“A Full Deck”
2020/01/16 04:12:49 網誌分類: 生活
Last week, Trump used several interesting slang words during a speech in which he discussed the American killing of Iran’s top military general Qassem Suleimani. He said Iran was plotting to attack US embassies, which was why he ordered the US military to assassinate Suleimani. If you are plotting something, it means you are secretly planning to do something illegal or harmful. To assassinate someone means to kill someone important or famous for religious or political reasons. After Suleimani’s assassination, Trump said in his speech: “We stopped him cold.” The expression “stop someone cold” means to stop that person very quickly and suddenly from doing something. Trump meant that he quickly stopped Suleimani from attacking US embassies by assassinating him.
Trump also criticized the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi for not fully supporting the assassination. He said she was “not operating with a full deck”. The expression “a full deck” used this way refers to a deck of cards. A full deck means all 52 cards in a deck of cards. If someone says you are not operating or playing with a full deck of cards, it means you are stupid, crazy, or have mental problems. When Trump said Pelosi was not operating with a full deck, he meant Pelosi was stupid, or has mental problems for not fully supporting the assassination of Suleimani.
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美國總統特朗普經常用到一些簡單的字詞，不像他的前任巴拉克．奧巴馬。特朗普相信他用上簡單字詞、簡短句子以及俚語，就可以更易接觸到一般人。他說話的時候句子有時是不完整的，而他也不時在推特訊息裏串錯字。奧巴馬是位很優秀的演說家（orator），比較能與年輕人以及知識份子溝通得到。An orator就是非常好的演說家。特朗普就不是一位很好的演說者（orator），但他知道怎樣去接觸藍領（blue-collar）工人。A blue-collar worker就是勞動工人，例如工廠又或地盤工人；a white-collar worker就是在辦公室工作的白領人士。
上星期，特朗普在一篇談到美國擊斃伊朗頭號軍事指揮官卡西姆．蘇雷曼尼的演說中，用上了幾個有趣的俚語。他說，伊朗密謀（plotting）攻擊美國的大使館，因此他才命令美軍去刺殺（assassinate）蘇雷曼尼。若你在 plotting something，意即你正暗中策劃去做一些非法或有害的事情。To assassinate someone就是為了宗教又或政治理由去暗殺重要人物或知名人士。在蘇雷曼尼遭行刺（assassination）身亡後，特朗普在演講中說道：“We stopped him cold.” 習語“stop someone cold”意即迅速而突然地阻止某人去做某事。特朗普的意思是他以行刺（assassinating）的手段，立刻阻止了蘇雷曼尼襲擊美國的大使館。
特朗普同時也批評了民主黨眾議院議長南希．佩洛西並未全面支持這個刺殺行動（assassination）。他說她was “not operating with a full deck”。習語“a full deck”在這裏是指一副啤牌；a full deck就是一副啤牌的全數五十二張牌。若某人說你 are not operating or playing with a full deck of cards，就好像說你在打一副缺牌的啤牌一樣，意即你是愚笨的、發瘋又或神智不清的。當特朗普說佩洛西 was not operating with a full deck，他的意思是佩洛西沒有全面支持刺殺（assassination）蘇雷曼尼，是愚蠢又或有精神問題。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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