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韓 Sir 資深英語教師
社民連主席黃毓民於立法會議事堂用諧言爆粗,廣東粗話俚語、普通話同音字、英語近義詞都派上用場,令人忍俊不禁!對議事堂該不該用粗話和俚語,此欄不作任何評論,不過也趁機與大家分享一些英語世界內的俚語,英文稱 “slang”,為大家的詞庫添些色彩,也希望大家被人罵時,不會懵然不知。
Slang (俚語)存在於任何語言,令說話添姿彩、增層次和具活力。在莎士比亞的眾多劇作至林語堂的《俚語集》內,由國家元首至販夫走卒的談話中,都可見俚語的出現和其感染力。諾貝爾文學獎得主約翰加士和夫 (John Galsworthy)就曾這樣說:“Slang is vigorous and apt. Probably most of our vital words were once slang.”(俚語充滿活力,又恰到好處,大抵我們的重要詞彙,大部分都來自俚語。)
多和性飲食金錢有關
英語世界內的俚語很多和性、飲食、金錢有關,正所謂「食色,性也!」。與性有關的俚語相信大家必耳熟能詳,此處不贅。Food (食物)又可稱為:belly-timber, chow, chuk, grub, nosh, tuck等;Money (錢)又可叫做:bees and honey, bread, cash, dough, readies, the needful 等;喝醉酒通常用drunk來形容,用俚語可說:blotto, canned, pickled, pie-eyed, pished, sloshed, sozzled, stewed to the eyeballs, drunk as a piper, drunk as a lord 等,分層次的醉態,有趣得很!
罵人愚蠢的俚語可多著呢!如airhead, birdbrained, bozo, chump, dead from the neck up, dopehead, fannybaws, gorm, jerk, nit, peahead, plank, twat face, thick as a brick, twonk, wazzock等。描述人發了瘋,可以說:go bonkers, have a screw loose, go bananas, completely hatstand 等。受夠了要人住口?Shut up 太簡單了!可以說:Cut the crap ! Knock it off ! Shut your face/gob/pie-hole ! Bugger off ! Beat it ! Rack off !等
考考您,可知道下列俚語所指嗎?
1. The fans were all hyped up for the soccer match.
2. Jack went to the party with a knockout.
3. We were blown away by the students' performance.
4. The boys screwed up the project again.
5. I like my whiskey on the rocks.
6. The honcho said that they had to resume their duties soon.
7. It's not important ! Don't get so bent !
8. I always see him with a blimp on a date.
9. Mr. Wong looks square in that jacket.
10. You can give this test another shot.
Key :
1. Hyped up = excited
2. A knockout = a stunning person
3. blown away = greatly impressed
4. Screwed up = made mistakes
5. on the rocks = with ice
6. Honcho = boss
7. bent = angry
8. A blimp = a very fat person
9. square = old-fashioned
10. Give a shot = try
大家要留意的是:俚語對有些人來說,是指 “undesirable language”(不得體的言語),並非人人能接受的。不過,在適當情況下用用俚語,一針見血,達意兼傳神!
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