Freewind @ Thoughtworks scala java javascript dart 工具 编程实践 月结 math python english [comments admin] [feed]

(2014-09-08) Numbers and their stories - Number one

广告: 云梯:翻墙vpn (省10元) 土行孙:科研用户翻墙http proxy (有优惠)

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Today I will tell about expressions using numbers. Let us start with the number one. Numbers can be tricky. On the one hand, they are simply numbers. On the other hand, they have meanings. I for one use these expressions a lot.

Many people consider themselves number one, the most important person. They are always looking out for number one and taking care of number one. It is as if they are the one and only person on Earth. Some people however, are not so self-centered. My brother is such a person. It is true – no joke. I am not trying to pull a fast one on you.

First, you have to understand that my brother is one in a million. He is such a nice person. All his friends like him. They consider him one of the boys. Recently, my brother had a bad day at the office. It was just one of those days. Nothing went right. So he stopped at a local bar – a drinking place – after leaving work. My brother planned to have a glass of beer with his friends – a quick one – before he went home. But a quick one turned into one or two, and soon those became one too many.

As my brother was leaving, he ordered a last drink – one for the road. His friends became concerned. One by one, they asked him if he was able to drive home safely.

Now my brother is a wise and calm person. He is at one with himself. He recognizes when he has had too much alcohol to drink. So he accepted an offer for a ride home from a female friend.

At one time in the past, my brother had been in love with this woman. She is a great person – kind, thoughtful and intelligent – all good qualities rolled up into one. But sadly their relationship did not work. He always used to say “One of these days, I am going to marry this girl.” But that never happened.

For one thing, she did not love him as much as he loved her. It was just one of those things. The situation was regrettable and my brother had to accept it. But even now, he considers her the one that got away.

However, they are still friends. And because my brother had been kind to her, she felt that one good turn deserves another. He was good to her and she wanted to help him in return. So she drove him home.

If my brother had driven home from the bar that night, his number would have been up. Something bad would have happened. Thankfully he made it home safely. And, he and the woman are back to square one. They are back to where they started – being friends.

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Jill Moss. I'm Faith Lapidus.


number would have been up

“完蛋”的意思。在本文的语境中,会首先让人想到“死”。如果在其它的语境中,会想到不同的意思。

http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst39005_His-number-would-have-been-up-.aspx

back to square one

“失败了重新回到起点"的意思。没有确定的出处,下面的链接给了三种,并说“人们往往相信他们听到的第一种”。

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/back%20to%20square%20one.html

It's just one of those things

表示一些事件或者情况,是你无法解释、或者不喜欢,但同时也是无法改变的。

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/just-one-of-those-things

没有确定的出处。对于老外来说,如果小孩问父母一些他们不想或者无法解释的问题时,他们可能会用这句话来敷衍。

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/195460/the-origin-of-its-just-one-of-those-things

下面这首以它为标题的老歌,让这句话更加流行。

Song: One of those things

http://www.incognito.org.uk/lyrics/eleven/its-just-one-of-those-things

the one that got away

The mate from a past relationship or friendship who, in the present reality, seems the ideal match, if it weren't for some force beyond your control, fate or otherwise, keeping you apart.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The%20One%20That%20Got%20Away

one good turn deserves another

said when you do a helpful or kind act for someone who has done something good for you

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/one-good-turn-deserves-another

good turn: A good deed; a thoughtful or selfless act.

at one with himself

TODO

有解释为“头脑冷静下来”,但是没有找到相应出处。下面有比较详细的讨论:

https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091114082455AA87YBS

one of the boys

a man who has been socially accepted into a group of other men

http://www.audioenglish.org/dictionary/one_of_the_boys.htm

one of these days

One of these days at an uncertain time, usually of the future, rarely of the past; sooner or later

http://www.finedictionary.com/One%20of%20these%20days.html

one of those days

a bad day, full of problems

look out for number one

If you look out for number one, you take care of yourself and your interests, rather than those of other people.

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/look+out+for+number+one.html

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/look_out_for_number_one

这里对number one的解释比较好: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/number_one

oneself, being considered foremost, as by an egoist (c.f. look out for number one)  

take care of number one

take care of oneself, look out for one's own interests

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/take+care+of+number+one

for one

举例来说。一般用于,前面提到了多个原因之后,这里再提出一个原因。

People often say “for one” when they mean “for one thing”: “I really want to go to the movie. For one, Kevin Spacey is my favorite actor.” (One what?) The only time you should use “for one” by itself to give an example of something is when you have earlier mentioned a class to which the example belongs: “There are a lot of reasons I don’t want your old car. For one, there are squirrels living in the upholstery.” (One reason.)

http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/forone.html

还有一个解释:

used to say that you think your opinion or action is right, even if others do not:
The rest of you may disagree, but I, for one, think we should proceed with the plan.

pull a fast one

忽悠,糊弄,欺骗。大概是说手法很快欺骗了别人

http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/20650/what-is-the-origin-of-the-expression-pull-a-fast-one

take unfair advantage by (rapid) action of some sort

详细的讨论:http://wordoriginsorg.yuku.com/topic/9638/pull-a-fast-one#.VA3M-GS1apg

one for the road

上路前的最后一杯

A final drink taken just before leaving on a journey.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/270300.html

to have a quick one

在前面的链接中解释one for the road的时候提到的:'a quick one' refers to a one taken in haste

to have a drink, usually an alcoholic drink, just before going somewhere:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/quick-one

a quick one

似乎不光指喝酒,也指其它的“简短的”表达。

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1838615


一些不恰当的翻译

Now my brother is a wise and calm person. He is at one with himself. He recognizes when he has had too much alcohol to drink. So he accepted an offer for a ride home from a female friend.

上面这段话,在这里有一些翻译,但是我觉得不太对:

我弟弟是个非常聪明冷静的人,他头脑冷静下来,意识到自己喝了太多酒,因此他就接受了一个女性朋友的帮助,让她载他回家。

翻译中用的是过去时态,说的是在那个时刻怎么样,实际上英文中用的都是is,用来描述人的状态。特别是He is at one with himself这一句,完全感觉不到有“冷静下来”的意思。

我觉得应该翻译成这样:

我弟弟是个非常聪明冷静的人。他是一个跟他自己非常和谐的人(这句话只能意会)。每当他喝多了的时候,他都能自己意识到。因此他就接受了一个女性朋友的帮助,让她载他回家。

虽然这个翻译不太顺口,但是我觉得这样才是对的。

http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/33091/how-to-understand-he-is-at-one-with-himself/33099#33099

comments powered by Disqus