李陽瘋狂英語突破口語之突破對話第50課
11. Don’t Beat around the Bush不要拐彎抹角
BACKGROUND 背景
One friend is telling another bad news.
一個(gè)人在向他的朋友講述壞消息。
A: I’ve been waiting for an hour! Where have you been?
我都等了一個(gè)小時(shí)了！你去哪了？
B: I got stuck in traffic on the way back from Joe’s office.
我在從喬的辦公室回來的路上遇到了塞車。
A: Okay. Tell me exactly what Joe said. Don’t beat around the bush. Give it to me straight.
好吧。確切地告訴我喬都說了些什么。別拐彎抹角，直截了當(dāng)?shù)卣f出來。
B: Hold your horses! I’ll tell you in a minute. Let me catch my breath. I just got here and I told you traffic was terrible.
耐心地等一下！待會兒就告訴你。讓我先緩口氣。我剛到這兒，而且我告訴你了，交通阻塞。
A: You can do that later. Tell me. What did Joe say?
你待會兒再休息。告訴我，喬說了什么？
B: Do you really want to know? Even if it’s bad news?
你真想知道嗎？連壞消息也想知道？
A: Of course I do. Just tell me.
當(dāng)然。你就說吧。
B: Okay. If you really want to know. He said you always try to pull the wool over his eyes. He thinks you are dishonest.
好。如果你真想知道的話。他說你總是試圖欺騙他。他覺得你不夠誠實(shí)。
A: What? That’s not true! Perhaps I exaggerate a little. But that’s all. I’ve never tried to deceive him.
什么？那不是真的！也許我是夸張了點(diǎn)，僅此而已，但我從未試圖要騙他的。
B: Why don’t you do what I do?
為什么不學(xué)學(xué)我呢？
A: What’s that?
什么？
B: Take his remark with a grain of salt.
對他的話半信半疑。
A: That’s easy for you to say, he’s not your boss!
你說起來容易，他又不是你的老板！
B: Yeah, but I’ve known him for ten years. I’m telling you, his comment isn’t worth worrying about.
對，但是我跟他交往有十年了。我告訴你，他的話不值得你擔(dān)心。
A: I hope you’re right.
我希望你是對的。
額外成就感
beat around the bush: speak indirectly, evasively
說話拐彎抹角☆☆☆☆☆
* I wish you would say what he really means and not always beat around the bush.
我希望你說出他的真正意思，不要總是拐彎抹角的。
* You don’t have to beat around the bush. Just tell me what the problem is so I can fix it.
你不必跟我兜圈子。直接說出你的問題，我好解決。
hold one’s horses: wait patiently instead of going forward
耐心等待☆☆☆☆☆
* My boss told me to hold my horses about my promotion.
我的上司告訴我要耐心等待升職的機(jī)會。
A: Give me the money. I want to pay the bill.
把錢給我，我要買單。
B: Hold your horses. Let’s have another cup of tea first.
先別急。我們再喝杯茶。
catch one’s breath: rest for a moment 休息一會兒；緩口氣☆☆☆
* When I reached the top of the hill, I was so tired that I had to stop for a minute and catch my breath.
當(dāng)我爬到山頂時(shí)累極了，就停下來休息了一會兒。
* I need to stop and catch my breath for a minute before I tell you the story.
我要先停下來喘口氣，再告訴你發(fā)生的一切。
pull the wool over someone’s eyes: deceive someone
蒙蔽；欺騙某人☆☆☆☆
* I’m sure that she is pulling the wool over my eyes when she says she’s been in the library studying all day.
她說她一整天都在圖書館學(xué)習(xí)，我肯定她是在騙我。
* Don’t think you can pull the wool over my eyes. I know all your tricks.
別蒙人了。我知道你的把戲。
take something with a grain of salt: only half believe something someone has said 半信半疑；不全盤接受☆☆☆☆
* Jim is a very nice guy, but I’ve learned to take everything he says with a grain of salt.
吉姆這人不錯(cuò)，但是我漸漸意識到他的話只能信一半。
* The salesgirl told me I looked nice in this dress, but I take her compliment with a grain of salt because I’m sure she works on commission.
售貨員小姐說我穿這件衣服特別好看，但是對她的奉承話我只信一半，因?yàn)槲腋铱隙ㄋu衣服是有傭金的。
