美國(guó)之音之流行美語(yǔ)Lesson 194 - kiss sth. goodbye / lose one's coo
Larry 剛剛給自己的公寓貼了新的墻紙，可是他覺得效果很不理想。 李華今天會(huì)學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)：diddlysquat和rub it in。
LL: Today, Li Hua, I discovered that I don't know diddlysquat about putting up wallpaper.
LH: 什么? diddlysquat？聽你的意思，你好象是說你對(duì)貼墻紙什么也不懂，是嗎？
LL: That's right. I don't know diddlysquat means I don't know anything.
LH：噢，Don't know diddlysquat就是什么也不懂，一竅不通。
LL：Right. When I was wallpapering my apartment, I didn't get the pieces perfectly straight before I put them on, and now the pattern doesn't line up.
LH: 我也對(duì)貼墻紙一竅不通。不過，貼之前好象總得把墻紙弄直了。否則，墻紙的花樣怎么對(duì)得起來呢！
LL: Yeah, but it is harder to do than you might think. I really needed to read instructions in a how-to book before I started, but I didn't do diddlysquat to prepare.
LH: 原來你什么準(zhǔn)備都沒有做就開始貼墻紙呀！美國(guó)有很多關(guān)于如何裝修房屋的書，你什么沒看就動(dòng)手啦？你膽子也夠大的。得了，你來幫我點(diǎn)忙， 分散一下注意力，心情就會(huì)好一些。好嗎？
LL: Sure, how can I help?
LH: 我昨天買了一個(gè)新的電腦硬盤，可我在這方面什么也不懂，I don't know diddlysquat about computer。 你來幫我裝一下，好嗎？
LL: You are just like my mom, Li Hua. She doesn't know diddlysquat about computers either─but I am happy to help out. When should I come by?
LH: Larry，你能幫我裝上，那太好了。午飯以后可以過來嗎？
LL: OK, I'll do that. But maybe you can come help me remove the wallpaper I put up.
LH: 幫你撕墻紙，I don't know diddlysquat about that! 讓我看看再說吧。
******
LH: Oh, Larry, 這墻紙還真是沒對(duì)齊。
LL: Yeah, I know. Please don't rub it in.
LH: 不要抹進(jìn)去？我們不是要把墻紙撕下來嗎？
LL: No, no. By "rub it in", I didn't mean rub the wallpaper into the wall. I meant that I already know the wallpaper doesn't line up, so you don't need to tell me again and make me feel worse.
LH: 我明白了， rub it in的意思是在傷口上抹鹽，令人更難堪。 墻紙沒貼好，你已經(jīng)很難過了，我又提起這件事，就是rub it in - 讓你更難受，對(duì)嗎？
LL: Yeah, especially when it is something you are not happy about. "Rubbing it in" just makes a person feel worse.
LH: Rub it in，只會(huì)讓人更難過， 所以我們的朋友Rick撞車之后，你并沒有對(duì)他說， “你怎么這么不小心”，因?yàn)槟悴幌胱屗y堪。
LL: Right, I didn't want Rick to feel even worse about his car.
LH: 上個(gè)星期考試，我考得好， 你考得不好，我說，“你本來就該好好復(fù)習(xí)嘛”。這又是 rubbing it in，往傷口上抹鹽，對(duì) 不對(duì)？
LL: Exactly.
LH: 可是我只是想對(duì)朋友提出忠告，并沒有 抹鹽的意思。
LL: I know you didn't mean to rub it in, Li Hua. Well, let's go see what we can do about your hard drive.
LH: Great. 好吧，去看看我的電腦吧。
LL: You are really lucky that we are friends! I mean, you don't know diddlysquat about computers. You'd never be able to install the hard drive without me.
LH: 我知道我對(duì)電腦一竅不通， 你就別往傷口上抹鹽了。You don't have to rub it in！
今天李華學(xué)到了兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)。一個(gè)是don't know diddlysquat about something，意思是對(duì)某件事一無所知，一竅不通。李華學(xué)到的另一個(gè)常用語(yǔ)是 rub it in， 意思是在某個(gè)人的傷口上抹鹽，令人更加難過。
