A nail-biting situation

2016/11/15 08:41:14 網誌分類: 生活

15 Nov

        　　Are you still reeling from the reality that American voters elected Donald Trump as their next president? All the public opinion polls showed Hillary Clinton was more popular. No one expected that Trump could come from behind to win. But in a nail-biting election night, he shocked the world by?coming from behind to win. The word “reel” has many meanings but used this way it means to be in shock after something unexpected has happened. If your boss suddenly fires you for no reason, you can say you came out of his office reeling from the sudden sacking?(firing). To come from behind means to win after being in a losing position. If a football team is losing by five goals but suddenly scores six goals in the last ten minutes, it has come from behind to win the match.

        　　A nail-biting situation or event means a very exciting, nervous, or worrying situation because you are waiting for something to end but don’t know how it will end. Last week’s US election was nail-biting because no one had expected Trump could?come from behind?towards the end of voting to win. Will everything become?topsy-turvy?when Trump takes over from Barack Obama as the US president next January? This is what many Americans, world leaders, and people around the world are worried about. They fear that his policies could make the world a?topsy-turvy?place. The expression topsy-turvy?means upside down or very confused.

        　　Most people thought that Hillary Clinton would win the election easily but now that Trump has won, all bets are off. The expression “all bets are off” is used to describe a situation in which it is impossible to guess what will happen. Trump did not explain in detail his domestic or international policies. That’s why?all bets are off, which means it is unpredictable what he will do. No one yet knows who the central government prefers as Hong Kong’s next chief executive. That’s why?all bets are off (impossible to guess or predict) as to who will become the next chief executive.

        ***

        　　對於美國選民選出了特朗普做下任總統這一事實，你是否仍然感到震驚和不知所措（reeling）？所有的民意調查都表示，希拉莉更受歡迎。沒有人想到特朗普會後來居上（come from behind）而勝出。然而在那個緊張的（nail-biting）選舉晚上，他卻真的後來居上（coming from behind）勝出了，舉世震驚。 Reel有幾個不同意思，在這裡解作一件意想不到的事情發生過後，令人感到震驚。若你的老闆突然無緣無故的炒了你，你可以說你從他的辦公室出來時，對於突然被解僱深感震驚（reeling from the sudden sacking）。 To come from behind就是從劣勢中後來居上，最終勝出。若一隊足球隊落後五球，卻在最後十分鐘入了六球，它就是 come from behind to win the match。

        　　A nail-biting situation or event 就是一個非常刺激、緊張或令人焦慮的處境或事件，因為你等著事情的結局，卻不知它到底會如何收尾。上星期的美國選舉扣人心弦（nail-biting），因為沒有人會預料到特朗普竟然後來居上（come from behind），直至選舉結束時獲勝。當特朗普於下年一月接替奧巴馬成為美國總統時，一切會否變得亂七八糟（topsy-turvy）？這是許多美國人、世界領袖和世界各地的人所擔憂的。他們害怕他的政策會令世界變得顛三倒四（topsy-turvy）。習語 topsy-turvy意即顛倒或非常混亂。

        　　許多人以為希拉莉會輕易贏得選舉，但現在特朗普贏了， all bets are off。習語 all bets are off意即世事難料，一切也有可能發生。特朗普沒有詳細闡述國內與外交政策。因此， all bets are off，即是說我們很難預計他會做甚麼事。沒人能知道誰是中央偏好的香港下任特首人選。因此，誰是下屆特首，誰也說不準（all bets are off）。

        mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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