Friends英语赏析【45】言多必失

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第四十五篇

这一天Monica、Rachel和Phoebe三人正在看杂志，忽然Monica问其它两人说：“如果要你在我们三人中选一个`约会对象’，你们会选谁？”Rachel回答说不知道，Monica自己也说难以决定，而心直口快的Phoebe马上说她会选Rachel，这使得Monica很是不快：

Monica: Why didn’ t you pick me?
Phoebe: Fine. The reason that I was leaning a little bit more toward Rachel than you is just that you’re … just … kinda high maintenance—Okay let’s go to lunch!
Monica: That is completely untrue. You think I’m high maintenance? Okay, prove it. I want you to make a list and we’re going to go through it point by point!
Phoebe: No, okay, you’re right. You’re easy-going. You’re just not as easy-going as Rachel. You know she’s just more flexible and-and mellow. That’s all.
Rachel: Well, people are different.
Phoebe: Ya, you know, Rachel … she’ll do whatever you want. Y’know, you can just walk all over her.
Rachel: What? Wait a minute. What are you saying, that I’m a pushover? I’m not a pushover.
Phoebe: Oh, okay, you’re not a pushover.
Rachel: Oh my … you think I’m a pushover. Well wait, watch this, you know what? You’re not invited to lunch. What do you think of that? I think that’s pretty strong, that’s what I think. Come on, Monica, let’s go to lunch.
Monica: (to Phoebe) You start working on that list.

【世博视角】

Monica平时一直争强好胜，所以她非得搞清楚为什么Phoebe不选她（Why didn’ t you pick me?）这种问题实在不好回答，可Phoebe看到Monica一付不依不饶的样子后只好解释说：好吧，我之所以有那么一点点倾向于Rachel是因为你，你只是…有点难伺候（Fine. The reason that I was leaning a little bit more toward Rachel than you is just that you’re … just … kinda high maintenance.）maintenance是名词，一般解释为“维护、保养”，如果某样东西一直需要人去维护保养，我们就可以把它形容为high maintenance, 如 high maintenance software / machine, 除东西外，有些人也会需要更多的照顾、关注等等，所以high maintenance也可以用来描述人，如：high maintenance kids / women。

Monica一听Phoebe说自己high maintenance后马上要Phoebe列张单子出来，以一一证明自己确实很难伺候（Okay, prove it. I want you to make a list and we’re going to go through it point by point!）。Monica的确是不太好应付呢，Phoebe只得改口说：“好吧，你不难伺候，只不过没有Rachel那么随和而已，Rachel更加通融、温和一点（No, okay, you’re right. You’re easy-going. You’re just not as easy-going as Rachel. You know she’s just more flexible and-and mellow）”。 Phoebe讲话有时真的是很不动脑子，先前她用easy-going、flexible、mellow等词来形容Rachel的性格让Rachel听着很是受用，可接下来她又说：“Ya, you know, Rachel … she’ll do whatever you want.”这句话听着就有点不舒服了，Rachel也太没个性了吧，别人想怎么就怎么，说到这儿Phoebe还嫌不够，最后来了一句“Y’know, you can just walk all over her.”，walk all over sb. 是一习惯用语，我们从字面上就能理解它的意思，“在某人身上走来走去”，那岂不欺人太甚？又比如：It's terrible - she lets her kids just walk all over her.

Rachel脾气再好也受不了别人walk all over her呀，所以她跳起来对Phoebe说：“What? Wait a minute. What are you saying, that I’m a pushover? I’m not a pushover.” 如果某个人或某件事是个pushover, 那就表示“很容易对付”，你只需稍加用力push一下，那个人或那件事就over了，例如：

The exam was a pushover.
The kids all think their new English teacher's a real pushover.

本来Phoebe的实话实说就已经得罪了Monica, 这下她的口无遮拦又把Rachel给惹毛了，结果Rachel拉着Monica一起去吃午饭，不理Phoebe了。

*本篇所讲到的表达法:

high maintenance
walk all over sb.
be a pushover