1. You have matches ?

Decode: 需不需要帮忙。最近我有一次机会登上一艘豪华游轮观光。一次, 我在酒吧台拿了两杯鸡尾酒回房间享受,途中遇到一位女士,她看看我后笑着说:“You have matches?”我一愣,回答说:“很抱歉,我十五年前就戒烟了,所以没有火柴。”她立刻会意到我误解了她的意思,好像是有点抱歉地说:“It's a joke.”然后,我们就相互尴尬的笑了笑,走开了。
事后和朋友在吃晚饭的时候聊天,我趁机向一个美国朋友请教白天的那句话,他解释说:“因为她看你两手都占着,就故意开玩笑跟你要火柴,这是个非常普通的笑话,非但没有恶意,反而是想问你需不需要帮忙。”

 

  1. Turn the table / turn the tables (on someone)

Decode: Turn the table 指“扭转局面”     

turn the tables (on someone) 指 to suddenly take a position of strength or advantage that was formerly held by someone else.(反败为胜)

ex: She played badly in the first set, but then she turned the tables on her opponent and won the match.

turn the tables on/upon sb.除了“主客易地; 扭转形势; 转败为胜”外,还有“(与某人)互换座次”的意思

 

  1. Stolen from ... dealer

Decode: 价格低廉,便宜得像偷来得一样

高速公路上人车奔驰,朋友突然指着前方一部小轿车,说:"哇!这人好嚣张,贼车还敢挂上招牌!"
我顺着他的目光看过去,不禁哑然失笑,我说:"先生呀!人家车牌上写着'stolen from … Dealer',是指他这部从… Dealer那儿买来的车,价格低廉,便宜得像偷来得一样。" 这是一种美式幽默广告手法,吸引顾客去… Dealer那儿买车,不是贼车啦。

 

  1. Sweet tooth

Decode: Do you have a sweet tooth?

你是不是爱吃甜食?

 

  1. Throw the book at Somebody

Decode: 指给某人最大极限的惩罚:charge someone to the full range of law

 

  1. Tighten your belt

Decode: 勒紧裤腰带。 指经济拮据,必须节衣缩食度日。例如: "The harvest was bad last year, we all had to tighten our belts."

 

  1. Put somebody to sleep

Decode: 让某人安息。 指终止某人生命,是一种委婉的表达,也可以用作"(为动手术而用麻醉剂)使人失去知觉"的意思。

Ex: "Oh, I had to put my dog to sleep. He suffered too much from his sickness"(我只好让我的狗安息,它饱受病痛的折磨!)

 

  1. Kill someone with kindness

Decode: Kindness有时确实可以置人于死地的,但不必过于担忧,kill someone with kindness只是一种夸张的说法,其真正含义在汉语中大致可以表达为热情得让人受不了,而没有你想像的那样危情四起。

 

  1. No man can have too many friend

Decode: 朋友多多益善而不是没有人能有很多朋友。 Can not … too 表示再 也不为过的意思。

要注意的是,cannot...too有几个变体结构,我们 可以用impossible,difficult等字去代替cannot;以 enought, difficulty, sufficiently, exaggerate, to over-等 字去替代too。

下面的一些句子就是“cannot...too”结构的变体:

I could't get home fast enough.

我恨不得马上回到家里。

You cannot take sufficient care.

你要特别小心。

The importance of this session cannot be exaggerated. 这次大会极为重要。

L. G. Alexander编著的New Concept English第二 册其中一课“Do You Call That a Hat?”中有这么一段风 趣的夫妻对话,丈夫和妻子都用了这个句型的变体:

“I find it beautiful,” I said.“A man can never have too many ties.”

“And a woman can't have too many hats,”she answered.

“这条领带很漂亮,”我说道。“男人的领带愈多愈好。”

“女人的帽子也是愈多愈好啊,”她答道。

 

  1. You are being insulting her!

Decode : 你是在故意侮辱她!Being 是故意的意思。
这一句不能译作:“你现在在侮辱她!”,如要表达此 意,应该说:You are insulting her!又如:
She is kind.
She is being kind.
从表层的结构看,She is kind的语义是“她是和蔼的”,从深层结构看,is kind是说明主语的特性和品质,其内在涵义是:“她平日待人一向和蔼可亲”。She is being kind的表层语义是:“她现在是和蔼的”,从深层结构看,being表示“目前”或“现在”的短暂涵义,它说明主体有意识进行的一个动作,故其内在涵义 为:“她平日待人并不和蔼;现在却故意装出一副和蔼可亲的模样”。在这种句型里,being的意义相当于“故意地”(purposely or intentionally)。

如: They are being friendly.他们捏出一副友好的姿态。
Tom is being polite. 汤姆装出一副彬彬有礼的模样。
Mary is being angry with me. 玛丽对我装作发脾气的样子。

 

 

 


posted on 2007-01-23 14:20  ColorSky  阅读(290)  评论(0编辑  收藏  举报