美國(guó)之音之流行美語(yǔ)without a hitch / chow down
Popular American - #91
流行美語(yǔ)-第九十一課
without a hitch
chow down
期終考試今天全部結(jié)束，Larry和Li Hua準(zhǔn)備開個(gè)party來慶祝一番。Li Hua會(huì)學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)：without a hitch和chow down。
(household utensil noise)
LH: Larry, 你看我們準(zhǔn)備的東西夠不夠??？這是我第一次請(qǐng)朋友來開party，要是東西不夠吃，那就糟糕啦！
LL: Calm down, Li Hua. I'm sure the party will go off without a hitch.
LH: 你說我們的party會(huì)怎么樣 - without a hitch - 那是什么意思啊？
LL: Oh, if something "goes without a hitch", it means that everything goes smoothly and nothing will go wrong.
LH: 對(duì)，hitch這個(gè)字也可以解釋為“障礙”，那something goes without a hitch, 就是“進(jìn)展順利”。
LH: Larry，你的意思就是我們的party will go off without a hitch，肯定能辦好，不會(huì)有問題...那我可不可以說：There won't be any "hitches"？
LL: No, No, Li Hua, you can't use it that way. You can only say that something "goes without a hitch." This is an idiomatic expression. You can't generally substitute the word "hitch" for "problem."
LH: 啊，原來something "goes without a hitch"是一個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)，不能把hitch 和problem兩個(gè)交替來使用。那想說什么事一帆風(fēng)順，我們就只能說：什么事情goes without a hitch.
LL: Okay, Li Hua, now that you understand the phrase, can you give me an example?
LH: 我來想一想。有了。最近這次考試我覺得我考得不錯(cuò) - My exams went without a hitch.
LL: I wish I were as confident as you are. Now, can you give me another example of how to use "without a hitch"?
LH: 嗯...我最近申請(qǐng)了暑期里到一個(gè)公司去工作。他們約我上星期去面談。我覺得那個(gè)面談進(jìn)行得挺順利的，所以 - It went off without a hitch.
LL: Hey congratulations!
LH: Thank you, Larry. 哎喲，我們趕快準(zhǔn)備吧。客人馬上就要到了！
******
(party SFX)
LL: See, everybody is enjoying the party, I told you it would be fine.
LH: 嗯，大家好象都玩得挺開心。我原來還擔(dān)心吃的不夠呢，現(xiàn)在看來說不定還做多了！
LL: I don't know about that. Some people are really chowing down. Hey, look at Jim, he's eating one hot dog after another!
LH: 就是啊，我也注意到Jim挺喜歡吃熱狗的，可是你說什么？ 這兒有的人是在chowing down? 什么是chow down??？
LL: Well, "chow" is slang for "food" and to chow down is to eat a lot and to do it enthusiastically.
LH: 噢，chow這個(gè)字在口語(yǔ)里可以表示“食物”。那么chow down就是“吃得很多，而且還興致勃勃的”。那不就有點(diǎn)兒像我們中文里說的“狼吞虎咽”嗎？
LL: Yep. Look, Jim has finished his hot dog. He's now moved on to eating a piece of cake. He's definitely chowing down. He acts as though he hasn't eaten in days.
LH: 對(duì)，Jim他剛吃完熱狗，現(xiàn)在又在吃蛋糕了 - He is really chowing down. 好象幾天沒吃飯一樣的。哎，對(duì)了，Larry, 這也說明我們準(zhǔn)備的東西受歡迎哪！
LL: That's right! See, Li Hua, I told you that the party will go off without a hitch.
LH: 哎，Larry, 說了這么半天了，你都吃什么啦？
LL: What have I chowed down? Well, I have been busy helping you and haven't got time to eat yet.
LH: 哎喲，真是抱歉，你光顧著幫我招待客人，自己都還沒顧上吃呢！
LL: That's OK. I think we should chow down now before all of the good stuff is gone!
LH: 好啊，那我們趕緊開吃吧，要不然好東西都沒了！
今天李華從Larry那兒學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)。一個(gè)是without a hitch, 表示事情“進(jìn)展順利”。另外一個(gè)是chow down, 相當(dāng)于中文里所說的“狼吞虎咽”。
