潇潇语言实验室 No.32 -35

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潇潇语言实验室 No.32




                                      大 热 门

我想大家都很熟悉“黑马”的英文 －dark horse。但是“大热门”英文怎么说呢？


大热门－odds-on favourite：the person, horse etc that is most likely to win a race or other competition －被大家认为最有机会赢得比赛的马或是人


e.g. "Lord of the Rings" should be the odds-on favorite to take home the most awards.

-- 指环王应该是赢得最多奖项的大热门

今天看sit-com（情景剧）学了另外一个表示很有机会赢的人是词shoo-in: especially American English informal someone who is expected to easily win a race, election etc- 也就是大热门.
shoo-in for
She was a shoo-in for the Beauty Pageant.－她是这次选美的大热门。
shoo-in to do something
He looked like a shoo-in to win the Democratic nomination.

赛马－horse-racing

骑马：horse-riding


“看走眼”可以说“back the wrong horse”：to support someone or something that is not successful


stand a chance(of doing something)：to be likely to be able to do something or to succeed － 有机会成功

e.g.You'll stand a better chance of getting a job with a degree.

I think you stand a fifty-fifty chance of winning. －我觉得你有五成的机会赢。


chances are slim. －机会渺茫。

fat chance－不是机会大，而是没有什么机会！


neck and neck这一短语也是出自赛马，是指并驾齐驱，不相上下。

广东话有“做马”之说，意思是比赛、选举、提名等结果有人暗箱操纵，做了手脚。“做马”英语说rig 或者fix。

这个词也是今天从情景剧学的：rig：to dishonestly arrange the result of an election or competition before it happens
?synonym fix

Did you rig the nomination? －你是不是对提名做了手脚？

Some international observers have claimed the election was rigged.

潇潇语言实验室 No.33



关 系 网


听说一个顶尖销售经理搞了一个销售技巧的讲座，他一上台就向观众洒名片(business card),洒完名片后，他说，“演讲结束！”他这是什么意思？意思是要成为一个成功的销售人员，要建立广泛的人脉关系。

英文中有一句话"It's not what you know, it's who you know.",说的就是人事关系的重要。你认识的人比你知道的东西、你的才干更重要。

有广泛人脉关系，认识很多有权利，能帮忙的人就是well-connected的人。 He's well-connected = He knows a lot of powerful important people.

He has friends in high places = He has important or rich friends who can help him. －他认识些位高权重、有钱的朋友。

"pull strings"是指利用关系达到自己的目的－to secretly use your influence with important people in order to get what you want or to help someone else


e.g. His father pulled strings to get him out of prison.

怎样才能建立自己的人事网络呢？那当然是花点时间搞社交 socialize with people/do some networking善于社交的人可以用sociable来形容，这种人性格通常外向(out-going),或随和(easy-going).  

"social butterfly"指的是经常参加各种社交活动，应酬多的人。

"social outcast/pariah"指的是被社会摒弃的人。

我们经常看见外企的招聘广告上对应征者有一个要求：Good interpersonal skills.  

inter是一个前缀，意思是"在...之间、相互" interpersonal指的是"人与人之间". Good interpersonal skills指的是善于处理人际关系，善于和人打交道。

interpersonal relationship -- 人际关系

interstate highway -- 州际高速公路

international -当然是国际啦:)

很多公司为了拓展业务都会宴请客户，英文可以说wine and dine somebody: to entertain someone well with a meal, wine etc
Companies spend millions wining and dining clients.

这里的wine和dine都是动词。

和名人,有钱人或是重要的人物会面相聚可以说"rub shoulders with sb" - to meet and spend time with people, esp. rich and famous people.  

在一些大型的party/company function/cocktail party都有机会和名人rub shoulders.

千万不要望文生义，以为rub shoulders with sb.是擦肩而过的意思。function在这里是指 a large party or an official event.  

很多英文单词都是一词多一义。

我们平时说的熟人可以说成acquaintance -- someone you know, but who is not a close friend

have a passing/nodding acquaintance with sb. - 点头之交，表示不是很熟悉，只是见面打个招呼而已。

　

潇潇语言实验室 No.34



风中之烛

Candle in the Wind：a song originally written in 1973 and sung by Elton John. It was recorded again with different words in 1997, in memory of Diana,（为了纪念黛安娜） Princess of Wales,(威尔士公主） and it sold more copies than any other record ever made.

这集不是要谈黛安娜王妃。这集主要说说蜡烛。

can't hold a candle to somebody/something： informal if something or someone cannot hold a candle to something or someone else, they are not as good as the other thing or person－比不上、比...逊色


No other singer can hold a candle to her.- 没有其他歌手能比得上她。

在美国电视连续剧Alias(双面女特工)第四季中,反面间谍Sark和CIA特工(agent) Vaughn的老婆有染(Sark had an affair with Vaughn's wife)。Vaughn的老婆也是反面特工，后来被Vaughn杀死。Sark见到Vaughn后说了以下的话：


Sark: Was it the infidelity or the espionage that motivated you to kill the woman I loved? －是她的不忠还是她的间谍活动让你杀了我爱的女人？

Sark: She once actually told me that she longed to love you . . . but the mundane existence you provided couldn't hold a candle to my passion. －她曾经告诉我她渴望去爱你...但是你提供的平凡生活是不能和我的激情相比的。

我们烧蜡烛一般只烧一头，但是如果两头都烧，那么蜡烛消耗的自然更快些。英文中有两头烧蜡烛的说法：

burn the candle at both ends： informal to get very tired by doing things until very late at night and getting up early in the mornings －说的是一个人非常努力工作，晚睡早起，弄得自己非常疲劳。

spread yourself too thin： to try to do too many things at the same time so that you do not do any of them effectively -指一个人同时干许多事情，结果弄得自己很累，办事效率也不高。

对你的工作狂(workaholic)朋友，你可以说,"You're burning the candle at both ends." or "You're spreading yourself too thin." 说这两句话都是劝对方不要过分劳累。

那么开夜车怎么说呢？当然不是 drive a car at night:), 应该说:burn the midnight oil: informal to work or study until late at night - 开夜车，熬夜
e.g. He burned the midnight oil to prepare for the final exams.

candlelight - 烛光

by candlelight －借着烛光 小时候家里没电的时候就会点蜡烛或是煤油灯（kerosene lamp)


There was a blackout last night, so we studied by candlelight.－ 昨晚停电了，所以我们点蜡烛学习。

a candle-lit dinner:烛光晚餐

lit是light的过去分词 light-lit-lit  

lighter－打火机

人到了风烛残年，也快要入土为安了：have one foot in the grave.

　 潇潇语言实验室 No. 35


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保密和泄密

有些人会有一些不可告人或是不光彩的秘密(a skeleton in the closet/dark secret)。

秘密仿佛是一种负担，心底有秘密的人总有想把秘密说出去的时候。

告诉别人秘密前，还要小心翼翼地问一句"Can you keep a secret?" -- 你能保密么？

其实问了也多余，秘密告诉别人后就没有办法控制秘密的走向了。俗话说，好事不出门，坏事传千里。

Scandals always spread far and wide. 很快，你的秘密就会成为公开的秘密(an open secret)

e.g. It is an open secret (=it is supposed to be secret, but most people know about it) that he's gay.

秘密往往会成为伤害人的武器，所以对秘密一定要严加防守。

e.g. Details of the project are a closely-guarded secret .

表示保密的短语有：keep something under wraps = to keep something secret


e.g. The project has been kept under wraps for years.

还有另外一个短语是：keep a/the lid on something：to control a situation very carefully, especially so that it does not cause problems －这个短语除了有控制的意思还有保密的含义

在情景剧Seinfield里，Seinfield说他的秃头朋友can't keep a secret.他的朋友也承认了，有一个秘密他只保守了28秒。 "I kept a lid on it for only 28 seconds."

keeping the lid on inflation - 控制通货膨胀

Carrie keeps a very tight lid on her private life. －私生活很保密

看美国连续剧Alias听见一句话，"What I'm going tell you doesn't leave this room." - 我告诉你的东西不能离开这个房间。 也就是不能告诉别人。

呵呵，不离开这个房间也不一定安全啊，要知道"Walls have ears." -- 隔墙有耳。况且世上没有不透风的墙

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

－Matthew 10:16-39 the Bible (New International Version)

选举时用的secret ballot就是“不记名投票”。

连续剧Alias里面有很多秘密特工(secret agent)，他们经常要接触一些高度机密(highly confidential/strictly confidential)的东西。

top secret - 最高机密、绝密

classified information -- 机密情报、信息

但是classified ads没有机密的意思，而是只报纸上的买卖东西的小广告

很多合同都有保密条款(confidentiality clause),规定有些东西要保密"keep sth. confidential"

breach of confidentiality - 违反了保密条款

breach of contract － 违反合同

告诉别人秘密前还经常说一个短语Between you and me －意思是秘密不要告诉别人，你知，我知，天知，地知好了。

别人和你说"Your secret is safe with me."的时候你还真别全信。

有些人就是嘴巴不严，容易说露嘴。She has a big mouth. = She says too much or tells another person's secrets.

当你不小心把别人的秘密说出去，你可以责怪自己me and my big mouth！－都是我的大嘴巴！

e.g. Oops, I shouldn't have said that. Me and my big mouth.

责怪别人嘴巴不严：you and your big mouth －你这个大嘴巴！

知道BMW代表什么么？就是 Big-mouthed Woman的首字母啊(initials:)


表示“泄密”的短语有：spill the beans：informal to tell something that someone else wanted you to keep a secret  

还有let the cat out of the bag：to tell someone a secret, especially without intending to －不小心把秘密泄漏出去。

kiss-and-tell (名词）[countable usually singular] a story, article, book etc in which someone tells the public the secret details of a romantic relationship that they had with a famous person －有些人把自己和名人的罗曼史写成文章、书奔走相告，这种文章、书就称为 kiss-and-tell

也可以用作动词。 I don't kiss and tell.  Kiss and tell 的人最没品。  

"打小报告"英文说 tell on sb.:to tell someone in authority about something wrong that someone you know has done - used especially by children

向警方报告罪犯的行踪英文说turn somebody in：to tell the police who or where a criminal is

e.g. His wife finally turned him in.

那么turn oneself in是“自首”。

向警方告密有一个词：tip-off (noun) innformal a secret warning or piece of information, especially one given to the police about illegal activities － 也就是俗称的“线报”


e.g. The arrests came after a tip-off from a member of the public.

也可以用作动词 He tipped me off. - 他向警方告密，出卖了我。

警方的一些秘密行动包括做卧底和便衣。

work/go undercover －做卧底

e.g. a cop who goes undercover to catch drug dealers －一个做卧底捉毒贩的警察

undercover policeman/cop/agent -卧底警察/特工

plain-clothes police －便衣警察

说起秘密，我还想起两个动词conceal和reveal

conceal the fact that:隐瞒事实

conceal feelings/surprise/sadness －隐瞒情感

reveal a secret －揭露秘密

revealing adj.用来形容衣服时表示衣服暴露底胸(low-cut)性感：a revealing dress

秘密被揭露，真相也要大白。当你觉得自己有权知道真相，不想被隐瞒，你可以说，"I demand to know the truth!"

这是我从电视上听到的句子，说话的人充满愤怒。－我要知道真相！

读高中的时候，我曾经摘抄过这样的句子"Flattery is cheap. How about some truth?" - 奉承太过廉价，来点实话怎么样？

说实话前可以在前面加"To tell you the truth/God's honest truth/truth be told/honestly/to be honest/to be frank/frankly, I think your book sucks!" - 老实说，我觉得你的书很糟糕。

这样的实话，可不是人人爱听，有时还是tell a white lie撒个善意的谎言，少伤人心好了。

在美国连续剧Alias里听到这么一句话：

Sometimes a satisfying lie is much better than the awful truth.

谁说不是呢？

豌豆UID: 144569

很感谢你的分享，希望以后常来

蜻蜓切UID: 201589

不错哦，不过我实在受不了豌豆斑竹的头像了，好想捏她（那只猫）一把

jorgeUID: 108878

:D

见了她本人.估计还是想捏.

shushuangUID: 172585

谢谢~~~