wife wants to change the furniture, he says, “So be it！”(太座要換家具，老公說：「照辦！」) (意思是：太座的話，老公敢不聽？)
After the judge delivered the sentence, the defendant said, “So be it！”(法官審判後，被告說：「就照這樣吧！」)
If it rains tomorrow, so be it！(如果明天下雨，就讓它下吧！)
----
I am RY. |
|