Ammer: No, Linda, I think Stacy gets the most-beautiful-feet award.
Michael: You wanted to see me?
Ammer: Michael. Look, I'm heading out to the Hamptons in a couple of minutes. I'm counting on you. This hotel project? It's a big fish. You reel it in for me and it's "Howdy, partner."
Michael: Okay. Thank you.
Ammer: Screw it up, though, and it's "Back to the mailroom, atrium boy."
Woman: Mr. Ammer, Denise just called. She's gotta go to rehab again, so she can't make it to the Hamptons.
Ammer: I'm gonna be alone on the Fourth of July?
Michael: Mr. Ammer, if you need female companionship this weekend, my wife's friend Janine, wow.
Ammer: Really? What's she like?
Michael: Let's just say she will eat you up, sir.
Alice: Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but this is kind of important.
Michael: Okay. Go to the bathroom.
Alice: Okay.
O'Doyle: Dude! You suck so bad.
Ben: Do not. Hey, Dad.
Michael: How’re you doing, buddy? Playing some catch?
O'Doyle: Actually, we're playing some drop, because Ben hasn't caught one yet.
Ben: Darn it.
Michael: You're a regular Derek Jeter yourself, O'Doyle? Love you, kid.
Ben: Love you too, Dad.
妙語佳句,活學活用
1. Big fish
Big fish 這個俚語本意是“重要的,有影響力的人物”,和我們在《人生遙控器》(精講之二)中講到的big shot 差不多。在這里,big fish 則指的是“the hotel project”。
Big fish 常常出現在片語 big fish in a small pond里,意思是“A person who is important in a limited arena, someone overqualified for a position or in relation to colleagues”,例如:Steve has both a Ph.D. and an M.D., yet he's content with his practice at a rural hospital; he prefers to be a big fish in a little pond.
2. Reel in
Reel in 是指“to pull (eg a fish out of the water) by winding the line to which it is attached on to a reel”,釣魚時咬餌的魚拉上來的動作。在這里,因為Ammer先提到了big fish,所以接下來他用了“釣魚”這個比喻。
3. Howdy
是個感嘆詞,意思和hello,how do you do等打招呼的用語差不多。
4. Screw up
俚語,“搞砸,搞糟”的意思,例如:The young architect screwed up the entire construction project.
5. You such so bad.
Suck 在英文里的本意是"吸,吮",而在這里表示"某人 / 某事一點也不好,讓你很失望"。
在美國,你動不動就會聽到別人說:"You suck! She sucks! It sucks!"。有很多情況下可以用到這個詞:
a. 昨天晚上你看了一場電影,如果朋友問你:"How was the movie? (電影怎么樣?)",你覺得那部片子真是拍得不怎么地,你就可以說:"It sucked!",而且可以特別使勁地,強調一下"sucked",強烈表示你的不滿。
b. 你有朋友今晚要向他心愛的女生表白,如果明天你問起他事情進行得如何,他告訴你他最終還是臨陣打了退堂鼓,你可以笑他真是沒出息,然后趕緊加一句:"You totally sucked!"(你可真沒用。)
c. 你們去趕公共汽車,但是剛好錯過沒趕上,下一班車還要很久才會來,這時候:
A: Guess what? We've just now missed the bus, and the next one won't come for another 45 minutes. 知道嗎,我們剛好錯過公車了,下一班還要過四十五分鐘才會來。