It was impossible to candy-coat the devastation.

2015/06/09 08:41:16 網誌分類: 生活

09 Jun

         During the recent torrential rains and flash floods in the US state of Texas, which caused many deaths, I saw an American official on TV saying it was impossible to candy-coat the devastation. When I was living in the US, I sometimes used the slang word “candy-coat” but I now seldom use it. I don’t think I have heard any of my Hong Kong friends use it. My Hong Kong friends sometimes use the word “sugar-coat”. Americans usually say “candy-coat” but people who speak British English mostly say “sugar-coat”. Both words have the same meaning. The word can be used in two different ways, in a literal way and as a slang word.

         To sugar-coat something is to cover it with sugar. For example, you can buy almonds or other types of nuts which are covered in sugar. They are called sugar-coated nuts. During Chinese New Year, people like to buy snacks that are sugar-coated, such as ginger and coconut pieces. Pills are usually bitter but some are sugar-coated or candy-coated to make it easier for sick people to take them. But to sugar-coat something also means to make it sound more pleasant or more attractive than it really is. For example, if your best friend’s wife is starting to look old, you can sugar-coat the truth by telling her she looks young.

         Americans usually say candy for chocolates and other things made with sugar while those who speak British English usually say sweets. That is why Americans say candy-coated instead of sugar-coated. “Torrential rains” means very heavy rain that is falling very fast. A flash flood is a sudden flood that lasts only for a few hours, caused mostly by heavy rain. The word “devastation” means a lot of destruction or damage. When the American official said it was impossible to candy-coat the devastation caused by torrential rains in Texas, he meant it was not possible to make the destruction sound more acceptable or to make it sound less serious than it really was.

         美國德州近日連場傾盆大雨（torrential rains）和暴洪（flash floods），引致多人死亡，其間我在電視上見到一位美國官員說，it was impossible to candy-coat the devastation 。當我還在美國住的時候，我有時也會用上俚語“candy-coat”，但現在已經很少用到。我想我沒有聽過任何香港朋友用過。我的香港朋友有時會用“sugar-coat”這個字。美國人會說candy-coat，但說英式英語的人多會說sugar-coat。兩個字的意思一樣。這個字可以有兩種用法：按字面意思或是作俚語用。

         To sugar-coat something就是以糖衣包着。譬如，你可以買到用糖衣包着的杏仁或者其他堅果，它們就叫 sugar-coated nuts。農曆新年期間，人們喜歡買些糖衣包着的（sugar-coated）小食，例如薑糖或糖椰角。藥丸通常也味苦，但有些會包上糖衣（sugar-coated 或candy-coated），使病人易於服食。但 to sugar-coat something也解作美化或粉飾某事物，令它聽起來比原本真實的模樣更悅目吸引。譬如，若你摯友的太太開始衰老，你可粉飾（sugar-coat）事實，跟她說她看來還年輕啊。

         美國人通常會把朱古力和其他糖果稱為 candy，而說英式英語的人通常就會說是sweets。也因此美國人會說candy-coated 而非sugar-coated。 Torrential rains就是傾盆大雨。Flash flood就是突如其來的洪水（sudden flood），只會持續幾小時，大多是由暴雨所致。Devastation意思是嚴重破壞或蹂躪的境況。當美國官員說，德州連場暴雨（candy-coat）導致滿目瘡痍（devastation），不可能被粉飾（candy-coat）的時候，他的意思就是，不可能將破壞說成還可以接受的程度，或者將其嚴重性輕輕帶過。

        mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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It was impossible to candy-coat the devastation.

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