Friends英语赏析【6】捏软柿子

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第六篇

Monica 要去付一个约会(date), 大伙都想知道什么时候能见见那个人, 可Monica就是死活不答应:

Joey: So when do we get to meet the guy?
Monica: Let's see, today's Monday... Never.
All: Oh, come on! Come on!
Monica: No. Not after what happened with Steve.
Chandler: What are you talking about? We love Schhteve! Schhteve was schhexy!.. Sorry.
Monica: Look, I don't even know how I feel about him yet. Just give me a chance to figure that out.
Rachel: Well, then can we meet him?
Monica: Nope. Schhorry.
[Monica and Paula are at work.]
Monica: I mean, why should I let them meet him? I mean, I bring a guy home, and within five minutes they're all over him. I mean, they're like- coyotes, picking off the weak members of the herd.
Paula: Listen. As someone who's seen more than her fair share of bad beef, I'll tell you: that is not such a terrible thing. I mean, they're your friends, they're just looking out after you.
Monica: I know. I just wish that once, I'd bring a guy home that they actually liked.
Paula: Well, you do realise the odds of that happening are a little slimmer if they never get to meet the guy.

【世博视角】

现在我们知道Monica为什么不肯带那个人来见大伙了，她可是有经验教训的(Not after what happened with Steve)。一听到Steve这个名字，最爱嘲弄别人的Chandler来劲了，马上模仿起Steve说话漏风的语调来，这下Monica可是更加下定决心了。

随后Monica在上班时与同事Paula谈起此事，她抱怨说每次她把约会的对象带回家后那些老友们就会针对他(I bring a guy home, and within five minutes they're all over him.),Monica说他们就像“土狼(coyote)”一样，找到一个弱处就痛下其手。(They're like- coyotes, picking off the weak members of the herd.)。 大家有没有觉得这句话和我们所说的 “捏软柿子”有异曲同工之妙呢？

Paula 认为事情并不像Monica说得那么糟，作为过来人，她说那些老友们只是在替Monica 严把质量关而已(they're just looking out after you)。显然Paula以前就很倒霉地遇到过很多 “质量”不好的人，(as someone who's seen more than her fair share of bad beef), 真是那行人说那行话，作为厨师的Paula很有趣地把那些“质量”不好的人比作了“bad beef”。

Monica最后说她很希望那些老友们都能喜欢她带回家的那个人，哪怕是一次也好(I just wish that once, I'd bring a guy home that they actually liked)。 Paula回答说: “那种机率很小如果你永远不让他们见那个人(Well, you do realize the odds of that happening are a little slimmer if they never get to meet the guy.)。 odds这个词在这句话当中其实就相当于chance, 只是它更加强调与数字有关的机率，比如：If you are male, the odds are about 1 in 12 of being color-blind.（如果你是男性，那就会有1/12的可能是色盲）。另外，slim作为形容词原本是形容女孩子身材苗条的，但它经常用来修饰chance、odds 、hope等词，表示 “机会渺茫”。