书城外语一句话让老美刮目相看
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第5章 情感表达(4)

笑侃E言E语

Falsehood

The tender young mother detected her baby boy in a deliberate lie.With tears in her eyes,and a catch in her voice,she sought to impress upon him the enormity of his offense.“Do you know,”she questioned severely,“What happens to little boys who tell falsehoods?”

The boy shook his head in great distress,and the mother explained carefully:

“Why,a great big black man,with horns on his head and one eye in the center of his forehead,comes along and grasped the little boy who has told a falsehood,and flies with him up to the moon,and keeps him there sifting ashes all the rest of his life.You won't ever tell another falsehood,will you,darling?It's wicked!”

Mother's baby boy regarded the speaker with round-eyed admiration.

“Oh,ma,”he gurgled,“what a whopper!”

说谎

年轻温柔的母亲发觉她的儿子在故意撒谎。为了让孩子明白撒谎的恶果,她眼里含着泪水,声音哽噎地问道:“你知道撒谎的孩子会受到什么惩罚吗?”

犯了错误的孩子难过地摇了摇头,于是,妈妈耐心地解释道:

“知道吗?一个头上长着犄角,一只眼睛长在额头上的黑色巨人,会走过来,抓住撒谎的孩子,把他带到月亮上去,让他一辈子都在那里筛灰尘。所以,以后千万不能再撒谎了。好吗,宝贝?撒谎不好!”

孩子睁大了眼睛,崇拜地看着妈妈。

“妈妈,”他咯咯地笑着说,“我喜欢您撒的这个慌!”

扫描E言E语

falsehood虚假;谬误;谎言;说谎

tender嫩的;柔软的;敏感的;一触就痛的;温柔的;体贴的

detect发现;察觉;查出;看穿

deliberate深思熟虑的;慎重的;谨慎的

enormity穷凶极恶;滔天大罪;【口】巨大;深远

offense罪过;犯法(行为);过错(+against);冒犯;触怒;引起反感的事物

distress悲痛,苦恼,忧伤;贫困,穷苦;危难,不幸;引起痛苦或悲痛的事物

horn角;触角;角质;角制物;管乐器;小号,号角;警笛,喇叭

forehead额;前额;前部

sift筛;撒下,飘落;详查,细究

ash灰;灰烬;骨灰;废墟;淡灰色;苍白

wicked坏的;缺德的;邪恶的;顽皮的,淘气的;恶劣的;讨厌的

gurgle (水等)汩汩地流;(婴儿等)发出咯咯声

whopper庞然大物;弥天大谎

It's a storm in a teacup!

没什么大惊小怪的。

照着字面意思上来看,a storm in a teacup指的是“茶杯里的风暴”;这在美语中,还可以写成tea-pot tempest或者a tempest in a teapot/barrel。

E语范特西

“茶杯里的风暴”顾名思义,表示自然算不得什么大事,所以就被用来比喻“小题大做,大惊小怪”了。如They often quarrel,but it is a storm in a teacup.他们经常吵架,没什么大惊小怪的。a storm in a teacup 这个短语有许多变形,例如:storm in a cream bowl,storm in a hand-wash basin,tempest in a glass of water等等,都是表示“小题大做,大惊小怪”的意思。类似的说法还有Don't make a fuss.别大惊小怪的。

励志E言E语

After a storm comes a calm.

雨过天晴,否极泰来。

补充一点:Don't have a cow.别大惊小怪。have a cow担心,不开心,生气。

笑侃E言E语

It Is Your Cow

Young Dave was courting Mabel,who lived on an adjoining farm out west in cattle country.One evening,as they were sitting on Dave's porch watching the sun go down over the hills,Dave spied his prize bull doing the business on one of his cows.

He sighed in contentment at this idyllic rural scene and figured the omens were right for him to put the hard word on Mabel.

He leaned in close and whispered in her ear,“Mabel,I'd sure like to be doing what that bull is doing.”

“Well then,why don't you?”Mabel whispered back.“It is Your cow.”

那头母牛是你的

年轻的大卫殷勤地追求着邻村农场的玛贝尔。某天傍晚,当他们坐在大卫阳台上欣赏落日时,大卫看见他的冠军牛正与某只母牛做着那档事。

他满足地看着这幅令人愉悦的田园景象觉得这是和玛贝尔更进一步的征兆。

他拉近距离在她耳边细语道,“玛贝尔,我真的很想做那头公牛正在做的事。”

“喔,那你为什么不做呢?”玛贝尔回答。“那头母牛是你的啊。”

扫描E言E语

court向……献殷勤;向……求爱(求婚);企图获得;追求;招致;引诱

adjoin临近,靠近;贴近,毗连

porch门廊,游廊;走廊;边缘

contentment满足;知足;满意

idyllic田园诗的;牧歌的

omens预兆;兆头

bull (未阉割过的)公牛;(象、鲸、海豹等的)雄兽;彪形大汉;壮汉

What a stick-in-the-mud.

真是个老古董。

stick-in-the-mud在口语中表示顽固保守者,也就是我们常说的“老古董”。

E语范特西

就字面意而言,“stick-in-the-mud”指“陷入泥潭(拔不出)”。它最早出现于18世纪,当时用来形容“四轮马车陷到淤泥里”。或许你有过这样的经历--车子深陷泥淖,推也推不出,拉又拉不动,向上拔?更是比登天还难。随着时间的推移,“stick-in-the-mud”现在常用来形容思想保守、墨守陈规、不愿尝试新事物的人。

励志E言E语

You never know what you can do till you try.

除非你亲自尝试一下,否则你永远不知道你能够做什么。

补充一点:You're such an old fuddy-duddy!你这个老古董!fuddy-duddy是一个惯用的口语,用来形容一些因循守旧、古板老套的人,算是个比较古老的说法了,可以一直追溯到12世纪。

笑侃E言E语

Inertia

Formerly,a priggish cadre made a cup of black tea and began reading the newspaper after having the breakfast.

An hour and a half later,his wife entered to ask,“Why did not you go to work?”

That person was startled back to reality,“Extremely awful,I thought I was in my office.”

惯性

从前,有个古板的干部早餐后泡上一杯红茶,开始看报纸。

一个半小时后,妻子进来问:“怎么没去上班?”

那人幡然醒悟:“糟了,我还以为在办公室呢。”

扫描E言E语

inertia【物】惯性;惯量;惰性;不活动;迟钝;懒惰

priggish一本正经的;傲慢的;矫饰的;自以为了不起的

cadre骨架;核心;【军】干部;本部

black tea红茶

startle使惊吓;使吓一跳;使惊奇

awful可怕的;吓人的;使人敬畏的;满怀敬畏的;不舒服的;【口】极坏的

He's a real pain in the neck.

他真招人讨厌。

中文口语里说不喜欢一个人,有时候会说“真让人头疼”“招人讨厌”,英文里有一个类似的表达“让人脖子疼”,即“pain in the neck”。注意的是,这个片语不是一定要针对别人说的,有时还可以用在自己身上。

E语范特西

由neck构成的俚语在英语中也比较多见。up to one's neck表示“某人手头要做的事实在太多,多得没法应付”,如:With so much to do,I'm really up to my neck.那么多的事,真要把我给忙死了。break one's neck表示“非常努力地工作”,如:Don't break your neck on the work;you have plenty of time.你不用那么拼命地工作;有的是时间。stick one's neck out表示“不顾一切地硬来,招风险,找麻烦,惹祸殃”。He stuck his neck out for me when I was in trouble.我处境困难时他不顾一切地帮助了我。

励志E言E语

The last straw breaks the camel's neck.

凡事宜节制,过则必败事。

补充一点:It was a neck and neck horse race right down to the wire.这次跑马赛从头到尾都胜败难分。neck and neck不分上下;并驾齐驱。

笑侃E言E语

Do You Have Any Vices

“Do you think I shall live until I'm ninety,doctor?”

“How old are you now?”

“Forty.”

“Do you drink,gamble,smoke,or have you any vices of any kind?”

“No,I don't drink,I never gamble,I loathe smoking;in fact,I haven't any vices.”

“Well,good heavens,what do you want to live another fifty years for?”

你有不良恶习吗

“医生,你说我能活到九十岁吗?”

“你现在多大?”

“四十。”

“你喝酒吗?赌博吗?抽烟吗?一句话,你有没有什么不良嗜好?”

“没有,我不喝酒,不赌博,我讨厌抽烟,事实上,我什么不良嗜好也没有。”

“天哪,那你再活五十年干什么呢?”

扫描E言E语

vice恶,邪恶;罪行,不道德行为;卖淫;【口】恶习;缺点;缺陷

loathe不喜欢,讨厌;厌恶;憎恨(+v-ing)

good heavens天哪;天啊

I don't buy your story.

我不会相信你的鬼话。

当我们对别人说的话或者做的事,表示怀疑或者不相信时,也会说这样一句话“我不信你那一套”。用英文表达这句话就是I won't buy you story.字面意思是“我才不会买你的故事呢”。再往前延伸一下,就是“我才不会买你的账呢”!翻译时可以说成“我不会相信你的鬼话”“我不信你那一套”等等。buy 此处做“相信,接受”讲。

E语范特西

在英语中,表达这一层意思的有趣俚语还有cock and bull story,它表示“无稽之谈”“鬼话连篇”的意思。cock and bull最早可追溯到1620年,当时指英国一家设在路边的酒馆,酒馆的名字叫“The Cock and Bull”。疲倦的旅客在此过夜时,常聚在一起侃大山,讲他们所经历的奇闻逸事。当然,这些经历不要求真实,怎么奇特就怎么来。久而久之,“cock and bull story”就成了“鬼话连篇”的代名词。

励志E言E语

Wish you an endless view to cheer your eyes,then one more story mount and higher rise.

欲穷千里目,更上一层楼。

补充一点:It's a long story.一言难尽。这句话从字面意思来看就是“这是长故事”,意译过来就是“一言难尽”“说来话长”。

笑侃E言E语

Admit That You Did That

An old Indian lined up all of his 10little Indian sons and stood in front of them.

He then asked:“Who pushed port-a-potty over cliff?”

Nobody answered him.

He then asked again:“Who pushed port-a-potty over cliff?”

Again nobody answered.

The old Indian said:“I tell a story of Georgia and Georgia father.Georgia chops down cherry tree.Georgia tells the truth,Big Georgia no punish.”So the Indian asked again:“Who pushed port-a-potty over cliff?”

To which,the littlest Indian replied:“I punished port-a-potty over cliff?”

The old Indian then spanked him,for his punishment.When he was done,the little Indian asked:“Georgia tells the truth,Georgia no get punish.I tell the truth,I get punished.Why do you punish me,father?”

The old Indian replied:“Big Georgia not in cherry three when it got chopped down!!!”

承认你做过

一个老年印度人召集他的十个儿子让他们站成一排,他站在他们前面,问道:“谁把流动厕所推下山崖的?”

没人回答。

他再问一遍:“谁把厕所推下山崖的?”

还是没人回答。

老印度人说:“我将一个关于乔治和他父亲的故事吧。乔治砍掉了樱桃树,他讲了真话,老乔治没有惩罚他。”于是他再问了一遍:“谁把厕所推下悬崖的?”

对此,最小的印度男孩答道:“我推的。”

老印度人打了他一巴掌作为惩罚。打完后,小男孩问:“乔治讲了真话,没有受到处罚。我讲了真话,我被罚了。为什么你要惩罚我呢,爸爸?”

老印度人说:“当樱桃树被砍到的时候,老乔治没有在树上!!!”

扫描E言E语

port-a-potty流动厕所

cliff (尤指海边的)悬崖;峭壁

cherry tree樱桃树

chop down砍下

tell the truth说实话

spank(用手掌、拖鞋等)打……的屁股;拍击……使之前进

I'm in the pink.

我精神好极了。

in the pink 是习语,意为“身体极健康”“状况极佳”“精力充沛”等,是in the pink of condition (health)的简写形式。

E语范特西

pink在16世纪原指“石竹(花)”。这种花虽小,却香味十足,被认为是最好的观赏植物之一。石竹花有红、紫、白、黄诸色,但多为粉红色,在18世纪时,人们用pink指“粉红色”。大凡身体健康的人脸色红润而有光泽,换言之,红润往往意味着健康。20世纪初人们在口语中直接将of condition (health)修饰成分删去,说成in the pink。若要表示身体从不健康到健康,介词in须改为into。形容一个人很健康,很有精神,我们还可以说You're looking sharp!你看上去真精神/真棒/真漂亮。You look great today.你今天看上去很棒。

励志E言E语

Health is certainly more valuable than money,because it is by health that money is procured.

健康当然比金钱更为重要,因为我们赖以获得金钱的就是健康。

补充一点:I'm $100in the red this month.我这个月负债一百美元。in the red 有赤字;负债;亏损。

笑侃E言E语

An Ugly Suit

When the store manager returned from lunch,he noticed his clerk's hand was bandaged.

Before he could ask about the bandage the clerk said he had some very good news for him.

“Guess what,sir?”the clerk said.“I finally sold that terrible,ugly suit we've had so long!”

“Do you mean that repulsive pink-and-blue double-breasted thing?”the manager asked.

“That's the one!”

“That's great!”the manager cried,“I thought we'd never get rid of that monstrosity!That had to be the ugliest suit we've ever had!But tell me.Why is your hand bandaged?”

“Oh,”the clerk replied,“after I sold the guy that suit,his guide dog bit me.”

一件丑陋的衣服

商店经理吃完午饭后回到店里,发现他店员的手用绷带绑着。他还没来得及问绷带的事儿,店员就对他说有好消息告诉他。

“猜一下是什么,先生?”店员说,“我终于卖掉了那件我们一直留着的那件可怕的、丑陋的衣服!”

“你是说那件难看的粉红色和蓝色双排扣的衣服吗?”经理问道。

“就是那件!”

“太好了!”经理叫着,“我还以为我们处理不掉那个怪物了呢!那是我们见过的最难看的衣服!但是你得告诉我,为什么你的手缠着绷带。”

“噢,”店员回答说,“我卖给那家伙衣服后,他让狗咬我。”