Lina Chu
上次說過流感的幾個病徵。在英語中,這些病徵的詞彙可用作比喻。
Cough(咳嗽)是流感的症狀。 Cough up是把一些東西從肺部咳出來的意思。比方說,cough up blood的意思是咳嗽吐血。
He was really worried after he coughed up blood this morning.
他今天早上咳出血後,感到很擔心。
cough up:不情願弄筆錢作某個用途
然而,cough up可以隱喻解作不情不願、困難地弄出一筆錢作某個用途。
He coughed up $1,000 for staying an extra night at the hotel.
他額外住宿酒店一晚,為此掏出1千元支付住宿費。
The financial institutes need to cough up billions of dollars to improve their capital adequacy.
那些金融機構需要弄來數十億元的資金,以改善資本充足率。
be sneezed at:嗤之以鼻
Sneeze(打噴嚏)也是流感症狀。 Something not to be sneezed at是一件很值得做的事,而且不是小事,不可以等閒視之。
Forty billion dollars is not to be sneezed at!
4百億元不是小可的事。(不可嗤之以鼻)
A 10% commission often means tens of thousands of dollars which is not something to be sneezed at.
交易的10%佣金往往在數萬元之上,絕不可以小覷。
fever:可指對一些事情狂熱
另外一個病徵是fever(發燒)。Fever除了身體發燒外,也可以指人們對一些事情狂熱。
There was a football fever in town as the final match was approaching.
決賽將臨,城內出現一股足球狂熱。
Everyone had a fever for sports during the Olympic Games.
奧運會期間,人人都對運動有狂熱。
headache:令人頭痛的麻煩事
還有一個症狀是headache,即是頭痛。我們也可以用這個字說一件很麻煩,令人很頭痛的事。
The quarantine was a real headache for the visitors.
隔離措施真的令那些旅客感到頭痛。
His nonconformity was a headache for the management.
他不守規則的態度令管理層十分頭痛。
身體的不舒服,除了是病徵,也可以引伸成其他意思。 linachu@hkbu.edu.hk
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