上集提到英文stuck-up指自以為高高在上、帶有階級意味的「寸」,以及snobbish這個近義字,有例句如下:
You are so stuck-up man. How can you look down on others?
你好寸喎朋友,你點可以睇低其他人謘H
She's very snobbish-if you haven't been to prestigious schools, she probably won't even speak to you.
佢非常之寸謘A如果你唔係讀名校,佢應該唔會理你。
Chatty多狫 Prattler講蠢話
當外國人可能覺得有人極其囂張和驕傲,會叫佢做big head,意思唔係指你個頭很大:You're such a big head.
講完「寸嘴」,又講一講「多嘴」先。我們可以用chatty或talkative,是沒有貶義的,名詞是chatterbox,但如果鶩茪H多狫縐鴞麻I兒「長氣」的話,我們會叫這種人做windbag或gasbag。
至於「多嘴」但又講埋躟洈漱H,叫prattler;而多狫縝主要講是非的人,叫gossiper;多嘴之餘還要講得超快、連停頓也沒有的,我們會叫他做motormouth。
Loudmouth「口大無腦」
那loudmouth又是什麼?外國人說某人是loudmouth並不是指他講說話大聲,是指說話太多又毫無技巧的人,不得不提的是bigmouth和blabbermouth,這兩個字都是和loudmouth的意思差不多。
可見,原來「多嘴」都可以有好多「層次」。
At best, you can say Rebecca is a chatterbox. At worst, I'd say she is a windbag/ gasbag.
充其量,你可以話Rebecca係一個好鍾意講鴾H。衰讔縞y,我會話佢係個「長氣精」。
你可以將prattler一字轉成動詞prattle來用:
Can you stop prattling? I've had enough.
你可唔可以唔好再一輪嘴講埋躟洁H我聽夠啦!
Don't you know she's a gossiper? If you want to keep a secret, you should not tell her at all.
你唔知佢係是非精咩?如果你想將一件事保密,就直頭唔好話畀佢知。
Pardon me, I can't follow you at all, motormouth!
我完全跟唔到你講炾琚A「摩打嘴」!
I did not know she is a loudmouth until I heard her speech.
直到我聽到佢演講,先知佢係個講玹搧L技巧的人。
I couldn't believe it! How could he say we are losers? What a bigmouth he is!
真係難以置信,佢點可以話我]成班係廢柴先?佢真係口不擇言呀!■吹水同學會會長 馬漪楠
作者簡介: 馬漪楠,曾獲行政長官卓越教學獎(英國語文教育學習領域) (2009/2010),與岑皓軒合著暢銷書《Slang:屎爛英語1&2》。
隔星期三見報