VOA慢速英語:Baseball Expressions: We try to hit a home run

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.現(xiàn)在是美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節(jié)目。

Baseball is America's national sport. So it is not unusual that many popular expressions come from baseball. But first, let me explain a little about the game.棒球是美國最流行的運動項目。所以有很多來自棒球的常用語也不足為奇。但首先讓我稍微解釋一下這項運動。

Each baseball team has nine players. The pitcher of one team throws the ball to a batter from the other team. The batter attempts to hit the ball. If he misses, it is called a strike. If a batter gets three strikes, he loses his turn at bat and is called out. The batter also is out if he hits the ball in the air and an opposing player catches it. But if the batter hits the ball and it is not caught, the batter tries to run to one or more of the four bases on the field. The batter can run to all four bases if he hits the ball over the fence or out of the ballpark. Such a hit is called a home run.每個棒球隊有9名球員，一隊的投手將球投向另一隊的擊球員。擊球員嘗試擊中來球。如果他沒擊中，這就被稱為一個“好球”(好球是針對投手來說，對擊球手來說，他就是一擊不中)。如果一名擊球員得到三次好球，他就失去擊球機會，這被成為“出局”。如果擊球員擊出騰空球并被對方球員接住，這樣他也會出局。但如果擊球員擊中球，并且球沒被對方球員接住，擊球員就會設(shè)法在四個壘中跑出一到多個壘。如果擊球員將球擊到籬笆以上或擊出球場，他就能跑遍四壘，這樣的一次擊球就被稱為一記本壘打。

Now, here are some common expressions from baseball. Someone who is on the ball is intelligent and able to do a good job. But a person who threw a curve ball did something unexpected. Someone who steps up to the plate is ready to do his or her job. A pinch hitter takes the place of someone else at a job or activity.以下就是來自棒球的一些常用語。Someone who is on the ball是指他聰明，能做好工作。 a person who threw a curve ball是指他做出了讓人意想不到的事情。Someone who steps up to the plate指他準(zhǔn)備好了做他(她)的工作。pinch hitter是指某項工作或活動中的替代者。

A person who strikes out or goes down swinging attempted something but failed. We also might tell the person that three strikes and you are out. But someone who hit a home run or hit it out of the park did something extremely well.A person who strikes out or goes down swinging是指他嘗試做某事但未能成功。我們還可能會告訴這個人three strikes and you are out(三振出局)。但someone who hit a home run or hit it out of the park意味著他做得非常好。

Sometimes I have to give information quickly, without time to think it over. Then I would say something right off the bat. If someone is doing an extremely good job and is very successful, you might say he or she is batting one thousand. 有時候我必須不經(jīng)思考很快提供信息，這樣I would say something right off the bat(立刻)。如果某人工作非常出色，你可能會說he or she is batting one thousand。

If I say I want to touch base with you, I will talk to you from time to time about something we plan to do. I might say I touched all the bases if I did what is necessary to complete a job or activity. And if I covered my bases I was well prepared. However, someone who is way off base did something wrong or maybe even dishonest or immoral. A person with strange ideas might be described as out in left field.如果我說I want to touch base with you，意思是我會就我們計劃做的一些事情不時和你交談。如果我完成了某項工作或活動所必須完成的所有事情，我可能會說 I touched all the bases。如果I covered my bases，意思是指做好了準(zhǔn)備。然而，someone who is way off base是指他做錯了事，甚至做了不誠實或不正派的事。擁有奇怪想法的人被稱為out in left field。

Let us say I want to sell my car but I do not know exactly how much it is worth. If someone asks me the price, I might give a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate. 假設(shè)我想要賣車但不知道它的確切價值。如果有人問我這車的售價，我就會給出一個大概的數(shù)字(a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate)。

If someone offers me an amount that is close to my selling price, I might say the amount is in the ballpark. However, if I say we are not in the same ballpark, I mean we cannot agree because my ideas are too different from yours.如果某人給出的報價，跟我的售價接近，我會說the amount is in the ballpark(差不多)。然而，如果我說we are not in the same ballpark，我的意思是說我們無法達(dá)成協(xié)議，因為我們的想法差得太遠(yuǎn)。

Finally, when a situation changes completely, we say that is a whole new ballgame.最后，當(dāng)局面完全改變時，我們會說that is a whole new ballgame(現(xiàn)在的情況與以前完全不一樣)。

on the ball：機靈，有見識

這個詞組源于20世紀(jì)早期的美國棒球運動。如果一名投手出手不凡，為對方的接球手制造了不少“麻煩”的話，我們稱之為have a lot on the ball,后來逐漸演變?yōu)榻裉斓暮x：有能力應(yīng)對即將出現(xiàn)的局面。在口語中，它常表示“機靈，有見識，在行”。

The new publicity manager is really on the ball. 新任宣傳部經(jīng)理的確精明干練。

threw a curve ball：戲弄或使人驚訝，提及出人意料的事

curve 意為“曲線”，因此threw a curve ball意為“投出曲線球”。如果投手投出曲線球，球在空中方向會發(fā)生變化，擊球手無法及時反應(yīng)。因此“a curve ball”指“意外的難題”。

The weather threw a curve ball at their outdoor picnic and they had to eat indoors. 天氣忽然變得很糟糕，他們不得不中斷室外的野餐，而到室內(nèi)吃。

step up to the plate：開始行動

在棒球運動的大菱形內(nèi)場上，人們注目的焦點在球場下端的角上。這是個14英寸見方的木塊或者橡膠，稱為本壘(home plate)，也可以簡稱為壘(plate)。擊球手就站在這塊plate上面擊球。當(dāng)一名棒球運動員準(zhǔn)備擊球的時候，他就拿起球棒踏上本壘，英文的說法就是:step up to the plate。因此，該習(xí)語發(fā)展至今，就有了“開始行動，開始做某事”的意思了。

Senator Smith will be the first to step up to the plate tomorrow to ask other senators to vote in favor of the President’s Health Care Bill.參議員史密斯明天將最先發(fā)表意見，要求其他參議員對總統(tǒng)的醫(yī)療保險議案投贊成票。

pinch hitter：替補擊球員，代替者

The coach burned his bridges in the ninth inning by putting in a pinch hitter for his best pitcher. 教練在第9局孤注一擲，以替補擊球員換下他最好的投手。

strike out /three strikes and you are out：三振出局，淘汰出局

棒球比賽里有strike out這個說法(strike在棒球術(shù)語中指“未被擊球手擊中的球”)。如果一個擊球手三次擊球不中，他就strike out(三振出局)了。所以，strike out也可以引申為“一件事做了幾次也不成功”的意思。“three strikes and you are out”也表達(dá)同樣的含義。中國有句古話——“事不過三”。在美國，有項法律名為“Three Strikes Law”，即“三振出局法”，力在嚴(yán)懲累犯，也是源于上述習(xí)語。

go down swinging：光榮地失敗，體面地下臺

He lost, but he went down swinging. 他輸了，但他輸?shù)皿w面。

hit a home run /hit it out of the park：(全壘打)全勝，漂亮一擊

在棒球運動中，homerun意為“本壘打”，即擊球手將球擊出后安全回到本壘。而hit it out of the park，根據(jù)字面意思，把球擊出了球場，當(dāng)然就是絕好的全壘打嘍。因此，這兩個短語就有“出色地完成某事”的意思了。

right off the bat：立即

棒球和球棒都十分堅硬，所以球棒一擊中棒球，棒球就立即會以非常高的速度彈飛出去。據(jù)說球速是每小時100英里，right off the bat就出自棒球一接觸球棒立即飛離而去。

Sorry I don't know the address right off the bat.對不起，我不能馬上記起你要的地址。

batting one thousand：工作做得非常好,非常成功

touch base：把某一件事的情況告訴有關(guān)的人

I'll touch base with you all when I have these answers. 等到我有了答案我會跟你們大家聯(lián)系的。

touch all the bases：和所有有關(guān)的關(guān)鍵人物進行聯(lián)系和溝通

棒球運動員從一個base跑向另一個base的過程中，有一個關(guān)鍵就是，他的腳或者身體的任何一個部位必須觸及每一個base，否則就會被判出局，得不到分。

But before we go ahead, let's touch all the bases to make sure it's okay. 但是在我們著手開展之前我們得和所有與業(yè)務(wù)有關(guān)的關(guān)鍵人物進行溝通

cover my bases：準(zhǔn)備好應(yīng)付各種情況，面面俱到

out in left field：意見不合理，莫名其妙

如果你覺得他們很古怪或是莫名其妙，你可以說某人是out in left field。"Look at that strange guy! He's really out in left field!"

ballpark figure/ballpark figure：大概的數(shù)目

Right now I can only give you a ballpark figure, about fifty dollars.(現(xiàn)在，我只能粗略估計一下，大約50美元。

in the ballpark：大致正確的,八九不離十的

如果有個超厲害的擊球手，揮棒打出又高又遠(yuǎn)的長程飛球，觀眾的第一個念頭會是：會不會飛出“球場”(ballpark)外。因為，打出球場，就是全壘打。如果球的落點只在球場以內(nèi)(in the ballpark)，那擊球手得分總不可能超過全壘打。由此in the ballpark慢慢從“落在球場以內(nèi)”變成“不是遙不可及、無法控制的”(not out of reach)。最后轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)?ldquo;大概的估計數(shù)字”(rough numerical estimates)，也稱為ballpark figures。同理，out of ballpark意思就正好相反。它的意思是“無法控制的”、“不可收拾”、或“與實際價值或數(shù)字相差太遠(yuǎn)”(not close to the correct number or price)。

Few people will buy your product if the price is out of the ballpark. 如果你的產(chǎn)品價碼高得離譜，絕對沒人會買。

be not in the same ballpark: 對方的要求超出己方所能接受的范圍

a whole new ballgame: 現(xiàn)在的情況與以前完全不一樣

I have a lot of work experience in America but working in China is a whole new ballgame.我在美國的工作經(jīng)驗很豐富，但在中國就完全不一樣了。