balls 睪丸,有膽,有種,厚臉皮,充沛的精力,吸引力,稱呼(在下、閣下、他老兄)
have got some balls 膽子真大
it takes balls to… 需要膽子來……
ballbreaker 極痛苦或要命的差事或經(jīng)驗,愛爭論的人,苛求的人,令人厭煩者
ballbuster(同上)
balls! 認(rèn)了!真慪氣!哎喲!胡扯!胡說八道!
balls and all 完全地
break one’s balls 下最大的努力,使出渾身解數(shù)
bust one’s balls(同上)
have someone’s balls 算某人的賬
have someone by the balls 無情地左右或支配他人
balls-out 全力以赴
Balls 一字,除“睪丸”之意義外,也用以表示“譴責(zé),非難,批評,有膽,有種,厚臉皮,充沛的精力或吸引力,個人自稱,在下”等。是名詞時,通常作 got,has,break,bust,take 等動詞的賓語,以形容詞 some,some pair of (不得了的,大得不得了的)形容之;也可贊賞“大男人氣概的行動或表現(xiàn)”,通常作動詞 take,have 的賓語,且后者的例子較多。 Balls 作個人,自稱“在下”,他稱“閣下、老兄、他老兄、她老姐、這家伙”解時,等同 ass (貶抑或戲稱),如 The boss will have his balls for that. (因為那事老板會跟他老兄算賬。);balls-out 當(dāng)合成形容詞時,通常隨 go 之后,以表示“全面,全力以赴,以最高的速度……”;balls 當(dāng)驚嘆詞時,表示“失望、認(rèn)命或慪氣”解,請看例句。ball一字語氣粗俗,正式社交場所仍忌使用,雅士淑女尤然。
Balls 用以表達(dá)——譴責(zé),非難,批評
1. balls 膽子
A. Englishmen,you’re all so fucking pompous. None1 of you have got any balls!
(Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983)影片中的對白)
英國佬,你們都他媽的那般傲慢自大,卻沒有一點膽子。
注:
1. none 在此是多數(shù),故動詞用 have。又 There were none present. (無人到來),但 no one 卻當(dāng)單數(shù)用。
A. (rushes into the executive conference room) Boss! I gotta1 talk to you right now. It’s important!
(沖進(jìn)主管會議室)報告老板!我有要緊事情須立刻向您報告!
B. You got balls barging in right in the middle of a meeting. What is it2?
正在開會,你就大膽地闖進(jìn)來,到底什么事?
注:
1. gotta 即說快的 got to (have to)。
2. What is it? 此處作“什么事?”解。
A. What balls1. Pro basketball players make millions,yet they went on strike for half a season2 to get even more money.
職業(yè)籃球隊員臉皮真厚,他們已經(jīng)腰纏萬貫,為了爭取更大的一塊餅,還罷工半個賽季哩。
B. They ended up3 shooting themselves in the foot. From now on,I’m not attending any more games.
他們到最后搬石頭砸自己的腳,我今后不再去看比賽了。
注:
1. What balls與What nerve,the nerve皆有“厚臉皮”之意。
2. half a season 美國職業(yè)籃球賽季每隊共賽八十二場,經(jīng)罷工后,只剩四十余場。
3. ended up 到最后,結(jié)果……,以……告終,是起了連系動詞(linking verb)的作用。故shooting是現(xiàn)在分詞作主語(They)的補語。end up通常后隨with,as,in 等介詞短語,或 being,doing,going等現(xiàn)在分詞當(dāng)補語。Ended up going fishing也是一樣。
A. He was a young kid from the casino. Nice kid,bright boy. What balls on this fuckin’ kid. The next day I fired him.
(Casino (1995)影片中的對白)
他是從賭場過來的年輕小伙子,不錯的孩子,又聰明。他臉皮他媽的厚得很,第二天我就炒了他的魷魚。
A. Some balls that bitch has,sleeping with the producer just to get a role in the play.
那個賤女人真無恥,為了爭取戲里一個角色竟與制片人上了床。
B. The things women stoop to just to get a break2.
為了碰運氣,女人竟出此下策啊!
注:
1. 全句系感嘆之言;stoop to乃“降格(以求)”之意。
2. get a break 獲得一個機會,碰碰運氣。
A. You’ve got some balls to threaten me like that!
你如此恐嚇我,膽子可真大啊!
2. ballbreaker (ballbuster) 愛爭論的人,苛求的人,令人厭煩者 (vexatious person),嘮叨的女人,痛苦或要命的差事(task)或經(jīng)驗
A. Jason always argues with everyone in our unit about the budget, even over the littlest expenses. A real ballbuster,that guy.
杰遜那個家伙真令人厭煩,他為了預(yù)算與本單位的每一個人爭論不休,連最小額的開銷也不放過。
B. I hear he’s being1 promoted to department chief.
聽說他將升任部門頭頭兒。
注:
1. he is being promoted to… 是現(xiàn)在進(jìn)行被動,being 是 be 的現(xiàn)在分詞,表示進(jìn)行,呈動詞功能,但 being+名詞或形容詞時,就呈動名詞功能,可當(dāng)主語及賓語用了。
A. Anita is a workaholic and she demands everyone she supervises to be the same way.
安妮妲是一個工作狂,她也要求屬下同樣效命。
B. A real ballbreaker,huh?
好一個苛刻的人,是不是?
A. Three hikers have been trapped in a remote Yellowstone1 canyon for three days already. The rescue team needs extra hands to help out.
救難隊需要增加人手幫忙尋找在黃石公園一偏僻峽谷中受困已三日的三名徒步旅行者。
B. In this weather,it’ll be a ballbreaker,but sign me up2!
雖然這種天氣去救人是要命的差事,但我還是愿意去!
注:
1. Yellowstone 黃石公園,位于美國西部懷俄明州(Wyoming)西北區(qū)。
2. sign me up! 幫我報名,表示“熱心參與”,亦作 Where do I sign up?(我去哪里報名?)
Balls 吸引力、精神、毅力、勇氣,大男人的氣概、行動、表現(xiàn)
A. (Editor to reporter)Re-write these headlines. They don’t shout1. Put some balls on’em.
(編輯對記者)這些標(biāo)題要重寫,不夠勁,須使之更具吸引力啊!
注:
1. shout 此處借“叫喊”作“夠勁,有力”解。
A. I got an acronym for myself. B-A-D. B-A-D. Balls,attitude, determination. You should get an acronym for yourself.
(Kiss of Death(1995)影片中的對白)
我給自己編了個字頭語B-A-D,[代表]大男人的氣概、風(fēng)范、決心。你自己也應(yīng)該編一個。
Balls 表示——膽敢、有種
A. On the upside1,George Tabb2 is great. He’s got some pair of3 balls calling Henry Rollins4 a pussy5 in print.6
(N.Y.Press,7/24-30/96)
從好的方面看,塔布真了不起,他白紙黑字竟膽敢罵羅林斯是懦夫。
注:
1. on the upside 就優(yōu)點而論,乃讀者來信所加之評論。
2. George Tabb 撰寫羅林斯采訪錄的專欄作家。
3. Some pair of 作“醒目的,大大的”解。pair在多數(shù)后可加s,也可不加。
4. Henry Rollins 美國作家。
5. pussy 懦夫,膽小鬼,亦為“女人”的貶稱。請參見pussy條。
6. in print 白紙黑字。又books in print (市面上)出售中之書籍,反義詞為 out of print,表“已絕版”。
A. If you don’t think l have the balls to send a man out to die,your instincts are dead1 wrong.
(GoldenEye(1995)影片中的對白)
如果你以為我不敢派人去死的話,你直覺上準(zhǔn)是大錯特錯。
注:
1. dead 在此當(dāng)副詞,作“完全地,準(zhǔn)是地”解。
A. It takes balls to save people in a burning house.
在燃燒中的房屋里救人可真要有膽量。
A. I like you. You have a goal,and you have the balls to reach that goal.
(The Great White Hype(1996)影片中的對白)
我喜歡你,你有目標(biāo),又有膽識去達(dá)成那個目標(biāo)。
Balls 個人自稱或他稱——在下、閣下、他老兄、她老姐
A. This is Edward Rooney we’re talking about. The man could crush my balls into oblivion.
(Ferris Bueller’s Day off (1986)影片中的對白)
我們說的是路尼,那個人能把我打得死去活來。
A. Copy store clerk:That’s how you become great,man. Hang your balls out there!
(Jerry Maguire(1996)影片中的對白)
影印店服務(wù)生:閣下要凸顯自己,那樣才能成為偉大的人!
Balls! 當(dāng)驚嘆語——表示“失望,慪氣,認(rèn)命”;亦作“得啦!胡說!”解
1. balls
A. (On the phone) Sorry,Larry,I don’t have time to go out with you tonight,either.
(電話中)抱歉,萊利,我今晚也沒有空跟你出去。
B. Balls,woman,you keep blowing me off1. What’s with you2, anyway?
你這個女人真令人慪氣!你老那樣推辭,你到底怎么搞的嘛?
A. Can’t you take a hint? I hate your guts. (Click.)
難道你不能領(lǐng)會我的意思嗎?我討厭你。(掛斷電話)
注:
1. blowing me off 借“把我吹掉”作“推掉(我的邀請)”解。
2. What’s with you? 作“你怎么搞的?”,“你怎么一回事?”解。
A. He really can’t afford to lend you 50 bucks right now….
他現(xiàn)在實在沒有能力借你五十塊錢……
B. Oh,balls,I know he has the cash. He probably thinks I’d never pay him back.
得了吧!我知道他有錢。他也許認(rèn)為我不會還他的錢。
其他短語的例子
1. balls and all 作“完全地”,“整個人”之意
A. It was the oldest trick in the book1,but he fell for2 it,balls and all.
那是最悠久的騙局,但他還是完全被蒙蔽了。
注:
1. the oldest trick in the book 是英語俗語,謂“由來已久的騙術(shù)”。
2. fall for… 上……的當(dāng),中……的計。He fell for it (他受蒙騙)。有時作“迷戀……”解。
2. break (bust) one’s balls 盡最大的努力,使出渾身解數(shù)
A. I see men,sixty,seventy years old breaking their balls to stay fit! What for? When I die,I want to be sick,not healthy.
(The Witches of Eastwick(1987)影片中的對白)
我看到六、七十歲的男人為了保持強壯而作最大的努力,何必呢?我死時不想健康,而要病入膏肓。
3. have someone’s balls 算某人的賬
A. If I don’t get this shipment out on time,the boss will have my balls.
如果沒有把貨及時運出去,老板就要與我算賬了。
4. have someone by the balls 使……在控制下;支配某人,左右某人
A. The most poweful man in the United States is President Nixon. You’ve heard of him? Charles Colson is special counsel to the President. There’s a cartoon on his wall. The caption reads, “When you’ve got’em by the balls1,their hearts and minds will follow.”
(All the President’s Men(1976)影片中的對白)
在美國,最有權(quán)力的人是尼克松總統(tǒng),閣下曾聽說過他嗎?寇爾森是總統(tǒng)的特別法律顧問,他墻壁上掛了個卡通,標(biāo)題是:“當(dāng)你能控制人時,他們會服服貼貼?!?
注:
1. got’em by the balls 此處借“抓住他們的睪丸”為“控制人”,是雙關(guān)語。
5. It takes balls to… 需要膽量去……
A. It takes balls to run for president in an under-developed country.
在一個低度發(fā)展的國家,想選總統(tǒng)可真需要膽量。