聚會上的約定和伴侶都是臨時的？

聚會結束時常常能聽到這樣的對話：“改天一起吃飯啊?”“好啊，一定!”然后，雙方就沒了下文。似乎這樣的約定只是聚會結束時的一種告別方式，并不真正算數的。所以，我們把這樣的約定叫做party promise。

Party promises are those "plans" you make at the end of social gatherings where one, if not both, promiser never actually intends on following through.

Party promise(“派對諾言”或“聚會上的約定”)指的是在某個社交聚會結束時跟別人做出的“約定”，但約定的一方，甚至雙方，其實并沒有打算真正履行這個約定。

For example:

-Dude, we should totally grab coffee sometime soon!

-Yea, totally!

-哥們兒，我們應該找時間一起喝咖啡!

-嗯，一定要的!

(one or both thinking: "this coffee date will never happen, but I can stop talking to them now")

(其中一人或者兩人都在想：“這咖啡是喝不上了，不過至少現在不用跟他們閑扯了”)

一到過年過節(jié)，單身的朋友們都會很困擾。各類聚會都會成為家人和朋友逼問“個人問題”的絕佳場合。為了應付這樣的情景，不少人在過節(jié)的時候會臨時找個異性朋友做擋箭牌，好躲過家人朋友們的盤問。在英語里，這樣做臨時擋箭牌的朋友叫做safety date。

Safety date is a person that accompanies you to friend's or family event, in order to give the appearance that you are seeing people and not isolated from society, or avoid being set up on blind dates by well meaning friends.

Safety date(臨時伴侶)就是去參加朋友或家庭聚會的時候臨時帶去的男/女伴，這樣做的原因有二：一是為了讓人們看到你并沒有讓自己與世隔絕，還是在跟人交往的;二是為了杜絕朋友們善意安排的相親的活動。

For example:

Jack brought a safety date to his aunt's dinner party. He did this because his aunt considered herself an "accomplished match maker."

杰克帶了個臨時伴侶去參加她姨媽的聚餐。他這樣做是因為他姨媽一直自詡為“成功的紅娘”。