10 American Slang Terms and Phrases That Confuse Brits (Part 3)

今天給大家?guī)�來的�?讓英國人困惑的美國俚語（第三部分），可以讓我們在學習知識的同時，感受英語文化的魅力。     （From BBC America）

Like any other language, American has its idioms. Some are very similar to British English, and it is not difficult for Brits to figure them out. "Peaks and valleys," for example, is obviously the American version of "peaks and troughs." However, there are still some phrases whose actual words hold no clue to the meaning, creating a conversational minefield for Brits here. Here are a selection of them.
trough
n. 水槽；低谷期
For example:
American bank shares have risen by 60% since their trough last October. 美國的銀行股自從去年10月跌入低谷以來已經(jīng)上漲了60%。
minefield
n. 雷區(qū)；危機四伏的局勢，充滿問題的情況
For example:
The whole subject is a political minefield. 整個話題就是一個政治上的雷區(qū)。

7. Monday morning quarterback(ing)  放馬后炮（的人）
Perhaps you’d guess from the “quarterback” clue that this is an American football analogy, but some Brits would be completely stumped. To be a “Monday morning quarterback” is to criticize or pass judgment from a position of hindsight. The quarterback is a football team’s key leader and decision maker out on the field. Since many people watch football games over the weekend, there’s usually lots of heated discussion about the quarterback’s performance on Monday mornings around the water cooler and on TV.
analogy
n. 相似；類比
For example:
The analogy is rather farfetched. 這個比方有點驢唇不對馬嘴。
stump
v. （把某人）難��；使為難；笨重地行走；
For example:
John is stumped by an unexpected question. 一個意想不到的問題把約翰難住了。

8. Carpetbagger  （到自以為會得勢的地方參加競選的）外來政客
Over the next two years, you’ll hear this term when politicians start taking shots at each other in a bid for the Presidency. No, it’s not quite the same as “ratbag” or the other bag beginning with “D”; the phrase was originally used to refer to northerners who went south after the Civil War to make money, often using nefarious means. They carried their belongings in over-sized carpetbags. Now it refers mainly to politicians who seek election somewhere they have never previously resided, and is also used to describe people or corporations who profit from other people’s misfortune.
ratbag
n. 怪人；討厭的人
For example:
I used to think 90 per cent of the human race were a bunch of ratbags. 我以前覺得十個人里有九個都是討厭的家伙。
nefarious
adj. 惡毒的；違法的
For example:
The bomber's nefarious deed destroyed many innocent lives. 轟炸機邪惡的行為摧毀了許多無辜的生命。
He guarded his nefarious doings from view. 他不讓別人看到自己的罪惡行徑。

9. Taking a rain check  改天
Although many Brits have heard this expression, it’s one we never quite know if we’ve understood, so we just nod agreeably. Originally a rain check was a baseball term whereby, if the game was rained out, spectators received a rain check or ticket to allow them entrance to a future game. These days it has little to do with weather and is used more widely, to mean that the event will be re-scheduled for a mutually agreeable date. When turning down a dinner invitation, for example, you can subtly communicate your desire to be re-invited by asking for a rain check.
spectator
n. 觀眾，旁觀者
For example:
A spectator threw the ball back to the players. 一個觀眾把球擲回給球員。
subtly
adv. 巧妙地；精細地
For example:
The truth is subtly different. 事實略有不同。
These events were all subtly linked together. 這些事都被微妙地聯(lián)系在一起。

10. Pork  支持政黨上臺所分到的好處，政治分肥
Ah yes, I know this one. Wasn’t there an ad campaign a few years ago that tagged pork as “the other white meat”? Not that one? As the Presidential election approaches, this is another word we’ll be hearing more frequently on the news; it refers to the practice of politicians obtaining money for pet projects that benefit specific areas, industries or people, usually in return for their support. “Pork barrel politics” is another phrase you’ll hear to describe this “you scratch my back” politics.
barrel
n. 桶；槍管     vt. 把...裝進桶里     vi. 快速移動
For example:
The suppers are always a barrel of laughs. 晚餐總是充滿歡樂。
you scratch my back
you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours  形容相互幫助
For example:
If you give me a hand clearing the rubbish from my garden, I'll help you paint your house - you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. 你幫我清掃花園，我?guī)湍惴鬯⒎孔?-相互幫助嘛。



10 American Slang Terms and Phrases That Confuse Brits系列就連載到這里，之后會給大家?guī)�來更多實用、有趣的魅力英語 (￣︶￣)

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往期節(jié)目回顧
【魅力英語】She lost him, but she found herself, and somehow that was everything   https://http://www.gaoyang168.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=9954571
【魅力英語】10 American Slang Terms and Phrases That Confuse Brits (Part 1)   http://www.gaoyang168.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=10131617
【魅力英語】10 American Slang Terms and Phrases That Confuse Brits (Part 2)   http://www.gaoyang168.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=10205740

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