No two ways about it? 别无选择

Reader question:

Please explain this sentence: No two ways about it, we failed.

My comments:

We failed. That’s the only way to look at it.

“No two ways about it” is a colloquial expression used to emphasize that something is absolutely true.

Literally, it means there are NO TWO WAYS to talk ABOUT IT.

In our example, there is only one way to talk about our performance: We failed and that’s it.

In other words, no use to spin it. We flat out failed. That is the only one possible way to consider the situation, all truth be told.

In argument, we often say, well, there must be another way to look it. There’s always another way of looking at some situation, right?

Right. There often is.

Different people have different viewpoints, right?

Right. But where “no two ways about it” is concerned, there isn’t. There is not.

In other words, there is no room for argument. It is beyond doubt.

Again, to use our example, the speaker acknowledges that there is only one way to look at their performance and that is that they failed.

Utterly and miserably.

Let’s read a few media examples to get a firm grasp of “no two ways about it”:

1. DeMar DeRozan has been on another level lately. There are no two ways about it. DeRozan has been playing like an MVP candidate, and now he can say that he’s made NBA history.

With a 38-point performance on 16-of-27 (59.2%) shooting on Wednesday night, DeRozan passed Wilt Chamberlain for the most consecutive games with 35 or more points and 50 percent of better shooting with his seventh straight such performance.

Let’s let that marinate for a minute here this morning … DeMar DeRozan broke a record owned by Wilt Chamberlain.

“Just to be in the record books along with staples in this basketball history is speechless,” DeRozan said. “As a kid, as a fan of the history of the game, being in the league as long I’ve been in the league, things like that continue to make me even more humble.”

DeRozan might be speechless when it comes to his feelings on having his name forever engrained in NBA history, but he’s not short on words when it comes to how he feels about what his record-setting string of performances have meant to the Chicago Bulls, who now take a five-game winning streak and a 38-21 record into the All-Star break.

- DeMar DeRozan Made History Last Night, Passing Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA Record Books, BleacherNation.com, February 17, 2022.

2. The airline that wears the colorful stripes is busy reinventing itself in a very exciting way.

German leisure carrier Condor, perhaps best known for its new iconic livery, recently embarked on a long-haul fleet renewal that includes replacing its aging Boeing 767 aircraft with 18 factory-fresh Airbus A330-900neos.

These modern, fuel-efficient jets don’t just wear the airline’s new look on the outside, but they also feature brand-new cabins on the inside.

Though the biggest upgrade is in the pointy end of the plane — trust me, I just flew and reviewed the business-class cabin on the inaugural U.S. flight — those sitting in premium economy and economy are also in for some flyer-friendly improvements. During my trip from Frankfurt to New York, I had the opportunity to tour the jet before the flight departed, and I was impressed with what I saw.

If you’ve never heard of Condor before, well, you might start seeing the airline’s A330neos flying to a U.S. city near you. The airline flew from Frankfurt to 16 North American destinations last summer, including Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco; many are on the docket to resume this year. The airline's year-round North American destinations include Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Toronto. With round-trip economy fares to Europe for as low as $400, you’ll definitely want to give Condor a deeper look.

...

All told, there are no two ways about it – flying in economy on Condor won’t be the most comfortable, but at least you’ll get a good bang for your buck. With round-trip fares starting at about $400 from the U.S. to Europe, flying on Condor could be one of the most economical ways to cross the pond. (Just note that the cheapest fares don't include standard-size carry-on or checked bags or advanced seat assignments. They do include free meals and non-alcoholic drinks.)

- Inside Condor’s new premium economy, coach cabins with one-way fares to Europe starting at just $169, by Zach Griff, ThePointsGuy.com, February 15, 2023.

3. It is certainly not going to be a job for the weak minded, and you will have to be very brave to take on the role of Chelsea manager right now.

Things are an utter shambles from top to bottom right now, there are no two ways about it. Bloated squad, unhappy players with zero confidence, and having four managers in one season. The owners have a lot of questions from Chelsea fans right now on their tenure so far, and rightly so really with all that has gone on and so many mistakes made.

They are about to hire another manager for next season, which looks set to be Mauricio Pochettino based on every report out there. But after another hideous defeat last night to Brentford, BBC pundit Shay Given is questioning whether he would even want the role anymore.

In words picked up by HITC, Given said: “This is not the Chelsea of old. They seem deflated with so much going on off the pitch too. Players can use that as an excuse.

“If Mauricio Pochettino is up in the stands, what is he thinking?”

- Pundit questions Mauricio Pochettino taking Chelsea job after another defeat, Yardbarker.com, April 27, 2023.

本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣   编辑：丹妮）