“move the goalposts”

2018/09/04 04:12:26 網誌分類: 生活

04 Sep

        　　In some sports, such as football, players have to kick the ball into a net or goal held up by two posts. A post used this way is a long vertical pole set in the ground and used as a support. A goalpost is one of two posts that hold up the net in football. Last week, I heard University of Hong Kong law lecturer Eric Cheung Tat-ming use the expression “move the goalposts” on an English language radio station. He was not talking about sports when he used the expression. He used “move the goalposts” to discuss an incident two years ago involving former chief executive Leung Chun-ying’s daughter. She had left her bag behind when she went through airport security to board her flight.

        　　The Airport Authority and the Aviation Security Company helped her get the bag through security without her presence even though security rules require passengers to accompany carry-on baggage. The word carry-on or cabin baggage means baggage that passengers take with them to the plane when they board. A flight attendant took the case to court, complaining that airport officials had breached (violated) rules when they allowed the bag through security without it being accompanied by Leung Chun-ying’s daughter. But before the case reached the court, the Airport Authority changed the rules to allow carry-on baggage to be screened for security without the passenger accompanying it. The flight attendant won the case.

        　　Cheung Tat-ming used the expression “move the goalposts” to criticize the Airport Authority. The expression means to change the rules of something to make it easier for one side to win and the other side to lose. Cheung Tat-ming accused the Airport Authority of changing the rules or moving the goalposts to make it easier for it to win the court case. The expression originated from sports. For example, if you change the rules to gain an advantage after a football match has already started, you have moved the goalposts although you haven’t moved the actual goalposts to a different position.

        　　在一些體育項目中，例如足球，運動員需要把球踢進由兩條柱（posts）支撐拉起的網或球門中。A post在這裏是指豎立在地上的一條長直柱，作支撐之用。A goalpost就是足球中撐起龍門網的球門柱。上星期，我聽到香港大學法律講師張達明在一英語電台上，用了習語“move the goalposts”。他用這個習語時並非在評論體育，他用“move the goalposts”去討論兩年前牽涉前特首梁振英女兒的事件。她在機場過安檢上機時，遺留了一個手袋。

        　　機場管理局和機場保安有限公司，不用她在場就幫她將手袋帶過了安檢，即使保安條例要求乘客必須與手提（carry-on）行李同行同檢。Carry-on 或 cabin baggage就是乘客可以攜帶上機的手提行李。一名空姐將案件打上法庭，控訴機場人員違反（breached）規定，容許梁振英女兒不必隨行，其手袋也能通過安檢。然而在法庭開審前，機管局將條文修改了，容許手提（carry-on）行李過安檢時，乘客不必隨行。空姐勝訴。張達明用上習語“move the goalposts”去批評機管局。這個習語的意思是去「搬龍門」，將某事的規例改變以遷就一方，令一方勝出而另一方落敗。張達明指責機管局修改條文或搬龍門（moving the goalposts），令自己較易打贏案件。這個習語源自體育運動。譬如，在球賽已經開始後，你才去改球例以便利自己，你就是搬龍門（moved the goalposts）了，即使你沒有真的將龍門（goalposts）搬去別的位置。

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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