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电梯直达

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发表于 2004-2-5 12:25:56 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

潇潇语言实验室No.28  -- Second Fiddle

有一首关于"第二小提琴手"的歌，里面有好几个idioms和谚语。

Second Fiddle
By Kay Starr

I was playing second fiddle
I was caught in a losing romance
You were also second fiddle
You, too, played the game with no chance
We were losers, we were weepers
They called us birds of a feather
Now we're finders, now we're keepers
Two aching hearts got together
We were playing second fiddle
Then we met and gave love a new start
No more playing second fiddle
Now that we're first in each other's heart

fiddle=violin-小提琴

play second fiddle: to take a less important and subordinate role to someone or something in a way often considered demeaning: 意思是扮演第二小提琴手的角色，处于次要位置。

歌词的大意是"我在你心中只是第二位，你心里还想着别人，我在谈一场必输的恋爱。"

Do not play second fiddle to anyone!  各位mm注意了，不要做男人心中第二位的女人。

不要做second fiddle(第二小提琴手)，要做就做conductor(指挥)或是art director(艺术总监).

关于fiddle的simile（明喻): (as) fit as a fiddle： in very good health, in good shape.意思是身体健康，状态良好。
这个明喻来源不详，有人说是因为fit和fiddle的alliteration(头韵）。as fit as a fiddle在日常生活中并不常用。了解一下就行了。

英文中有"fiddle while Rome burns"这个短语: to do something trivial and irresponsible in the midst of an emergency; －意思是发生紧急情况时却在做一些无关痛痒的事情。（fiddle在这里是动词－拉小提琴）

传说罗马着火时暴君Nero却在拉小提琴，毫不关心自己的国民和帝国。据说火是他自己放了，当然不紧张了。

Back to the song now:

"We were losers, we were weepers
They called us birds of a feather
Now we're finders, now we're keepers"

finders keepers (losers weepers)： used to say that if someone finds something, they have the right to keep it－意思是东西谁捡到就是谁了，丢了东西的人只能哭。

这和广东的儿歌，"地上捡到宝，问天问地拿不到"异曲同工。教坏小孩的东西。应该唱，"我在马路边捡到一分钱，把它交给民警叔叔。。。"！

birds of a feather (flock together):(informal) used to say that two or more people have similar attitudes, beliefs etc -物以类聚，人以群分

歌词说"we're birds of a feather",意思是我们两人一起都扮演过别人心中第二位的情人，同病相怜。

不确定歌词为什么用"finders keepers"这个短语，是否，"我的心谁捡到谁要"？

Don't give away your heart so cheaply!

读读Yeats(叶慈)的诗

Never Give All The Heart

By William Butler Yeats

Never give all the heart, for love
Will hardly seem worth thinking of
To passionate women if it seem
Certain, and they never dream
That it fades out from kiss to kiss;
For everything that's lovely is
But a brief, dreamy.  Kind delight.
O never give the heart outright,
For they, for all smooth lips can say,
Have given their hearts up to the play.
And who could play it well enough
If deaf and dumb and blind with love?
He that made this knows all the cost,
For he gave all his heart and lost.

又是一个断肠人！

中文中有"轻如鸿毛"，英文中也有类似的simile："as light as a feather"

flock用作动词是"聚集"的意思：Birds of a feather flock together.

用作名词是"一群"

e.g. a flock of small birds/sheep/goats

提起第二位的女人很自然想到"二奶"，second milk:)

Just kidding! "二奶"的英文当然不是Second milk!

英文叫mistress（情妇）或是the other woman（另外一个女人！）

The other woman/mistress: used to refer to a woman with whom a man is having a sexual relationship, even though he already has a wife or partner

e.g. He left his wife and child and moved in with the other woman.
他抛妻弃子搬去和另外一个女人住了。

The Prince had shocked society by living openly with his mistress.
皇子公开和他的情妇住在一起的举动让国民震惊。

中文说的"金屋藏娇"英文说"a kept woman": (old-fashioned)a woman who is given a place to live, money, and clothes by a man who visits her for sex - often used humorously

英文中说养宠物是keep a pet,把女人当宠物一样养起来是keep a woman.被养的女人自然是 a kept woman啰。

Back to the song again:

"Two aching hearts got together
We were playing second fiddle
Then we met and gave love a new start
No more playing second fiddle
Now that we're first in each other's heart."

两颗伤痛的心聚在一起
我们以前都扮演过第二位的情人
然后我们相遇给我们的爱一个新的开始
再也不用做第二位的情人
因为现在我们是彼此心中第一位的爱人

2004/2/5

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沙发

发表于 2004-2-12 19:50:02 |只看该作者

呵呵
好文章！幽默又可以学到地道的英文！
多多益善啊！

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy.
If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher!

【2025FALL】全站祈福已开放~~来领祈福章，求offer得offer

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板凳

发表于 2004-2-15 21:56:03 |只看该作者

潇潇语言实验室No.29 - 树欲静而风不止

潇潇语言实验室No.29 - 树欲静而风不止             2004/2/13

以前的人说"养儿防老"，可是谁又能保证养个孝顺的儿呢？

读了伊丽莎白泰勒的关于钱和年龄的名言就总是告诫结要趁年轻多赚点钱，要不老了谷种都没得吃。
"You can be young without money, but you can't be old without money. --Elizabeth Taylor"

"养不教父之过"，孩子一出世父亲就对孩子背负着教养的责任. 父亲教出来的孩子自然有几分像父亲

Like father, like son. －有其父必有其子。

Like mother, like daughter. －有其母必有其女。

take after somebody: to be similar to an older member of your family in appearance or character：相貌或是性格象家庭里年长的成员

Shally really takes after her mother.－Shally 真象她妈妈。

我的美国朋友看了我和妈妈的相片说，"You take after your mother a lot."

同学见到我妈妈兴奋地说，"你和你妈妈象"饼印"一样。"

我只有干笑，真没意思，我已经知道我老了以后的样子了！

"饼印"是广东话，意思是两人象是一个模子做出来的一样。

英文的说法是be the spitting image of somebody：to look exactly like someone else －长得和某人一摸一样

She's the spitting image of her mother.－她长得和她妈妈一摸一样。

the spitting image从 "spit and image"演化出来的，意思是吐口口水照照自己的样子。

中国人说，"撒尿照照自己的样子。" 比较损！

另外一个说子女像父母的短语：be a chip off the old block:(informal)to be very similar to your mother or father in appearance or character

从老木快上掉下来的碎片－The chip is the same wood as the block. 也就是说孩子和父亲或母亲都是相同料子。

有一句关于孩子和父亲的谚语：The child is the father of the man.－三岁定八十。

father还可以做动词来用。father:(verb)become the father of a child by making a woman pregnant

有一次看西片听到一个句子：I want to father your child. -我想做你孩子的父亲。

真够直接，喷饭！

关于父母的说法有一下几种：

birth father/natural/biological father －生父
birth mother/natural/biological mother -生母

foster father/mother －养父/养母

foster daughter/foster son-养女/养子

adoptive father/mother：养父/养母

adoptive father和foster father的区别在于adoptive father是通过法律合法收养了孩子，foster father只是养着孩子，没有什么法律上的关系。

adopted son/adopted daughter－养子/养女

stepfather/stepmother－继父/继母

stepdaughter/stepson－继女/继子

但是father有时候不是"父亲"的意思：

『Father －神父； founding father－奠基之父；  Father Christmas -Santa Claus－圣诞老人』

"生母不及养娘大"，十月怀胎自然是辛苦，但是将孩子抚养成人则是更加费力的事情。

bring sb up: to look after and influence a child until he or she is grown up
－synonym（同义词）： raise
He was brought up by his grandparents. －他是由祖父母抚养成人的。

He was born and raised in Guangzhou.－他在广州出生长大。

孩子长大结婚后自然有father-in-law（配偶的父亲）和mother-in-law（配偶的母亲）。

"不孝有三，无后为大。" 老人家多数都喜欢抱孙子，可是等孩子生了孩子后，孩子就忙着围着自己的孩子转了，无暇顾及老人家了。

广东俗语："老豆养仔，仔养仔"。爱总是向下延伸的。

美国人庆祝母亲节和父亲节，中国人比较含蓄，觉得不好意思庆祝。但是买些礼物，或是吃个大餐，老人家都很高兴的。

Mother's Day-the 2nd Sunday of May：母亲节是每年5月的第二个星期天

In 1907 Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia selected the pink carnation as the symbol for Mother's Day.

-1907年费城的Anna Jarvis把粉红色的康乃馨选为母亲节的象征。

Father's Day -the 3rd Sunday of June －父亲节是每年6月的第三个星期天

有些老人和儿子媳妇住在一起，有精力的可以搞搞婆媳斗争。没有精力的可以抱抱孙子，养养鸟。

也有些老人儿女不在身边，自己独居。也有的搬进了nursing home/old people's home －老人院

最凄惨的莫过于露宿街头！

人老了就喜欢唠叨（Old people like to nag),因为他们已经没有未来，只有缅怀过去－the good old days。（往日的美好时光）

应该给每个老人发一份Bertrand Russell的How To Grow Old

要老年不寂寞要做到几点：
1.Avoid absorption in the past.
2.Do not cling to youth and let your children live their own lives.
3.Develop strong impersonal interests.
4.Do not fear death and embrace your last days.

但是作为年轻人应该多尽子女的责任（filial duty)。

同学给我发了个flash movie，觉得做得顶好，激发了写作的灵感。

http://www.pconline.com.cn/pcedu ... ash/030611ziqin.swf

树欲静而风不止，子欲养而亲不待

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地板

发表于 2004-2-15 21:58:55 |只看该作者

潇潇语言实验室No.31－渔网丝袜

潇潇语言实验室No.31－渔网丝袜

今天回到公司看见公司的前台接待(receptionist)穿着一对渔网丝袜(fishnet stockings),一条超短裙(mini-skirt),和一双长靴子(boots)我告诉她外国的妓女（prostitute/hooker)常穿渔网丝袜，她说这是中国。既然这样，她喜欢穿什么就什么吧。She can wear whatever she likes.

后来我的夏威夷同事见到我就对我招手，"Come here, let me teach you one word. Do you know fishnet stockings"?

Xiaoxiao: "Yeah, are you talking about the receptionist?"

Hawaiian girl: "Yeah, we call fishnet stockings "hooker's stockings."

Xiaoxiao: "I told her so, but she said "This is China"."

Hawaiian girl: "It's the same everywhere  - in London, the US, and Australia, also in Guangzhou. The "massage girls" outside the Garden Hotel wear fishnet stockings too.  Last night I saw five or six of them wearing fishnet stockings of different colors； It's their "official uniform". If she thinks "This is China", it's ignorance.(无知）。It's not fashion."

我的外国同事告诉我在广州的五星级宾馆(five-star hotel)花园酒店外面常有一些妓女出没，一见到鬼佬就用变音的英语说 "massage"(按摩）。

听说以前的一个加拿大同事晚上经过花园酒店外面给一个hooker相中，那个hooker一开口就说，" You f**k me." 我的同事摇摇头，然后那个hooker说，"那I f**k you." 追在我同事后面，吓得我的同事拼命跑。 *LOL*

现在妓女的英文水平真是不可小觑。*LOL*

正经女孩若不想给别人误会，最好不要穿fishnet stockings。

我们还谈到Pretty Woman里面的妓女Vivian的衣着，想紧身衣服，超短裙(mini-skirt)靴子（boots）都是妓女比较喜欢的穿的东西。

  从Pretty Woman的剧本里找到一段描写Vivian的话:"She is wearing tiny  shorts(非常小的短裤）, a tight（紧身的） tube top, thigh (大腿） high boots.  She stares at herself, not really liking what she sees."

tube top: (American English informal) a piece of women's clothing that goes around your chest and back to cover your breasts but does not cover your shoulders or stomach - 只覆盖胸部，露肩露肚子的女上衣。

本着认真研究的学术精神，我又向我的Los Angeles的朋友请教了fishnet stockings的问题。

Xiaoxiao: "My co-worker(同事) said fishnet stockings are hooker's stockings. Is it true?"

L.A.: "fishnet stockings...they have different styles. Well, hookers do wear them I guess, but hookers also wear lingerie（女内衣） and other things. So it's not just for hookers

Xiaoxiao: "What's the typical hooker image?

LA: "well...I guess it varies and sometimes, you might mistake some of the women walking around Los Angeles for hookers, the way they dress. but generally, lots of makeup（化妆很浓）...slutty（淫荡的） clothes that are very tight（紧身的） and very revealing（暴露的）,lots of really gaudy（鲜艳俗气的） colors, and generally...not very attractive women.

Xiaoxiao: "But some hookers are good-looking."

LA: "Well, no...hookers usually aren't good-looking. Call girls, escorts...they are often very good-looking. usually they're also strippers.（脱衣女郎）"

Xiaoxiao: how come hookers aren't good-looking while call girls can be very good-looking?

LA: Hookers are "street walkers" - call girls (应召女郎） and escorts usually go through an agency.  Hookers make very little money, escorts and call girls charge hundreds per hour.
Basically the idea is, a hooker is just a "quickie" and a call girl is for the "fantasy".

Xiaoxiao: what does "fantasy" mean here?

LA: well, like pretending stuff. You know, the "naughty nurse" or "little princess" or whatever...or just a beautiful woman. The hookers are just there to do your business and go.

Xiaoxiao: so more services aside from sex ? oh, does "little princess" have a derogatory meaning?

LA: No, I'm just saying they're characters(角色） you can get her to play, etc...  whatever you have in mind.

Xiaoxiao: Can you tell me more words about prostitution?

LA: there are actually a ton of slang terms used in that profession too. Whores, hookers, tricks, Johns, pimps（姑爷仔）, etc...

Xiaoxiao: John?

LA: "John" is the customer...the guy. "turning tricks" is used to say "serving customers"

Xiaoxiao: But why is the customer called John?

LA: No idea. You know, I'm not exactly an expert in the area of prostitution I just know what I've seen on TV...hehe

访问最后，我的朋友郑重其事地告诉我他不是这方面的专家，他都是从电视上看来的。*LOL*

下面解析一下相关的词汇。

john：有两个很不好的意思：1.toilet －厕所 2.the customer of a prostitute －嫖客

叫John的男生快的改名喔! hoho.  ^___^

escort(American English a prostitute), especially one who goes to social events or on trips with the person who pays them. -陪同客人参加社交出游的妓女

妓女的说法还有很多，比如：sex worker/working girl/women of the night/ladies of the night.

Prostitution is also called "the world's oldest profession." -卖淫这行当是世界上最古老的职业。

想想我们中国几乎每部古装片都有"青楼女子"就知道此话不假了。

"stripper: someone whose job is to take off their clothes in a sexually exciting way in order to entertain people " -  脱衣舞女

"striptease: a performance in which someone takes off their clothes in a sexually exciting way－脱衣舞

strip joint: （informal） a strip club －表演脱衣舞的地方

quickie:(noun)a sexual act that you do quickly - used humorously - 很快完成的性交

whore: 1.taboo an offensive word for a woman who has many sexual partners. Do not use this word.－荡妇（这是朗文字典的定义。作为字典明文规定"不要使用这个单词"，我觉得奇怪。）
2 a female prostitute －妓女
whore也可以用作动词，有两个意思1。卖淫 2。嫖娼

courtesan: a woman who had sex with rich or important men for money in the past -courtesan就是所谓的给有钱男人包起来的高级妓女，象茶花女也属于courtesan

call girl: a prostitute who arranges by telephone to meet men －应召女郎

pimp：a man who controls prostitutes, especially by finding customers for them, and takes some of the money that they earn －控制妓女团伙的头目，香港电视把这种男人称为"姑爷仔"。

以前看过一篇文章，说的是一个外国人到了上海看见很多穿这长靴和超短裙的女孩，以为是进入了巨大的红灯区－red-light district: the area of a town or city where there are many prostitutes。

上海这样的大都市当然不会是巨大的红灯区，不过听说上海的某些女孩子很势利，贪钱。这种女孩多数嫁了日本男人或是很有钱的中国老男人。

上海女生不要拿转头砸我啊，我是说"某些女孩"而已。而且这是我听一个上海男生说得。不要怪我啊。

想这种"淘金女郎"英文中叫做 "gold digger"：an attractive woman who uses her looks to get money from rich men－以美色从有钱人获取钱财的女人

不过gold digger没有妓女的意思。

象那种用钱买来年轻貌美的女孩的老头英文中叫做"Sugar Daddy": an older man who gives a young person presents and money in return for their company and often for sex

dirty old man -老淫虫

gigolo: a man who is paid by a rich woman, especially an older woman, to have sex with her -男妓

有一次，我的加拿大同事跑来问我广东话"金鱼佬"是什么意思，有小朋友欺负他给他起了这个花名。

"Well, a goldfish guy, a guy who's sexually interested in children; it's something like a child molester."

child molester: a person who tries to have sex with children

paedophile: a person, especially a man, who's sexually interested in children - 有恋童癖的人

最近美国歌星Michael Jackson就被怀疑是 child molester/paedophile.

他自己当然是打死都部承认了。

这是一个来自新闻的句子："In his first interview since being arrested for child molestation, the pop superstar has told America's CBS network that he is not a paedophile."

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