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.
妙语佳句,活学活用
1. Big fish
Big fish 这个俚语本意是“重要的,有影响力的人物”,和我们在《人生遥控器》(精讲之二)中讲到的big shot 差不多。在这里,big fish 则指的是“the hotel project”。
Big fish 常常出现在片语 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”,钓鱼时咬饵的鱼拉上来的动作。在这里,因为Ammer先提到了big fish,所以接下来他用了“钓鱼”这个比喻。
3. Howdy
是个感叹词,意思和hello,how do you do等打招呼的用语差不多。
4. Screw up
俚语,“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",而在这里表示"某人 / 某事一点也不好,让你很失望"。
在美国,你动不动就会听到别人说:"You suck! She sucks! It sucks!"。有很多情况下可以用到这个词:
a. 昨天晚上你看了一场电影,如果朋友问你:"How was the movie? (电影怎么样?)",你觉得那部片子真是拍得不怎么地,你就可以说:"It sucked!",而且可以特别使劲地,强调一下"sucked",强烈表示你的不满。
b. 你有朋友今晚要向他心爱的女生表白,如果明天你问起他事情进行得如何,他告诉你他最终还是临阵打了退堂鼓,你可以笑他真是没出息,然后赶紧加一句:"You totally sucked!"(你可真没用。)
c. 你们去赶公共汽车,但是刚好错过没赶上,下一班车还要很久才会来,这时候:
A: Guess what? We've just now missed the bus, and the next one won't come for another 45 minutes. 知道吗,我们刚好错过公车了,下一班还要过四十五分钟才会来。