我會罩你

英文:I’ll watch your back.

說明:這裡的 watch 意為「小心,留心,注意」,但必須注意的是,watch one’s back 有兩個截然不同的意思:若要表示「罩」的意思,則主詞和 one’s 必須是不同的人;如果主詞和 one’s 為同一人,那麼這片語就意為「提防 (周遭的人)」。

例句:

  • I’ll watch your back at this end. You can count on me. (在我這頭,我會罩你。你可以信賴我)
  • John told me he would watch my back in the math exam. (約翰對我說,數學考試他會罩我)
  • Life’s too short to have to watch your back all the time. (人生苦短,不必一直提防別人) (Oxford Dictionaries)
  • I have to watch my back at work – there are a lot of people who would like my job. (在工作上我必須提防周遭的人 – 有許多人覬覦我的工作) (Cambridge English Dictionary)

別高興得太早

英文:He who laughs last laughs longest.

說明:亦寫成 He who laughs last laughs best.,而 laughs longest 和 laughs best 之前經常加逗點。這句的原意為「最後笑的人才是真正的笑」。

例句:

  • Keep on laughing and bragging about your current achievements, but just remember the old adage, “he who laughs last laughs longest.” (繼續笑吧、繼續自誇你目前的成就吧,但要記住這句古諺:「最後笑的人才是真正的笑。別高興得太早」)
  • Kyle pulled a dirty trick on me, but I’ll get him back. He who laughs last, laughs best. (凱爾對我耍卑鄙手段,但我一定會報復。別高興得太早)

好漢不吃眼前虧

英文:He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.

說明:有時亦寫成 He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day.,而 lives to 和 may live to 之前經常加逗點。To live to do something 意為「活到做 … (活得夠久而得以做某事)」,如 I will live to see Apple roll out iPhone 20. (我會活到見證蘋果推出 iPhone 20)。

例句:

  • The school bully told Roger to meet him in the playground after school, but Roger didn’t keep the appointment. When his friends called him a coward, Roger shrugged and said, “He who fights and runs away, lives (or may live) to fight another day.” (那個學校惡霸要羅傑放學後去操場見他,但羅傑爽約。當羅傑的朋友叫他懦夫時,羅傑聳聳肩說:「好漢不吃眼前虧」)

想抓住男人的心,先抓住男人的胃

英文:The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

說明:這是道道地地的英文俗諺。

例句:

  • Amy: I want Kevin to notice me, but he doesn’t even know I’m alive. Mother: Invite him over and cook him a good meal. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. (艾美:我想要凱文注意到我,但他甚至不知道我的存在。母親:邀他到家裡來,煮一頓美食給他吃。想抓住男人的心,先抓住男人的胃)

你白活了

英文:You haven’t lived.

說明:You haven’t lived 經常後接 until + 子句來表示「你必須做過、吃過、看過或體驗過某事,才算沒有白活」的意思。

例句:

  • If you haven’t been in a helicopter you haven’t lived. (如果你沒坐過直昇機,那你就白活了)
  • You’ve never been to a Turkish bath? Oh, you haven’t lived! (你從未洗過土耳其浴?啊,你真是白活了!)
  • You haven’t lived until you’ve played Minecraft. (玩過《當個創世神》你才算沒有白活一場)

眼皮跳

英文:Eyelid twitches.

說明:twitch 可當 (及物或不及物) 動詞和 (可數) 名詞用,意為 (身體某個部分) 抽動,抽搐。

例句:

  • My eyelid’s twitching. (我的眼皮在跳)
  • Do you believe that left eyelid twitches indicate fortune and right eyelid twitches indicate misfortune? (你相信左眼跳財,右眼跳災嗎?)

你人好好哦!你人真好!

英文:How sweet of you! / You’re a sweetheart!

說明:sweetheart 的這項用法已經有些過時。當然啦,主詞 you 可視不同情況改成適當的人稱或人名。

例句:

  • You did me a big/great favor. How sweet of you! (你幫了我一個大忙。你人好好哦!)
  • Paul treated us all to dinner at an expensive restaurant. He’s a real sweetheart! (保羅請我們大家去一家昂貴餐館吃晚餐。他人真好!)

接下來的事你 (們) 都知道了

英文:The rest is history.

說明:這是我們生活中很常用的一句話。當你在敘述一件事或告訴人家某事時,說著說著,如果接下來的事情是大家都知道的,那麼往往以「接下來的事你 (們) 都知道了」或「接下來的事大家都知道了」帶過,以避免浪費口舌。

例句:

  • Larry and Cindy ended in divorce and the rest is history. (賴瑞和辛蒂以離婚收場,接下來的事你都知道了)
  • Ma Ying-jeou won the presidency in the presidential election of 2008 and the rest is history. (馬英九在 2008 年的總統選舉中當選總統,接下來的事大家都知道了)