Riff-Raff
2021/08/03 04:13:01 網誌分類: 生活
The expression “go bust” is often used for businesses that have no more money and must close. A similar expression is “go broke”. I recently moved into a hotel after my apartment lease expired. I knew the apartment’s owner would increase my rent. A friend recommended a five-star hotel with a great harbour view that was offering out of this world deals for staycations as well as for people renting monthly. I jumped at the deal. The expression “jump at” means to accept something immediately or with eagerness. I jumped at the deal because the monthly rent was half that of my apartment. But there are trade-offs in jumping at good deals.
The expression “trade-off” means to accept something bad to have something good. The hotel I am in has a good rent with a great harbour view. But the trade-off is I must tolerate a few riff-raffs (noisy or badly-behaved people) who jump at the out of this world staycation deals. I had a riff-raff staycation family next to my room recently. Family members were celebrating a birthday. Families should celebrate birthdays but they made noise past midnight. When I complained to the hotel a young boy from the riff-raff family came outside my door and told me to go to hell. He could only have learned this from his parents. I pity him and am glad the family moved out after their staycation.
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許多酒店都提供非凡的(out of this world)留港宅度假優惠待遇。正如我從前解釋過,習語“out of this world”是指無與倫比的、極好的。但其實,不用腦也能想得到(no-brainer),為何酒店會提供這麼划算的優惠——因為新冠肺炎疫情意味着外國遊客不能進港。若他們不去提供如此非凡的(out of this world)優惠,他們可要破產,關門大吉(go bust)了。習語“no-brainer”來自brain(腦袋)一字;一些事情很容易辦到,或不費腦筋也能明白的,這些事情就被稱為no-brainers。酒店老闆不用多費腦筋,也會向本地人提供宅度假優惠,以填滿那些房間,否則房間也是空着無用。
習語“go bust”通常用來形容那些公司破產了,必須結業;類似的習語是“go broke”。我居住的單位租約完了,最近搬到酒店居住。我知道我單位的業主會加租,一位朋友就推介一間五星級酒店給我,它有無敵的海港景觀,提供非凡的(out of this world)宅度假優惠,以及超抵的月租價格。對此我幾乎是「𦧲飯應」(jumped at)!習語“jump at”意即搶着去欣然接受某事物。我急不及待、熱切地接受(jumped at)該酒店的優惠,因為酒店的月租是我原本單位租金的一半!但當然,欣然接受(jumping at)絕佳的優惠,難免有些 trade-offs。
習語“trade-off”是指權衡過後,為了獲得一樣好的東西,而去接受那些不好的東西。我現居的酒店,確實有無敵海景,但隨之而來我要抵受的(trade-off),是我必須容忍幾個嘈吵而不三不四的下等人(riff-raffs),他們同樣對這個非凡的(out of this world)宅度假優惠𦧲飯應(jump at)。最近就有一個不三不四的(riff-raff)宅度假家庭,住進我隔鄰的房間。那家庭在慶祝生日,家庭慶祝生日是應份的,但他們過了午夜還在製造噪音。當我向酒店投訴時,那個無賴(riff-raff)家庭中有一個男孩走來我房門外,跟我說「go to hell (去你的)」,他只能是從他父母那裏學來這些罵人的話吧。我很同情他,也很高興他們在宅度假完結後便搬走了。中譯:七刻
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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