Jo: Hello, this is Real English from BBC Learning
English, I’m Jo.
Sun Chen: 还有我,孙晨。这里就是我们的地道英语。
Jo: In Real English, we look at words and phrases that
you might not find in your dictionary.
Sun Chen:
你要是经常听英国人说话,就会发现他们老是用一些个习惯用语。这些词儿好多字典里根本找不到。所以我们得马上跟上。
Jo: And today’s expression is ‘over the top’ – ‘over
the top’.
Sun Chen: 那这个词组的意思又是什么呢?
Jo: Well it can be used to describe a person, a place,
an object, a way of behaving, a –
Sun Chen:
好了好了。我知道这个词组可以用在这儿,用在那儿,但是你不是先跟我们说说这个词组到底是什么意思呢?
Jo: It really means that something or someone is not
normal. It’s going beyond what is considered ordinary.
Sun Chen: 远远地超出了普通的范畴。那他到底说的是好事儿,还是坏事儿啊?
Jo: Well, it’s sometimes seen as a bad thing I
suppose. Here’s an example.
Insert
A. Did you see her outfit last night – that tiny miniskirt
and low-cut top?
B. Yeah it was completely over the top - really not very
appropriate for a business dinner!
Jo: So we heard there that ‘over the top’ was used in
a disapproving way to talk about something outrageous or flamboyant.
Sun Chen: Over the top 可以用来讽刺那些出圈或特别过分的事儿。
Jo: There’s even a short version of this expression –
OTT!
Sun Chen: 那这种缩写在人们说话的时候,又该怎么用呢?
Jo: Yes, I could say – his behaviour is really OTT.
Sun Chen: 好了,别忘了我们今天说的词儿就是
Jo: Over the top or OTT.
Sun Chen: 就是说什么东西太棒了,要不就是太过分了.
Jo: Join us again for more Real English from BBC
Learning English. Goodbye!
Sun Chen: Bye!