发信人: ry()
整理人: roy_young(2002-03-15 17:41:22), 站内信件
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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. |
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