PETS-2語法講解 (121)

字號:

A pot of tea for two please.
    對話
    Josie: I'm dying for a cup of tea and I’m also a bit peckish.
    Alan: What about that place over there, "Ye Olde Tea Shoppe"?
    Josie: Just what the doctor ordered. It's almost 4 o'clock, let's go in and have afternoon tea.
    Alan: (To waitress) A pot of tea for two please.
    Josie: And I'd like some salmon sandwiches and a cream cake.
    Alan: Watch your figure there. I think I’ll just have some toast with strawberry jam.
    卓喜:我很想喝杯茶,肚子也有點餓了。
    阿倫:上那邊那家店子‘古風茶肆’好嗎?
    卓喜:正合我心意。將近四點鐘了,我們?nèi)コ韵挛绮璋伞?BR>    阿倫:(向女侍者)請給我們一壺茶,供兩人喝的。
    卓喜:我還要鮭肉三明治和一個奶油蛋糕。
    阿倫:小心別吃胖了。我只要土司,涂草莓醬。
    卓喜說又渴又餓:I'm dying for a cup of tea and I'm also a bit peckish。To die for 義是 ‘為… …而死’,例如:The dog died for its master(那只狗為主人犠牲了)。但進行式的be dying for /to卻是指‘渴望’,有‘想得要命’的意思,例如:I am dying to meet her(我很想見到她)。
    Peckish則是俚語,出自peck一字。Peck指鳥兒啄食,例如:The chickens were pecking at the grain on the ground(那些雞在啄食地上的谷粒)。Peckish是把‘啄食’引申為‘有點饑餓’,例如:I woke up in the morning feeling rather peckish(我早上醒來,覺得有點餓)。
    卓喜見阿倫提議去吃下午茶,當然贊成,說Just what the doctor ordered。這是成語,多帶戲謔含義,可直譯做‘那正是醫(yī)生吩咐的’,引申解作‘這正是我需要的’或‘這正合我心意’,just一字可以略去,例如:(1) A trip to Paris? After months of hard work, that is (just) what the doctor ordered(去巴黎旅游?辛苦工作了幾個月,這正合我心意)。(2)A four-day week is (just) what the doctor ordered(每星期工作四天,正合我心意)。
    最后談談Ye Olde Tea Shoppe這個店名。Ye、olde、shoppe都是‘仿古字’,分別等于the、olde、shop: ye不應讀 "ye",應讀the; olde shoppe也可照讀作old shop。以這些仿古字為名的店鋪,多是茶肆、酒館、禮品店等,以 古意’為號召,例如Ye Olde Tavern(老酒館)、Ye Gift Shoppe(禮品店)。