a bolt out of the blue
2019/12/03 04:13:42 網誌分類: 生活
Very few people had expected the democracy camp to win by a landslide. That's why it was surprising and unexpected.The word "landslide" means a large amount of rocks, mud, or earth suddenly moving very fast down a steep slope. But the word "landslide" also means winning an election with a large number of votes. If one side in a sports competition or election got a drubbing, it means that side was defeated by a large margin. The word "thrash" means to physically hit or beat someone. But if one side got a thrashing, it also means that side was heavily defeated in a competition or election. It is similar to the word "drubbing".
Last Monday morning, when I saw on the TV news that the establishment camp got a thrashing in the district council elections, it was like a bolt out of the blue for me. I had not expected the democracy camp to thrash the establishment camp or win with a landslide. I sensed the democracy camp would do well but never imagined it would do so well. Many media reports said it was a "protest vote". This means people using their votes to protest against the government. In democratic societies, a huge protest vote would cause the downfall of the government. But that, of course, would not happen in Hong Kong because it is not fully democratic.
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上星期,民主陣營在區選的勝利,完全是出乎意料(a bolt out of the blue)。香港和國際的英語媒體,用了許多不同的字詞去形容這個出乎意料的(a bolt out of the blue)選舉結果。許多媒體用了「landslide」一字,有些也用了例如「drubbing」和「thrashing」這一類的字。沒有人會預料得到,建制派會遭到如此的慘敗(drubbing)。因此,民主陣營的勝利(triumph)來得出乎意料(a bolt out of the blue)。習語「a bolt out of the blue」或「a bolt from the blue」的意思是一樣的,它們也解作晴天霹靂,就是一些非常出乎意料的突發事情。
很少人會預計得到,民主陣營可以大比數壓倒性地(landslide)勝出。因此這實在是很令人訝異、非常意外。「Landslide」是指山泥傾瀉;但「Landslide」也可以指以大比數的票數勝選、大獲全勝。若在體育比賽或選舉中的一方「got a drubbing」,意指那一方被打得落花流水,以很大的差距慘敗。「Thrash」是指抽打或用力擊打某人;但若一方「got a thrashing」,意指那一方在比賽或選舉中被徹底擊敗。它跟「drubbing」一字意思相近。
上星期一的早上,當我透過電視新聞報道,見到建制派在區議會選舉中大敗(thrashing),真是完全出乎我的意料(a bolt out of the blue)。我從沒有預料到民主陣營會徹底擊敗(thrash)建制派,又或壓倒性地大勝(win with a landslide)。
我事前感覺得到民主陣營會有不錯的成績,但從未想過會有這麼好的成績。許多傳媒報道說,這是一個「protest vote」,意思即是人民用他們的選票去反對政府。在民主社會,大量的「抗議票」(protest vote)足以推翻政府。但當然,這在香港不會發生,因為香港並非全面的民主。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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